Standards
If I Ruled The World chords & key
- Key
- E♭ major
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 66
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“If I Ruled The World” is a jazz standard by Leslie Bricusse. Most bands play it in E♭ major, medium swing; the tune runs 66 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 6 major ii–V–I cadences and 5 minor ii–V–i, uses 20 different chords and moves between the key centres E♭ major, F minor, C minor and C major. In this atlas it appears on 10 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- E♭maj7×11
- Fm7×11
- B♭7×8
- G7×6
- Cm7×6
- C7♭9×6
Key centres reached by ii–V
E♭ major, F minor, C minor and C major
Characteristics
- AABA song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1965 | If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set Tony Bennett · “If I Ruled the World” |
| 1966 | Pop Artistry Sarah Vaughan · “If I Ruled the World” |
| 1971 | Get Happy With the London Philharmonic Orchestra Tony Bennett with London Philharmonic Orchestra · “If I Ruled the World” |
| 1978 | Pretties Ruby Braff · “If I Ruled the World” |
| 1995 | Love Calls Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis · “If I Ruled the World” |
| 2006 | Duets: An American Classic Tony Bennett · “If I Ruled the World” |
| 2007 | Candy Store Candy Dulfer · “If I Ruled the World” |
| 2009 | The Pursuit Jamie Cullum · “If I Ruled the World” |
| 2015 | Today-My Way / Nancy-Naturally Nancy Wilson · “If I Ruled the World” |
| 2016 | Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 Tony Bennett · “The Very Thought of You / If I Ruled the World” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Try A Little Tenderness 30% | E♭ major |
| I've Got You Under My Skin 29% | E♭ major |
| One Morning In May 24% | G major |
| Where Are You? 23% | G major |
| Deed I Do 22% | C major |
| The Party's Over 22% | E♭ major |
| They Didn't Believe Me 22% | G major |
| Young And Foolish 22% | C major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is If I Ruled The World in?
If I Ruled The World is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.
Who wrote If I Ruled The World?
If I Ruled The World was written by Leslie Bricusse.
What is the form of If I Ruled The World?
If I Ruled The World has 4 sections (AABA) with 66 bars in total.
How fast is If I Ruled The World played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to If I Ruled The World?
The opening bars are Ebmaj7 | Ebmaj7 | Ebmaj7 | Bbm7 Eb7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.