ENDEIT

Standards · 1939

I'll Never Smile Again chords & key

Ruth Lowe · Lyrics: Ruth Lowe

Key
E♭ major
Form
ABAC
Bars
32
Groove
Ballad
Time signature
4/4
Year
1939

“I'll Never Smile Again” is a jazz standard by Ruth Lowe from 1939. It is usually played in E♭ major as a ballad, and the 32-bar ABAC form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 3 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 22 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 5 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

A
Fm7B9♯11
B♭7susB♭7♭9
E♭maj7
Gm7G♭dim7
Fm7B9♯11
B♭7♭9
E♭6A♭9
Gm7G♭7♭5
B
Fm7B♭7♭9
E♭6
Fm7B♭7♯5
E♭maj7D9
Gmaj7D7/A
G/BG♭dim7
Fm7
B♭7B♭7Gm7G♭dim
A
Fm7B9♯11
B♭7susB♭7♭9
E♭maj7
Gm7G♭dim7
Fm7B9♯11
B♭7♭9
E♭maj7E♭6
B♭m6A7♯11
C
A♭maj7
D♭7
E♭maj7
C9
Fm7
Fm7B♭7♭9
E♭6
Gm7G♭dim7

Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.

Harmonic analysis

3Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
4ii–V moves
3Tritone substitutions
0Dominant chains
22Different chords

Most used chords

  • Fm7×9
  • B♭7♭9×6
  • E♭maj7×5
  • Gm7×5
  • B9♯11×4
  • G♭dim7×4

Characteristics

  • ABAC song form

History

"I'll Never Smile Again" is a 1939 song which became a 1940 Billboard chart-topper by Tommy Dorsey written by Ruth Lowe. It has been recorded by many other artists since, becoming a jazz and pop standard. The most successful and best-known million selling single version of the song was recorded by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, with vocals provided by Frank Sinatra and The Pied Pipers. Tommy Dorsey has a solo on trombone during the break and as a coda near the end of the song. This recording was released as a Victor 78, 26628A, in 1940. This version was number one on Billboard's first "National List of Best Selling Retail Records"—the first official national music chart—on July 27, 1940, staying at the top spot for 12 weeks until October 12, 1940. The tune was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1982. Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra performed the song in the 1941 Paramount Pictures musical Las Vegas Nights.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Recorded on these albums

1959 No One Cares
Frank Sinatra, orchestra conducted by Gordon Jenkins · “I’ll Never Smile Again”
1959 Last Recording
Billie Holiday with Ray Ellis and His Orchestra · “I’ll Never Smile Again”
1963 Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra featuring Frank Sinatra
Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra featuring Frank Sinatra
1965 A Man and His Music
Frank Sinatra
1982 The Personal Touch
Oscar Peterson

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • I'll Never Smile Again John "Schoolboy" Porter And His School Boys · R. Lowe · Jesse Hart ·… · 1950 archive.org ↗
  • I'll Never Smile Again Buddy Lucas and his Band of Tomorrow · Ruth Lowe · 1952 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Let There Be Love 24% Rand-Grant E♭ major ABAC · 32 Medium swing
Sometimes I'm Happy 23% Vincent Youmans F major ABAB · 32 Medium swing
When You Wish Upon A Star 23% Leigh Harline C major AABA · 32 Ballad
Indian Summer 21% Victor-Aldubin-Herbert G major BACA · 32 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is I'll Never Smile Again in?

I'll Never Smile Again is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote I'll Never Smile Again?

I'll Never Smile Again was written by Ruth Lowe (1939).

What is the form of I'll Never Smile Again?

I'll Never Smile Again has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is I'll Never Smile Again played?

The usual groove is Ballad.

What are the chord changes to I'll Never Smile Again?

The opening bars are Fm7 B9#11 | Bb7sus Bb7b9 | Ebmaj7 | Gm7 Gbdim7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.