Standards · 1917
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows chords & key
- Key
- G major
- Form
- AB
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1917
“I'm Always Chasing Rainbows” is a jazz standard by Harry Carroll from 1917. It is usually played in G major as a medium swing, and the 32-bar AB form has 2 sections. Harmonically it contains no major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 14 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 2 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — G major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Gmaj7×9
- Am7×6
- E7×6
- D7×5
- Cm6×3
- A7×3
History
"I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" is a popular vaudeville song. The music was written by Harry Carroll, the melody adapted from Fantaisie-Impromptu by Frédéric Chopin. The lyrics were written by Joseph McCarthy, and the song was published in 1917. It was introduced in the Broadway show Oh, Look! which opened in March 1918. The song was sung in the show by the Dolly Sisters. Judy Garland sang it in the 1941 film Ziegfeld Girl. It was subsequently sung by Jack Oakie in the 1944 film The Merry Monahans and was again featured in the 1945 film The Dolly Sisters (1945), where it was sung by John Payne. It was also included for part of the run (and in the cast album) of the 1973 revival of Irene. In 2019, it was included in the Hazbin Hotel pilot.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
| 1960 | Alone Together Tony Bennett · “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” |
| 1962 | I Left My Heart in San Francisco Tony Bennett |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| I Ain't Got Nobody 21% | G major |
| Fran Dance 20% | B♭ major |
| The Love Nest 20% | E♭ major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is I'm Always Chasing Rainbows in?
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows is usually played in G major. For B♭ instruments that is A major, for E♭ instruments E major.
Who wrote I'm Always Chasing Rainbows?
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows was written by Harry Carroll (1917).
What is the form of I'm Always Chasing Rainbows?
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows has 2 sections (AB) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is I'm Always Chasing Rainbows played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to I'm Always Chasing Rainbows?
The opening bars are Gmaj7 | Gmaj7 Cm6 | Gmaj7 | Gmaj7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.