Standards

Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain) chords & key

Key: B♭ major
Form: ABAC
Bars: 32
Groove: Medium swing
Time signature: 4/4

“Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain)” is a jazz standard by Irving Berlin. It is usually played in B♭ major as a medium swing, and the 32-bar ABAC form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 4 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 15 different chords and moves between the key centres E♭ major and B♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 12 album tracks.

Chord changes

to key

Showing in: Concert (C) — B♭ major

E♭^maj7

E♭^m6F⁷

B♭^maj7

F^m7B♭⁷

E♭^maj7

E♭^m6F⁷

B♭^maj7

D^m7

D♭^dim7

C^m7B^dim7

C^m7F⁷

B♭^maj7

A^7♯5A♭⁷

D♭⁷

C^m7F⁷

E♭^maj7

E♭^m6F⁷

B♭^maj7

F^m7B♭⁷

E♭^maj7

E♭^m6F⁷

B♭^maj7

F^m7

B♭⁷

E♭^maj7

C⁷

E♭^maj7

E♭^m6F⁷

B♭⁶D♭^dim7

C^m7F⁷

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

Harmonic analysis

4Major ii–V–I

0Minor ii–V–i

6ii–V moves

1Tritone substitutions

1Dominant chains

15Different chords

Most used chords

F⁷×8
B♭^maj7×7
E♭^maj7×6
E♭^m6×5
C^m7×4
F^m7×3

Key centres reached by ii–V

E♭ major and B♭ major

Characteristics

ABAC song form

Recorded on these albums

1953	The Astaire Story Fred Astaire · “Isn’t This a Lovely Day”
1953	Oscar Peterson Plays Irving Berlin Oscar Peterson · “Isn't This A Lovely Day”
1955	Music for Torching Billie Holiday · “Isn't This a Lovely Day?”
1956	Ella and Louis Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong · “Isn’t This a Lovely Day”
1958	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book Ella Fitzgerald · “Isn’t This a Lovely Day”
1959	Oscar Peterson Plays the Irving Berlin Songbook Oscar Peterson · “Isn’t It a Lovely Day”
1981	Top Hat (Songs Made Famous By Fred Astaire) Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli - Arranged And Conducted By Nelson Riddle · “Isn't This a Lovely Day?”
1988	Menuhin & Grappelli Play Berlin, Kern, Porter & Rodgers and Hart Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli · “Isn't This a Lovely Day?”
1999	Puttin’ On the Ritz Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli · “Isn’t This a Lovely Day”
2008	Ella & Louis (and Oscar Too) Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong & The Oscar Peterson Trio · “Isn’t This a Lovely Day”
—	Ella Et Louis Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong · “Isn't This a Lovely Day”
—	The Irving Berlin Songbook Fred Astaire · “Isn’t This a Lovely Day?”

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

Title	Composer	Key	Form	Groove
You Can Depend On Me 26%	Carpenter-Dunlap-Hines	F major	AABA · 32	Medium-up swing
This Year's Kisses 24%	Irving Berlin	G major	AABC · 28	Medium swing
You're Blasé 23%	Ord Hamilton	F major	AABA · 28	Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain) in?

Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain) is usually played in B♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is C major, for E♭ instruments G major.

Who wrote Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain)?

Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain) was written by Irving Berlin.

What is the form of Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain)?

Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain) has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain) played?

The usual groove is Medium swing.

What are the chord changes to Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain)?

The opening bars are Ebmaj7 | Ebm6 F7 | Bbmaj7 | Fm7 Bb7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.