ENDEIT

Standards · 1932

It Don't Mean A Thing chords & key

Duke Ellington · Lyrics: Irving Mills

Key
B♭ major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Medium-up swing
Time signature
4/4
Year
1932

“It Don't Mean A Thing” is a jazz standard by Duke Ellington from 1932. It is usually played in B♭ major as a medium-up swing, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 1 major ii–V–I cadence, uses 16 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 14 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — B♭ major

A
GmGm/G♭
Gm/FC7/E
E♭7D7
Gm
1.
C7
D♭dim7
B♭6/D
D7♭5
2.
C7
F7
B♭6
B♭6
B
Fm7
B♭7
E♭6
E♭6
Gm7
C7
F7
D7
A
GmGm/G♭
Gm/FC7/E
E♭7D7
Gm
C7
D♭dim7
B♭6
B♭6

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

Harmonic analysis

1Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
8ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
2Dominant chains
16Different chords

Most used chords

  • Gm×6
  • D7×4
  • C7×4
  • B♭6×4
  • Gm/G♭×3
  • Gm/F×3

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

History

"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a 1931 composition by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Bubber Miley, first published by Irving Mills. It is accepted as a jazz standard, and jazz historian Gunther Schuller characterized it as "now legendary" and "a prophetic piece and a prophetic title". In 2008, Ellington's 1932 recording of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

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

Recorded on these albums

1955 Diz and Getz
Diz and Getz · “It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)”
1957 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
Ella Fitzgerald · “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)”
1962 Nina Simone Sings Ellington
Nina Simone · “It Don’t Mean a Thing”
1963 The Great Reunion
Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington · “It Don't Mean a Thing”
1977 Tony Bennett / The McPartlands And Friends Make Beautiful Music
Tony Bennett · “It Don’t Mean a Thing”
1982 It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing
Duke Ellington & Teresa Brewer · “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing”
1993 Jazz Tribune No.69: Indispensable
Duke Ellington · “It Don't Mean a Thing (If You Ain't Got That Swing)”
1999 A Tone Parallel to Harlem
Duke Ellington; Claude Bolling Big Band · “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)”
2000 Classic Ellington
Duke Ellington arr. Luther Henderson; City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle, Lena Horne · “That Doo-Wah Thing”
2003 The Blues I Love To Sing
Duke Ellington · “It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (Vocal: Ivie Anderson)”
2004 Jazz Moods - Hot
Duke Ellington · “It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)”
2008 Columbia Jazz Profiles
Duke Ellington · “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)”
2016 Live in Cologne, 1974 (Live)
Ella Fitzgerald · “It Don’t Mean a Thing (live)”
2023 Ellington In Order, Volume 4 (1932)
Duke Ellington · “It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)”

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) The Shelly Manne Septet · Conte Candoli · Shorty Rodgers · Jimmy… · 1952 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Só Danço Samba 29% Antonio-Carlos Jobim C major AABA · 32 Bossa nova
I've Found A New Baby 28% Palmer-Williams E♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Just You, Just Me 24% Jesse Greer C major AABA · 32 Medium swing
On The Sunny Side Of The Street 24% Jimmy McHugh C major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Undecided 24% Charlie Shavers C major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing
Young And Foolish 24% Albert Hague C major ABAC · 32 Ballad

Frequently asked questions

What key is It Don't Mean A Thing in?

It Don't Mean A Thing is usually played in B♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is C major, for E♭ instruments G major.

Who wrote It Don't Mean A Thing?

It Don't Mean A Thing was written by Duke Ellington (1932).

What is the form of It Don't Mean A Thing?

It Don't Mean A Thing has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is It Don't Mean A Thing played?

The usual groove is Medium-up swing.

What are the chord changes to It Don't Mean A Thing?

The opening bars are Gm Gm/Gb | Gm/F C7/E | Eb7 D7 | Gm. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.