ENDEIT

Standards · 1940

Let There Be Love chords & key

Rand-Grant · Lyrics: Ian Grant

Key
E♭ major
Form
ABAC
Bars
32
Groove
Medium swing
Time signature
4/4
Year
1940

“Let There Be Love” is a jazz standard by Rand-Grant from 1940. Most bands play it in E♭ major, medium swing; the tune runs 32 bars in ABAC form. Harmonically it contains 4 major ii–V–I cadences and 6 minor ii–V–i, uses 13 different chords and moves between the key centres F minor, E♭ major and E♭ minor. In this atlas it appears on 3 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

A
E♭maj7
A♭maj7
Gm7♭5
C7
Fm7♭5
B♭7
E♭maj7A♭7
Gm7G♭dim7
B
Fm7
B♭7
E♭maj7A♭7
Gm7G♭dim7
Fm7
B♭7
Gm7C7♭9
Fm7B♭7
A
E♭maj7
A♭maj7
Gm7♭5
C7
Fm7♭5
B♭7
E♭maj7
Fm7B♭7
C
E♭maj7
Gm7
C9
C9
Fm7
B♭7
E♭6
Fm7B♭7

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

Harmonic analysis

4Major ii–V–I
6Minor ii–V–i
12ii–V moves
2Tritone substitutions
0Dominant chains
13Different chords

Most used chords

  • B♭7×8
  • E♭maj7×6
  • Fm7×6
  • Gm7×4
  • A♭maj7×2
  • Gm7♭5×2

Key centres reached by ii–V

F minor, E♭ major and E♭ minor

Characteristics

  • ABAC song form

History

"Let There Be Love" is a popular song with music by Lionel Rand and lyrics by Ian Grant, published in 1940. Lyrically, the song talks about the joy of the existence of, in order: the singer and his beloved, oysters under the sea, occasional weather changes. The song is a well-known standard with cover versions by many artists, notably Nat King Cole.

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

Recorded on these albums

1957 The Beat of My Heart
Tony Bennett
1961 Nat King Cole Sings / George Shearing Plays
Nat King Cole & The George Shearing Quintet
2026 Too Marvelous For Words
Peggy Lee

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • Let There Be Love Bobby Short · Buddy Bregman Orchestra · Ian Grant · Lionel Rand · 1953 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
When You Wish Upon A Star 40% Leigh Harline C major AABA · 32 Ballad
Easy To Love 36% Cole Porter G major ABAC · 32 Medium swing
My Little Suede Shoes 36% Charlie Parker E♭ major AABA · 32 Latin
Jeannie's Song 33% Marchel Ivery F major ABB · 24 Medium swing
The Lamp Is Low 33% DeRose-Shefter C major AABC · 34 Medium swing
Meditation 33% Antonio-Carlos Jobim C major AAB · 40 Bossa nova
I Cover The Waterfront 29% Johnny Green G major AABA · 32 Ballad
I'm In The Mood For Love 28% Jimmy McHugh C major AABA · 32 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Let There Be Love in?

Let There Be Love is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote Let There Be Love?

Let There Be Love was written by Rand-Grant (1940).

What is the form of Let There Be Love?

Let There Be Love has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Let There Be Love played?

The usual groove is Medium swing.

What are the chord changes to Let There Be Love?

The opening bars are Ebmaj7 | Abmaj7 | Gm7b5 | C7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.