Standards

Love For Sale chords & key

Key: B♭ minor
Form: AAB
Bars: 48
Groove: Medium-up swing
Time signature: 4/4

“Love For Sale” is a jazz standard by Cole Porter. It is usually played in B♭ minor as a medium-up swing, and the 48-bar AAB form has 3 sections. Harmonically it contains 4 major ii–V–I cadences and 2 minor ii–V–i, uses 16 different chords and moves between the key centres D♭ major and B♭ minor. In this atlas it appears on 24 album tracks.

Chord changes

to key

Showing in: Concert (C) — B♭ minor

×2

E♭^maj7

B♭^m7

E♭^maj7

B♭^m7

E♭^m7

A♭⁷

D♭^maj7

G♭⁷

C^m7♭5

F^7♭13

B♭^m6

E♭^m7

A♭⁷

D♭^maj7

B♭⁷

E♭^m7

A♭⁷

D♭^maj7

B♭⁷

B⁷B♭⁷

E♭^m6

G^m7♭5C^7♭9

G♭^m7B⁷

F^m7♭5B♭⁷

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

Harmonic analysis

4Major ii–V–I

2Minor ii–V–i

10ii–V moves

0Tritone substitutions

0Dominant chains

16Different chords

Most used chords

E♭^maj7×8
B♭^m7×8
D♭^maj7×5
E♭^m7×4
A♭⁷×4
B♭^m6×4

Key centres reached by ii–V

D♭ major and B♭ minor

Recorded on these albums

1951	Presenting Jimmy Raney Jimmy Raney · “Love for Sale”
1952	Solitude Billie Holiday · “Love for Sale”
1953	Oscar Peterson Plays Cole Porter Oscar Peterson
1953	Anita O’Day Collates Anita O’Day · “Love for Sale”
1954	Billie Holiday Billie Holiday · “Love for Sale”
1955	Popular Favorites By Stan Kenton Stan Kenton
1955	Hank Mobley Quartet Hank Mobley · “Love for Sale”
1955	2 Part Invention in Jazz, Volume 1 Ruby Braff, Ellis Larkins · “Love for Sale”
1956	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book Ella Fitzgerald · “Love for Sale”
1956	The Grand Master of the Soprano Saxophone and Clarinet Sidney Bechet · “Love for Sale”
1956	Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter Sonny Criss · “Love for Sale”
1957	The Beat of My Heart Tony Bennett · “Love for Sale”
1957	Plays Cole Porter - The Genius of Charlie Parker #5 Charlie Parker · “Love for Sale”
1957	The Lady Is a Tramp Anita O’Day · “Love for Sale”
1957	Fielding's Formula Jerry Fielding
1958	Max Roach + 4 at Newport Max Roach · “Love for Sale”
1958	Somethin’ Else Cannonball Adderley · “Love for Sale”
1958	It's Time for Ernestine Ernestine Anderson with Harry Arnold and his orchestra · “Love for Sale”
1958	Jimmy Raney Visits Paris Jimmy Raney
1958	Plays Cole Porter Wilbur De Paris · “Love for Sale”
1958	The "Johnny Smith" Foursome Johnny Smith
1959	Oscar Peterson Plays the Cole Porter Songbook Oscar Peterson · “Love for Sale”
1959	To You With Love Joe Zawinul Trio · “Love for Sale”
1959	Anita O’Day Swings Cole Porter With Billy May Anita O’Day with Billy May · “Love for Sale”

Historic 78 rpm recordings

Love For Sale Roger King Mozian & his Orchestra · Cole Porter · 1953 archive.org ↗
Love for Sale The Gene Krupa Trio · Gene Krupa · Teddy Napoleon · Eddie Shiu ·… · 1955 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

Title	Composer	Key	Form	Groove
Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise 20%	Sigmund Romberg	C minor	AABA · 32	Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Love For Sale in?

Love For Sale is usually played in B♭ minor. For B♭ instruments that is C minor, for E♭ instruments G minor.

Who wrote Love For Sale?

Love For Sale was written by Cole Porter.

What is the form of Love For Sale?

Love For Sale has 3 sections (AAB) with 48 bars in total.

How fast is Love For Sale played?

The usual groove is Medium-up swing.

What are the chord changes to Love For Sale?

The opening bars are Ebmaj7 | Ebmaj7 | Bbm7 | Bbm7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.