Standards
Love Is The Sweetest Thing chords & key
- Key
- D major
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“Love Is The Sweetest Thing” is a jazz standard by Ray Noble. Most bands play it in D major, medium swing; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 9 major ii–V–I cadences and 2 minor ii–V–i, uses 13 different chords and moves between the key centres D major, G major, E minor and B minor. In this atlas it appears on 6 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — D major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Em7×12
- Bm7×11
- A7×11
- D6×8
- E7×4
- Am7×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
D major, G major, E minor and B minor
Characteristics
- AABA song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1962 | In Love Dinah Washington · “Love Is the Sweetest Thing” |
| 1965 | Feelin' Good Gerry Mulligan |
| 1987 | Al Bowlly With Ray Noble 1931 to 1934 Al Bowlly with Ray Noble and His Orchestra · “Love Is the Sweetest Thing” |
| 1996 | The Very Thought of You Al Bowlly · “Love Is the Sweetest Thing” |
| 2004 | Jazz and Velvet Mel Tormé |
| — | Concerto for My Love George Shearing · “Love Is the Sweetest Thing” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| If There Is Someone Lovelier 38% | C major |
| Oh, Lady Be Good 38% | G major |
| Ballade 36% | F major |
| For Sentimental Reasons 36% | F major |
| In Love In Vain 36% | B♭ major |
| Mountain Greenery 35% | C major |
| Why Do I Love You? 35% | A♭ major |
| Alone Too Long 33% | G major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Love Is The Sweetest Thing in?
Love Is The Sweetest Thing is usually played in D major. For B♭ instruments that is E major, for E♭ instruments B major.
Who wrote Love Is The Sweetest Thing?
Love Is The Sweetest Thing was written by Ray Noble.
What is the form of Love Is The Sweetest Thing?
Love Is The Sweetest Thing has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Love Is The Sweetest Thing played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to Love Is The Sweetest Thing?
The opening bars are D6 Bm7 | Em7 A7 | D6 Bm7 | Em7 A7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.