ENDEIT

Standards · 1932

Lover chords & key

Richard Rodgers · Lyrics: Lorenz Hart

Key
E♭ major
Form
AAB
Bars
48
Groove
Up-tempo swing
Time signature
4/4
Year
1932

“Lover” is a jazz standard by Richard Rodgers from 1932. It is usually played in E♭ major as a up-tempo 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 17 different chords and moves between the key centres F minor, E♭ major and G major. In this atlas it appears on 10 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

A
E♭maj7
E♭maj7
Am7
D7
A♭m7
D♭7
Gm7
C7
G♭m7
B7
Fm7
B♭7
1.
Gm7
C7
Fm7
B♭7
2.
E♭maj7
Fm7/B♭
E♭maj7
Am7D7
B
Gmaj7
Em7
Am7
D7
Gmaj7
Em7
Am7
D7
B♭maj7
Gm7
Cm7
F7
Gm7
C7
Fm7
B♭7

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

Harmonic analysis

4Major ii–V–I
2Minor ii–V–i
18ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
0Dominant chains
17Different chords

Most used chords

  • E♭maj7×6
  • Am7×5
  • D7×5
  • Gm7×5
  • C7×4
  • Fm7×4

Key centres reached by ii–V

F minor, E♭ major and G major

History

"Lover" is a popular song composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart. It was sung in the movie Love Me Tonight (1932) by Jeanette MacDonald. Popular recordings in 1933 were by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra (vocal by Jack Fulton), Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, and Greta Keller.

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

Recorded on these albums

1950 Sing and Dance With Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
1954 Oscar Peterson Plays Richard Rodgers
Oscar Peterson
1955 The Voice
Frank Sinatra
1956 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book
Ella Fitzgerald
1959 Oscar Peterson Plays the Richard Rodgers Songbook
Oscar Peterson
1961 Come Swing With Me!
Frank Sinatra
1965 The Last Trane
John Coltrane
1976 Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs
Tony Bennett
1993 I Love Paris
Ella Fitzgerald
2026 Night Blooms
Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • LOVER MICHEL LEGRAND et son Orchestre de danse · Richard Rogers archive.org ↗
  • Lover Joe Marsala Septet · Adele Girard · Joe Marsala · Chuck Wayne · Joe… · 1945 archive.org ↗
  • LOVER ART TATUM · Rodgers · Hart · 1945 archive.org ↗
  • LOVER Art Tatum · Hart · Rodgers · 1946 archive.org ↗
  • LOVER Art Tatum · Hart · Rodgers · 1946 archive.org ↗
  • Lover "Flip" Phillips · Roy Eldridge · Al Casey · Mike Colicchio · Eddie… · 1947 archive.org ↗
  • Lover Dodo Marmarosa Trio · Dodo Marmarosa · Harry Babison · Jackie Mills… · 1947 archive.org ↗
  • Lover Eddie Davis and His Band · Rodgers · Hart · 1947 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Freight Train 28% Tommy Flanagan A♭ major A · 12 Medium-up swing
Budo 26% Davis-Powell A♭ major AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing
Bossa Antigua 24% Paul Desmond A♭ major ABCA · 32 Bossa nova
Parisian Thoroughfare 24% Bud Powell F major AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing
Ask Me Now 22% Thelonious Monk D♭ major AABA · 32 Ballad
Barbara 21% Horace Silver E♭ major ABB · 30 Jazz waltz
Baubles, Bangles and Beads 21% Borodin-Wright-Forrest A♭ major ABCA · 36 Jazz waltz
Get Me To The Church On Time 21% Alan Lerner G major AAB · 54 Up-tempo swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Lover in?

Lover is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote Lover?

Lover was written by Richard Rodgers (1932).

What is the form of Lover?

Lover has 3 sections (AAB) with 48 bars in total.

How fast is Lover played?

The usual groove is Up-tempo swing.

What are the chord changes to Lover?

The opening bars are Ebmaj7 | Ebmaj7 | Am7 | D7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.