ENDEIT

Standards

Mean To Me chords & key

Turk-Ahlert

Key
F major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Medium swing
Time signature
4/4

“Mean To Me” is a jazz standard by Turk-Ahlert. It is usually played in F major as a medium swing, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 11 major ii–V–I cadences and 3 minor ii–V–i, uses 14 different chords and moves between the key centres F major, B♭ major and G minor. In this atlas it appears on 10 album tracks and in 1 transcribed solo.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — F major

A
Fmaj7G♭dim7
Gm7C7
Fmaj7Cm7F7
B♭maj7E♭7
Am7D7
Gm7C7
F6Dm7
G7C7
A
Fmaj7G♭dim7
Gm7C7
Fmaj7Cm7F7
B♭maj7E♭7
Am7D7
Gm7C7
F6Dm7
F6Cm7F7
B
B♭maj7Gm7
Cm7F7
B♭6
E♭7D7
Gm7
E♭7D7
G7
C7
A
Fmaj7G♭dim7
Gm7C7
Fmaj7Cm7F7
B♭maj7E♭7
Am7D7
Gm7C7
F6Dm7
G7C7

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

Harmonic analysis

11Major ii–V–I
3Minor ii–V–i
16ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
4Dominant chains
14Different chords

Most used chords

  • C7×9
  • Gm7×8
  • Fmaj7×6
  • Cm7×5
  • F7×5
  • E♭7×5

Key centres reached by ii–V

F major, B♭ major and G minor

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

Recorded on these albums

1956 That Old Feeling
Frank Sinatra
1960 Fathead
Ray Charles presents David Newman
1960 This Time I’m Swingin’!
Dean Martin with orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle · “Mean to Me”
1975 Oscar Peterson & Harry Edison
Oscar Peterson & Harry Edison · “Mean to Me”
1976 Ella and Oscar
Ella Fitzgerald & Oscar Peterson · “Mean to Me”
1993 Ella Swings Brightly With Nelson
Ella Fitzgerald · “Mean to Me”
2004 The Love Songs
Billie Holiday · “Mean to Me”
2026 World Tour
Oscar Peterson · “Mean to Me”
2026 Too Marvelous For Words
Peggy Lee · “Mean to Me”
2026 Night Blooms
Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra · “Mean to Me”

Transcribed solos on Mean To Me

Lee Konitz alto saxophone 139 BPM Eb-maj 1954-08-06

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • MEAN TO ME JOHNNIE GUARNIERI · Turk · Ahlert archive.org ↗
  • MEAN TO ME JOHNNIE GUARNIERI · Turk · Ahlert archive.org ↗
  • Mean to Me Bill Harris and his Septet · Bill Harris · Joe Phillips · Pete… · 1945 archive.org ↗
  • Mean to Me Bill Harris and his Septet · Bill Harris · Joe Phillips · Pete… · 1945 archive.org ↗
  • Mean to Me Johnnie Guarnieri · Turk · Ahlert · 1947 archive.org ↗
  • Mean to Me Illinois Jacquet and His Orch. · Turk · Ahlert · Norman Granz · 1953 archive.org ↗
  • Mean to Me Tab Smith; His Fabulous Alto and Combo · Turk · Ahlert · 1955 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
I Want To Be Happy 34% Vincent Youmans C major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing
Rockin' Chair 32% Hoagy Carmichael E♭ major ABA · 32 Medium swing
Moonlight Becomes You 30% Jimmy Van-Heusen F major AABA · 34 Ballad
You Took Advantage Of Me 29% Richard Rodgers E♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Deed I Do 27% Hirsch-Rose C major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Again 26% Lionel Newman G major AABC · 32 Ballad
Solitude 26% Duke Ellington E♭ major AABA · 32 Ballad
All Too Soon 25% Duke Ellington C major AABA · 32 Ballad

Frequently asked questions

What key is Mean To Me in?

Mean To Me is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.

Who wrote Mean To Me?

Mean To Me was written by Turk-Ahlert.

What is the form of Mean To Me?

Mean To Me has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Mean To Me played?

The usual groove is Medium swing. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 139 BPM.

What are the chord changes to Mean To Me?

The opening bars are Fmaj7 Gbdim7 | Gm7 C7 | Fmaj7 Cm7 F7 | Bbmaj7 Eb7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.