ENDEIT

Standards

Nancy (With The Laughing Face) chords & key

Jimmy Van-Heusen

Key
E♭ major
Form
BBAA
Bars
32
Groove
Ballad
Time signature
4/4

“Nancy (With The Laughing Face)” is a jazz standard by Jimmy Van-Heusen. It is usually played in E♭ major as a ballad, and the 32-bar BBAA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 3 major ii–V–I cadences and 6 minor ii–V–i, uses 17 different chords and moves between the key centres C minor and E♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 4 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

B
Fm7C7♭9
Fm7B♭7
E♭maj7A♭7
Gm7G♭dim7
Fm7Fm7/E♭
Dm7♭5G7♭9
1.
Cm7F7
Fm7C7♭9
2.
Cm7F7B♭7
E♭6Dm7♭5G7
A
Cm6
Dm7♭5G7♭9
Cm6
F7B♭7
E♭maj7Cm7
Fm7Dm7♭5G7
Cm7F7
B♭7susC7♭9
A
Fm7C7♭9
Fm7B♭7
E♭maj7A♭7
Gm7G♭dim7
Fm7Fm7/E♭
Dm7♭5G7♭9
Cm7F7B♭7
E♭6Gm7C7

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

Harmonic analysis

3Major ii–V–I
6Minor ii–V–i
15ii–V moves
3Tritone substitutions
4Dominant chains
17Different chords

Most used chords

  • Fm7×11
  • B♭7×6
  • Dm7♭5×6
  • C7♭9×5
  • Cm7×5
  • F7×5

Key centres reached by ii–V

C minor and E♭ major

Recorded on these albums

1961 Dedicated to You
Ray Charles · “Nancy”
1963 Sinatra’s Sinatra
Frank Sinatra · “Nancy”
1965 A Man and His Music
Frank Sinatra · “Nancy”
2015 The Complete Hits 1943-62
Frank Sinatra · “Nancy (With the Laughing Face)”

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Love Is The Sweetest Thing 29% Ray Noble D major AABA · 32 Medium swing
There Is No Greater Love 29% Isham Jones B♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Ballade 28% Charlie Parker F major AABA · 32 Ballad
Love Me Or Leave Me 28% Walter Donaldson A♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
The Blue Room 27% Richard Rodgers F major AABC · 32 Medium swing
In Walked Bud 27% Thelonious Monk A♭ major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing
If I Should Lose You 26% Ralph Rainger B♭ major BACA · 32 Medium swing
Lover, Come Back To Me 26% Sigmund Romberg E♭ major AAB · 51 Medium-up swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Nancy (With The Laughing Face) in?

Nancy (With The Laughing Face) is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote Nancy (With The Laughing Face)?

Nancy (With The Laughing Face) was written by Jimmy Van-Heusen.

What is the form of Nancy (With The Laughing Face)?

Nancy (With The Laughing Face) has 4 sections (BBAA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Nancy (With The Laughing Face) played?

The usual groove is Ballad.

What are the chord changes to Nancy (With The Laughing Face)?

The opening bars are Fm7 C7b9 | Fm7 Bb7 | Ebmaj7 Ab7 | Gm7 Gbdim7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.