ENDEIT

Standards

Oh, Lady Be Good chords & key

George Gershwin

Key
G major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Medium-up swing
Time signature
4/4

“Oh, Lady Be Good” is a jazz standard by George Gershwin. It is usually played in G major as a medium-up swing, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 6 major ii–V–I cadences and 4 minor ii–V–i, uses 15 different chords and moves between the key centres G major, A minor, C major and E minor. In this atlas it appears on 20 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — G major

A
Gmaj7
C7
Gmaj7C7
Bm7E7
Am7
D7
1.
G6Em7
Am7D7
2.
G6
Dm7G7
B
Cmaj7
C♯dim7
Gmaj7
F♯m7♭5B7♭9
Em7
A7
Am7
D7
A
Gmaj7
C7
Gmaj7C7
Bm7E7
Am7
D7
G6Em7
Am7D7

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

Harmonic analysis

6Major ii–V–I
4Minor ii–V–i
12ii–V moves
3Tritone substitutions
0Dominant chains
15Different chords

Most used chords

  • Gmaj7×7
  • C7×6
  • Am7×6
  • D7×6
  • Bm7×3
  • E7×3

Key centres reached by ii–V

G major, A minor, C major and E minor

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

Recorded on these albums

1953 The Astaire Story
Fred Astaire
1953 Oscar Peterson Plays George Gershwin
Oscar Peterson
1955 Lullabies of Birdland
Ella Fitzgerald
1957 Dizzy Gillespie and Stuff Smith
Dizzy Gillespie & Stuff Smith
1957 School Days
Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson & Joe Carroll
1959 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book
Ella Fitzgerald
1959 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Song Book, Vol. 2
Ella Fitzgerald · “Oh, Lady Be Good!”
1959 Oscar Peterson Plays the George Gershwin Songbook
Oscar Peterson · “Oh, Lady Be Good!”
1972 The Good Things in Life
Tony Bennett
1973 Jealousy: Hits of the Thirties
Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli · “Oh, Lady Be Good!”
1978 The Astaire Story Vol.2
Fred Astaire
1978 The George And Ira Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald · “Oh Lady Be Good!”
1983 Two of the Few
Oscar Peterson & Milt Jackson
1998 Lullabies of Birdland / Sweet and Hot
Ella Fitzgerald
1999 Puttin’ On the Ritz
Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli
2005 All My Life
Ella Fitzgerald · “Oh! Lady Be Good”
2016 Jazz at the Philharmonic: The Ella Fitzgerald Set
Ella Fitzgerald
2025 Jukebox Ella: The Complete Verve Singles, Volume 2
Ella Fitzgerald
2026 Mike Jones With Strings
Mike Jones · “Lady Be Good”
— It Ain't Over...
Ella Fitzgerald · “Oh, Lady Be Good!”

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • Oh, Lady Be Good! Hot Club of France · Gershwin · 1934 archive.org ↗
  • OH, LADY BE GOOD JOE SULLIVAN AND HIS CAFE SOCIETY ORCHESTRA · Gershwin · 1944 archive.org ↗
  • Oh Lady Be Good The Four Star Rhythm Section · Stan Wrightsman · George Van Eps ·… · 1945 archive.org ↗
  • OH LADY BE GOOD THE FOUR STAR RHYTHM SECTION · Stan Wrightsman · George Van Eps ·… · 1945 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Ballade 41% Charlie Parker F major AABA · 32 Ballad
I've Never Been In Love Before 41% Frank Loesser B♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
I Want To Be Happy 40% Vincent Youmans C major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing
Billy Boy 39% Traditional C major AABA · 56 Medium-up swing
Love Is The Sweetest Thing 38% Ray Noble D major AABA · 32 Medium swing
As Long As I Live 36% Harold Arlen F major AABA · 32 Medium swing
You Are Too Beautiful 36% Richard Rodgers C major AABA · 32 Ballad
If There Is Someone Lovelier 34% Dietz-Schwartz C major ABC · 28 Ballad

Frequently asked questions

What key is Oh, Lady Be Good in?

Oh, Lady Be Good is usually played in G major. For B♭ instruments that is A major, for E♭ instruments E major.

Who wrote Oh, Lady Be Good?

Oh, Lady Be Good was written by George Gershwin.

What is the form of Oh, Lady Be Good?

Oh, Lady Be Good has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Oh, Lady Be Good played?

The usual groove is Medium-up swing.

What are the chord changes to Oh, Lady Be Good?

The opening bars are Gmaj7 | C7 | Gmaj7 C7 | Bm7 E7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.