Standards · 1927

Ol' Man River chords & key

Jerome Kern · Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II

Key: E♭ major
Form: AABA
Bars: 32
Groove: Ballad
Time signature: 4/4
Year: 1927

“Ol' Man River” is a jazz standard by Jerome Kern from 1927. Most bands play it in E♭ major, ballad; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 5 major ii–V–I cadences and 3 minor ii–V–i, uses 13 different chords and moves between the key centres E♭ major and F minor. In this atlas it appears on 7 album tracks.

Chord changes

to key

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

E♭^maj7F^m7

G^m7F^m7

E♭^maj7F^m7

E♭A♭G^m7C⁷

F^m7B♭⁷

E♭⁶C⁷

F^m7B♭⁷

E♭⁶A♭⁶

E♭⁶D^7♭9

G^m7D^7♭9

G^m7C⁷F^m7B♭⁷

E♭^maj7F^m7

G^m7A♭^maj7

G^m7F^m7

E♭⁶F⁷

E♭^maj7C^m7

F^m7B♭⁷

E♭⁶

F^m7B♭⁷

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

Harmonic analysis

5Major ii–V–I

3Minor ii–V–i

11ii–V moves

0Tritone substitutions

0Dominant chains

13Different chords

Most used chords

F^m7×16
G^m7×14
B♭⁷×8
D^7♭9×8
E♭^maj7×6
E♭⁶×5

Key centres reached by ii–V

E♭ major and F minor

Characteristics

AABA song form

History

"Ol' Man River" is a show tune from the 1927 musical Show Boat with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote the song in 1925. The song contrasts the struggles and hardships of African Americans with the endless, uncaring flow of the Mississippi River. It is sung from the point of view of a black stevedore on a showboat, and is the most famous song from the show. The song is meant to be performed in a slow tempo; it is sung complete once in the musical's lengthy first scene by the stevedore "Joe" who travels with the boat, and, in the stage version, is heard four more times in brief reprises.

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

Recorded on these albums

1949	Sings Songs by Jerome Kern Bing Crosby
1959	Oscar Peterson Plays the Jerome Kern Songbook Oscar Peterson
1962	At Carnegie Hall Recorded Live June 9, 1962 Tony Bennett with Ralph Sharon and His Orchestra · “Ol’ Man River”
1963	The Concert Sinatra Frank Sinatra
1963	Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul Ray Charles
2014	Some Fine Old Chestnuts Bing Crosby with Buddy Cole & His Trio
—	Bing Crosby Bing Crosby · “Ol’ Man River”

Historic 78 rpm recordings

Ol' Man River Phil Moore Four · Phil Moore · Hammerstein · Kern · 1946 archive.org ↗
OL' MAN RIVER JACK BROKENSHA'S BIG BAND · Errol Buddle · Edwin Duff · J. Kern · 1949 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

Title	Composer	Key	Form	Groove
Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe 30%	Harold Arlen	F major	ABAC · 32	Medium swing
Look To The Rainbow 30%	Burton Lane	E♭ major	ABB · 56	Jazz waltz
A Foggy Day 28%	George Gershwin	F major	ABB · 26	Medium swing
Blackberry Winter 27%	Alec Wilder	F major	AABA · 32	Ballad
Just Squeeze Me 26%	Duke Ellington	F major	AABA · 32	Medium swing
I See Your Face Before Me 25%	Arthur Schwartz	E♭ major	ABAC · 32	Ballad
At Long Last Love 24%	Cole Porter	C major	AB · 32	Medium swing
Come Back To Me 24%	Alan Lerner, Burton Lane	F major	AABA · 32	Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Ol' Man River in?

Ol' Man River is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote Ol' Man River?

Ol' Man River was written by Jerome Kern (1927).

What is the form of Ol' Man River?

Ol' Man River has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Ol' Man River played?

The usual groove is Ballad.

What are the chord changes to Ol' Man River?

The opening bars are Ebmaj7 Fm7 | Gm7 Fm7 | Ebmaj7 Fm7 | Eb Ab Gm7 C7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.