ENDEIT

Standards · 1934

P.S. I Love You chords & key

Gordon Jenkins · Lyrics: Johnny Mercer

Key
E♭ major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Ballad
Time signature
4/4
Year
1934

“P.S. I Love You” is a jazz standard by Gordon Jenkins from 1934. 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 14 different chords and moves between the key centres E♭ major, F minor and A♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 3 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

A
E♭6
Gm7C7
Fm7B♭7
Gm7♭5C7♭9
F7
Fm7B♭7
1.
E♭6F7
Fm7B♭7
2.
E♭6D♭7
E♭6
B
B♭m7
E♭7
A♭maj7
A♭maj7
Cm7
F7
B♭7C7♯5
F7B♭7
A
E♭6
Gm7C7
Fm7B♭7
Gm7♭5C7♭9
F7
Fm7B♭7
E♭6D♭7
E♭6

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

Harmonic analysis

5Major ii–V–I
3Minor ii–V–i
15ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
6Dominant chains
14Different chords

Most used chords

  • B♭7×9
  • E♭6×8
  • Fm7×7
  • F7×6
  • Gm7×3
  • C7×3

Key centres reached by ii–V

E♭ major, F minor and A♭ major

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

History

"P.S. I Love You" is a popular song with music by Gordon Jenkins and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, published in 1934. The original hit version in 1934 was recorded by Rudy Vallée, released by RCA Victor. It was revived in 1953 by The Hilltoppers, in the 1960s by The Vogues, and again in 1984 by country music singer Tom T. Hall. A number of other versions have also been recorded. The lyrics describe somebody writing a love letter to their partner.

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

Recorded on these albums

1957 Close to You
Frank Sinatra
1999 The Legendary Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
2017 Love in Triplicate - Sinatra Sings Great American Songbook
Frank Sinatra · “P.S. I LOVE YOU (1956)”

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
I Get A Kick Out Of You 33% Cole Porter E♭ major AAB · 48 Medium swing
When You're Smilin' 32% Shay - Fisher - Goodwin B♭ major AB · 32 Medium swing
The Nearness Of You 31% Hoagy Carmichael F major AAB · 30 Ballad
Crazy Rhythm 28% Wolfe-Kahn-Meyer F major AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing
Só Danço Samba 27% Antonio-Carlos Jobim C major AABA · 32 Bossa nova
The Best Things In Life Are Free 26% DeSylva-Brown-Henderson C major AB · 32 Medium-up swing
Cheers 26% Howard McGhee B♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Undecided 26% Charlie Shavers C major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is P.S. I Love You in?

P.S. I Love You is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote P.S. I Love You?

P.S. I Love You was written by Gordon Jenkins (1934).

What is the form of P.S. I Love You?

P.S. I Love You has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is P.S. I Love You played?

The usual groove is Ballad.

What are the chord changes to P.S. I Love You?

The opening bars are Eb6 | Gm7 C7 | Fm7 Bb7 | Gm7b5 C7b9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.