ENDEIT

Standards · 1930

Paper Doll chords & key

Johnny Black · Lyrics: Johnny S. Black

Key
F major
Form
A
Bars
16
Groove
Slow swing
Time signature
4/4
Year
1930

“Paper Doll” is a jazz standard by Johnny Black from 1930. It is usually played in F major as a slow swing, and the 16-bar A form repeats as one section. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 13 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 1 album track.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — F major

A
Fmaj7D7
G7
C7
F6
F/AFm/A
C/GA7
G7
C7
Gm7C7
F6
Gm7C7
A7
B♭Bdim7
FA7D7D7
Gm7C7
F6

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

Harmonic analysis

2Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
3ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
4Dominant chains
13Different chords

Most used chords

  • C7×5
  • D7×3
  • F6×3
  • A7×3
  • Gm7×3
  • G7×2

History

"Paper Doll" was a hit song for The Mills Brothers. In the United States it held the number-one position on the Billboard singles chart for twelve weeks, from November 6, 1943, to January 22, 1944. The success of the song represented something of a revival for the group after a few years of declining sales. It is one of the fewer than 40 all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) physical copies worldwide.

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

Recorded on these albums

1961 Come Swing With Me!
Frank Sinatra

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Fran Dance 26% Miles Davis B♭ major AABAB · 40 Medium swing
Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home 25% Hughie Cannon G major ABAC · 32 Medium-up swing
Call Me Irresponsible 24% Jimmy Van-Heusen F major ABB · 28 Medium swing
The Man That Got Away 24% Harold Arlen F major AAB · 48 Slow swing
Perdido 23% Juan Tizol B♭ major AABA · 32 Latin
Robbin's Nest 23% Thompson-Jacquet C major AABA · 32 Medium swing
If I Could Be With You 22% James Johnson E♭ major AB · 16 Ballad
You Keep Coming Back Like A Song 22% Irving Berlin E♭ major AB · 32 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Paper Doll in?

Paper Doll is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.

Who wrote Paper Doll?

Paper Doll was written by Johnny Black (1930).

What is the form of Paper Doll?

Paper Doll has 1 sections (A) with 16 bars in total.

How fast is Paper Doll played?

The usual groove is Slow swing.

What are the chord changes to Paper Doll?

The opening bars are Fmaj7 D7 | G7 | C7 | F6. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.