Standards
Pure Imagination chords & key
“Pure Imagination” is a jazz standard by Anthony Newley. Most bands play it in E♭ major, ballad; the tune runs 35 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 4 major ii–V–I cadences and 6 minor ii–V–i, uses 18 different chords and moves between the key centres F minor, E♭ major and G minor. In this atlas it appears on 1 album track.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Fm7×11
- B♭9sus×7
- Gm7×6
- E♭maj7×5
- C7♯9×4
- G♭dim×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
F minor, E♭ major and G minor
Characteristics
- AABA song form
History
"Pure Imagination" is a song from the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. It was written by British composers Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley specifically for the movie. It was sung by Gene Wilder, who played the character of Willy Wonka. Bricusse has stated that the song was written over the phone in one day. The song has a spoken introduction. Since its release, the song has been covered and remixed hundreds of times by a wide variety of artists. The original song was not popular when it was first released. The film itself was not a blockbuster and other songs from the soundtrack performed better. It was not until the movie began appearing on television reruns in the 1980s that the film and "Pure Imagination" became more well known. Although the original song never charted, some cover versions have done so. In the week following Wilder's death in 2016, the song rose in streams and sales by more than 1000%.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Let's Get Lost 30% | C major |
| Come Back To Me 27% | F major |
| Haunted Heart 23% | E♭ major |
| This Is All I Ask 23% | F major |
| When You Wish Upon A Star 23% | C major |
| Yardbird Suite 23% | C major |
| In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning 22% | C major |
| The Masquerade Is Over 22% | E♭ major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Pure Imagination in?
Pure Imagination is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.
Who wrote Pure Imagination?
Pure Imagination was written by Anthony Newley.
What is the form of Pure Imagination?
Pure Imagination has 4 sections (AABA) with 35 bars in total.
How fast is Pure Imagination played?
The usual groove is Ballad.
What are the chord changes to Pure Imagination?
The opening bars are Fm7 | Bb9sus | Ebmaj7 Fm7 Gbdim | Gm7 C7#9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.