ENDEIT

Standards · 1927

S' Wonderful chords & key

George Gershwin · Lyrics: Ira Gershwin

Key
E♭ major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Medium-up swing
Time signature
4/4
Year
1927

“S' Wonderful” is a jazz standard by George Gershwin from 1927. It is usually played in E♭ major as a medium-up swing, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 5 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 17 different chords and moves between the key centres E♭ major and G major. In this atlas it appears on 24 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

A
E♭maj7
E♭maj7
Edim7
Edim7
Fm7
B♭7
1.
E♭6Cm7
Fm7B♭7
2.
E♭6
Am7D7♭9
B
Gmaj7Em7
Am7D7
Bm7Em7
Am7D7
G7
C7
F7
B♭7B♭7♭9
A
E♭maj7
E♭maj7
G♭dim7
G♭dim7
Fm7
B♭7
E♭6Cm7
Fm7B♭7

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

Harmonic analysis

5Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
8ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
4Dominant chains
17Different chords

Most used chords

  • E♭maj7×6
  • B♭7×6
  • Fm7×5
  • Edim7×4
  • E♭6×3
  • Am7×3

Key centres reached by ii–V

E♭ major and G major

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

History

"'S Wonderful" is a 1927 popular song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics written by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced in the Broadway musical Funny Face (1927) by Adele Astaire and Allen Kearns. The song is considered a standard and has been recorded by many artists, especially jazz artists. In 1928, Adele Astaire, who introduced the song on stage the previous year, recorded one of the earliest versions with Bernard Clifton. The most successful recordings in 1928 were however by Frank Crumit and by the Ipana Troubadors.

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

Recorded on these albums

1938 A Swing Session With Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman · “'S Wonderful”
1953 The Astaire Story
Fred Astaire · “’s Wonderful”
1953 Oscar Peterson Plays George Gershwin
Oscar Peterson · “'S Wonderful”
1953 Charlie Ventura
Charlie Ventura · “'S Wonderful”
1954 Split Kick
Stan Getz · “'s Wonderful”
1954 Tatum, Carter, Bellson
Tatum, Carter, Bellson · “'s Wonderful”
1955 Julie Is Her Name
Julie London · “'S Wonderful”
1955 Magic Keys
Erroll Garner · “'s Wonderful”
1955 Helen Merrill
Helen Merrill · “'S Wonderful”
1956 The Greatest! Count Basie Plays...Joe Williams Sings Standards
Count Basie · “'S Wonderful”
1956 At the Blue Note
Sarah Vaughan · “S'Wonderful”
1956 Braff!!
Ruby Braff · “'s Wonderful”
1956 Ruby Braff
Ruby Braff · “'s Wonderful”
1957 Anita Sings the Most
Anita O’Day · “’s Wonderful / They Can’t Take That Away From Me”
1958 Jazz Ultimate
Bobby Hackett, Jack Teagarden · “'s Wonderful”
1959 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book
Ella Fitzgerald · “’S Wonderful”
1959 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Song Book, Vol. 2
Ella Fitzgerald · “’S Wonderful”
1959 Play The Prettiest Gershwin
Johnny Hodges · “'s Wonderful”
1962 From Paris With Love
Sacha Distel · “S Wonderful”
1964 Della At Basin Street East
Della Reese · “'S Wonderful (Live)”
1965 The In Sound
Eddie Harris · “'s Wonderful”
1975 Fascinating Rhythm (Music Of The Thirties, Album 2)
Yehudi Menuhin, Stéphane Grappelli · “'S Wonderful”
1975 Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers
Zoot Sims · “'S Wonderful”
1977 Amoroso
João Gilberto · “'S Wonderful”

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • S' Wonderful Stan Getz · I. Gershwin · G. Gershwin · 1954 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Bossa Antigua 26% Paul Desmond A♭ major ABCA · 32 Bossa nova
Moonlight In Vermont 26% Karl Suessdorf E♭ major AAA · 28 Ballad
Don't Be That Way 25% Edgar Sampson D♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Baubles, Bangles and Beads 24% Borodin-Wright-Forrest A♭ major ABCA · 36 Jazz waltz
Charleston 23% James Johnson B♭ major ABAC · 32 Medium-up swing
High Hopes 23% Jimmy Van-Heusen F major A · 28 Medium swing
My Buddy 23% Walter Donaldson G major AA · 32 Jazz waltz
Once In A While 23% Michael Edwards E♭ major AABA · 32 Slow swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is S' Wonderful in?

S' Wonderful is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote S' Wonderful?

S' Wonderful was written by George Gershwin (1927).

What is the form of S' Wonderful?

S' Wonderful has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is S' Wonderful played?

The usual groove is Medium-up swing.

What are the chord changes to S' Wonderful?

The opening bars are Ebmaj7 | Ebmaj7 | Edim7 | Edim7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.