ENDEIT

Standards · 1953

Secret Love chords & key

Sammy Fain · Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster

Key
E♭ major
Form
AABA
Bars
24
Groove
Ballad
Time signature
4/4
Year
1953

“Secret Love” is a jazz standard by Sammy Fain from 1953. Most bands play it in E♭ major, ballad; the tune runs 24 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 5 major ii–V–I cadences and 4 minor ii–V–i, uses 19 different chords and moves between the key centres F minor, E♭ major, C minor, B♭ major and A♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 1 album track and in 1 transcribed solo.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

A
E♭maj7B♭7sus
E♭maj7B♭7sus
E♭7A♭7Gm7C7
Fm7B♭7
Fm7B♭7
Fm7B♭7
Fm7B♭7
1.
E♭6B♭7
2.
E♭6Dm7♭5G7
B
Cm7F7
B♭maj7
B♭m7E♭7
A♭maj7D♭7
A
E♭maj7B♭7sus
Gm7♭5C7♭9
Fm7B♭7
E♭6B♭7

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

Harmonic analysis

5Major ii–V–I
4Minor ii–V–i
15ii–V moves
2Tritone substitutions
4Dominant chains
19Different chords

Most used chords

  • B♭7×11
  • Fm7×9
  • E♭maj7×5
  • B♭7sus×5
  • E♭7×3
  • E♭6×3

Key centres reached by ii–V

F minor, E♭ major, C minor, B♭ major and A♭ major

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

History

"Secret Love" is a song composed by Sammy Fain (music) and Paul Francis Webster (lyrics) for Calamity Jane, a 1953 musical film in which it was introduced by Doris Day in the title role. Ranked as a number 1 hit for Day on both the Billboard and Cash Box, the song also afforded Day a number 1 hit in the UK. "Secret Love" has subsequently been recorded by a wide range of artists, becoming a C&W hit firstly for Slim Whitman and later for Freddy Fender, with the song also becoming an R&B hit for Billy Stewart, whose version also reached the top 40 as did Freddy Fender's. In the UK, "Secret Love" would become the career record of Kathy Kirby via her 1963 remake of the song. The melody bears a slight resemblance to the opening theme of Schubert's A-major piano sonata, D.664.

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

Recorded on these albums

1964 Frank Sinatra Sings Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River and Other Academy Award Winners
Frank Sinatra

Transcribed solos on Secret Love

David Liebman tenor saxophone 273 BPM Eb-maj 1996-01-05

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
What A Difference A Day Made 38% Maria Grever F major AB · 32 Ballad
There Will Never Be Another You 31% Harry Warren E♭ major ABAC · 32 Medium-up swing
Billy Boy 29% Traditional C major AABA · 56 Medium-up swing
Confirmation 29% Charlie Parker F major AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing
Just You, Just Me 26% Jesse Greer C major AABA · 32 Medium swing
My Secret Love 26% Roger Vogel E♭ major AABC · 48 Medium swing
Home At Last 25% Hank Mobley B♭ major AAB · 38 Bossa nova
If There Is Someone Lovelier 25% Dietz-Schwartz C major ABC · 28 Ballad

Frequently asked questions

What key is Secret Love in?

Secret Love is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote Secret Love?

Secret Love was written by Sammy Fain (1953).

What is the form of Secret Love?

Secret Love has 4 sections (AABA) with 24 bars in total.

How fast is Secret Love played?

The usual groove is Ballad. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 273 BPM.

What are the chord changes to Secret Love?

The opening bars are Ebmaj7 Bb7sus | Ebmaj7 Bb7sus | Eb7 Ab7 Gm7 C7 | Fm7 Bb7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.