Standards

Someone To Watch Over Me chords & key

Key: E♭ major
Form: AB
Bars: 32
Groove: Ballad
Time signature: 4/4

“Someone To Watch Over Me” is a jazz standard by George Gershwin. It is usually played in E♭ major as a ballad, and the 32-bar AB form has 2 sections. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 19 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 11 album tracks.

Chord changes

to key

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

E♭^maj7E♭⁷

A♭^maj7A♭^dim7

E♭^maj7_/GG♭^dim7

B♭⁷_/FE^dim7

F^m7G^dim

A^m7♭5B♭⁷

G^7♯5C⁷

F^m7B♭⁷

E♭⁶

E♭⁷

A♭^maj7

A♭^m6

E♭⁶_/G

A^m7♭5D^7♭9

G^7♭13

C⁷

F^m7B♭⁷

E♭^maj7E♭⁷

A♭^maj7A♭^dim7

E♭^maj7_/GG♭^dim7

B♭⁷_/FE^dim7

F^m7G^dim

A^m7♭5B♭⁷

E♭⁶

F^m7B♭⁷

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

Harmonic analysis

2Major ii–V–I

0Minor ii–V–i

4ii–V moves

0Tritone substitutions

3Dominant chains

19Different chords

Most used chords

F^m7×6
B♭⁷×6
A♭^maj7×5
E♭⁷×4
A^m7♭5×4
E♭^maj7×3

Recorded on these albums

1946	The Voice of Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra · “Someone to Watch Over Me”
1950	Ella Sings Gershwin Ella Fitzgerald with Ellis Larkins at the Piano · “Someone to Watch Over Me”
1959	Come Back to Sorrento Frank Sinatra · “Someone to Watch Over Me”
1959	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book Ella Fitzgerald · “Someone to Watch Over Me”
1959	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Song Book, Vol. 2 Ella Fitzgerald · “Someone to Watch Over Me”
1962	Lena on the Blue Side Lena Horne · “Someone to Watch Over Me”
1965	My Name Is Barbra Barbra Streisand · “Someone to Watch Over Me”
1972	Through the Eyes of Love Ray Charles · “Someone to Watch Over Me”
1976	Lena, a New Album Lena Horne · “Someone to Watch Over Me”
1978	The George And Ira Gershwin Songbook Ella Fitzgerald · “Someone to Watch Over Me”
2005	All My Life Ella Fitzgerald · “Someone to Watch over Me”

Historic 78 rpm recordings

Someone to Watch over Me Kai Winding Quintet · Brew Moore · Don Lamond · Lou Stein · Jack… · 1951 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

Title	Composer	Key	Form	Groove
Falling In Love Again 21%	Frederick Hollander	C major	AABA · 32	Jazz waltz
La Vie En Rose 21%	Guglielmi-Piaf-David	C major	ABC · 20	Ballad
I Don't Want To Miss Mississippi 20%	Serger Ellis	G major	AAB · 48	Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Someone To Watch Over Me in?

Someone To Watch Over Me is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote Someone To Watch Over Me?

Someone To Watch Over Me was written by George Gershwin.

What is the form of Someone To Watch Over Me?

Someone To Watch Over Me has 2 sections (AB) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Someone To Watch Over Me played?

The usual groove is Ballad.

What are the chord changes to Someone To Watch Over Me?

The opening bars are Ebmaj7 Eb7 | Abmaj7 Abdim7 | Ebmaj7/G Gbdim7 | Bb7/F Edim7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.