Standards
The Lady is a Tramp chords & key
- Key
- C major
- Form
- AABC
- Bars
- 48
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“The Lady is a Tramp” is a jazz standard by Richard Rodgers. It is usually played in C major as a medium swing, and the 48-bar AABC form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 7 major ii–V–I cadences and 5 minor ii–V–i, uses 14 different chords and moves between the key centres C major, D minor and A minor. In this atlas it appears on 9 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — C major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Dm7×12
- G7×11
- Cmaj7×5
- E♭7×5
- A7×5
- C6×5
Key centres reached by ii–V
C major, D minor and A minor
Recorded on these albums
| 1952 | Lena Sings Your Requests Lena Horne Orchestra Conducted By Marty Paich · “The Lady Is a Tramp” |
| 1954 | Oscar Peterson Plays Richard Rodgers Oscar Peterson · “The Lady Is A Tramp” |
| 1956 | Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book Ella Fitzgerald · “The Lady Is a Tramp” |
| 1959 | Oscar Peterson Plays the Richard Rodgers Songbook Oscar Peterson · “The Lady Is a Tramp” |
| 1973 | Jealousy: Hits of the Thirties Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli · “The Lady Is a Tramp” |
| 1976 | Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs Tony Bennett · “The Lady Is a Tramp” |
| 1988 | Menuhin & Grappelli Play Berlin, Kern, Porter & Rodgers and Hart Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli · “The Lady Is a Tramp” |
| 1993 | Duets Frank Sinatra · “The Lady Is a Tramp” |
| 2012 | I Get a Kick out of You Frank Sinatra · “The Lady Is a Tramp” |
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- THE LADY IS A TRAMP BOYD RAEBURN And His Orchestra · GINNIE POWELL · Ginne Powell ·… · 1947 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| The Joker 38% | E♭ major |
| Why Do I Love You? 38% | A♭ major |
| Too Young To Go Steady 36% | F major |
| The Masquerade Is Over 35% | E♭ major |
| Billy Boy 34% | C major |
| Don't Worry 'Bout Me 33% | A♭ major |
| Little Willie Leaps 33% | F major |
| So Nice (Summer Samba) 33% | F major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is The Lady is a Tramp in?
The Lady is a Tramp is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.
Who wrote The Lady is a Tramp?
The Lady is a Tramp was written by Richard Rodgers.
What is the form of The Lady is a Tramp?
The Lady is a Tramp has 4 sections (AABC) with 48 bars in total.
How fast is The Lady is a Tramp played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to The Lady is a Tramp?
The opening bars are Cmaj7 | Eb7 | Dm7 | G7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.