Standards · 1967
What A Wonderful World chords & key
“What A Wonderful World” is a jazz standard by Weiss-Thiele from 1967. It is usually played in F major as a ballad, and the 24-bar AAB form has 3 sections. Harmonically it contains 5 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 12 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 24 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — F major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Gm7×9
- Am7×6
- C7×6
- F6×5
- Fmaj7×5
- Dm7×5
History
"What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong on August 16, 1967. In April 1968, it topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom, but performed poorly in the United States because Larry Newton, the president of ABC Records, disliked the song and refused to promote it. After it was heard in the film Good Morning, Vietnam, it was reissued as a single in 1988, and rose to number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. Armstrong's recording was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
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Recorded on these albums
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| I'm An Old Cowhand 21% | E♭ major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is What A Wonderful World in?
What A Wonderful World is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.
Who wrote What A Wonderful World?
What A Wonderful World was written by Weiss-Thiele (1967).
What is the form of What A Wonderful World?
What A Wonderful World has 3 sections (AAB) with 24 bars in total.
How fast is What A Wonderful World played?
The usual groove is Ballad.
What are the chord changes to What A Wonderful World?
The opening bars are F6 Am7 | Bbmaj7 Am7 | Gm7 Fmaj7 | A7b9 Dm7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.