Standards
When The Sun Comes Out chords & key
“When The Sun Comes Out” is a jazz standard by Harold Arlen. It is usually played in G major as a ballad, and the 38-bar AABAC form has 5 sections. Harmonically it contains 5 major ii–V–I cadences and 5 minor ii–V–i, uses 20 different chords and moves between the key centres A minor, C major and G major. In this atlas it appears on 5 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — G major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- D7×13
- Am7×9
- C7×6
- E7×5
- Dm7×4
- F7×4
Key centres reached by ii–V
A minor, C major and G major
Recorded on these albums
| 1960 | Sings a String of Harold Arlen Tony Bennett · “When the Sun Comes Out” |
| 1961 | Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Song Book Ella Fitzgerald · “When the Sun Comes Out” |
| 1963 | The Second Barbra Streisand Album Barbra Streisand · “When the Sun Comes Out” |
| 2022 | Rose Of New York City: Barbra, 1961-1962 Live Recordings (Remastered) Barbra Streisand · “When The Sun Comes Out (The Garry Moore Show, May 1962) (Remastered)” |
| 2022 | Live at the Bon Soir Barbra Streisand · “When the Sun Comes Out” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| I Want To Be Happy 32% | C major |
| Dexterity 29% | B♭ major |
| You Took Advantage Of Me 28% | E♭ major |
| I Wish I Knew 26% | G major |
| A Beautiful Friendship 22% | C major |
| Billy Boy 22% | C major |
| Anthropology 20% | B♭ major |
| Moose The Mooche 20% | B♭ major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is When The Sun Comes Out in?
When The Sun Comes Out is usually played in G major. For B♭ instruments that is A major, for E♭ instruments E major.
Who wrote When The Sun Comes Out?
When The Sun Comes Out was written by Harold Arlen.
What is the form of When The Sun Comes Out?
When The Sun Comes Out has 5 sections (AABAC) with 38 bars in total.
How fast is When The Sun Comes Out played?
The usual groove is Ballad.
What are the chord changes to When The Sun Comes Out?
The opening bars are C7 A#7 | Am7 D7 | C7 C#dim7 | D7sus D7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.