Standards · 1940
When You Wish Upon A Star chords & key
“When You Wish Upon A Star” is a jazz standard by Leigh Harline from 1940. It is usually played in C major as a ballad, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 8 major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 12 different chords and moves between the key centres C major and D minor. In this atlas it appears on 1 album track.
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
- Dm7×13
- G7×13
- Cmaj7×5
- C6×5
- Em7×4
- A7♭13×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
C major and D minor
Characteristics
- AABA song form
History
"When You Wish Upon a Star" is a song written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for the 1940 Disney animated film Pinocchio, based on the children's fairy tale novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Italian author Carlo Collodi. The original version was sung by Cliff Edwards in the character of Jiminy Cricket, and is heard over the opening credits and in the final scene of the film. The recording by Cliff Edwards and Chorus was released by Victor Records as catalogue number 261546 and 26477A (in the US) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalogue number BD 821. Edwards recorded another version in 1940 for an American Decca Records "cover version" of the score of Pinocchio, conducted by Victor Young and featuring soprano Julietta Novis and The King's Men. It was first released on a 4-record 78-RPM album set, and years later as one side of an LP, backed by selections from The Wizard of Oz.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
| 1968 | Disney Songs the Satchmo Way Louis Armstrong · “When You Wish Upon a Star” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Jeannie's Song 50% | F major |
| Billy Boy 43% | C major |
| Manhattan 42% | F major |
| Let There Be Love 40% | E♭ major |
| You Made Me Love You 39% | C major |
| The One I Love (Belongs To Somebody Else) 38% | G major |
| I'm In The Mood For Love 37% | C major |
| Day In, Day Out 33% | C major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is When You Wish Upon A Star in?
When You Wish Upon A Star is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.
Who wrote When You Wish Upon A Star?
When You Wish Upon A Star was written by Leigh Harline (1940).
What is the form of When You Wish Upon A Star?
When You Wish Upon A Star has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is When You Wish Upon A Star played?
The usual groove is Ballad.
What are the chord changes to When You Wish Upon A Star?
The opening bars are Cmaj7 A7b13 | Dm7 | G7 | C6 F7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.