ENDEIT

Standards

You Can Depend On Me chords & key

Carpenter-Dunlap-Hines

Key
F major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Medium-up swing
Time signature
4/4

“You Can Depend On Me” is a jazz standard by Carpenter-Dunlap-Hines. It is usually played in F major as a medium-up swing, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 7 major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 12 different chords and moves between the key centres F major, G minor and B♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 3 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — F major

A
Gm7
C7
Fmaj7
Am7A♭dim7
Gm7
C7
1.
F6
Am7♭5D7
2.
F6
F6
B
Cm7
F7
B♭6
B♭6
G7
G7
Gm7
C7
A
Gm7
C7
Fmaj7
Am7A♭dim7
Gm7
C7
F6
Am7♭5D7

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

Harmonic analysis

7Major ii–V–I
1Minor ii–V–i
10ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
0Dominant chains
12Different chords

Most used chords

  • Gm7×7
  • C7×7
  • F6×4
  • Fmaj7×3
  • Am7×3
  • A♭dim7×3

Key centres reached by ii–V

F major, G minor and B♭ major

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

Recorded on these albums

1956 At Newport
Duke Ellington and The Buck Clayton All-Stars · “You Can Depend on Me”
1957 Tony
Tony Bennett · “You Can Depend on Me”
1999 Rhythm Is My Business
Ella Fitzgerald · “You Can Depend on Me”

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • YOU CAN DEPEND ON ME FLETCHER HENDERSON & HIS ORCH. · Carpenter · Dunlap · Hines · F… · 1937 archive.org ↗
  • YOU CAN DEPEND ON ME Herbie Fields and His Orchestra · Taft Jordan · Herbie Fields ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
  • You Can Depend On Me Joe Thomas and his Orchestra · Joe Thomas · Hilton Jefferson · Jerry… · 1946 archive.org ↗
  • YOU CAN DEPEND ON ME JOE THOMAS and his ORCHESTRA · Joe Thomas · Hilton Jefferson · Jerry… · 1946 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Don't Worry 'Bout Me 35% Rube Bloom A♭ major AB · 32 Ballad
Just One More Chance 33% Johnston-Coslow G major AB · 32 Medium swing
Take The A Train 33% Billy Strayhorn C major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing
Move 32% Denzil Best B♭ major AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing
Sweet Sue, Just You 32% Harris-Young G major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing
This Year's Kisses 31% Irving Berlin G major AABC · 28 Medium swing
When You're Smilin' 31% Shay - Fisher - Goodwin B♭ major AB · 32 Medium swing
Down In The Depths 30% Cole Porter G major AAB · 54 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is You Can Depend On Me in?

You Can Depend On Me is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.

Who wrote You Can Depend On Me?

You Can Depend On Me was written by Carpenter-Dunlap-Hines.

What is the form of You Can Depend On Me?

You Can Depend On Me has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is You Can Depend On Me played?

The usual groove is Medium-up swing.

What are the chord changes to You Can Depend On Me?

The opening bars are Gm7 | C7 | Fmaj7 | Am7 Abdim7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.