All of Me — Chord Changes & Harmonic Analysis
- Composer:
- Gerald Marks & Seymour Simons
- Year:
- 1931
- Key:
- C major
- Form:
- ABAC (32 bars)
- Style:
- Jazz Standard
- Tempo:
- 100–180 BPM
All of Me is a classic American standard from 1931 composed by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons. This 32-bar ABAC form features simple, memorable changes that are perfect for beginners learning jazz. The tune includes basic ii-V progressions and a brief modulation to the relative minor, making it ideal for developing fundamental jazz vocabulary.
About This Standard
Composed by Gerald Marks with lyrics by Seymour Simons in 1931, All of Me was popularized through recordings by Ruth Etting, Paul Whiteman, and Louis Armstrong. Its diatonic-with-secondary-dominants harmonic language and memorable melody made it a perennial jazz standard across all eras, from the swing period through bebop and into contemporary jazz.
Notable recordings:
- Louis Armstrong — (1932 recording)
- Billie Holiday — (1941 recording)
- Frank Sinatra — (multiple recordings)
- Willie Nelson — Stardust (1978)
Chord Changes
Notation
Harmonic Analysis
All of Me is a 32-bar AABA standard in C major built on a chain of secondary dominants. The A section cycles: Cmaj7→E7 (secondary dominant to Am)→A7 (secondary dominant to Dm)→Dm7→E7→Am7→D7→Dm7→G7→C. Each secondary dominant temporarily tonicizes the following chord, creating a bright, forward-moving harmonic momentum characteristic of the era. The bridge briefly tonicizes F major before the final A resolves home.