Blue Skies chords
by Willie Nelson- Blue Skies was written by Irving Berlin in 1926
- Willie Nelson's recording of the song became a No. 1 country music hit in 1978 from the album - Stardust
- Recorded: December 3 - 12, 1977
- Released: April 1978
- Music: Key of Bm with a key change to Cm in 4/4 time at 84 bpm (♩)
- Chords: Bm, BmM7, Bm7, Bm6, D, A7, F#7, D, D(alt), Eb7/D, F#7/C#, F#, G7, Cm, CmM7 Cm7, Cm6, Eb, Bb7, Ab, Fm7
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Blue Skies
The Relative Major Key of Bm is highlighted - Transpose to any other key.
Bm BmM7 Bm7 Bm6
Intro: 4/4 ‖: | :‖
Bm BmM7 Bm7
Chorus 1: Blue skies smil-in' at me
Bm6 D A7 D F#7
Noth-in' but blue skies do I | see - |
Bm BmM7 Bm7
Blue-birds sing-in' a song
Bm6 D A7 D
Noth-in' but blue skies from now on
D Eb7/D D
Bridge: I ne-ver saw the sun shin-in' so bright
Eb7/D D Eb7/D D
Ne-ver saw things go-in' so right
D Eb7/D D
No-ti-cing the days hur-ry-ing by
Eb7/D D Eb7/D D F#7/C#
When you're in love my how they fly by
Bm BmM7 Bm7
Chorus 2: Blue days, all of them gone
Bm6 D A7 D F#7
Noth-in' but blue skies from now | on - |
Instr: Repeat Chorus 1 / Bridge / Chorus 2
Bm BmM7 Bm7
Chorus 3: Blue skies smil-in' at me
Bm6 D A7 D F#7
Noth-in' but blue skies do I | see - |
Bm BmM7 Bm7
Blue days, all of them gone
Bm6 D A7 D F# G7
Noth-in' but blue skies from now | on / |
(key change +1)
Cm CmM7 Cm7
Chorus 4: Blue skies smil-in' at me
Cm6 Eb Bb7 Eb G7
Noth-in' but blue skies do I | see - |
Cm CmM7 Cm7
Blue days, all of them gone
Cm6 Eb Bb7 Eb G7
Noth-in' but blue skies from now | on - |
Cm CmM7 Cm7
Chorus 4: Blue skies smil-in' at me
Cm6 Eb Bb7 Eb G7
Noth-in' but blue skies do I | see - |
Cm CmM7 Cm7 Cm6
Blue days, all of them | gone - |
Eb Bb7 Ab Fm7 Eb
Noth-in' but blue skies from now on | | |...
Notes:
Level: Intermediate - lots of Jazzy chords
Many chords are played in a jazz-like fashion whereby some typical barre chords are played open using a mini-barre and omitting strings 5 & 6 or 1 & 6.
You don't have to play the jazz version of these chords, but if you want to sound like the recording, it is worth the extra effort to learn these chords and add them to your list. They are all very easy to play and sound great!
Learn all the chords first before playing, as the song moves along at a fair pace in relation to chord changes.
mM7 chords are minor Major 7th chords - a root, a minor third, a perfect fifth and a major seventh.
They can also be written as mΔ7, −Δ7, mM7, m/M7, m(M7), minmaj7, m⑦, m♮7, m7+.
Song Facts
- The song was written by Irving Berlin in 1926 as a last-minute addition to the Rodgers and Hart musical Betsy.
- The song was introduced by Belle Baker on opening night, and the audience demanded 24 encores.
- It became one of the first songs to be featured in a talkie, when Al Jolson performed it in The Jazz Singer (1927).
- The song has been recorded by many artists over the years, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman (Instr), Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Doris Day and Willie Nelson (featured).
- It has been used in numerous films and television shows, including It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Blue Skies (1946), The Great Santini 1978, The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and The Simpsons (1997).
- The song is about the joy of finding love and happiness after a period of sadness.
- The song has been covered by many artists in different genres, including jazz, swing, country, and pop.
- The song received Grammy Hall of Fame recognition in 1999, highlighting its enduring cultural significance.
- It is considered one of Irving Berlin's most popular songs.
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