“There Will Never Be Another You” is an iconic jazz standard that jazz fans should be familiar with—especially since this tune is a common jam session classic.
If you are studying jazz or want to learn more about this particular tune, this jazz standard contains many iconic jazz chord progressions found in countless other jazz standards. Its chords and melody are jazzy without being too difficult for newer jazz students.
In other words, it’s the perfect jazz standard to learn when first stepping into the jazz world.
That’s why we will learn all about this song and demystify its chord progression—it’s definitely a tune you should know!
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Table of Contents
“There Will Never Be Another You” Tune History
image source Wikimedia Commons
Like many classic jazz standards, “There Will Never Be Another You” was first composed for a musical—specifically, the musical Iceland (1942). The original recording was performed by singer Joan Merrill, supported by Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra.
The music was written by Harry Warren, and Mac Gordon wrote the lyrics:
Lyrics By Mac GordonThere will be many other nights like this
I’ll be standing here with someone new
There will be other songs to sing
Another fall, another spring
There will never be another you
There will be other lips that I may kiss
They won’t thrill me like yours used to do
Yes, I may dream a million dreams
How can they come true
If there will never ever be another you?
This song has been recorded many times by various jazz and pop artists over the years. Later in this article, I’ll discuss my favorite versions, but here is a sample of the many performers who made iconic versions.
- Keely Smith and Nelson Riddle
- Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, and Hank Mobley
- Nat King Cole
- Art Tatum
- The Stan Getz Quartet
- John Scofield
- The Wynton Kelly Trio
…and more covered below!
“There Will Never Be Another You” Harmonic Analysis
Let’s dig into the harmonic analysis of “There Will Never Be Another You.” This jazz standard is a 32-bar form broken into four sections—A-B-A-C. The A sections are identical, and the B and C sections are similar with different endings.
Traditionally, this song is played in the key of Eb; however, vocal versions could appear in different keys to better suit the singer’s range.
The First (And Second) A Section
The first and second A sections are identical, so I’ll only analyze it once.
“There Will Never Be Another You” starts on the I chord (Ebmaj7) for the first two bars of the section. Then, in bars three and four, we have a minor ii-V chord progression to the vi chord (C-7).
The G7b9 chord contains a B natural, which is outside of the key signature. This makes the iii chord, which is minor due to the Bb, into a dominant chord, which is major. This is why we’ve labeled it a III7 chord instead of a iii chord.
Replacing a G-7 with a G7 when the following chord (C-7) is a fourth away is a chord substitution known as a secondary dominant. Secondary dominants briefly tonicize the following chord by acting like a V chord. We would say that the G7 is the V of vi here because it is a dominant chord leading to the vi.
Check out this article for more on secondary dominants and this one for more on other chord substitutions.
The Last Four Bars of the A Section
In the last four bars of the A section, the tune sits on the vi chord for two bars before leading us out of the A section with a ii-V to the IV chord (Abmaj7). I labeled this progression in both Eb and Ab because this is a key change, but it is very brief.
Viewing it as a classic transposition is overkill here, as we are back in Eb within the next four bars. However, it helps to analyze this progression both as a v-I7-IV progression and as an ii-V to the IV.
The B Section
The B section starts on Abmaj7 but quickly resolves to Eb through a “Backdoor” chord progression. Here, the Abmaj7 resolves up a fourth to Db7, which then resolves back to Ebmaj7, which moves to C-7, the vi chord.
The Db7 is a bVII7 chord, which shares some characteristics with a traditional V chord. To keep things consistent, let’s analyze it in the key of Eb.
Here is a V chord and a bVII7 chord in Eb:
A Db7 shares two chord tones with a Bb7:
- F
- Ab
The other chord tones in Db7 could be considered altered extensions of a Bb7 chord:
- The root (Db) could be a #9 altered extension
- The 7th (Cb) could be a b9 altered extension
Therefore, Db7 could be considered a rootless Bb7(b9/#9) chord, which resolves perfectly well back to Ebmaj7.
Check out this article to learn more about the “Backdoor” chord progression.
The Second Half of the B Section
The vi chord from the previous section leads us to a dominant II chord. The dominant II chord is important in jazz music and appears in many jazz standards. The dominant II chord almost always resolves to one of two chords—either the minor ii or the V chord.
II7 to the V Chord
II7 to ii to V
In “There Will Never Be Another You,” we sit on the dominant II chord for two measures, then the II chord turns minor before moving to the V chord.
This takes us to the second A, which is identical to the first. Therefore, we only need to look at the C section and finish the chord analysis for “There Will Never Be Another You.”
BEFORE YOU CONTINUE...
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The C Section
The first half of the C section is nearly identical to the B section. The main difference is in the fourth measure, which sets us up for the final four bars. I included two different versions of the changes in the fourth measure of the C section, but both versions are functionally the same.
F7 and A-7b5 share many common chord tones, and both contain an A diminished triad, which acts as the ii chord in a minor ii-V to G.
Likewise, F#° and D7 share many of the same chord tones:
The diminished chord here essentially functions as a rootless D7b9 chord, which we’d expect in a minor ii-V. This is another type of chord substitution used in jazz chord progressions.
Whether you play an F7 to F#° or an A-7b5 to D7, you are playing a minor ii-V progression leading to the iii chord at the beginning of the last four bars.
Check out this article to learn all the incredible ways to use diminished chords.
The Last Four Bars of the Tune
In the final four bars of the tune, we get a fairly standard iii-VI7-ii-V chord progression. The Ab7 in the first bar is a tritone sub of D7. Tritone subs are another common jazz chord substitution where you replace a chord with another chord a tritone away.
Tritone subs are usually dominant chords, but they don’t have to be. In this case, the Ab7 shares all the important guide tones with a D7 chord. Guide tones are the 3rd and the 7th of a chord. These are important chord tones that help determine a chord’s quality.
Check out this article to learn more about tritone substitutions.
As you can see, this jazz standard is full of essential jazz harmonic language. There is a reason why this is one of the first jazz standards many jazz students learn.
Check out this article for more on jazz language and this one for more on common jazz chord progressions.
Check These Great Versions of “There Will Never Be Another You”
I wanted to compile diverse versions of this jazz standard so you can experience a few ways various artists have interpreted this tune.
1. Chet Baker
Chet Baker’s version of “There Will Never Be Another You” appeared on his Chet Baker Sings Album, released on February 15, 1954. This might be my favorite version of this jazz standard because of Chet’s smooth, iconic voice.
Learn more about Chet Baker by checking out this primer on jazz trumpet, which includes the 15 best jazz trumpet players of all time.
2. Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt was a prolific bebop and hard bop saxophone player who recorded over 100 albums. His version of this jazz song features incredible jazz language and phrasing, which is characteristic of Stitt’s incredible technique. This version appeared on Sonny Stitt Plays, released December 15 & 16, 1955
For more on Sonny Stitt, check out our list of the 37 famous jazz saxophone players.
3. Bud Powell
Bud Powell is an iconic jazz pianist who is considered a bebop pioneer up there with the likes of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gilespie. His version appeared on his 1961 album A Portrait of Thelonius.
Check out our article on the 50 greatest jazz pianists to learn more about Bud Powell.
4. Joe Pass
Joe Pass was one of the greatest jazz guitarists ever. He helped redefine what solo jazz guitar could be by raising the bar extremely high. However, in his version of “There Will Never Be Another You,” we hear him play in guitar trio format. This version was probably recorded in 1963 and was released in 2001.
Check out our article on the 50 greatest jazz guitarists to learn more about Joe Pass.
5. Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra is an American icon. His version of “There Will Never Be Another You” is performed as a classic Frank orchestral ballad. This version appeared on his 1961 album Point Of No Return.
Check out our article on Frank Sinatra songs to learn more about this iconic American jazz singer.
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