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Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight - Chord

Key Eb major – C minor Chords Fm7, Bb7, Eb, Cm7, Gm7, C7, Abm7, Db7 … Easy key C (capo 3)

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Capo 0
Eb   Cm7    Fm7         Bb7
Some    day, when I'm awfully low
Gm7          C7
When the world is cold
Fm7           Bb7            Eb      Cm7
I will feel a glow just thinking of      you
Fm7        Bb7    Eb
And the way you look tonight

      Eb      Cm7    Fm7            Bb7
Yes you're love    ly,  with your smile so warm 
Gm7          C7
And your cheeks so soft
Fm7             Bb7     Eb      Cm7
There is nothing for me but to love    you
Fm7        Bb7    Eb
And the way you look tonight

Gb     G      Abm7      Db7
With each word your tenderness grows
Bbm7     A     Abm7    Db7
Tearing my fear apart
Bbm7     Eb7      Abm7        Db7
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose
Gb       Bb      Fm7    Bb7
It touches my foolish heart

Eb    Cm7     Fm7         Bb7
Love    ly, Never, ever change
Gm7           C7
Keep that breathless charm
Fm7          Bb7            Eb     Cm7
Won't you please arrange it ? 'Cause I love you 
Fm7          Bb7   Eb
 Just the way you look tonight

End of song Play again?

Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight Tabs

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Harmony analysis

Frank Sinatra – The Way You Look Tonight: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Eb and ends on Eb. Its chords belong to both Eb major and Cm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Eb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

  • 7 = D (leading tone, pulls home)
  • 4 = Ab (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

C minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

  • b6 = Ab (the minor's melancholy)
  • b7 = Bb (natural-minor colour)
  • #7 = B (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Eb major side because it both starts and finishes on Eb, Eb is heard 10 times against 6 for Cm and the major V chord points straight at Cm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Eb or to Cm; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.

Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.

Seen from Eb major
Degree Chord Role Notes In song
I Eb Tonic — home Eb · G · Bb 9×
V7/IV Eb7 Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Absecondary dominant Eb · G · Bb · Db 1×
ii7 Fm7 Supertonic — prepares the dominant F · Ab · C · Eb 10×
bIII Gb Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord Gb · Bb · Db 2×
iii7 Gm7 Mediant — a tonic-family shade G · Bb · D · F 3×
V/vi G Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Cmsecondary dominant G · B · D 1×
IV Ab Subdominant — moves away from home Ab · C · Eb —
iv7 Abm7 Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb 3×
#IV A Chromatic colour chordoutside the key A · C# · E 1×
V7 Bb7 Dominant — strongest pull home Bb · D · F · Ab 10×
V Bb Dominant — strongest pull home Bb · D · F 1×
v7 Bbm7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key Bb · Db · F · Ab 2×
vi7 Cm7 Relative minor — the melancholy side C · Eb · G · Bb 6×
V7/ii C7 Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Fmsecondary dominant C · E · G · Bb 3×
bVII7 Db7 bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord Db · F · Ab · Cb 3×
vii° Ddim Leading-tone chord — tension D · F · Ab —
Seen from C minor
Degree Chord Role Notes In song
i7 Cm7 Tonic — home C · Eb · G · Bb 6×
V7/iv C7 Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Fmsecondary dominant C · E · G · Bb 3×
bII7 Db7 Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord Db · F · Ab · Cb 3×
ii° Ddim Supertonic — prepares the dominant D · F · Ab —
III Eb Relative major — the bright side Eb · G · Bb 9×
V7/VI Eb7 Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Absecondary dominant Eb · G · Bb · Db 1×
iv7 Fm7 Subdominant — moves away from home F · Ab · C · Eb 10×
#IV Gb Chromatic colour chordoutside the key Gb · Bb · Db 2×
v7 Gm7 Minor dominant — soft pull G · Bb · D · F 3×
V G Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor G · B · D 1×
VI Ab Submediant — warm colour Ab · C · Eb —
vi7 Abm7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb 3×
#VI A Chromatic colour chordoutside the key A · C# · E 1×
VII7 Bb7 Subtonic — steps back to the tonic Bb · D · F · Ab 10×
VII Bb Subtonic — steps back to the tonic Bb · D · F 1×
vii7 Bbm7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key Bb · Db · F · Ab 2×

Analysis

The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 14 different chords appear 55 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Cm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Eb, the same G is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Cm. C7, Eb7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Abm7, Db7, Gb are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

  1. Fm7 Bb7 Ebii7 → V7ii → V Cmiv7 → VII7 ×10
  2. Bb7 Eb EbV7 → Iauthentic cadence CmVII7 → III ×7
  3. C7 Fm7 EbV7/ii → ii7secondary resolution CmV7/iv → iv7 ×3
  4. Eb7 Abm7 EbV7/IV → iv7secondary resolution CmV7/VI → vi7 ×1
  5. Db7 Gb EbbVII7 → bIIIsecondary resolution CmbII7 → #IV ×1

The move to watch is Fm7 → Bb7, heard 10 times. From the Eb side it reads ii7 → V7 (ii → V: the classic preparation of the dominant); from the Cm side it is iv7 → VII7. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

  • Eb major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Eb – F – G – Bb – C): start from Eb for a brighter phrase, from C for a bluesier one.
  • Over Fm7, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
  • Over Bb7, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
  • Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
  • When G comes, swap the scale's Bb for B: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
  • On Abm7, follow the chord's notes (Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

The song on the circle of fifths

  • Played in the song — chord of the key
  • Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
  • Played — borrowed or outside chord
  • Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii

Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.

    Capo and easier keys

    With Eb major shapes

    • Capo 1 + D shapes
    • Capo 3 + C shapes
    • Capo 6 + A shapes

    With C minor shapes

    • Capo 3 + Am shapes

    Easiest keys on guitar

    • 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
    • 4 semitones up

    The song's harmonic story

    The first chord is Eb; the ear learns where home is within a second. Fm7, Bb7, Eb, Cm7 carry the song: ii7–V7–I–vi7 relative to Eb, iv7–VII7–III–i7 relative to Cm. C7 is the interesting twist: in Eb it is a chromatic chord (V7/ii), while in Cm it becomes the dominant (V7/iv) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Fm7 → Bb7 (ii7 → V7 in Eb, iv7 → VII7 in Cm): ii → V — the classic preparation of the dominant. The final chord is Eb; the ear comes to rest in Eb.

    This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.

    Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano

    Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.

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