photo credit: 藍川芥 aikawake FILM | Happy Childhood via photopin (license)
The 1929 musical revue "The Little Show" was the showcase for this song. Since that time it has been welcomed into the world of jazz as a classic and recorded by such greats as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Art Tatum, George Shearing, Benny Goodman and his Orchestra and Frank Sinatra. ASCAP rated this song among the top hits of 1929.
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"Can't We Be Friends?" (Chords and Lyrics)
Music by Kay Swift
Words by Paul James
Key: Ab
Time: 4/4 Andantino
Fm Fm/Ab G7 G7-5 G7
I took each word he said as gospel truth,
C7 Db/F C7
The way a silly little child would.
Fm Fm/Ab G7 G7-5 G7
I can't excuse it on the grounds of youth,
C7 Fm Bb Fm
I was no babe in the wild wood.
Bbm Fm/Ab
He didn't mean it,
G7-5 Fm
I should have seen it,
E6/C C7+5 F C/E Ab7/Eb
Now it's too late!
Key of F (modulation)
G7/D G7 C7 C9
I thought I'd found the man of my dreams.
F Db7 Dm7/C D/A Db7/Ab C7/G
Now it seems, this is how the story ends:
C7 Dm G9 C7
He's going to turn me down and say,
F Bb7 F Dm Dm7/C
Can't we be friends?
G9 G7 C7
I thought for once it couldn't go wrong.
F Db7 Dm7/C Dm/A Db7/Ab C7/G
Not for long! I can see the way this ends:
C7 Dm G9 C7
He's goin' to turn me down and say,
F Bb7 F Dm F7
Can't we be friends?
Bb7 C Bb9
Never again!
Bb7 F
Through with love,
Fdim7 F
Through with men!
F+ Fm6 Fm6 Eb Cm/Eb Eb7 D+
They play their game without shame, and who's to blame?
D D7 A7+5 D Gb6/Db D9/C
G7 C7
I thought I'd found a man I could trust.
F Db7 Dm7/C Dm/A Db7/Ab C7/G
What a bust! This is how the story ends:
C7 Dm G9 C7
He's going to turn me down and say,
F Bb7 F F6 F
Can't we be friends?
Rainy Night In Georgia is a popular song from the 60s. I have posted the chord progressions to Tony Joe White's piece. Also, Billy Vera's At This Moment is from the best of the 80s music!
Two great resources you may want to have and use in your music library are Jazz 101 and Jazz 201.
All the best,
-- LadyD
"Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life." -- Art Blakey
