Chords + Lyrics | Fly Me To The Moon
Intro
||: N.C :|| x4
Verse 1
| Am7 | Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 |
Fly me to the moon, let me play among the stars.
| Fmaj7 | Bm7b5 | E7b9 | Am7 A7 |
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars.
| Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 | Em7 A7 |
In other words, hold my hand.
| Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 | Bm7b5 E7b9 |
In other words, baby kiss me.
Verse 2
Fill my heart with song and let me sing for, evermore.
You are all I long for all I worship and adore.
In other words, please be true.
In other words, I love you.
Solo
| Am7 | Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 |
| Fmaj7 | Bm7b5 | E7b9 | Am7 A7 |
| Dm7 | G7 | Gm6 | A7 |
| Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 | E7b9 |
Verse 3
| Am7 | Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 |
Fill my heart with song and let me sing for, evermore.
| Fmaj7 | Bm7b5 | E7b9 | Am7 A7 |
You are all I long for all I worship and adore.
| Dm7 | G7 | Gm6 | A7 |
In other words, please be true.
| Dm7 | Dm7 | G7 | G7/B |
In other words, in other words,
| Bb6 | Bdim7 | C6/9 N.C | N.C C5 |
I love you.
Fly Me to the Moon Chords: Exploring the Diatonic Movement and Jazz Harmony
The chords in Fly Me to the Moon are classic, often used by theory and jazz teachers as a prime example of the cycle of fourths.
Verse 1
Starting on VI, the progression moves up a fourth, using mostly diatonic chords. The first eight bars follow this pattern:
| Am7 (VI) | Dm7 (II) | G7 (V) | Cmaj7 (I) |
| Fmaj7 (IV) | Bm7b5 (VII) | E7b9 (IIIx) | Am7 (VI) A7 (VIx) |
The E7b9 is the first chord to step slightly outside the diatonic framework, as it would normally be minor. The b9 naturally appears in the Phrygian or Phrygian dominant mode when the chord is major.
The final chord, A7, is also non-diatonic, but it strengthens the resolution to Dm7, just as E7b9 directs more clearly towards Am7.
In the TAB lesson, we explore four chordal ideas that progressively grow more sophisticated, incorporating different shapes and adding a bass line.
Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Fly Me to the Moon – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
The next eight bars continue the diatonic movement:
| Dm7 (II) | G7 (V) | Cmaj7 (I) | Em7 (III) A7 (VI) |
| Dm7 (II) | G7 (V) | Cmaj7 (I) | Bm7b5 (VII) E7b9 (IIIx) |
That final movement, VII – IIIx, is often referred to as a minor II – V – I, as it functions similarly to Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7 (Bm7b5 – E7b9 – Am7). Both progressions move up a fourth—one resolving to major, the other to minor.
Verse 2
Verse 2 follows the same progression as what we just studied. You should record this using a loop pedal and practise playing the melody of Fly Me to the Moon in all positions.
Once you’re comfortable, try improvising using modes and arpeggios. When you feel ready—change the key!
Verse 3
Speaking of soloing, both the instrumental solo and verse 3 start the same way as verses 1 and 2 before venturing further from the key of Am. Here are bars 9-12:
| Dm7 (II) | G7 (V) | Gm6 (Vm) | A7 (VIx) |
The Gm6 (Vm) stands out the most, as all other variations have appeared before. Check out A Natural Woman for another great example of a Vm chord in action.
Solo
Next, the solo follows this progression:
| Dm7 (II) | G7 (V) | Cmaj7 (I) | E7b9 (IIIx) |
The third verse initially follows the same pattern but stretches out the chords in the third line:
| Dm7 (II) | Dm7 (II | G7 (V) | G7/B (V/3) |
The last four bars build towards the I chord:
| Bb6 (bVIIx) | Bdim7 (VIIdim7)| C6/9 (I) N.C | N.C C5 |
Here’s a chord chart for Fly Me to the Moon. Use this as you practise soloing over this jazz classic.
Fly Me To The Moon Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download my chart, here’s a PDF: Fly Me To The Moon chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Fly Me To The Moon iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Fly Me To The Moon TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we explore how to practise Fly Me To The Moon—as you should with all jazz standards—by first playing the chords in all positions. From there, we can move on to walking bass lines, playing the melody, and eventually improvising.
But it all starts with mastering the chords. As a preview, here’s the TAB for the first half of the initial section we work on.
A jazz standard
As one of the most recognised jazz standards, Fly Me to the Moon has been covered by nearly every singer who’s performed in the genre.
Usually, in cases like this, there isn’t a definitive version to study. However, with Fly Me to the Moon, there is!
Frank Sinatra’s 1964 recording is the version, which is remarkable considering that Julie London, Peggy Lee, Doris Day, Paul Anka, and several others had already had great success with it before Frank recorded his, with the help of Count Basie and Quincy Jones.
Since Sinatra’s 1964 release, Fly Me to the Moon has been recorded over 300 times, yet whenever someone calls it, they mean Sinatra’s version—so study the chords and lyrics above carefully.
Fly Me To The Moon Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Fly Me To The Moon (Frank Sinatra) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
