Chords + Lyrics | Arthur’s Theme
Intro
| Dm7 G | C Fmaj13 |
| Bb E7 | Asus4 A Asus2 A |
Verse 1
| Dm7 G | C Fmaj13 |
Once in your life you find her, someone that turns your heart around,
| Bb E7 | Asus4 A Asus2 A |
and next thing you know you’re closing down the town.
| Dm7 G | C Fmaj13 |
Wake up and it’s still with you, even though you left her way across town,
| Bb E7 | Asus4 A Asus2 A |
wondering to yourself, “Hey, what have I found?”
Chorus 1
| Dmaj7 (Dmaj7#11) | Asus2 A |
When you get caught between the moon and New York City.
| (Bsus2) Bm Bsus2 | Asus2 C#m7 |
I know it’s crazy, but it’s true.
| Dmaj7 (Dmaj7#11) | C#m7 F#7 |
If you get caught between the moon and New York City.
| Bm (Bsus2) | Bm (Bsus2) | Asus2 A |
The best that you can do, the best that you can do, is fall in love.
Verse 2
Arthur he does as he pleases, all of his life, he’s mastered choice.
Deep in his heart, he’s just, he’s just a boy.
Living his life one day at a time and showing himself a really good time,
laughing about the way they want him to be.
Chorus 2
When you get caught between the moon and New York City.
I know it’s crazy, but it’s true.
If you get caught between the moon and New York City.
The best that you can do, the best that you can do, is fall in love.
Solo
||: Dm7 G | C Fmaj13 |
| Bb E7 | Asus4 A Asus2 A :||
Chorus 3
When you get caught between the moon and New York City.
I know it’s crazy, but it’s true.
If you get caught between the moon and New York City.
| Bm (Bsus2) | Bm (Bsus2) |
The best that you can do, the best that you can do, is fall in love.
Chorus 4 (as chorus 1)
When you get caught between the moon and New York City.
I know it’s crazy, but it’s true.
If you get caught between the moon and New York City.
The best that you can do, the best that you can do, is fall in love.
Arthur’s Theme Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Arthur’s Theme. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 441Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
The brilliance of Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do) lies in how it moves from C major to A major using the cycle of fourths. Here’s how it unfolds:
Starting on the II chord, the progression follows a II – V – I – IV pattern, which in the key of C reads:
| Dm7 (II) G (V) | C (I) Fmaj13 (IV) |
When arranging this for a single guitar, mimicking the original piano part took some time to figure out. There is TAB further down this guitar lesson detailing exactly how.
From here, the cycle steps outside the key, moving to Bb (bVIIx), then to E (IIIx)—another fourth, though technically a sharp fourth (#4).
That final E chord is what transitions us into A major. Yet, because of the long cycle of fourths, A doesn’t feel like a home key—it still wants to push forward by another fourth.
When the verse repeats, leading back to Dm7, the cycle resolves. Here’s the full verse progression:
||: Dm7 (II) G (V) | C (I) Fmaj13 (IV) |
| Bb (bVIIx) E7 (IIIx) | Asus4 (VI) A Asus2 A :||
On my Top 10 Chord Progressions list, this movement appears in three places: as a VI – II (#10), a II – V (#4), and as the I – IV (#1). The pull of moving up a fourth is irresistible, and Arthur’s Theme is one of the finest examples of it.
Other songs that use this concept include I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor), Fly Me to the Moon (Frank Sinatra), Parisienne Walkways, and Still Got the Blues (both by Gary Moore). The most iconic example of continuous fourth movements is Autumn Leaves.
Chorus
Unlike the verse, the chorus stays firmly in A major, moving to chord IV—evident in the Dmaj7#11, as only chord IV naturally contains a #11. The full chorus progression is:
| Dmaj7 (IV) (Dmaj7#11) | A (I) |
| (Bsus2) (II) Bm Bsus2 |1. Asus2 C#m7 (III) :||2. Asus2 A |
Once you’ve studied the TAB, all you’ll need is a simple chord chart to perform this classic tune on a single acoustic guitar, or in a band!
Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do) Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do) chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do) iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Arthur’s Theme | TAB
Here’s TAB for how to play the verse on an acoustic guitar.
Notice how the Fmaj13 gets its name from the intervals—it moves from the root to the major 7th, then the 6th, then the 5th.
Here’s the TAB for Arthur’s Theme’s chorus.
I’m starting with a D shape but borrowing the 5th from the A shape, a semitone below, we briefly find the #4, then move down to the 3rd. For the chords and lyrics above, I’ve put this chord in brackets, as it appears momentarily and then resolves.
For the Bm chord, we begin with a sus2 to follow the melody.
When the D chord returns, we use the upper part of the A shape for variation. Fret this using your little finger on string 2.
Practise both sections until you feel confident, then play along with the backing tracks.
If you’re using an electric guitar, try learning the sax solo as well—here’s the TAB.
Co-written with Burt Bacharach for a movie
Written for the film Arthur, starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli, Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do) bagged an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1981. It was sung by Christopher Cross, whose music was once associated with the soft and smooth genre dubbed Yacht Rock.
The song was co-written by Cross alongside Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen. Together, they crafted a sophisticated harmonic landscape using modal interchange and clever key changes—perfectly capturing the emotional essence of the film. The result topped the Billboard charts and became one of Bacharach’s finest late-career triumphs.
At the same time, Christopher Cross was enjoying a rare sweep at the 1981 Grammy Awards, winning the “Big Four”: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best New Artist—an achievement since only matched by Norah Jones.
Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do) Chords: Continue Learning
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Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- (They Long To Be) Close To You
- Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
- Everybody’s Talkin’
- I Say A Little Prayer
- Over The Rainbow
