A-Z Songbook, Ballads & First Dances, Blues & Jazz

At Last chords by Etta James

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At Last | Chords + Lyrics

Intro

| 6/8 F | F/A | Bb | Bdim7 |
| F/C | D7b9 | Db7 | C7#5 |

Verse 1

| F | Dm7 | Gm7 | C7 | F | Dm7 |
At last, my love has come along.
| Gm7 | C7#5 | F | Dm7 |
My lonely days are over.
| Gm7 | C7 | F | Dm7 | Db7 | C7 |
And life is like a song. Ooh yeah, yeah.

Verse 2

| F | Dm7 | Gm7 | C7 | F | Dm7 |
At last, the skies above are blue.
| Gm7 | C7#5 | F | Dm7 |
My heart was wrapped up in clover.
| Gm7 | C7 | F | Bb | F |
The night I looked at you.

Bridge

| F | Gm7 | C7 | F |
I found a dream, that I could speak to.
| F | E7 | F7 E7 | Am7 |
A dream that I can call my own.
| Am7 | Dm7 | G | Cmaj7 |
I found a thrill to rest my cheek to.
| C#dim7 | Dm7 | G7 | C7 | C7#5 |
A thrill that I have never known. Ohh yeah, yeah.

Verse 3

| F | Dm7 | Gm7 | C7 | F | Dm7 |
You smile, you smile. Oh and then the spell was cast.
| Gm7 | C7#5 | F | Dm7 |
And here we are in heaven.
| Gm7 | C7 |
For you are mine, at last.

Outro

| F | F/A | Bb | Bdim7 |
| F/C | D7b9 | Db7 | C7#5 |

At Last Chords: Learn the progressions

The beautiful and very well-known string intro can actually be played on the guitar, as long as you get the chords right. This is what they are:

| F | F/A | Bb | Bdim7 |
| F/C | D7b9 | Db7 | C7#5 |

When the verse starts, we are in the key of F moving from I – VI – II – V. F – Dm7 – Gm7 – C7.

At the end of the verse, the Gm7 has been tritone substituted to a Db7.

The bridge starts off with a II – V – I in F. Gm7 – C7 – F. Next, a pivot between F and E signals that something is up as this a modal interchange, making the F chord IV, E IIIx, we are in the key of C instead.

Next, we get a II – V – I in this new key. Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7. The C#dim7 that follows sets the same progression up again.

Finally, the C becomes a C7 and we are ready to move back to the key of F.

At Last really is a textbook example of how to write a jazz blues ballad, both in terms of chords and lyrics.

At Last – The perfect first dance!

As perhaps the perfect first dance at a Wedding, At Last by Etta James is a must for every working musician to not just learn the chords but also learn from this, in essence, perfect song.

The song may have been Etta James’s first single, it may also be the version everyone refers to but she didn’t write it and the song had actually been released 19 years earlier and recorded several times.

In 1942, Glenn Miller even hit the charts and reached the #2 spot with it. But when Etta sang it, the world stopped and At Last, will forever be connected with her.

Since Etta James’ 1960 release, several singers have covered it, including Celine Dion and Beyonce. Christina Aguilera who holds Etta James as her biggest inspiration finishes most of her gigs with the song.

Christina even sang At Last at Etta James’ funeral in 2012, you can find that performance in the playlist above.

At Last Chords | Related Pages

Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics

When you can play At Last's chords, try these five tunes from the song book.

Etta James tunes

Jamesetta had a brutal childhood as the daughter of a 14-year-old mother and an unknown father, she was regularly beaten by foster parents and even her choir leader.

After touring with Little Richard in her teens, Etta James signed with Chess Records, releasing her first single, At Last, only 22 years old.

Etta James on the web

Ballads & First Dances

When you can play At Last, check out these Ballads as well.

The perfect first dance or an emotional piece for your next audition, this collection of Ballads & First Dances is great for working on your expression.

Learn tunes from Burt Bacharach, Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Eva Cassidy, Ben Harper, Etta James, Chet Baker, Elvis, Norah Jones, and many more.

Blues & Jazz

The foundation upon which popular music stands, Blues & Jazz tunes must be explored in depth by the serious guitar player.

Learn from the best by studying the greatest tunes of the genres. Study the iconic licks and melodies to grasp the language of these most important styles.

About me | Dan Lundholm

Dan Lundholm wrote this guitar lesson on At Last chords.

This was a guitar lesson about At Last chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and learn guitar with Spytunes.

Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.