Chords + Lyrics | At Last
Intro
| 6/8 F | F/A | Bb | Bdim7 |
| F/C | D7b9 | Db7 | C(#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 | F |
The night I looked at you.
Bridge
| 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 | F F6 | F |
At Last Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning At Last. 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 443Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
The iconic string introduction of At Last can be beautifully rendered on the guitar, either by playing the melodic line or simply strumming the chords. The chords are as follows:
| F | F/A | Bb | Bdim7 |
| F/C | D7b9 | Db7 | C7#5 |
In the TAB further down this guitar lesson, I provide both the chords and string melody.
Verse
As the verse begins, the song is in the key of F, following a I – VI – II – V progression:
| F (I) | Dm7 (VI) | Gm7 (II) | C7 (V) |
| F | Dm7 | Gm7 | C7#5 |
| F | Dm7 | Gm7 | C7 |
| F | Dm7 | Db7 (tritone sub) | C7 |
Notably, at the end of the verse, the Gm7 chord is substituted with a Db7, introducing a tritone substitution.
Upon repeating the verse, the progression remains consistent, with the following addition at the end:
| F (I) | Bb (IV) | F | F |
Bridge
The bridge commences with a II – V – I progression in the key of F: Gm7 – C7 – F. A subsequent pivot between F and E indicates a modal interchange, reinterpreting the F chord as the IV and the E as a IIIx, effectively modulating to the key of C.
This leads to the II – V – I chord progression in the new key of C: Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7. The ensuing C#dim7 chord sets up a repetition of this progression.
Ultimately, the C chord transitions to a C7, facilitating a return to the key of F.
Here are the bridge chords with their Roman numeral analysis:
| Gm7 (II) | C7 (V) | F | F | (key of F)
| E7 (IIIx) | F7 E7 | Am7 | Am7 | (key of C)
| Dm7 (II) | G (V) | Cmaj7 (I) | C#dim7 (I#dim7) |
| Dm7 (II) | G7 (V) |
| C7 (V) | C7#5 | (key of F)
At Last exemplifies the quintessential jazz blues ballad, both in its chordal structure and lyrical content.
This chord chart will serve as a comprehensive guide after studying the provided TAB and internalizing the chord movements through their Roman numeral representations.
At Last Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: At Last chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, here’s a link to that file: At Last iReal Pro.
Using this and the iReal Pro app, you can change the key. While key changes might not occur during a gig, practising comping and soloing in various keys can be beneficial.
At Last | TAB
Even though some sections repeat, I’ve decided to TAB out all of At Last as I feel this is the most appropriate way to approach playing this classic with a band.
Use this as a starting point to develop your own variations on the theme. Let’s begin with the intro, using chords to support someone else playing the string line.
Later, this part returns in the outro. I’ve changed how it’s played there slightly to give you a few more ideas.
If the job of playing the string part falls to you, here’s the TAB for that as well. I’ve included the chromatic ending line too, which fits nicely when this part comes back at the end.
Next up is verse 1. I recommend playing it like this:
As you’ll see, the idea is to play almost entirely on two strings at a time. This keeps the part focused and helps you cut through the mix. Switching between strings 4–3 and 3–2 adds a nice bit of variation.
Here’s the bridge section. Again, it mainly uses two strings with little hammer-ons and slides for expression.
Then comes the second verse—or maybe we should call it the third as the first one was double? Try playing what’s written here first before you experiment with your own way of approaching the verses.
Finally, here are the outro chords. Try combining this with what you played for the intro to inspire more variation in how you finish the tune.
The best part? Once you’ve played it in the intro, you can bring it back for the outro. It’s a lovely, impressive touch—especially if it’s for a first dance.
The perfect first dance
At Last has become a quintessential choice for wedding first dances, largely due to Etta James‘s soulful rendition.
While her 1960 version is the most celebrated, the song’s origins trace back to 1941, composed by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical film Sun Valley Serenade.
Glenn Miller and his orchestra popularized it in 1942, reaching number two on the charts.
Etta James’s interpretation transformed At Last into her signature song, cementing its place in music history. Since then, numerous artists have offered their renditions, including Celine Dion and Beyoncé.
Notably, Christina Aguilera, who cites Etta James as a primary influence, often concludes her performances with this classic. In 2012, Aguilera honoured James by performing At Last at her funeral.
At Last Chords: Continue Learning
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