Dream A Little Dream Of Me | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
|3/4 G Am7 G/B |4/4 C F#dim7 | Ab6 G | C F#dim7 | Ab6 G |
Verse 1
| C F#dim7 | Ab6 G |
Stars shining bright above you,
| C C/B Bb6 | A7 |
night breezes seem to whisper, “I love you”.
| F | Fm | C Ab | G6 |
Birds singing in the sycamore tree, dream a little dream of me.
Verse 2
Say nighty night and kiss me,
just hold me tight and tell me you’ll miss me.
| F | Fm | C Ab7 G7 | C E |
While I’m alone and blue as can be, dream a little dream of me.
Chorus 1
| A F#m | Bm7 E |
Stars fading but I linger on dear,
| A F#m | Bm7 E7 |
still craving your kiss.
| A F#m | Bm7 E |
I’m longing to linger ’til dawn dear,
| A F#m | Ab7 G7 |
just saying this.
Verse 3
| C D#dim7 | Ab G |
Sweet dreams ’til sunbeams find you,
| C Gsus4/B Bb69 | A7 |
sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you.
| F | Fm | C Ab7 G7 | C C/G |
But in your dreams, whatever they be, dream a little dream of me.
Instrumental
| C D#dim7 | Ab G7 | C Gsus4/B Bb69 | A7 |
| F | Fm | C Ab7 G7 | C E |
Chorus 2
||: A F#m | Bm7 E :||
Stars fading but I linger on dear,
still craving your kiss.
I’m longing to linger ’til dawn dear,
| A F#m | Ab7 G7 |
just saying this.
Verse 4 (as verse 3)
Sweet dreams ’til sunbeams find you,
sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you.
| F | Fm | C Ab7 G |
But in your dreams, whatever they be, dream a little dream of me.
Outro
| C D#dim7 | Ab G |
| C D#dim7 | Ab7 G |
| C D#dim7 | Ab G |
| C D#dim7 | Ab7 G7 |
| C D#dim7 | Ab7 G7 | C |
Dream A Little Dream Of Me Chords: Learn the progressions
What you saw me play above and what the chords and lyrics are is based on Mama Cass‘ version of Dream a Little Dream Of Me.
This version is in the key of C during the verses and then modulates to the key of A for the chorus.
This could be seen as a modal interchange since the key of C is also the key of Am, we could say we go from A Aeolian to A Ionian.
The intro starts like Blackbird G – Am7 – G/B before it gets all jazzy, like this:
|3/4 G (V) Am7 (VI) G/B (V/3) |
||: 4/4 C (I) F#dim7 (bVdim7)| Ab6 (bVIx) G (V) :||
Unlike Blackbird, which goes from chord I – II – I/3, the first three chords of Dream A Little Dream Of Me are up the scale from V – VI – V/3.
The F#dim7 chord could also have been an Adim7 (same notes), this links well with Ab6, which resolves to G, the V chord.
There is TAB available for all this which, once you can play it, makes it easier to understand the chord theory. Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Dream A Little Dream Of Me – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
The verse progression starts as the intro, do pay special attention to the stand-out IVm (Fm chord).
| C F#dim7 | Ab6 G | C C/B C/Bb | A7 |
| F | Fm | C Ab7 | G6 |
There’s a modal interchange in the verse, the Ab chord is borrowed from C Aeolian, compare this with The Thrill Is Gone, a blues in Bm.
If you’re wondering why it’s called an Ab and not a G#, it is because we’re temporarily in the key of Cm there.
Dream A Little Dream’s second verse has the same chords, until the last two bars where it sets up the modulation for the chorus by going to an E chord.
The chorus is in the key of A, using a classic I – VI – II – V, like this:
||: A (I) F#m (VI) | Bm7 (II) E (V) :||
The last bars go to Ab7 and G7 sets you up for the verse in the key of C again.
When the verses come back, the chords change slightly, check if you can spot the differences and similarities. For example, F#dim7 and D#dim7 are the same although in an acoustic guitar arrangement, we want to get the bass note right.
| C D#dim7 | Ab G |
| C Gsus4/B Bb69 | A7 |
| F | Fm | C Ab7 G7 | C C/G |
The best thing to do is study the TAB, play along with my video, and then get back into the chords, they will seem a lot simpler then, trust me!
So easy in fact that all you’ll need is this chord chart.
Dream A Little Dream Of Me Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Dream A Little Dream Of Me Chord Chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Dream A Little Dream Of Me iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Dream A Little Dream Of Me is a Jazz Standard!
This classic was written back in 1931 by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt, with lyrics by Gus Kahn.
It quickly became a Jazz Standard and has been recorded by hundreds of well-known singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London, Louie Armstrong, and perhaps most famously, Doris Day.
And let’s not forget the millions of Jazz singers who have sung this classic at parties and clubs the world over, keeping it in the public’s consciousness for almost a century now.
Perfectly suited to sing, it is perhaps not the most common to be played as an instrumental, but don’t let that stop you from practising your jazz solos over Dream A Little Dream Of Me, it does have the most common movements around.
One of the more interesting aspects is that if you look at the chords in the app iRealBook, they are very different from what Mama Cass used, the chorus doesn’t even use the same modal interchange!
Dream A Little Dream Of Me Chords | Related Pages
Dream A Little Dream Of Me | Guitar Lesson + TAB
Dream A Little Dream Of Me will soon be available as eight step-by-step guitar lessons. Until then, there’s the complete TAB for what I play in the video available.
| C Gbdim7 | Ab6 G |
Stars shining bright above you…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- 1234 chords by Feist
- All Of Me chords by Frank Sinatra
- Baby Won’t Please Come Home chords by Bessie Smith
- Blue Moon chords by Billie Holiday
- Don’t Wait Too Long chords by Madeleine Peyroux
Mama Cass tunes
Mama Cass spent most of her time and had the most success with the band The Mamas & The Papas, a hugely successful vocal group between 1965 and 1968.
During this short period of time, the band became world-famous by getting eleven top 40 singles from five albums.
Mama Cass on the web
Doris Day tunes
Having achieved success as a big band singer, film actress, recording artist, and radio and television performer, Doris Day became one of America’s best-loved entertainers of the 50s.
Hits include Dream A Little Dream Of Me, Que Sera, Sera, and Over The Rainbow.
Doris Day on the web
Ella Fitzgerald tunes
Ella Fitzgerald released 61 studio albums and 25 live albums between 1936 and 1989. Crowned the First Lady Of Song, she is recognized for performing and recording most of the Great American Songbook.
Before this, she pioneered scat-singing in the ’40s as a devoted Bebop singer.
Ella Fitzgerald on the web
Julie London tunes
Most famous for singing Cry Me A River, starring in Westerns and in the TV series Emergency! Julie London also recorded many Jazz standards.
Tunes include Fly Me To The Moon, Dream A Little Dream Of Me, Bye Bye Blackbird, A Taste Of Honey, and Why Don’t You Do Right?
Julie London on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Dream A Little Dream Of Me chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
