Misty | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| Bbmaj7 Cm7 | Dm7 Gm7 |
| Gm9 Gm7 Gm | Cm7 F7 |
Verse 1
| Bbmaj7 (Bbmaj9) | Fm7 Bb7 | Ebmaj7 |
Look at me, I’m as helpless as a kitten up a tree.
| Ebm7 Ab7 | Bbmaj7 Gm7 |
And I feel like I’m clingin’ to a cloud, I can’t understand.
| Cm7 F7 | Bbmaj7 Cm7 | C#7 F#6 |
I get misty just holding your hand
Verse 2 (key change)
| Bmaj7 (Bmaj9) | F#m7 B7 | Emaj7 |
Walk my way, and a thousand violins begin to play.
| Em7 A7 | Bmaj7 G#m7 |
Or it might be the sound of your hello, that music I hear.
| C#m7 F#7 | B6 (D7 C#m7 C7) | B6 |
I get misty the moment you’re near
Bridge
| F#m F#mmaj7 |
Can’t you see that you’re leading me on?
| F#m7 B7b9 | Emaj7 B6 | Emaj7 C#9 Fdim7 |
And it’s just what I want you to do.
| A#13 |
Don’t you notice how hopelessly I’m lost.
| A#13 G#m7 | F#13 | Bmaj7 G#m7 C#m7 F#7 |
That’s why I’m following you.
Verse 3
| Bmaj7 (Bmaj9) | F#m7 B7 | Emaj7 |
On my own, when I wander through this wonderland alone.
| Em7 A7 | Bmaj7 G#m7 |
Never knowing my right foot from my left. My hat from my glove.
| C#m7 F#7 | F#7 | D#m7 G#7 |
I’m too misty and too much in love.
Outro
| C#m7 | C#m9 | C7 | N.C | Bmaj7 |
Too misty and too much in love.
Misty’s chords and progressions
There are four important versions to check out of Misty.
You’ve got the original instrumental version by Errol Garner (1955).
Then there’s the first version with lyrics by a male singer, Johnny Mathis (1959) which charted and made it famous.
However, Misty would go on and become more famous for the two female vocalists Sarah Vaughan (1959) and Ella Fitzgerald (1960) who both made it their own.
Finally, as late as 2023, a new female jazz artist has released her version, Laufey.
It is the Ella Fitzgerald version that has stuck and what you find the chords and lyrics for above. Should you look for the chords in a real book, they won’t include the key change from Bb to B that Ella used.
Members get TAB for how to play the intro, verse 1, and the bridge on guitar. There is also a very intense chord analysis.
Using this information, you can definitely learn how to play Misty using the chords that Ella Fitzgerald’s pianist played, but on the guitar.
Here’s a link to the full lesson (members only): Misty chord analysis and TAB.
Become a member today and get unlimited access to all step-by-step guitar courses, TAB for the songbook, the Self-Eliminating Practice Routine, and the eBook Spytunes Method.
Misty – The tune that inspired a movie!
Clint Eastwood may be mainly known for his Western and Dirty Harry films, but one of his best is the one that was also his debut as a director, Play Misty For Me (1971).
The plot centers around Eastwood as a radio DJ who keeps getting requests from a female to play the tune described above using chords and lyrics, Misty.
After meeting in a bar following his nighttime show, they end up in bed which is followed by the woman starting to stalk poor Clint.
Clint is a huge Jazz fan and Play Misty For Me would not be his last movie to be tied to the musical genre, also check out his 1988 movie Bird, about Charlie Parker.
Misty chords | Related pages
Advanced Acoustic
The advanced acoustic tunes use big chord extensions and sometimes, unique and complex chords that incorporate open strings.
Study these in-depth and you will gain a complete understanding of the guitar fretboard, including how to build any scale, arpeggio, or chord.
Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics
Ella Fitzgerald
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
Laufey
Laufey is an emerging singer-songwriter Jazz artist who in 2023 gained widespread recognition for her tune From The Start.
She has already covered Misty and as her career as an album artist is so new, many more standards will hopefully soon see the light of day.
Laufey on the web
Sarah Vaughan
Nicknamed the Divine One, Sarah Vaughan started recording singles in the mid-’40s and would end up covering most big jazz standards.
Her best tunes include Black Coffee, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Stormy Weather, and Misty. She also sang many Beatles tunes.
Sarah Vaughan on the web
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.
