Chords + Lyrics | My Funny Valentine
Verse 1
| Cm | Cmmaj7 | Cm7 | Cm6 |
My funny valentine, sweet comic valentine.
| Abmaj7 | Fm7 | Dm7b5 | G7b9 |
You make me smile with my heart.
Verse 2
| Cm | Cmmaj7 | Cm7 | Cm6 |
Your looks are laughable, un-photographable.
| Abmaj7 | Fm7 | Abm6 | Bb7b9 |
Yet, you’re my favorite work of art.
Bridge 1
| Ebmaj7 Fm7 | Gm7 Fm7 |
Is your figure less than Greek?
| Ebmaj7 Fm7 | Gm7 Fm7 |
Is your mouth a little weak?
| Ebmaj7 G7 | Cm Bbm7 A7 | Abmaj7 | Dm7b5 G7b9 |
When you open it to speak, are you smart?
Verse 3
| Cm | Cmmaj7 | Cm7 | Cm6 |
But don’t change your hair for me, not if you care for me.
| Abmaj7 | Dm7b5 G7b9 | Cm | Bbm7 A7b5 |
Stay little valentine, stay.
| Abmaj7 | Fm7 Bb7b9 | Eb6 | (Dm7b5 G7b9) |
Each day is Valentine’s Day.
My Funny Valentine Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning My Funny Valentine. Rather than using stem separation to extract the guitar as I usually do, this backing track, with and without piano, was created using iReal Pro.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Chet Baker didn’t write My Funny Valentine; it was composed by Rodgers and Hart in 1937 for the musical Babes in Arms.
However, Chet’s version is the one most of us are familiar with. Since his arrangement is primarily driven by bass, and since the version most musicians refer to is the one in the Real Book, let’s focus on that version.
At the bottom of the page in the Real Book, you’ll notice a reference to Miles Davis’s live version (which is included in the playlist above), but honestly, that doesn’t make much sense to me…
In any case, let’s stick with the Real Book chords, as that’s the version everyone recognises. We’ll also create a one-guitar arrangement so you can play it with a singer or soloist (use a loop pedal and that soloist could be you).
Verse 1
Verse 1 is 8 bars long and begins with the descending chromatic Cm extensions, which have become synonymous with this tune:
| Cm (VI) | Cmmaj7 | Cm7 | Cm6 |
| Abmaj7 (IV) | Fm7 (II) | Dm7b5 (VII) | G7b9 (IIIx) |
After the signature opening progression of Cm (chord VI), we move to Abmaj7 (IV), Fm7 (II), and then play a so-called minor II – V progression, which is VII – IIIx in the key of Cm/Eb.
This means that we are diatonic to Cm in verse 1, apart from the chromatic descending notes over Cm.
I’ve created a TAB for how you can play this with a singer, making it easy for them to follow. Once you’ve got the basics down, you can begin to stretch and vary the arrangement. You’ll find said TAB further down this guitar lesson.
In this section of the lesson, let’s focus on My Funny Valentine’s chords. Compare the first four bars with those of Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, All In Love Is Fair, and Angel Eyes. While they’re not exactly the same, they belong to a similar harmonic universe.
Verse 2
Verse 2 starts in the same way, but here’s an important distinction: the melody now begins on the 3rd, not the root. This subtle shift is one of the greatest lessons from My Funny Valentine—it draws the listener in and creates a more captivating experience.
Now, let’s look at the chords for the second line:
| Abmaj7 (IV) | Fm7 (II) | Abm6 (IVm) | Bb7b9 (V) |
The last two chords change, setting us up for the bridge. Abm6 is chord IVm, and Bb7b9 is chord V—though the b9 is outside of the key. If you’re soloing, try playing an Abdim7 arpeggio over this chord!
There’s TAB available further down for how to play this second verse using a different approach from verse 1. By learning both approaches, you’ll soon be able to blend and develop the concepts.
Bridge
The bridge shifts away from Cm and into the relative major key of Eb. This is similar to how Summertime moves between minor and major.
First, we ascend the scale and then descend using the progression I – II – III – II, like this:
||: Ebmaj7 (I) Fm7 (II) | Gm7 (III) Fm7 (II) :||
By using two chords per bar instead of one, we naturally pick up the pace. Combine this with the shift to a major key, and the change in feel becomes dramatic.
It’s important to note that this doesn’t feel awkward or jarring because we haven’t changed the key—just moved to a different tonal centre. Cm and Eb share the same chords, so the transition feels natural.
The final line of the bridge is I – IIIx7 – VI, or Ebmaj7 – G7 – Cm. This sets up the next verse, although there are a few more bars to complete it:
| Ebmaj7 (I) G7 (IIIx) | Cm (VI) Bbm7 (Vm) A7 (#IV) |
| Abmaj7 (IV) | Dm7b5 (VII) G7b9 (IIIx) |
The second half of bar two is a II – V of Ab, although the A7 is a tritone substitution. This brings us to Abmaj7 (IV). Finally, we have another minor II – V (or VII – IIIx) Dm7b5 – G7b9, which takes us back to Cm for the final verse.
There’s TAB available to show how to play the bridge in a way that will be easy to sing and solo over as well.
Verse 3
Verse 3 is similar to previous verses, but not the same. We start with Cm, but then things change:
| Cm (VI) | Cmmaj7 | Cm7 | Cm6 |
| Abmaj7 (IV) | Dm7b5 (VII) G7b9 (IIIx) | Cm (VI) | Bbm7 (Vm) A7b5 (#IV) |
| Abmaj7 (IV) | Fm7 (II) Bb7b9 (V) | Eb6 (I) | Dm7b5 (VII) G7b9 (IIIx) |
Line 2 goes to the minor II – V, back to Cm, and then we get another II – V with a tritone substitution, as we had in the bridge. However, here we also get an altered chord, a dom7b5: Bbm7 – A7b5.
The final line follows the IV – II – V – I progression. The Bb7b9 is not diatonic, but it works well. Finish on an Eb6.
Should you want to solo, use a minor II – V (Dm7b5 – G7b9) to start over again from the top. IN the backing track, I finish on a minor II – V, to the Cm.
Having studied my TAB and played along with the backing tracks, this chord chart is all you’ll need to play My Funny Valentine’s chords.
My Funny Valentine Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: My Funny Valentine chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: My Funny Valentine iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
My Funny Valentine | TAB
Let’s look at some TAB for how you could play My Funny Valentine. I’ve used the chords you’d find in the Real Book, as that’s what musicians would naturally reference.
I’ve also kept it super simple so it’s easy for a singer or soloist to follow along.
Here’s verse 1, or idea 1:
The main focus here is the bass. I did this because the Chet Baker version is so bass-heavy that most people will naturally think of that sound.
Notice how the bass is often chromatic when switching chords, or when using an open string.
All eighth notes should be played as broken triplets as well.
Here’s verse 2:
Now I’m playing more. Start by practicing the TAB as written, then blend the concept with what we did in verse 1.
The last two chords are new. The Abm6 is chord IVm, and it shares many notes with a Dm7b5. The final chord is chord V, though interestingly, it contains the same notes as G7b9, especially if we treat it like a dim7 chord.
Whenever you see a dom7b9 chord, you can substitute it with a dim7 chord a tone below: G7b9 becomes Fdim7, and Bb7b9 becomes Abdim7. In both cases, we ignore the root and play the other notes from the dom7b9.
Fdim7 and Abdim7 are enharmonically identical. Anyway, let’s look at the third verse:
Now we go rogue and ignore the low notes at first—this increases the tension.
Verse 3 is also the end, so the chords change slightly as we now play over 12 bars instead of 8. Bbm7 – A7#11 is a II – V leading to chord IV (Abmaj7).
Fm7 – Bb7b9 is a II – V taking us to Eb6. Dm7b5 – G7b9 is a minor II – V leading to Cm, which brings us back to the top.
Perhaps it’s a good idea to practise improvising over both major and minor II – V progressions…
Bridge
Here’s the bridge:
This section is in Eb, the relative major of the verse’s Cm tonal centre.
It begins I – II – III – II. I’ve varied the voicings here to give you fresh ideas.
On the second line, we begin our journey back to Cm by using the IIIx (G7). After resolving to Cm, we hear another II – V leading to chord IV, as we saw in verse 3.
Having worked through all of My Funny Valentine’s chords, it’s probably becoming clear why this is such a well-loved jazz standard—and a great tune to start with if you want to learn how to “solo over changes”.
My advice? First, learn how to comp it for a singer and maybe a sax player.
Once that’s solid, move on to learning the melody, then develop it, and only after that, begin thinking about soloing.
The legacy as a jazz standard is immense
Perhaps the ultimate jazz standard, My Funny Valentine has appeared on over 1300 albums, recorded by more than 600 artists, and has been played by countless jazz musicians throughout the years.
While listing all 600 artists is impossible here, I’ve included six noteworthy performances in the playlist above, in addition to Chet Baker. These include Sting, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Chaka Khan, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis, and my personal favourite, YouTube saxophone virtuoso Chad LB.
If you want to delve deeper into jazz and improve your instrument skills, study how these artists interpret the melody of My Funny Valentine. Pay attention to their variations in the chord progression, and try transcribing their solos.
But before diving into these complex interpretations, start by learning the classic version using the chords and lyrics above, as this is what you’ll find in the Real Book — the standard reference for jazz musicians.
For an added challenge, try taking it around the twelve keys. That should keep you busy for a couple of weeks!
My Funny Valentine Chords: Continue Learning
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