Wonderful World | Chords + Lyrics
| B | G#m |
||: B | G#m | E | F# :||
Don’t know much about history, don’t know much biology.
Don’t know much about a science book, don’t know much about the French I took.
| B | E | B | E |
But I do know that I love you, and I know that if you love me, too.
| F# | B |
What a wonderful world this would be.
||: B | G#m | E | F# :||
Don’t know much about geography, don’t know much trigonometry.
Don’t know much about algebra, don’t know what a slide rule is for.
| B | E | B | E |
But I do know one and one is two, and if this one could be with you.
| F# | B |
What a wonderful world this would be.
| F# | B | F# | B |
Now, I don’t claim to be an A student but I’m trying to be.
| C#7 | B |
For maybe by being an A student, baby.
| C#7 | F#7 |
I can win your love for me
||: B | G#m | E | F# :||
Don’t know much about history, don’t know much biology.
Don’t know much about a science book, don’t know much about the French I took.
| B | E | B | E |
But I do know that I love you and I know that if you love me, too.
| F# | B |
What a wonderful world this would be.
||: B | G#m | E | F# :||
La ta ta ta ta ta ta (History). Hmm-mm-mm (Biology).
La ta ta ta ta ta ta (Science book). Hmm-mm-mm (French I took).
| B | E | B | E |
Yeah, but I do know that I love you, And I know that if you love me, too.
| F# | B F# B | B |
What a wonderful world this would be.
Wonderful World’s chords and progressions
This is a super classic chord progression, and Wonderful World is probably the best example when referencing it. What we got here is the I – VI – IV – V. In the key of B that’s:
||: B | G#m | E | F# :||
For the bridge we play I – IV – I – IV – I – V – I, perhaps even more common!
| B | E | B | E | F# | B |
The M8 section is also very traditional, it starts on chord V and has a IIx chord (C#7), the only chord that pushes outside the diatonic key.
| F# | B | F# | B |
| C#7 | B | C#7 | F#7 |
Should you play Wonderful World on the acoustic guitar on your own, I’d recommend you transpose it to either C or G and, if needed, use a capo to find a key that works for the singer. This way, you can use simpler open-position chords.
Here are the chords in the key of C:
Intro
| C | Am |
Verse
||: C | Am | F | G :||
Bridge
| C | F | C | F | G | C |
M8
| G | C | G | C |
| D7 | C | D7 | G7 |
Here are the chords in the key of G:
Intro
| G | Em |
Verse
||: G | Em | C | D :||
Bridge
| G | C | G | C | D | G |
M8
| D | G | D | G |
| A7 | G | A7 | D7 |
Wonderful World had many covers but none outshined the original
This was Sam Cooke’s biggest hit since You Send Me (’57). Released in 1960, Wonderful World, also known as What A Wonderful World, was written by a songwriting team, although Sam rewrote some of the lyrics.
Charting at #2 in the U.S. and the U.K., Wonderful World was a hit, although its legacy over the years has grown to far outperform its initial impact.
Perhaps this is down to the several cover versions we’ve seen from Art Garfunkel, Don McLean, Michael Bolton, James Taylor, Otis Redding, and Hermans’s Hermits.
The Herman’s Hermits version had Jimi Page playing guitar on it, apparently, he was paid £12.
Wonderful World chords | Related pages
Five similar tunes
- (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay chords
- Lovely Day chords
- My Girl chords
- My Guy chords
- Under The Boardwalk chords
Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke has been called The King Of Soul. His legacy is extensive and his impact on soul music is undeniable.
Between 1957 and 1963, Sam Cooke managed twenty-nine top 40 hits including You Send Me, Chain Gang, A Change Is Gonna Come, and Wonderful World.
Sam Cooke on the web
