Lush Life by Billy Strayhorn

Overview

Key: D♭ major · Chords used: 31 · Sections: 4

Form: Lead-in → A Section → A Section → B Section

Where these chords come from: a chord chart of this song written by a musician and shared on the iReal Pro forums, archived in the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). It's one musician's reading of the song, not a transcription checked against the recording. This page shows that chart as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Section by section

Lead-in

• D♭6
  I6
• C♭7 – D♭maj7 (×3)
  bVII7 – Imaj7
• E♭m7 – Fm7 – G♭m7 – A♭m7 – D7 – Fm7 – D7 – D♭m6 – D7
  ii7 – iii7 – iv7 – v7 – #I7 – iii7 – #I7 – i6 – #I7

A Section 1

• D♭6
  I6
• C♭7 – D♭maj7 (×3)
  bVII7 – Imaj7
• E♭m7 – Fm7 – G♭m7 – A♭m7 – D7 – Fm7 – D7 – D♭m6
  ii7 – iii7 – iv7 – v7 – #I7 – iii7 – #I7 – i6
• Gm7♭5 – C7 – Fm7 (×2)
  #ivø7 – VII7 – iii7
• A♭7 – B7sus4 – B♭7 – E♭m7 – A7♯11 – E♭m7 – D7♯11
  V7 – #VI7sus4 – VI7 – ii7 – #V7#11 – ii7 – #I7#11

A Section 2

• D♭maj7 – D7♯11 (×2)
  Imaj7 – #I7#11
• D♭6 – F♯m7 – B7 – Emaj7
  I6 – #iii7 – #VI7 – #IImaj7
• D7♯11 – D♭maj7 (×2)
  #I7#11 – Imaj7
• D7♯11 – D♭6 – D♭7 – C7 – Fmaj7 – A7 – A♭maj7 – E♭7♭9 – A♭maj7 – Em7 – A7 – Dmaj7 – Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7 – A♭7
  #I7#11 – I6 – I7 – VII7 – IIImaj7 – #V7 – Vmaj7 – II7b9 – Vmaj7 – #ii7 – #V7 – #Imaj7 – #i7 – #IV7 – VIImaj7 – V7

B Section

• D♭maj7 – D7♯11 (×2)
  Imaj7 – #I7#11
• D♭6 – C7 – B7 – Fm7 – B♭7 – F♯m7 – B7 – Aaug7 – A♭7 – D♭maj7 – G♭7 – Fm7 – B♭7 – F♯m7 – B7 – Aaug7 – A♭7 – A7 – B♭7 – B7 – C7 – D7 – D♭maj7 – A♭7
  I6 – VII7 – #VI7 – iii7 – VI7 – #iii7 – #VI7 – #V+7 – V7 – Imaj7 – IV7 – iii7 – VI7 – #iii7 – #VI7 – #V+7 – V7 – #V7 – VI7 – #VI7 – VII7 – #I7 – Imaj7 – V7
• D♭maj7 – D7♯11 (×2)
  Imaj7 – #I7#11

Chord vocabulary

Chord	Roman numeral	Role	Heard in
D♭6	I6	Home chord (tonic)	Lead-in, A Section, B Section
C♭7	bVII7	Borrowed from D♭ minor	Lead-in, A Section
D♭maj7	Imaj7	Home chord (tonic)	Lead-in, A Section, B Section
E♭m7	ii7	In the key	Lead-in, A Section
Fm7	iii7	In the key	Lead-in, A Section, B Section
G♭m7	iv7	Borrowed from D♭ minor	Lead-in, A Section
A♭m7	v7	Borrowed from D♭ minor	Lead-in, A Section
D7	#I7	Outside the key (chromatic)	Lead-in, A Section, B Section
D♭m6	i6	Outside the key (chromatic)	Lead-in, A Section
Gm7♭5	#ivø7	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
C7	VII7	Secondary dominant (V/iii)	A Section, B Section
A♭7	V7	In the key	A Section, B Section
B7sus4	#VI7sus4	Borrowed from D♭ minor	A Section
B♭7	VI7	Secondary dominant (V/ii)	A Section, B Section
A7♯11	#V7#11	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
D7♯11	#I7#11	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section, B Section
F♯m7	#iii7	Borrowed from D♭ minor	A Section, B Section
B7	#VI7	Borrowed from D♭ minor	A Section, B Section
Emaj7	#IImaj7	Borrowed from D♭ minor	A Section
D♭7	I7	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
Fmaj7	IIImaj7	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
A7	#V7	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section, B Section
A♭maj7	Vmaj7	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
E♭7♭9	II7b9	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
Em7	#ii7	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
Dmaj7	#Imaj7	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
Dm7	#i7	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
G7	#IV7	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
Cmaj7	VIImaj7	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
Aaug7	#V+7	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section
G♭7	IV7	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section

Harmonic highlights

• C♭7 (bVII7) is borrowed from the parallel key, D♭ minor.
• G♭m7 (iv7) is borrowed from the parallel key, D♭ minor.
• A♭m7 (v7) is borrowed from the parallel key, D♭ minor.
• B7sus4 (#VI7sus4) is borrowed from the parallel key, D♭ minor.
• F♯m7 (#iii7) is borrowed from the parallel key, D♭ minor.
• B7 (#VI7) is borrowed from the parallel key, D♭ minor.
• Emaj7 (#IImaj7) is borrowed from the parallel key, D♭ minor.
• C7 acts as V/iii: it resolves to Fm7.
• B♭7 acts as V/ii: it resolves to E♭m7.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords: the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). Community chord chart “Lush Life” (credited “Strayhorn Billy”, style Ballad) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer/songwriter confirmed from Wikidata.
• Section names: from the chart's own markings: section names written on the chart (Intro, Verse, Chorus…) are kept, and rehearsal letters are shown as “A Section”, “B Section” and so on (the B of an AABA song is called the Bridge).
• Cross-check: the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). Community chord chart “Lush Life” (credited “Strayhorn Billy”, style Ballad) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer/songwriter confirmed from Wikidata. A separately posted chart of the same song; its chords match this page's closely when both are read in the same key (similarity 72%).
• Chord charts are often written in a key that suits a particular singer or band, so this may not be the key of the original recording.
• About the song: Wikipedia.
• Verified: two community charts of this song, posted in different forum threads, agree on its harmony. They're still charts, not transcriptions checked against the recording.
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.