Cheek to Cheek
Added 2021-09-08 18:01:04 +0000 UTCBack in 1935, the American movie Top Hat gained huge popularity. It was a musical comedy starring a legendary duo – Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The song that the two of them sang and danced to called Cheek to Cheek became no.1 hit in 1935 and later became one of the top tunes of the American cinema. It was composed by Irving Berlin. Some of the greatest musicians who covered this song are: Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Artie Shaw & Tommy Dorsey, Boswell Sisters.
This cover is based on the original, Fred Astaire version. In order to find convenient chord solutions I transposed the song from the original key of C major to the key of D major. The form of the song is AABCA. The second and third repetitions of section A are repositioned to the higher register which increases contrast and tension. But the main tension is felt in B and C section. The B section remains in D major but it's played with more air between the notes, it's more staccato. However, the short C section goes into the key of D minor which has a darker sound and the excitement culminates before it returns to the A part.
