“It Had to Be You” was composed by Isham Jones with lyrics by Gus Kahn in 1924. It’s one of the most enduring popular songs, recorded by Frank Sinatra, Harry Connick Jr. (for the film When Harry Met Sally) and countless others.
The tune is commonly played in G major. Its harmony starts on the I chord and moves through secondary dominants around the circle of fifths before returning home. The form is 32 bars, often played at a relaxed swing.
Section by section: in the opening phrase, outline the secondary dominants by targeting their thirds; the thirds create a smooth descending line. In the middle section, the harmony moves to the IV chord and back. In the final section, use a turnaround to lead home. Keep the swing relaxed and charming.
Practice at medium swing. Learn the melody from Sinatra’s or Connick’s version.
Transposing tip: singers often perform it in different keys.
Arrangement idea: open with a short piano introduction, swing the melody with a big band feel and end with a classic tag.
Ear training with the It Had to Be You Lead Sheet PDF: before reading along, listen to two different recordings and try to hear where each section starts. Then follow the lead sheet while listening. Connecting what you see to what you hear is how lead sheets turn into tunes you truly know.
How to use this It Had to Be You Lead Sheet PDF: print it or keep it on a tablet, mark the form sections and key centers in pencil, and write the guide tones you want to target above the tricky bars. Revisit those notes after each practice session so the tune gets easier every week.
Is it hard to play? It’s beginner to intermediate. Recordings to study: Frank Sinatra and Harry Connick Jr. Learn more about the composer on Isham Jones’s Wikipedia page, and find more classic standards on Minedit.