Tonight You Belong to Me (The Jerk Version)

June 15, 2008

Lyle Ritz, Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters – Tonight You Belong to Me (Tab/Chords)

This is one of the definitive ukulele songs, yet it no two tab/chords seem to agree how to play it. There are at least two videos (1, 2) declaring that everyone else’s version are wrong and theirs is right. Well, everyone else is wrong and I’m right.

Seriously, though, I don’t think I’m dead on. The turnaround sections are packed with jazzy chords and tricky to get right.

First off, you’ll have to tune every string down half a step (I suppose you’d call it B tuning). But, to keep things simple, I’ve named the chords after their C tuning shapes.

The intro goes like this:

Tonight You Belong to Me Tab

With the G string carrying the little melody.

The chords for the verse are based on a G chord with a descending note and a little filigree on the top string. At the end of the first verse, there’s little little lick (or something like it):

Turnaround ukulele tab

Similarly, there’s this at the end of the second verse:

Ukulele tab end of verse 2

After that is the, “Way down…” section and you get a break from the jazz chords. It’s mostly Cm with occasional slides up from Bm.

The chords for the trumpet solo are exactly the same as those in the verse.

You can get a solo version by Lyle Ritz (who played the Jerk version) in his Jumpin’ Jim’s Ukulele Masters book (he also has a new book out Lyle Lite. And don’t miss out on the Guthrie girls’ version of Tonight, You Belong to Me.

EXPECTING TO FIND CHORDS/TABS? Try clicking where it says the name of the song in red under the video.
Written by Woodshed · Filed Under Chords 
Tagged: , , , , ,

Comments

19 Responses to “Tonight You Belong to Me (The Jerk Version)”

  1. zym on June 15th, 2008 7:09 pm

    thanks for this.
    I especially like having the tab in the pdf – good stuff :)

    Ive got the Lyle Ritz songbook, but its really difficult. I dont think there a single song i can play out of the whole book!
    ( i might have to invest in ‘Lyle Lite’

  2. Woodshed on June 15th, 2008 9:29 pm

    I don’t have the Lyle Ritz book, but I probably should. It looks like Lyle Lite isn’t available here yet. Not on Amazon at least.

  3. Jason on June 16th, 2008 7:05 am

    I thought you’d be out for two weeks, just checked in to make sure and I’ve missed at least three days worth of posts!
    Anyway, glad your back, now I can resume life as usual….

  4. Iain on June 16th, 2008 8:56 am

    Welcome back.
    Woooopah.

  5. LonnaB on June 16th, 2008 1:17 pm

    Ah, nice one.

    And, It just so happens that I’m listening to Sarah Lee right now. (Exploration is an album well worth checking out) Since seeing her open for Jake I haven’t been able to get enough of her.

  6. seeso on June 17th, 2008 6:40 am

    Very cool, Al! Thanks much!

  7. Woodshed on June 17th, 2008 5:12 pm

    Jason: Yeah, I came back a few days early as there was a load of news I had to post about.

    Iain: Thanks

    Lonna & seeso: You’re both welcome.

  8. Boozelele on July 20th, 2008 12:34 am

    woah woah woah….I was never “declaring that everyone else’s version are wrong and mine is right.”, mine is NOT the version played in the Movie, and I am fully aware of that…..mine is just EASY to play……….that’s all…..

    the above post makes me sound like a total A-hole….now I may very well be an A-hole, but not becuase of my version of “tonight you belong to me”.

    boozelele

  9. Woodshed on July 20th, 2008 11:15 am

    You really shouldn’t take anything I say seriously.

  10. john on October 2nd, 2008 1:40 am

    love it..this is right on

  11. john on October 2nd, 2008 8:08 am

    Id say Its pretty dang close

    thx

  12. Woodshed on October 2nd, 2008 6:39 pm

    Thanks, John.

  13. Yuji on November 21st, 2008 7:17 am

    I’m confused. After the G7 it says G6sus4 followed by a G6. There’s a tab for G6sus2 but no G6sus4.

  14. Woodshed on November 21st, 2008 8:07 pm

    Yuji: Ooops. Yeah, that should be G6sus2. Thanks for pointing it out.

  15. Yuji on November 21st, 2008 11:46 pm

    One more question. Should the G6 be played before the G6sus2? It seems logical to drop the high note from the second fret rather than to add it.

  16. Yuji on December 11th, 2008 12:22 am

    Hello Woodshed,
    Did you have a chance to look at the chord progression I asked in my previous post? Should the G6 be played before the G6sus2? Thank you.

    -Yuji

  17. fdub on December 27th, 2008 9:45 am

    by the way, I tried using the ‘bonus features’ on the DVD, there’s a section that teaches you how to play it, and it’s alllllll screwed up. After using the tuning notes provided you tune up a full step, then this girl teaches you, like, the wrong chods, THEN she plays the playalong section with a capo (?!?!?!?!?!?!?! nullifying the whole tune up a whole step), AND THEN you play along with the movie version and it’s in a different key alltogether.

    That whole thing had to have been Steve Martin’s Idea of a cruel joke.

    Your chords are bangin though. Thank you!

  18. Woodshed on December 27th, 2008 10:42 am

    fdub: Yeah, the chords are completely different. But Janet Klein still rocks.

  19. Sole Man on September 16th, 2009 2:18 pm

    It’s hard to find a good audio copy of the Steve & Bernadette version, but this guy did one that’s almost identical … http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mjosullivan

Got something to say?