Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"I Concentrate on You" was written by Cole Porter for the 1940 film Broadway Melody of 1940, where it was introduced by Douglas McPhail and accompanied the celebrated dancing of Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell.

Typically played in E♭ major, the song showcases Porter's tendency to expand the standard 32-bar form — each section stretches to 16 bars, creating a 64-bar structure. The lyric speaks of finding solace in love amid life's adversities, representing Porter's more tender, romantic side rather than his celebrated wit. A hallmark of the composition is that each successive A section subtly alters its melody, with the final section departing into entirely new territory. This evolving structure, combined with rich chromatic harmony, makes the song both a compelling melodic statement and a sophisticated vehicle for jazz improvisation. It is frequently performed in Latin and swing arrangements.

Ella Fitzgerald's recording on Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook (1956) is the quintessential vocal version. Frank Sinatra recorded it multiple times, including a notable bossa nova treatment with Antonio Carlos Jobim on their 1967 collaborative album.