Love Is Sweeping The Country (From "Of Thee I Sing"): Lead Sheet

This lead sheet captures one of the most exuberant songs from a landmark American musical, and the Gershwin estate's approval means you're working from authoritative chord changes and melody. Guitarists at any jazz-fluent level will find the harmonic movement both instructive and genuinely fun to navigate.

Bright, affirmative, and harmonically sophisticated. The song radiates the confidence of 1930s theatrical optimism while maintaining the harmonic complexity that made Gershwin a composer rather than just a songwriter. Playful and purposeful at once.

Jazz guitarists and music educators seeking authentic lead sheets of American standards, particularly those building a curriculum around the Great American Songbook or Gershwin's theatrical output. This resource serves serious amateur players and college-level jazz studies students equally well.

• Pay attention to the rhythmic placement of chord changes; Gershwin's voicings often shift on the "and" of beats rather than downbeats, creating forward motion that lazy comping will obscure.
• The melody sits naturally on guitar, but resist the urge to oversimplify the harmony. Use shell voicings or jazz comping that respects the chromatic passing tones Gershwin wrote.
• Lean into the song's optimism without rushing the tempo. The title declares the sentiment; let the harmonic language do the work.

Include this in a jazz ensemble or guitar recital that explores American musical theatre, or pair it with other Gershwin standards as a thematic program. Its theatrical pedigree also makes it suitable for rehearsal or performance in contexts that blend classical training with jazz and popular music.

• Reading and interpreting jazz chord symbols in context
• Navigating chromatic and diatonic harmonic movement typical of 1930s Broadway
• Improvising melody and comping over a sophisticated harmonic progression
• Understanding how theatrical music differs from pure jazz standards in phrasing and intent