“Jack & Diane” and “Hurts So Good” are in A, but you just need to put the capo on the second fret and play your G, C and D chords (learn E minor, a very simple chord, for “Hurts So Good.”).“Check It Out” and “Pink Houses” are in G.If you know G, C and D, you can play most of the songs above. Even at their most basic levels, without the curve balls, the songs are in different keys, right? “But I thought all I needed was three chords,” you say. On every song Mellencamp will throw in a ii chord, a VII chord or a vii chord that will make playing the entire song a little more difficult. Of course, none of the songs are that simple. When I was a young boy, said put away those young boy ways To a world full of people just livin' to be heard ‘Hurts So Good’Īnother big hit, “Hurts So Good,” adds a minor chord before resolving to the IV: A (I) E (V) F#m (vi) D (IV) There’s no V chord around: C (IV) G (I)Ī million young poets, screamin' out their words Here Mellencamp starts with the IV chord, then moves to the I chord. I was born in a small town ‘Check It Out’ In “Pink Houses,” most of the verses are played on the I chord in the chorus, he adds a IV chord, and then a V chord:Īin't that A-merica, home of the free ‘Jack & Diane’Ī little ditty bout Jack and Di-ane ‘Small Town’ B (I) F# (V) E (IV) F# (V) On the next two songs, he mixes it up, playing a I-V-IV structure: ‘Pink Houses’ I fight authority, au-thority always wins “Authority Song” is a classic I-IV-V chord progression. Okay, that’s all you need to know to play most John Cougar Mellencamp songs. An F chord is a IV chord, because it’s the fourth note of the C scale (C-D-E-F). If you’re playing in the key of C, for example, the C chord is a I chord, because it’s the first note of the C scale. All chords have names based on where they exist relative to the scale in which one is playing. in the U.S.A.” - an amazing feat, considering that many of his songs use the same three chords.įirst, a quick music theory lesson. His songs are instantly recognizable, from the epic ballad “Jack and Diane” to the somewhat-patriotic “Small Town” and “R.O.C.K. With his T-shirt, denim clothing, cowboy boots and acoustic guitar, he bridged the gap between country and rock and roll during the 1980s and 1990s. Johnny Cougar John Cougar John Cougar Mellencamp John Mellencamp is the ultimate Americana singer. Until I realized that I could play many of John Cougar Mellencamp’s songs. When I first started learning to play guitar, I was discouraged that I only knew three chords - C, D and G. All I got is a red guitar, three chords and the truth.
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