Chords + Lyrics | The Thrill Is Gone
Intro
| Bm7 | Bm7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
| Em7 | Em7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
| Gmaj7 | F#7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
Verse 1
| Bm7 | Bm7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
The thrill is gone, the thrill is gone away.
| Em7 | Em7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
The thrill is gone baby, the thrill is gone away.
| Gmaj7 | F#7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
You know you done me wrong baby, and you’ll be sorry someday.
Verse 2
The thrill is gone, it’s gone away from me.
The thrill is gone baby, the thrill is gone away from me.
Although, I’ll still live on, but so lonely I’ll be.
Solo
| Bm7 | Bm7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
| Em7 | Em7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
| Gmaj7 | F#7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
Verse 3
The thrill is gone, it’s gone away for good.
All the thrill is gone baby, it’s gone away for good.
Someday I know I’ll be open-armed baby, just like I know, a good man should.
Verse 4
You know, I’m free, free now, baby, I’m free from your spell.
Oh, I’m free, free, free now, I’m free from your spell.
And now that it’s all over, all that I can do is wish you well.
Solo
| Bm7 | Bm7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
| Em7 | Em7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
| Gmaj7 | F#7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
Outro
||: Bm7 | Bm7 | Bm7 | Bm7 :|| repeat to fade
The Thrill Is Gone Chords: How B.B. King Shapes the Minor Blues
The legendary 12-bar minor blues progression in The Thrill Is Gone remains unchanged right up until the ending, where the song vamps on a Bm chord.
Up to that point, the harmony follows a VI – II – VI movement, closely mirroring how a major blues works with I7 – IV7 – I7. Some teachers prefer to label this progression Im – IVm – Im, but I strongly disagree. The tonal centre never truly shifts away from chord VI, a sound firmly rooted in the Aeolian mode. More importantly, a IVm chord is usually a manipulated IV, carrying a very specific colour — one that doesn’t apply here.
The Thrill Is Gone illustrates this perfectly. After the familiar “up a fourth and back” motion, we land on chord IV (Gmaj7), followed by a IIIx (F#7), which resolves convincingly back to VI (Bm).
Chord progression
Here’s the complete progression used for both the verse and solo:
||: Bm7 (VI) | Bm7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
| Em7 (II) | Em7 | Bm7 | Bm7 |
| Gmaj7 (IV) | F#7 (IIIx) | Bm7 | Bm7 :||
If we continue thinking in Roman numerals and modes, the natural mode for a IIIx chord is Phrygian Dominant. Compare how this chord functions in The Thrill Is Gone with One More Cup of Coffee by Bob Dylan and you’ll hear the same pull and tension. This further supports keeping the numerals as VI – II, rather than relabelling them as Im – IVm.
That said, The Thrill Is Gone is a minor blues and should be approached as such, rather than forcing it into a strict, classical interpretation of Roman numerals.
For guitarists, the real question is: how do you solo convincingly over a minor blues like this? The answer is to start by transcribing what B.B. King actually played, analysing his note choices, and then expanding on them with the goal of improvisation.
You’ll quickly discover that B.B. relies almost entirely on a minor pentatonic framework — not modes. But simply playing the scale isn’t enough. To sound authentic, you must study his phrasing, timing, and restraint.
That’s exactly what we do in the TAB lesson:
→ The Thrill Is Gone – Guitar Lesson with TAB
Armed with the TAB, use this chord chart to bring the whole tune together.
The Thrill Is Gone Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Download my chord chart as a PDF or in the iReal Pro format if you need to change the key.
The Thrill Is Gone TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we first work out two rhythm guitar parts inspired by the original guitar and string arrangement. From there, we study the intro solo note for note.
As a preview, here’s the TAB for the first few bars of that intro solo.
How B.B. King Made It a Blues Classic
The Thrill Is Gone was originally written by Roy Hawkins and Rick Darnell and released in 1951. Hawkins’ version enjoyed moderate success, reaching No. 6 on the R&B charts, but it remained firmly rooted in the jump-blues tradition of the era. Nearly twenty years later, in 1969, B.B. King reimagined the tune for his album Completely Well — and in doing so, transformed its legacy.
King’s version slowed the tempo, introduced a string arrangement, and leaned heavily into the minor blues mood that now defines the song. His restrained phrasing, vocal-like vibrato, and space-conscious soloing elevated the track far beyond a standard 12-bar blues. The result was a huge crossover success, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning a Grammy Award, and cementing King’s reputation with a new, wider audience.
Since then, The Thrill Is Gone has become a rite of passage for blues musicians. Notable cover versions include performances by Gary Moore, who brought a more aggressive rock edge to the tune, and Jeff Beck, whose instrumental interpretations highlight its harmonic depth. The song has also been covered by artists such as Eric Clapton and Joe Bonamassa, each drawing inspiration from King’s definitive approach.
Ultimately, The Thrill Is Gone stands as a perfect example of how interpretation — not authorship — can define a song’s place in music history.
The Thrill Is Gone Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: The Thrill Is Gone (B.B. King) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
- Ain’t No Sunshine
- Call It Stormy Monday
- I Heard It Through The Grapevine
- Need Your Love So Bad
- Still Got The Blues
