Are You Gonna Go My Way | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: E7#9 riff | E7#9 riff :|| x8
Verse 1
||: E blues scale riff :|| x8
I was born long ago, I am the chosen, I’m the one.
I have come to save the day and I won’t leave until I’m done.
| G blues scale riff | G riff | G riff | (C G B G Bb G A G B) |
So that’s why you’ve got to try, we’ve got to breathe and have some fun.
||: E blues scale riff :|| x4
Though I’m not paid, I play this game and I won’t stop until I’m done.
| Bm11 | A | E D E | E G E |
But what I really want to know is… Are you gonna go my way?
| Bm11 | A |
And I got to, got to know.
Instrumental
||: E7#9 riff | E7#9 riff :|| x4
Verse 2
||: E blues scale riff :|| x8
I don’t know why we always cry, this we must leave and get undone.
We must engage and rearrange, and turn this planet back to one.
| G blues scale riff | G riff | G riff | (C G B G Bb G A G B)
So tell me why we got to die and kill each other one by one.
||: E blues scale riff :|| x4
We’ve got to hug and rub-a-dub, we’ve got to dance and be in love.
| Bm11 | A | E D E | E G E |
But what I really want to know is… Are you gonna go my way?
| Bm11 | A | A |
And I got to, got to know.
Breakdown/Solo
||: E5 D5 | C#5 D5 C#5 :|| x 11
| E5 D5 | D | D |
||: E blues scale riff :|| x8
| Bm11 | 2/4 A | 4/4 Bm11 | A |
Outro chorus
| E D E | E G E |
Are you gonna go my way?
| Bm11 | A | A | A |
‘Cause, baby, I got to know. Yeah.
Are You Gonna Go My Way chords and progressions
The riff is based around the so-called Jimi Hendrix chord, the E7#9, and the E minor blues scale.
This is what you play during the intro and first part of the verse.
After a couple of lines, move the entire idea to G, and back to E again.
Finish off with Bm11 – A and a combination of E, D, and G chords and you’ve got Are You Gonna Go My Way’s chords down.
Apart from the build-up to the solo, there is nothing more to Are You Gonna Go My Way’s chords.
Using a chart to understand this classic may just make it more confusing than necessary. When songs are this simple, chords above lyrics are the way to go!
Are You Gonna Go My Way is Lenny Kravitz’s biggest hit!
From Lenny Kravitz‘s third studio album, we find his biggest hit, the title track Are You Gonna Go My Way.
Released in 1993, it made Lenny a superstar. Something he, judging by the poses he throws in the music video, clearly aimed for.
Obviously inspired by Jimi Hendrix, Lenny Kravitz managed to write a timeless piece that will live on forever in the world of rock and roll radio, playlists, and rock cover bands.
Should you want to play this song in your band, and you’re the only guitarist, invest in an octave-up pedal to get it sounding closer to the original.
The album Are You Gonna Go My Way, didn’t have any other hits on it but Mr. Kravitz is no stranger to writing memorable tunes.
Are You Gonna Go My Way may be his strongest, but there’s also American Woman, It Ain’t Over ’Til It’s Over, Always On The Run, Fly Away, and Let Love Rule to consider when working you’re way through Lenny Kravitz’s back catalog.
Are You Gonna Go My Way chords | Related pages
Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics
Lenny Kravitz
Growing up around the world’s finest jazz musicians, learning how to play most instruments, and being friends with Slash set Lenny Kravitz up for greatness.
Hits include Are You Gonna Go My Way, Fly Away, It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over, Always On The Run, as well as songs for Madonna and Vanessa Paradise.
Lenny Kravitz on the web
Indie & Heavy Rock
Riff-based Indie & Heavy Rock tunes must be studied in depth in order to understand why a tune in these styles work.
Learn songs by Foo Fighters, Rage Against The Machine, Green Day, Kings Of Leon, Jack White, Blink-182, and many more.