Baby One More Time | Chords + Lyrics (capo 3)
Intro
| N.C (G Am) | Am | Am (G Am) |
Oh, baby, baby.
| Am | Am (G Am) |
Oh, baby, baby.
Verse 1
| Am | E |
Oh, baby, baby, how was I supposed to know.
| C | Dm E (G Am) |
That something wasn’t right here?
| Am | E |
Oh, baby, baby, I shouldn’t have let you go.
| C | Dm E (G Am) |
And now you’re out of sight, yeah.
Bridge 1
| Am | E |
Show me how you want it to be.
| C | Dm E (G Am) |
Tell me, baby, ’cause I need to know now, oh, because.
Chorus 1
| Am | E |
My loneliness is killing me (and I).
| C | Dm E |
I must confess I still believe (still believe).
| Am | E (G5/F G5) |
When I’m not with you I lose my mind.
| C | Dm E (G Am) |
Give me a sign. Hit me, baby, one more time.
Verse 2
| Am N.C | E |
Oh, baby, baby, the reason I breathe is you (oh, yeah).
Boy, you got me blinded.
Oh, pretty baby, there’s nothing that I wouldn’t do.
It’s not the way I planned it.
Bridge 2
Show me how you want it to be.
Tell me, baby, ’cause I need to know now, oh, because.
Chorus 2
My loneliness is killing me (and I).
I must confess I still believe (still believe).
When I’m not with you I lose my mind.
| C | Dm N.C |
Give me a sign. Hit me, baby, one more time.
Re-Intro
| Am | Am (G Am) |
Oh, baby, baby (oh).
| Am | Am (G Am) |
Oh, baby, baby (yeah).
Breakdown
| Am | E | C | Dm E |
Oh, baby, baby, how was I supposed to know?
| F | G | Dm | F G |
Oh, pretty baby, I shouldn’t have let you go.
| Am | E | C | Dm E |
I must confess, that my loneliness is killing me now. Don’t you know I still believe.
| F | G | Dm7 | F G G#dim7 |
That you will be here and give me a sign. Hit me, baby, one more time
Chorus 3
| Am N.C | E |
My loneliness is killing me (and I).
I must confess I still believe (still believe).
When I’m not with you I lose my mind.
Give me a sign. Hit me, baby, one more time.
Chorus 4
I must confess (my loneliness) that my loneliness (is killing me).
Is killing me now (I must confess). Don’t you know I still believe (I still believe).
That you will be here (when I’m not with you I lose my mind).
And give me a sign. Hit me, baby, one more time.
Baby One More Time | Chords + Lyrics (no capo)
Intro
| N.C (Bb Cm) | Cm | Cm (Bb Cm) |
Oh, baby, baby.
| Cm | Cm (Bb Cm) |
Oh, baby, baby.
Verse 1
| Cm | G |
Oh, baby, baby, how was I supposed to know.
| Eb | Fm G (Bb Cm) |
That something wasn’t right here?
| Cm | G |
Oh, baby, baby, I shouldn’t have let you go.
| Eb | Fm G (Bb Cm) |
And now you’re out of sight, yeah.
Bridge 1
| Cm | G |
Show me how you want it to be.
| Eb | Fm G (Bb Cm) |
Tell me, baby, ’cause I need to know now, oh, because.
Chorus 1
| Cm | G |
My loneliness is killing me (and I).
| Eb | Fm G |
I must confess I still believe (still believe).
| Cm | G Ab Bb |
When I’m not with you I lose my mind.
| Eb | Fm G (Bb Cm) |
Give me a sign. Hit me, baby, one more time.
Verse 2
| Cm N.C | G |
Oh, baby, baby, the reason I breathe is you (oh, yeah).
Boy, you got me blinded.
Oh, pretty baby, there’s nothing that I wouldn’t do.
It’s not the way I planned it.
Bridge 2
Show me how you want it to be.
Tell me, baby, ’cause I need to know now, oh, because.
Chorus 2
My loneliness is killing me (and I).
I must confess I still believe (still believe).
When I’m not with you I lose my mind.
| Eb | Fm N.C |
Give me a sign. Hit me, baby, one more time.
Re-Intro
| Cm | Cm (Bb Cm) |
Oh, baby, baby (oh).
| Cm | Cm (Bb Cm) |
Oh, baby, baby (yeah).
Breakdown
| Cm | G | Eb | Fm G |
Oh, baby, baby, how was I supposed to know?
| Ab | Bb | Fm | Ab Bb |
Oh, pretty baby, I shouldn’t have let you go.
| Cm | G | Eb | Fm G |
I must confess, that my loneliness is killing me now. Don’t you know I still believe.
| Ab | Bb | Fm7 | Ab Bb Bdim7 |
That you will be here and give me a sign. Hit me, baby, one more time
Chorus 3
| Cm N.C | G |
My loneliness is killing me (and I).
I must confess I still believe (still believe).
When I’m not with you I lose my mind.
Give me a sign. Hit me, baby, one more time.
Chorus 4
I must confess (my loneliness) that my loneliness (is killing me).
Is killing me now (I must confess). Don’t you know I still believe (I still believe).
That you will be here (when I’m not with you I lose my mind).
| Eb | Fm G | Cm N.C |
And give me a sign. Hit me, baby, one more time.
Baby One More Time Chords: Learn the progressions
If you want to dumb the chords of Baby One More Time down, you could say: it’s just VI – IIIx – I – II – IIIx on a loop forever.
Thinking in the key of Am, using a capo on fret 3, you’d get these chords:
||: Am (VI | E (IIIx) | C (I) | Dm (II) E (IIIx) :||
However, upon closer inspection, you’d then miss the signature riff which happens at the end of bar 4 and during the intro, as a quick G – Am, or V – VI.
Above I’ve put this in brackets whenever it appears as it’s so quick, like this for the verse:
| Am | E | C | Dm E (G Am) |
The bridge is played differently but the chords are the same.
In the chorus, once repeated, we add a G5/F and G5 instead of the riff as the vocals go “…give me a”. These chords are adjusted for the acoustic one-guitar arrangement, if you’re in a band, just play F – G, or without a capo, Ab – Bb.
These are minor details but they do make the tune what it is. They take you from happy amateur to pro.
Baby One More Time’s breakdown chords move away from the chord progression altogether, like this first:
| F (IV) | G (V) | Dm (II) | F (IV) G (V) |
This is followed by the main progression (without Am – G at the end), like this:
| Am (VI) | E (IIIx) | C (IV) | Dm (II) E (IIIx) |
On the last line, we get a final twist as we yet again start on F (chord IV) but then change it, like this:
| F (IV) | G (V) | Dm7 (II) | F (IV) G (V) G#dim7 (#Vdim7) |
The more I study Baby One More Time’s chords and play along with the original recording, the more impressed I get, this is a perfect pop song!
Here’s a link to the complete lesson with TAB for every section: Baby One More Time – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you studied the TAB, a simple chord chart will be enough to bring to the gig, here’s one I made for you.
Baby One More Time Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
I’m very pleased with how this chord chart worked out. Even though (as mentioned) it is almost the same chord progression on repeat, it really is the small variations that make the difference here.
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Baby One More Time Chord Chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, here’s a link to that file: Baby One More Time iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Should you play Baby One More Time with a band, this is essential as it is in the key of Cm without a capo!
Baby One More Time was Max Martin’s first big hit!
Swedish pop producer Max Martin is the most successful songwriter of all time if success is measured in #1’s. Only John Lennon can match him as he also has 25.
Considering Max Martin is still going, he most likely will win this category soon.
First out of the blocks was what we see above, …Baby One More Time in 1998. This tune was first offered to Backstreet Boys and TLC, both turned it down.
Before Max Martin got to work with Britney Spears, he had huge success with several Swedish pop acts including Army Of Lovers, Leila K, Rednex, E-Type, Ace Of Base and most famously, Irish boyband Backstreet Boys.
Although it was Britney and …Baby One More Time that made Max Martin a worldwide recognised pop producer/writer.
Here’s the complete list of Max Martin’s #1 hits:
- Baby One More Time (1998) – Britney Spears
- It’s Gonna Be Me (2000) – NSYNC
- I Kissed a Girl (2008) – Katy Perry
- So What (2008) – Pink
- My Life Would Suck Without You (2009) – Kelly Clarkson
- 3 (2009) – Britney Spears
- California Gurls (2010) – Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg
- Teenage Dream (2010) – Katy Perry
- Raise Your Glass (2010) – Pink
- Hold It Against Me (2011) – Britney Spears
- E.T. (2011) – Katy Perry featuring Kanye West
- Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) (2011) – Katy Perry
- Part of Me (2012) – Katy Perry
- One More Night (2012) – Maroon 5
- We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (2012) – Taylor Swift
- Roar (2013) – Katy Perry
- Dark Horse (2013) – Katy Perry featuring Juicy J
- Shake It Off (2014) – Taylor Swift
- Blank Space (2014) – Taylor Swift
- Bad Blood (2015) – Taylor Swift
- Can’t Feel My Face (2015) – The Weeknd
- Can’t Stop the Feeling! (2016) – Justin Timberlake
- Blinding Lights (2019) – The Weeknd
- Save Your Tears (2021) – The Weeknd and Ariana Grande
- My Universe (2021) – Coldplay and BTS
Baby One More Time Chords | Related Pages
Baby One More Time | Guitar Lesson + TAB
In this guitar lesson, you get the TAB for how to play all sections of Baby One More Time on the acoustic guitar using a capo on fret 3.
| Am | E |
Oh, baby, baby, how was I supposed to know…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- California Gurls chords by Katy Perry
- Can’t Stop The Feeling chords by Justin Timberlake
- Price Tag chords by Jessie J
- Shape Of You chords by Ed Sheeran
- Teenage Dream chords by Katy Perry
Britney Spears tunes
Starting out in talent competitions as a teenager eventually led Britney Spears to The Mickey Mouse Club, Jive Records and Max Martin.
Her best-known for her tunes include Baby One More Time, Oops! I Did It Again, Boys, Toxic, and Womanizer.
Britney Spears on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Baby One More Time chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
