Chords + Lyrics | Back In The U.S.S.R
Intro
||: E7 :|| x4
Ohh!
Verse 1
| A (A6) | D (D6) | C (C6) | D (D6) |
Flew in from Miami Beach B.O.A.C. Didn’t get to bed last night.
| A (A6) | D (D6) | C (C6) |
On the way the paper bag was on my knee, man, I had a dreadful flight,
Chorus 1
| D (D6) |
I’m back in the U.S.S.R.
| A A7 A6 | C C7 C6 | D D7 D6 |
You don’t know how lucky you are, boy.
| D N.C | A | A D D# E7 |
Back in the U.S.S.R. (Yeah!).
Verse 2
Been away so long, I hardly knew the place. Gee, it’s good to be back home.
Leave it till tomorrow to unpack my case, honey, disconnect the phone,
Chorus 2
I’m back in the U.S.S.R.
You don’t know how lucky you are, boy.
| D N.C | N.C | 2/4 N.C | 4/4 A | (A B C C#) |
Back in the U.S. Back in the U.S. Back in the U.S.S.R.
Bridge 1
| D7 (D6) | D7 (D6) |
Well, the Ukraine girls really knock me out (wooh, ooh, ooh).
| A A6 | A (A B C C#) |
They leave the West behind (Da, dum, dum, dum).
| D7 A/C# | C6 B7 |
And Moscow girls make me sing and shout (wooh, ooh, ooh).
| E7 | D7 |
That Georgia’s always on my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my mind.
| A | A D D# E7 |
Oh, come on.
Solo (as verse)
| A | D | C | D7 |
Woo (hey). (Hoo) Hey.
| A | D7 | C |
Woo hoo (Yeah). Yeah, yeah.
Chorus 3
Hey, I’m back In the U.S.S.R.
You don’t know how lucky you are, boys.
| D N.C | A | A (A B C C#) |
Back In the U.S.S.R.
Bridge 2
Well, the Ukraine girls really knock me out (wooh, ooh, ooh).
They leave the West behind (Da, dum, dum, dum).
And Moscow girls make me sing and shout (wooh, ooh, ooh).
That Georgia’s always on my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my mind.
Oh.
Verse 3
Show me ’round your snow-peaked mountains way down south. Take me to your daddy’s farm.
Let me hear your balalaikas ringing out, come and keep your comrade warm.
Chorus 4
I’m back In the U.S.S.R.
Hey, you don’t know how lucky you are, boys.
| D N.C | A | A D D# E7 |
Back in the U.S.S.R. Oh, let me tell you, honey.
Outro
||: A A7 A6 :||
Hey, I’m back (woo, ooh, ooh).
Hey, it’s so good to be home (Woo, ooh, ooh).
Yeah, back In the U.S.S.R.
Back in the U.S.S.R. Chords: From Blues Roots to Rock & Roll Mastery
The chords for Back in the U.S.S.R. mainly rely on the classic blues progression of I – IV – V, though the bIIIx is used instead of the V for the verse, creating this sequence:
||: A (A6) | D (D6) | C (C6) | D (D6) :||
In Roman numerals, that’s I – IV – bIIIx – IV. The 6 chords in brackets indicate a Chuck Berry-style Honky Tonk comping approach.
Chorus
For the chorus, we play a lively lick that follows a triad → dom7 → 6 movement for I – bVIIx – IV, like this:
| A A7 A6 | C C7 C6 | D D7 D6 |
The next part of the chorus varies:
- | D N.C | A | A D D# E7 |
- | D N.C | N.C | 2/4 N.C | 4/4 A | (A B C C#) |
- | D N.C | A | A (A B C C#) |
- | D N.C | A | A D D# E7 |
Only the first and fourth times follow the same chord pattern. The second and third times lead into the bridge.
Bridge
The Beach Boys-influenced bridge begins on IV (D7) before returning to I (A7). The chromatic (A B C C#) is a bass line, not chords, unlike the D D# E7 section.
The bridge continues with IV (D7) but then moves chromatically downward in a more complex way:
D7 – A/C# – C6 – B7
Finally, the turnaround mirrors a standard blues progression:
E – D7 – A
Back in the U.S.S.R. is a perfect example of how The Beatles fused blues, rock ‘n’ roll, pop, and political satire with humour, transforming it into an unforgettable hit.
To see exactly how you could play this as the only guitarist in a band, here’s the TAB lesson: Back In The U.S.S.R. – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you’ve nailed the TAB, Use this chord chart which displays Back in the U.S.S.R.’s chords in a slightly different format to how it was laid out with chords and lyrics above.
Back In The U.S.S.R. Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
My chord chart can be downloaded here in PDF format: Back In The U.S.S.R. chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, here’s a link to that file: Back In The U.S.S.R. iReal Pro.
Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key, although I can’t see how that would be a great idea, you need the chord shapes as they are to sound authentic!
Back In The U.S.S.R. TAB | Course Preview
It’s great fun to play this tune, you just need to work out how to turn the two guitars on the recording into one part.
In the course, we do just this using TAB, here’s a preview of the chorus.
Back in the U.S.S.R. is a Parody Song
Originally titled I’m Backing the U.K., Paul McCartney quickly reworked the song into Back in the U.S.S.R., parodying Chuck Berry’s Back in the U.S.A..
The Beach Boys-inspired section (Ukraine girls, instead of California girls) was suggested by Mike Love when he and McCartney met at a retreat in India, just as Paul was finishing the song.
The final touch was the vocal delivery, influenced by Jerry Lee Lewis. Drawing from these three musical influences and a patriotic theme, McCartney crafted Back in the U.S.S.R. as a lighthearted spoof.
When the song was released in 1968, nationalist sentiment was being increasingly criticised by the cultural elite. Back in the U.S.S.R. served as a tongue-in-cheek reminder that, despite political differences, people everywhere share similar loves and experiences.
However, not everyone appreciated the irony. Later that year, the Warsaw Pact invasion starkly reminded the world of the brutal realities of war and communism’s failures. In that context, Back in the U.S.S.R. lost its humour for some listeners and became the subject of controversy and criticism.
Back In The U.S.S.R. Chords | Related Pages
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Back In The U.S.S.R. (The Beatles) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
