Chords + Lyrics | Band Of Gold
Intro
||: G riff :|| x4
Verse 1
| G | G | D/F# |
Now that you’re gone, all that’s left is a band of gold.
| D | C | C |
All that’s left of the dreams I hold, is a band of gold.
| G/B | C |
And the memories of what love could be.
| G/B | D7 |
If you were still here with me.
Verse 2
You took me from the shelter of my mother, I had never known.
Or loved any other, we kissed after taking vows.
But that night on our honeymoon.
We stayed in separate rooms.
Verse 3
I wait in the darkness of my lonely room.
Filled with sadness, filled with gloom, hoping soon.
That you’ll walk back through that door.
And love me like you tried before.
Verse 4
Since you’ve been gone, all that’s left is a band of gold.
All that’s left of the dreams I hold, is a band of gold.
And the dream of what love could be.
If you were still here with me.
Solo
| G | G | D/F# |
| D | C | C |
| G/B | C |
| G/B | D7 |
Breakdown
||: G riff :|| x4
Oh…
Verse 5
Don’t you know that I wait, in the darkness of my lonely room.
Filled with sadness, filled with gloom, hoping soon.
That you’ll walk back through that door.
And love me like you tried before.
Verse 6
Since you’ve been gone, all that’s left is a band of gold
All that’s left of the dreams I hold, is a band of gold
And the dream of what love could be.
If you were still here with me.
Outro
| G | G | D |
Since you’ve been gone, all that’s left is a band of gold.
Band of Gold Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Band of Gold. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar to the magical frequency of the universe, 432Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
The chords for Band of Gold primarily follow a classic I – V – IV progression. However, both the I and V chords frequently use their 3rd in the bass, adding a subtle but effective twist.
Instead of simply playing G – D – C, the progression becomes:
G – D/F# – D – C, followed by G/B – C – G/B – D7.
This may seem like a small adjustment, but in hit songwriting, familiarity with a slight twist makes all the difference.
Verse
Structurally, Band of Gold consists of a simple riff using the minor pentatonic scale (with the m3rd swapped for a b9) and a straightforward verse. The chord progression is easy to memorise:
| G (I) | G | D/F# (V/3) | D (V) | C (IV) | C |
| G/B (I/3) | C | G/B | D7 |
A perfect example of how a small twist on a familiar progression can make a song timeless!
To get TAB for how to play the riff and a suitable rhythm guitar part that works in your band, check out the TAB further down this guitar lesson.
Here’s a chord chart you can bring to the gig—or even send to your bandmates if you haven’t had a chance to rehearse Band of Gold’s chords together.
Band of Gold Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
If you want to download my chord chart, you can do so as a PDF or an iReal Pro file.
Using the iReal Pro app, you can change the key. While this hasn’t happened to me with Band of Gold, it’s certainly possible it may come up for you.
The chords are simple enough that you could probably manage without changing the key on the chord chart, but personally, I’ve found it helpful to have the chart in the key I’m playing.
Band Of Gold | TAB
Let’s go through all sections of Band Of Gold as if we were playing in a Motown/Soul band.
We don’t imitate the sitar or sit out other sections complaining about the lack of a string section—instead, we make ourselves useful and find a part that works in a working band.
Intro
The intro starts with the bass before the sitar joins in, playing the same line.
Verse + Chorus
The verse and chorus share the same progression. It’s best to play along with the snare on all downbeats, moving around the fretboard to increase intensity by playing higher up when needed.
To master this type of playing in an improvised way, work methodically through all areas, one by one.
Area one starts with an E-shaped G chord. Don’t worry about getting the slash chords exactly right—our role is to stay with the snare and remain compact.
In area two, we start with a C-shaped G chord.
In area three, we start with an A-shaped G chord.
Once you can play in all areas, start moving around and experiment with changing the rhythm to follow the vocals occasionally, like this:
Solo
The solo is best played using hammer-ons and slides to imitate the sitar. You don’t need a sitar pedal—it’s fine as is.
Once you can play all this TAB, use the backing tracks to play along with Freda and her Funk Brothers using just the chord chart.
Invictus’ Biggest Hit
Band of Gold was another smash hit from Motown’s legendary songwriting team, Holland-Dozier-Holland—though this time released under a different name on their own label, Invictus.
Despite an ongoing legal battle with Berry Gordy since 1967, they managed to bring over members of Motown’s iconic house band, The Funk Brothers, to play on the track.
Released in 1970, Band of Gold became an instant success, reaching #1 in the U.K. and #2 in the U.S.
Freda Payne, initially hesitant to record the song due to its lyrical content, ultimately delivered the biggest hit of her career. Although she went on to release more albums, she never replicated its success, instead focusing on musicals, acting, and television hosting.
Remarkably, Payne continued recording into her later years, releasing new music as recently as 2021—at the age of 78.
On Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, Band of Gold holds the #391 spot, cementing its place in music history.
Band Of Gold Chords: Continue Learning
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