Ben | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: F Fsus4 :|| x4
Verse 1
| F | C7/E |
Ben, the two of us need look no more.
| F | C7/E |
We both found what we were looking for.
| Fmaj7 | A7sus4 A7/C# |
With a friend to call my own, I’ll never be alone.
| Eb7b9 D7 | Db6 C7 |
And you my friend will see, you’ve got a friend in me.
| F Fsus4 | F Fsus4 |
(You’ve got a friend in me).
Verse 2
| F | C7/E |
Ben, you’re always running here and there (here and there).
| F | C7/E |
You feel you’re not wanted anywhere (anywhere).
| Fmaj7 | A7sus4 A7/C# |
If you ever look behind, and don’t like what you find.
| Eb7b9 D7 | Db6 C7 |
There’s something you should know, you’ve got a place to go.
| F Fsus4 | F Fsus4 |
(You’ve got a place to go).
Bridge
||: Gm C7/E | Fmaj7 F6 | Gm C7/E | F :||
I used to say, I and me. Now it’s us, now it’s we.
(I used to say I and me. Now it’s us, now it’s we).
Verse 3
| F | C7/E |
Ben, most people would turn you away (turn you away).
| F | C7/E |
I don’t listen to a word they say (a word they say).
| Fmaj7 | A7sus4 A7/C# |
They don’t see you as I do, I wish they would try to.
| Eb7b9 D7 | Db6 C7 |
I’m sure they’d think again, If they had a friend like Ben.
Outro
||: F Fsus4 :||
(Like Ben) like Ben (like Ben) like Ben.
Ben Chords | Learn the progressions
In the, for guitar players’ awkward key of F, we have the chords of Michael Jackson‘s early ballad hit Ben.
We start by moving from F to Fsus4 on a loop. This is played in a specific way which can only be described using TAB, here’s a link: Ben – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
When the verse starts, we move between F and C7/E on a loop before the chords use a jazz/blues style progression containing some lovely chromatic movements.
Here’s the full verse progression, with Roman Numerals.
||: F (I) | C7/E (V/3) :||
| Fmaj7 (I) | A7sus4 (IIIx) A7/C# (IIIx/3) |
| Eb7b9 (bVIIx) D7 (VIx) | Db6 (tritone sub) C7 (V) |
The chromatic movements mean we go outside the diatonic key of F. The IIIx is very common (mediant major). The bVIIx is also common (backdoor dominant). The Db6 is a tritone sub from chord II (Gm).
This is all jazz/blues language, make sure you can hear the sound of each chord, not just memorise the theory and names for them.
The bridge section is a simple II – V – I with some extensions, like this:
||: Gm (II) C7/E (V/3) | Fmaj7 (I) F6 | Gm C7/E | F :||
Here’s a chord chart I made for you, it makes Ben’s chords look so simple!
Ben Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Ben Chord Chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, here’s a link to that file: Ben iReal Pro.
Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key which is useful if you want to experiment with playing in, for example, the key of C, using a capo on fret 5.
This way, you can easily change the key by moving the capo down the fretboard.
Ben is a pet rat!
Released in 1972, when Micahel Jackson was 14 years old, Ben was his first #1 as a solo artist.
Originally written for Donny Osmond, Michael got the chance to record it because Donny was too busy touring.
The success of Ben made Micahel the 3rd youngest solo artist ever to score a #1, only Stevie Wonder and previously mentioned Donny beat him to it at 13 years old.
In a way, Michael was younger than the two as he with his brothers had a #1 three years earlier with I Want You Back.
Apart from being a huge single, Ben was also a film, about a pet rat which of you didn’t know completely changes the meaning of the lyrics.
Ben chords | Related Pages
Ben | Guitar Lesson + TAB
With this guitar lesson, you can learn how to play Ben by Michael Jackson using TAB and chord analysis.
| F | C7/E |
Ben, the two of us need look no more…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
Michael Jackson tunes
The King of Pop became world-famous before he was even a teenager as he signed to Motown with his brothers as The Jackson 5.
After many hits, Michael Jackson embarked on a crazy solo career that would see him become as big as Elvis and The Beatles.
Michael Jackson on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Ben 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.
