Chords + Lyrics | Blame It On The Boogie
Intro
||: Eb riff | Eb riff :|| x4
Hee, hee, hee.
Verse 1
| Cm7 | Eb |
My baby’s always dancin’ and it wouldn’t be a bad thing.
| Cm7 | Ab Eb |
But I don’t get no lovin’ and that’s no lie.
| Cm7 | Eb |
We spent the night in Frisco, at every kind of disco.
| Ab6 Ab | Bb11 |
From that night I kissed our love goodbye.
Chorus 1
| Eb6 | Db7sus4 |
Don’t blame it on the sunshine. Don’t blame it on the moonlight.
| Db7 | Eb |
Don’t blame it on the good times. Blame it on the boogie.
| Eb6 | Db7sus4 |
Don’t you blame it on the sunshine. Don’t blame it on the moonlight.
| Db7 | Eb |
Don’t blame it on the good times. Blame it on the boogie.
Verse 2
That nasty boogie bugs me, but somehow it has drugged me.
Spellbound rhythm gets me, on my feet.
I’ve changed my life completely, I’ve seen the lightning leave me.
My baby just can’t take her eyes off me.
Chorus 2
Don’t blame it on the sunshine. Don’t blame it on the moonlight.
Don’t blame it on the good times. Blame it on the boogie.
Don’t you blame it on the sunshine. Don’t blame it on the moonlight.
Don’t blame it on good times. Blame it on the boogie. Woo!
Middle 8
||: Eb Cm7 | Fm7 Ab :|| x4
||: I just can’t, I just can’t, I just can’t control my feet :|| x4
Chorus 3
Sunshine. Don’t blame it on the moonlight.
Don’t blame it on the good times. Blame it on the boogie.
Don’t blame it on the sunshine. Don’t blame it on the moonlight.
Don’t, on the good times. Blame it on the boogie.
Instrumental (as intro)
||: Eb riff | Eb riff :||
Verse 3
This magic music grooves me, that dirty rhythm moves me.
The devil’s gotten to me, through this dance.
I’m full of funky fever, a fire burns inside me.
Boogie’s got me in a super trance.
Chorus 4
Don’t blame it on the sunshine. Don’t blame it on the moonlight.
Don’t blame it on the good times. Blame it on the boogie.
Don’t you blame it, sunshine. Don’t blame it on the moonlight.
Don’t blame it on good times. Blame it on the boogie. Ow!
Breakdown
| Eb | Db | Db | Eb |
(Sunshine) oh, (moonlight) yeah, (good times) mmm, (boogie).
| Eb | Db | Db | Eb |
You just got to (sunshine) yeah, (moonlight) (good times) good times, (boogie).
Outro chorus (double)
Don’t you blame it (sunshine). You just got to (moonlight).
You just wanna (good times). Yeah, oh (boogie).
Blame it on yourself (sunshine). Ain’t nobody’s fault (moonlight).
But yours and that boogie (good times). On all night long (boogie).
Yours and that boogie (sunshine). Ain’t nobody’s fault (moonlight).
But yours and that boogie (good times). Dancin’ all night long (boogie).
Blame it on yourself (sunshine). Ain’t nobody’s fault (moonlight).
But yours and that funky, funky boogie, boogie, yeah.
Blame It on the Boogie Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
I made two backing tracks for you using AI to extract the chords. Practise along with these (the second has no vocals) and the chord chart to prepare yourself for the gig.
The first backing track is blocked in some countries due to copyright restrictions.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Being in the key of Cm/Eb with one chord outside the key, Blame It on the Boogie creates a constant sense of movement. Let’s break down how the chords achieve this.
Intro
The intro riff is based on the Eb major blues scale, essentially a major pentatonic with an added m3rd. Before looping, it’s played with syncopation, adding to the song’s uplifting feel.
Verse
When the verse begins, we move between Cm and Eb, creating a reverse minor fall that feels bright and energetic. This is followed by Cm7 – Ab – Eb, where resolving to Eb in bar four comes earlier than expected, reinforcing that uplifting quality.
The second time through, instead of returning to Eb, the progression shifts to Ab6 – Ab – Bb11, with the 11 chord further enhancing the song’s buoyant character. Here’s the full verse progression:
| Cm7 | Eb | Cm7 | Ab Eb |
| Cm7 | Eb | Ab6 Ab | Bb11 |
Chorus
The chorus introduces a bVIIx chord in Db7sus4 after an Eb6. At first glance, this may look like two major chords a tone apart, but it doesn’t follow a traditional V – IV because chord IV has a raised #11 rather than sus4.
You could think of this as a V – IV move within an Ab blues framework or as a modal interchange from Eb Ionian to Eb Mixolydian. Or, just a s a temporary change, a bVIIx – my preferred option.
Here’s Blame It On The Boogie‘s chorus chords:
| Eb6 | Db7sus4 | Db7 | Eb |
Breakdown
The only other section with new chords is the “I just can’t, I just can’t, I just can’t control my feet” part, which introduces Fm7, like this:
| Eb Cm7 | Fm7 Ab |
Using the chords and lyrics for Blame It on the Boogie above, can you play along with the backing track? This chord chart is the same as you find in the backing tracks above.
Blame It On The Boogie Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download my chord chart, you can do so as a PDF or in iReal Pro:
With the iRealPro app, you can change the key as needed. I’ve often had to lower Blame It on the Boogie‘s chords a tone, to Bbm/Db.
I would even go as far as suggesting you should practice it in this key as well, just like I almost always have to play Respect a tone down, in Bb.
Blame It On The Boogie TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we look at TAB for all sections, even inventing a few parts!
As a preview, here’s the intro/instrumental riff, notice how I don’t specify how many times you repeat the first two bars as it’s different in the intro to the instrumental.
The Battle of the Boogie
In 1978, The Jackson 5 became The Jacksons after leaving Berry Gordy’s Motown for Sony’s Epic label.
Without Gordy’s watchful eye, the band gained full artistic control—a risky move, perhaps, but one that paid off as the hits kept coming.
One of their biggest hits was Blame It on the Boogie, a song so popular it’s still a staple for wedding bands every Saturday night. When it comes to event band setlists, this one ranks alongside Respect, Superstition, All Night Long, Never Too Much, and I Feel Good—all must-know songs for any working guitarist.
Chart-wise, Blame It on the Boogie performed well, peaking at #3 on the U.S. Hot R&B Singles chart.
Ironically, the two Jacksons who wrote Blame It on the Boogie weren’t part of the family at all—they were English songwriters Dave and Mick Jackson.
Mick and Dave recorded the song first with their band—fittingly named Jacko—but within days, The Jacksons released their version. This sparked a clever publicity stunt, as radio stations debated which version was better.
For Mick and Dave, it must have been quite the payday when the PRS cheque arrived that year—and every year since!
If this all sounds like a disco version of Spinal Tap, check out all three videos in the playlist above and witness The Battle of the Boogie for yourself.
Blame It On The Boogie Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Blame It On The Boogie (The Jacksons) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
