Chords + Lyrics | Blinding Lights
Intro
||: Fm | Fm | Cm | Cm |
| Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb :||
Verse 1
| Fm | Fm | Cm | Cm |
I’ve been tryna call, I’ve been on my own for long enough.
| Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
Maybe you can show me how to love, maybe.
| Fm | Fm | Cm | Cm |
I’m going through withdrawals, you don’t even have to do too much.
| Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
You can turn me on with just a touch, baby. I look around and,
Bridge 1
| Fm | Fm |
Sin City’s cold and empty (oh).
| Cm | Cm |
No one’s around to judge me (oh).
| Eb | Eb | N.C | N.C |
I can’t see clearly when you’re gone.
Chorus 1
| Fm | Fm | Cm | Cm |
I said, ooh, I’m blinded by the lights.
| Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
No, I can’t sleep until I feel your touch.
| Fm | Fm | Cm | Cm |
I said, ooh, I’m drowning in the night.
| Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
Oh, when I’m like this, you’re the one I trust. Hey, hey, hey!
Instrumental 1
| Fm | Fm | Cm | Cm |
| Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
Verse 2 (half)
I’m running out of time, ’cause I can see the sun light up the sky.
So I hit the road in overdrive, baby. Oh, oh, oh.
Bridge 2
The city’s cold and empty (oh).
No one’s around to judge me (oh).
I can’t see clearly when you’re gone.
Chorus 2
I said, ooh, I’m blinded by the lights.
No, I can’t sleep until I feel your touch.
I said, ooh, I’m drowning in the night.
Oh, when I’m like this, you’re the one I trust.
Middle 8
| Fm | Fm |
I’m just walking by to let you know (by to let you know).
| Cm | Cm |
I can never say it on the phone (say it on the phone).
| Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
Will never let you go, this time (ooh).
Chorus 3
| Fm | Fm | Cm | Cm |
I said, ooh, I’m blinded by the lights.
| Eb | Eb | Bb | N.C |
No, I can’t sleep until I feel your touch. Hey, hey, hey!
Instrumental 2
| Fm | Fm | Cm | Cm |
| Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
Hey, hey, hey!
| Fm | Fm | Cm | Cm |
| Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
Outro (chorus breakdown)
| Fm | Fm | Cm | Cm |
I said, ooh, I’m blinded by the lights.
| Eb | Eb | Bb | Bb |
No, I can’t sleep until I feel your touch.
Blinding Lights Chords: Master the Simple Yet Powerful Progression
Blinding Lights by The Weeknd is built around just four chords. While the progression is entirely diatonic, its structure is unusual.
Because the I chord appears in the third bar rather than the first, the progression never truly resolves, creating a continuous looping effect:
||: Fm (II) | Fm | Cm (VI) | Cm |
| Eb (I) | Eb | Bb (V) | Bb :||
The bridge follows the same pattern but omits the final Bb, replacing it with a rest. The chorus mirrors the verse progression exactly.
I’ve created some TAB for the riff, breaking down the intervals in relation to the chords. This is key if you want to write music or improvise solos—it’s all about targeting the right notes.
Here’s a link to the TAB lesson: Blinding Lights – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
If you need a quick reference, this chord chart will help with the structure—after all, Blinding Lights only has four chords to remember!
Blinding Lights Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Blinding Lights chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Blinding Lights iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Blinding Lights TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we explore why the hook and melody are so effective by analysing the intervals used in relation to each chord.
As a preview, here’s the first line in TAB—can you spot the intervals?
A #1 everywhere
Released in 2019 ahead of After Hours (2020), Blinding Lights became one of The Weeknd’s biggest hits.
The song won 19 awards, including Song of the Summer, along with multiple accolades for its striking music video. Its chart success was just as impressive, reaching #1 in nearly 40 countries, while the album topped the charts in over 20.
Another major hit from After Hours was Save Your Tears, which gained even more traction with a remix featuring Ariana Grande. This cemented The Weeknd’s status as an international artist and household name.
In the streaming era, sales are no longer the key measure of success—Spotify numbers tell the story. By late 2023, Blinding Lights had nearly 4 billion plays. For comparison, Here Comes the Sun, the most-streamed Beatles song, had only a quarter of that. However, when Now and Then was released, it surpassed Here Comes the Sun’s play count in just a few days…
But I digress! Let’s focus on how the Blinding Lights riff works with the chords—and perhaps compare it to Take On Me as well…
Blinding Lights Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Blinding Lights (The Weeknd) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
