Chords + Lyrics | Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Intro
||: D (Dsus4) :|| x4
Verse 1
||: D (Dsus4) | D (Dsus4) | G | C G/B :||
This thing called love, I just can’t handle it.
This thing called love, I must get ’round to it.
Chorus 1
| D (Dsus4) | Bb C | D (Dsus4) | D N.C |
I ain’t ready, crazy little thing called love.
Verse 2
This thing (this thing) called love (called love). It cries (like a baby), in a cradle all night.
It swings (woo), it jives (woo). Shakes all over like a jellyfish.
Chorus 2
I kinda like it, crazy little thing called love.
Bridge 1
| G (G6) | G (G6) |
There goes my baby.
| C | G (G6) | Bb | Bb |
She knows how to rock and roll, she drives me crazy.
| E7 | A5 N.C | (D C# C) | (A G# G) | E7 | A5 N.C |
She gives me hot and cold fever, she leaves me in a cool, cool sweat.
Verse 3
I gotta be cool, relax, get hip, and get on my tracks.
Take a back seat, hitchhike, and take a long ride on my motorbike.
Chorus 3
Until I’m ready, crazy little thing called love.
Solo
| Bb | Bb | D | D |
| Bb | Bb | E7 | A N.C |
| (D C# C) | (A G# G) | E7 | A5 N.C |
Yeah
Verse 4
| N.C | N.C | N.C | N.C |
I gotta be cool, relax, get hip and get on my tracks.
| N.C | N.C | N.C | N.C |
Take a back seat, hitchhike, and take a long ride on my motorbike.
Chorus 5
| N.C | N.C | N.C | (A G F# E) |
Until I’m ready (ready Freddie), crazy little thing called love.
Verse 5
This thing called love, I just can’t handle it
This thing called love, I must get ’round to it.
Chorus 5 (as chorus 1)
I ain’t ready, crazy little thing called love.
Outro
||: Bb C | D (Dsus4) :|| x8
||: Crazy little thing called love (yeah, yeah) :|| x8
Crazy Little Thing Called Love Chords: The Key to Its Retro Sound
Crazy Little Thing Called Love is in the key of D, with the D chord forming the foundation of both the intro and verse.
Verse
Throughout the verse, the D chord alternates with a Dsus4 extension, added and removed twice per bar. To keep things clear, I’ve placed Dsus4 in brackets when writing out the chords and lyrics above.
After this D chord riff, the progression moves to G (IV), followed by C (bVIIx)—a classic rock ‘n’ roll chord. A quick G/B leads us back to D and Dsus4.
Here are the full verse chords:
| D (Dsus4) | D (Dsus4) | G | C G/B |
| D (Dsus4) | D (Dsus4) | G | C G/B |
Playing this on acoustic versus electric guitar—especially with or without a full band—requires different approaches. You’ll find TAB for both styles here: Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Chorus
The chorus shifts to Bb and C, creating a modal interchange that temporarily makes the song feel as if it’s in D minor:
| D (Dsus4) | Bb C | D (Dsus4) | D N.C |
(TAB for both acoustic and electric parts is available—see the link above.)
Bridge
The bridge blends major and minor tonalities, featuring G, C, and Bb. The final line moves through a cycle of fourths: E7 – A – D, leading us smoothly back to D.
A brilliant chromatic bass line follows (D → C# → C and A → G# → G), adding another memorable hook to the song.
Here are the bridge chords:
| G (G6) | G (G6) | C | G (G6) | Bb | Bb |
| E7 | A N.C | (D C# C) | (A G# G) | E7 | A5 N.C |
This is the most sophisticated section of the song. I’ve arranged an acoustic part incorporating the bass line, along with an electric part in TAB.
Once you’ve worked through the TAB, a simple chord chart will serve as a handy reminder. Here’s one I made for you.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Notice how the chord notation varies depending on whether it’s written with chords and lyrics, a chord chart, or TAB.
- With chords and lyrics, I write the Dsus4 in brackets, like this:
||: D (Dsus4) :|| - In the chord chart, it’s written as Dadd4, meaning both the 3rd and sus4 are played together. This keeps the chart uncluttered and easier to read.
- In TAB, every chord movement is explicitly shown:
D → Dsus4 → D → Dsus4 → D.
If you’d like to download the chord chart, here’s a PDF: Crazy Little Thing Called Love chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iReal Pro—here’s the iReal Pro version: Crazy Little Thing Called Love iReal Pro.
With the iReal Pro app, you can change the key, though, for acoustic guitar, it works best in D.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love TAB | Course Preview
In the course, you get TAB for playing Crazy Little Thing Called Love on both acoustic and electric guitar. The acoustic TAB works great if you’re playing solo or handling the acoustic part in a band.
The electric TAB is ideal if you’re the only guitarist in a band setting.
As a preview, here’s the acoustic verse.
Freddie Mercury’s Only Guitar Composition
Released in 1980 on The Game, Crazy Little Thing Called Love became a staple of Queen’s live shows—notably as the only song where Freddie Mercury played guitar on stage.
Though an accomplished pianist, Freddie was a beginner-to-intermediate guitarist. He admitted to writing the song using “only the chords I knew”, which, according to him, helped shape its simplicity.
Freddie also described the song as a tribute to two of his heroes—Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard. Remarkably, it took him just ten minutes to write!
The song’s strength lies in its simplicity—catchy lyrics, great vocals, and a straightforward structure. But without Brian May’s sophisticated guitar licks, it wouldn’t have had the same impact—so much for sticking to the basics!
How long will it take you to learn Crazy Little Thing Called Love‘s chords?
Crazy Little Thing Called Love Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
