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 Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Crazy Little Thing Called Love. 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 sharp to 443Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
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 further down this lesson.
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 |
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 tune.
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
Let’s learn how to play Queen‘s Crazy Little Thing Called Love on both acoustic and electric guitar. Do try both approaches as this will give you a deeper understanding of how the tune is constructed.
The acoustic part is big and bold, using open-position chords and plenty of bass lines. The electric part, on the other hand, leaves the bass line to the bassist and keeps the chords tighter and more compact.
Intro + Verse
Let’s begin with the verse (the intro is simply the first bar repeated).
Freddie strums this in a very straightforward way—hitting all four strings constantly. This may have been a deliberate production trick, relying on the rest of the band and Brian May’s more intricate guitar work to contrast it. If you’re playing on your own, break up the strumming as indicated in the TAB above.
Now let’s look at the electric part. I’ve written this so it works as if you’re the only guitarist in the band.
Using an A shape for the riff along with an open D string keeps things focused and makes it easier to move into the second half, where we shift to a C-shaped G chord.
Chorus
Let’s move on to the chorus, which follows each verse. Here’s an acoustic arrangement that would work well if you’re playing solo (the stabs on Bb and C provide a nice break from the driving D riff).
Here’s how it looks on the electric:
Again, we use that A shape for the D riff to make the transition to Bb and C smoother.
Bridge
Now for the bridge—the most complex section—starting with an acoustic version:
The bass line has been woven into the G and Bb chords. Play along with the original to really get the feel. On the final line, I’ve added D5 and A5 to the chromatic movement for extra thickness.
Here’s the same part for electric guitar:
Make sure to try both arrangements and play along with the backing tracks using only the chord chart as a guide.
To learn the solo and verse licks, check the playlist at the top—I’ve included a couple of YouTube lessons for you.
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
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