A Baritone Voice and a Big Break
George Ezra is an English singer-songwriter who studied songwriting at BIMM in 2011, the music college where I used to teach before setting off to start Spytunes.
After completing his course, he signed with Columbia Records and began building a career that would soon take him to international success.
His debut album, Wanted on Voyage, arrived in 2014. Two singles preceded its release, with the second, Budapest, becoming a major hit and helping the album reach #3 on the U.K. charts.
Six singles were eventually released from the album, including Blame It on Me, which also performed well.
Ezra had a distinctive voice, a knack for memorable melodies and a relaxed, rhythmic approach that made his tunes feel both contemporary and timeless.
From Budapest to Shotgun
By 2018, George Ezra was a familiar name on British radio. His second album, Staying at Tamara’s, was preceded by singles including Paradise, which performed particularly well in Scotland.
But it was the third single, Shotgun, that really took off.
Released in 2018, the track became Ezra’s signature song and an international hit, reaching #1 in eight countries. Its bright, summery feel, catchy chorus and straightforward arrangement made it an instant favourite.
The album Staying at Tamara’s went on to become the best-selling album in the U.K. in 2018.
Shotgun also became closely associated with his live performances, helping establish him as a major festival act. In 2019, he performed on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, a significant milestone for a singer-songwriter whose career had begun just a few years earlier.
The follow-up single, Hold My Girl, enjoyed a long chart run too, spending 26 weeks on the charts. By this point, Ezra had proved he could deliver more than one hit.
A Modern Party-Band Essential
For a U.K.-based party band or solo performer, Shotgun is an easy win. It consistently connects with audiences, particularly when the room is ready for something upbeat and familiar.
One reason musicians pick it up so often is its simplicity. The tune uses just four chords, making it easy to learn and straightforward to add to a working repertoire.
That doesn’t mean it works by accident. A strong melody, a memorable chorus and a consistent groove is far more useful on a gig than a complicated arrangement that nobody in the room recognises.
When you’re learning guitar, songs like Shotgun are ideal for putting the basics into practice. You can concentrate on changing chords cleanly, keeping a steady rhythm and making the transitions feel natural, rather than getting distracted by technical difficulties.
Once you’ve learnt it, you have something you can actually play for people. That’s the point of building a repertoire: the songs you practice at home become the tunes you can take to a gig.
Success and Legacy
Although Shotgun is often the first one people associate with George Ezra, he’s far from a one-hit wonder.
His 2013 single Budapest became an enormous international success and, by the streaming figures cited in 2024, had accumulated even more Spotify plays than Shotgun. Other popular tunes include Paradise and Green Green Grass.
Streaming is particularly useful when looking at songs released in the digital era. Traditional sales figures don’t tell the whole story, while plays on platforms such as Spotify and views on YouTube give a different indication of how often listeners return to a track.
Shotgun has also proved its staying power online. The official video is well worth a watch, and its huge audience reflects how far the song travelled beyond its original release.
Still, streaming figures and live repertoire aren’t quite the same thing. Budapest may have attracted more streams, but Shotgun has a special place in the setlists of bands and solo performers because it works so reliably with a live audience.
That distinction matters if you’re learning guitar. The most-streamed song isn’t necessarily the one that gets a room singing along.
Gold Rush Kid and Beyond
In 2022, Ezra released his third studio album, Gold Rush Kid. Its single Green Green Grass became his seventh U.K. top-ten hit, reinforcing his reputation for writing catchy, accessible pop songs.
Across his first three albums, Ezra developed a recognisable style built around his deep voice, conversational storytelling and bright, rhythmic arrangements. His songs are approachable without feeling anonymous.
For guitarists, the takeaway is simple: don’t underestimate a tune because it uses only a few chords. If the rhythm is right, the melody sticks and the chorus connects with an audience, you’ve got something worth learning.
You might discover that the simplest songs are often the most useful ones to learn.
George Ezra Tunes | Related Pages
Shotgun | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Shotgun by George Ezra using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, TAB, and backing tracks.
| F | Bb | Dm7 | C |
Homegrown alligator, see you later gotta hit the road, gotta hit the road…
George Ezra one the web
