Chords + Lyrics | Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Intro
||: F#sus4 F# C#/F# F# | F#sus4 F# C#/F# F#/A# C# |
| F#sus4/D# D#m7 C#/D# D#m7 | F#sus4/D# D#m7 C#/D# B C# :||
Verse 1
| F# | F# | D#m7 | D#m7 |
I come home, in the mornin’ light, my mother says, “When you gonna live your life right?”
| B | B |
Oh, momma dear, we’re not the fortunate ones.
| D#m C# | B | D#m C# |
And girls, they wanna have fun. Oh, girls just wanna have fun.
Instrumental 1
||: F#sus4 F# C#/F# F# | F#sus4 F# C#/F# F#/A# C# |
| F#sus4/D# D#m7 C#/D# D#m7 | F#sus4/D# D#m7 C#/D# B C# :||
Verse 2
The phone rings, in the middle of the night, my father yells, “What you gonna do with your life?”
Oh, daddy dear, you know you’re still number one.
But girls, they wanna have fun. Oh, girls just wanna have.
Bridge 1
| F# | F# | D#m | D#m |
That’s all they really want. Some fun.
| F# | F# | D#m C# | B | D#m C# |
When the workin’ day is done, oh girls, they wanna have fun. Oh girls just wanna have fun.
Chorus 1
| F#sus4 F# C#/F# F# | F#sus4 F# C#/F# F#/A# C# |
(Girls, they want. Wanna have fun.)
| F#sus4/D# D#m7 C#/D# D#m7 | F#sus4/D# D#m7 C#/D# B C# |
(Girls. Wanna have.)
Solo
| F# | F# (A#) | D#m | D#m |
| F# | F# (A# C#) | D#m | D#m B C# |
Verse 3
Some boys take a beautiful girl and hide her away from the rest of the world.
I wanna be the one to walk in the sun.
Oh, girls, they wanna have fun. Oh, girls just wanna have.
Bridge 2
That’s all they really want, Is some fun.
When the workin’ day is done.
Oh girls, they wanna have fun. Oh girls just wanna have fun
Chorus 2
(Girls, they want. Wanna have fun.)
(Girls. Wanna have.)
Outro
||: F#sus4 F# C#/F# F# | F#sus4/D# D#m7 C#/D# B C# :||
They just wanna, they just wanna.
(Girls) They just want, they just wanna (girls just wanna have fun).
Oh girls, girls just wanna have fun (Just wanna, they just wanna).
They just wanna, they just wanna.
(Girls) They just want, they just wanna (girls just wanna have fun).
Oh girls, girls just wanna have fun.
When the workin’. When the workin’ day is done.
Oh, when the workin’ day is done, oh, girls.
Girls just wanna have fun. Everybody. Huh, huh.
They just want, they just wanna.
(Girls) They just want, they just wanna (girls just wanna have fun).
Oh, girls, girls just wanna have fun.
(They just wanna, they just wanna) when the workin’.
When the working day is done (they just want, they just wanna).
(Girls) Oh, when the working day is done (girls, girls just wanna have fun).
Oh girls, girls just wanna have fun.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. 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.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
This is one of those rare tunes where the chords look more complicated than they actually are.
The intro, which also serves as the chorus, can seem tricky—partly because of its awkward key (F#), and partly because of the sheer number of chords!
As a guitarist, you won’t need to play all those slash chords. Instead, you’ll focus on a compact part that blends into the full harmony once the whole band kicks in. When everyone plays, it sounds like this:
||: F#sus4 F# C#/F# F# | F#sus4 F# C#/F# F#/A# C# |
| F#sus4/D# D#m7 C#/D# D#m7 | F#sus4/D# D#m7 C#/D# B C# :||
You’ll need the TAB to piece this together properly, then you can use the chord chart (see below) as a quick reference. Find this TAB further down this guitar lesson.
Verse
The verse is much simpler, just I – VI, followed by IV – VI – V, repeated like this:
| F# (I) | F# | D#m7 (VI) | D#m7 |
| B (IV) | B | D#m (VI) C# (V) | B (IV) | D#m (VI) C# (V) |
If this were in the key of G, it would be much easier to play. You could always use a Digitech Drop pedal to simplify things—if you don’t mind the slight tonal shift that comes with the convenience.
Bridge
The bridge closely follows the verse structure:
| F# (I) | F# | D#m (VI) | D#m |
| F# (I) | F# | D#m (VI) C# (V) | B (IV) | D#m (VI) C# (V) |
Once you’ve worked through the TAB alongside the backing tracks, this chord chart will be all you need—though tuning your guitar down half a step might help!
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
If you’d like to download the chord chart, here’s a PDF: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iReal Pro—here’s the file: Girls Just Wanna Have FuniReal Pro. With the iRealPro app, you can change the key—try setting it to G and using a guitar tuned down half a step!
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun | TAB Preview
The intro is also what returns in the instrumental and chorus—this is the hook of the song, so let’s start there. Here’s the TAB:
In bar 1, we first hammer on to a sus4, then return to a straight F#. This is followed by a C#, then back to the F#. It’s written as C#/F#, but that’s only because the bass plays F# throughout.
If you want to simplify it, think of it as F#sus4 – F# – C# – F#, or even just Isus4 – I – V – I.
In bar 2, we repeat exactly the same pattern but add another C# at the end. As before, the C#/F# just shows that the bass is still playing F#.
Bar 3 repeats bar 1, but this time the bass plays D#, which shifts the harmony towards D#m7 rather than F#.
In bar 4, we finally get some variation with B – C# on the last two beats.
During the outro, this riff is simplified by using just bars 1 and 4, like this:
The verse can be played with muted picking, like this:
Continue this picking style for the bridge and you’ll get:
Feel free to develop this—maybe try it in a different octave.
Overall, the trickiest part of this tune is the key signature. You might want to raise everything a semitone, then either use a guitar tuned down a half-step or a Digitech Drop pedal…
Whatever you decide to do, practice with all the backing tracks!
A cover, first released by a man
As a feminist anthem, it might come as a surprise that Girls Just Wanna Have Fun was originally written, recorded, and released by a man—Robert Hazard—in 1979.
Cyndi Lauper’s version, the one we all know, was a cover. Released as the lead single from her 1983 debut album, She’s So Unusual, it catapulted her to instant fame.
The music video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video—back when that really meant something. Cyndi also picked up a Grammy Award for Best New Artist and Best Album Package. The album went on to sell 16 million copies worldwide, with the single selling nearly half that.
Another track from the album, Time After Time, also became a huge hit. Unlike Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, this one was written by Cyndi herself. If you haven’t heard it, check out Eva Cassidy’s incredible cover.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Chords: Continue Learning
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