Chords + Lyrics | I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Intro
||: F#5 N.C E5 :|| x8
||: F# Minor Pentatonic climb (E5) :|| x8
||: C#5 B5 | A5 F#5 :|| x4
Verse 1
||: C#5 B5 | A5 F#5 :||
Stop making the eyes at me, I’ll stop making the eyes at you.
What it is that surprises me, is that I don’t really want you to.
And your shoulders are frozen (cold as the night). Oh, but you’re an explosion (you’re dynamite).
Your name isn’t Rio, but I don’t care for sand. And lighting the fuse might result in a bang, b-b-bang-oh.
Chorus 1
| F#5 | F#5 | A5 |
I bet that you look good on the dance floor,
| A5 | E5 | E5 | F#5 | F#5 |
I don’t know if you’re looking for romance or, I don’t know what you’re looking for.
| F#5 | F#5 | A5 |
I said, I bet that you look good on the dance floor,
| A5 | E5 | E5 | C#5 | C#5 |
dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984. Well, from 1984.
Instrumental 1
||: C#m Bm | A F#m :|| x4
Verse 2
I wish you’d stop ignoring me, because you’re sending me to despair.
Without a sound, yeah, you’re calling me and I don’t think it’s very fair.
That your shoulders are frozen (cold as the night). Oh, but you’re an explosion (you’re dynamite).
Your name isn’t Rio, but I don’t care for sand. And lighting the fuse might result in a bang, b-b-bang-oh.
Chorus 2
I bet that you look good on the dance floor,
I don’t know if you’re looking for romance or, I don’t know what you’re looking for.
I said, I bet that you look good on the dance floor,
dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984. Well, from 1984.
Middle 8
| A5 | A5 | E5 | E5 | F#5 | F#5 |
Oh, there ain’t no love, no Montagues or Capulets.
| F#5 | F#5 | A5 | A5 | E5 | E5 |
Just banging tunes and DJ sets and, dirty dance floors and dreams of naughtiness.
Instrumental 2
||: F#5 N.C E5 :|| x8
||: F#5 (E5) :|| x8
Chorus 3
| N.C | N.C | A5 |
Well, I bet that you look good on the dance floor,
| A5 | E5 | E5 | F#5 | F#5 |
I don’t know if you’re looking for romance or. I don’t know what you’re looking for.
| F#5 | F#5 | A5 |
I said, I bet that you look good on the dance floor,
| A5 | E5 | E5 | C#5 | C#5 | F#5 |
Dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984. I said, from 1984.
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor Chords: Dissecting the Rock Progressions
The intro features a climbing F# minor pentatonic scale, foreshadowing what’s to come, as all of I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’s chords are rooted in this scale: 1 – m3 – 4 – 5 – b7 (F# – A – B – C# – E).
With this in mind, let’s break down each section.
Verse
The verse follows a descending chord progression: III – II – I – VI. By using power chords (5 chords)—which omit the 3rd—the song achieves an indie/punk/garage-rock feel, like this:
||: C#5 B5 | A5 F#5 :||
Chorus
The chorus moves in the opposite direction at first, starting with a VI – I progression—essentially a reversed minor fall.
It then dips below the key centre, creating this movement: F#5 – A5 – E5. The sequence repeats, adding a C#5 at the end:
| F#5 (VI) | F#5 | A5 (I) |
| A5 | E5 (V) | E5 | F#5 | F#5 |
| F#5 | F#5 | A5 |
| A5 | E5 | E5 | C#5 | C#5 |
Instrumental
The instrumental section mirrors the verse progression but introduces triads instead of power chords:
||: C#m (III) Bm (II) | A (I) F#m (VI) :||
This subtle shift opens the arrangement up, making the return to tight power chords with vocals feel even more impactful. A clever songwriting and production trick from the Sheffield-born lads!
In the course, there’s TAB for how to play all sections, including the small subtleties between the intro solo, the verse, and this instrumental section. Here’s a link: I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Middle 8
The last section has a new progression as it moves I – V – VI – I – V, but stays on each chord for a long time, like this:
| A5 | A5 | E5 | E5 | F#5 | F#5 |
| F#5 | F#5 | A5 | A5 | E5 | E5 |
Here’s a chord chart.
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download my chord chart for I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor as a PDF or in iReal Pro format:
- I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor chord chart PDF
- I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor iReal Pro
The iReal Pro version allows you to change the key and adjust the layout to suit your preference.
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor TAB | Course Preview
In the course, I’ve created TAB that works for your Saturday-night party band gig as the sole guitarist.
Because the original recording features more than one guitar, I’ve combined both parts into a version that will work live.
As a preview, here’s the intro—there are a few things to note:
- The length of the rest in the opening riff is adjusted.
- We finish on an E5; on the original recording, one guitar does this while the other stays on F#5.
- Fingering is manipulated in the final bars so the bend feels smooth, while allowing a return into the Am shape seamlessly.
Arctic Monkeys’ breakthrough single
“Don’t believe the hype!”—a phrase as iconic as the album it introduced—was uttered by Alex Turner in 2005, just before the band performed what would become their biggest song.
This live recording, played in front of a small TV-style audience, became the official music video for their debut single. Riding its success, Arctic Monkeys released their highly anticipated debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, in 2006.
More than just a first single, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor propelled the band to fame overnight. Released in 2005, it debuted at #1—a remarkable feat considering it arrived before the album.
On NME’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, it ranked #7. While Arctic Monkeys have had other hits, few have ever matched the impact of their debut.
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor (Arctic Monkeys) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
