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I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ Chords | Scissor Sisters Guitar Lesson

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I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ | Chords + Lyrics

Intro

| D | Gm/D | D6/9 | D9 | (guitar intro)
| G | Gm | G/A A G/A | A D/A Dsus4/A |
||: D G/D D | D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D :|| (piano)

Verse 1

| D G/D D | D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D |
Wake up in the morning with a head like, “What ya done?”
| G (Gsus4) | G (Gsus4) |
This used to be the life, but I don’t need another one.
| D G/D D | D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D |
You like cuttin’ up and carrying on, you wear them gowns.
| G (Gsus4) | G (Gsus4) |
So how come I feel so lonely when you’re up getting down?

Bridge 1

| Bm | F#m |
So I’ll play along when I hear that special song.
| Am7 | G |
I’m gonna be the one who gets it right.
| Bm | F#m |
You’d better move when you’re swayin’ round the room.
| Am7 | G |
Looks like the magic’s only ours tonight.

Chorus 1

| D (G/D) | D (G/D) |
But I don’t feel like dancin’ when the old Joanna plays.
| G (Gsus4) | G (Gsus4) |
My heart could take a chance, but my two feet can’t find a way.
| A | C G |
You’d think that I could muster up a little soft-shoe gentle sway.
| D (G/D) | D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D |
But I don’t feel like dancin’, no sir, no dancin’ today.

Chorus tag 1

| D (G/D) | D (G/D) |
Don’t feel like dancin’, dancin’, even if I find nothin’ better to do.
| G (Gsus4) | G (Gsus4) |
Don’t feel like dancin’, dancin’, why’d you pick a tune when I’m not in the mood?
| A | C G | D (G/D) | D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D |
Don’t feel like dancin’, dancin’, I’d rather be home with the one in the bed till dawn, with you.

Instrumental 1

| Gm | C | Gm | C |
| Gm | C C# | D G/D D | D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D |

Verse 2

Cities come and cities go, just like the old empires.
When all you do is change your clothes and call that versatile.
You got so many colors, make a blind man so confused.
Then why can’t I keep up when you’re the only thing I lose?

Bridge 2

So I’ll just pretend that I know which way to bend.
And I’m gonna tell the whole world that you’re mine.
Please understand, when I see you clap your hands.
If you stick around I’m sure that I’ll be fine.

Chorus 2

But I don’t feel like dancin’ when the old Joanna plays.
My heart could take a chance, but my two feet can’t find a way.
You’d think that I could muster up a little soft-shoe gentle sway.
But I don’t feel like dancin’, no sir, no dancin’ today.

Chorus tag 2

Don’t feel like dancin’, dancin’, even if I find nothin’ better to do.
Don’t feel like dancin’, dancin’, why’d you pick a tune when I’m not in the mood?
Don’t feel like dancin’, dancin’, I’d rather be home with the one in the bed till dawn, with you.

Instrumental 2

||: Bm | F#m | Am7 | G :||

Middle 8

| D | D(#5) | D6 | D7 |
You can’t make me dance around but your two-step makes my chest pound.
| G | Gm | A | N.C | N.C |
Just lay me down as you float away into the shimmer light.

Chorus 3

Chorus tag 3

Chorus tag 4

Outro

||: D (G/D) | D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D :||

I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ Chords: Exploring the Unique Progressions

Whenever a great pianist writes a song, we tend to hear some clever chord extensions—and that’s certainly the case with the chords for I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’.

Let’s break each section down, starting with the guitar intro:

| D | Gm/D | D6/9 | D9 |
| G | Gm | G/A A G/A | A D/A Dsus4/A |

This progression centres around the I – IVm movement, with the D6/9 to D9 adding a smooth transition. When we finally land on G, it’s immediately followed by Gm (IV – IVm). The G/A – A movement is another classic trick, which could also be seen as G – A11.

Compare the last part with Never Too Much and Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough—the latter was likely a reference track when Scissor Sisters produced this song.

The Piano Riff

Here’s how I’d describe the chords in the piano riff:

||: D G/D D | D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D :||

This doesn’t easily translate to guitar, so your best option is open-position chords. If that feels too tricky, focus on picking two key strings to outline the most important notes.

As the verse begins, the piano riff continues, but when we move to G, we simplify the movement—just G and Gsus4.

The last line of the verse is:

| A | C G | D G/D D | D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D |

That C chord functions as a bVIIx.

The Clever Bridge Section

The bridge introduces a surprisingly sophisticated progression:

The Bm (VI), F#m (III), and G (IV) follow familiar territory, but the Am7 is the standout. The easiest way to interpret it is as a bVIIx chord, much like the C earlier in the song, but with the V chord in the bass. You could also describe it as a Vm, depending on how you view the harmony.

The Chorus – A Subtle Shift

As the first part of the chorus begins—“But I don’t feel like dancin’ when the old Joanna…”—the riff is stripped back to just D and Dsus4, mirroring what happened with G in the verse. This creates more space for the vocal.

Beyond that, the chords remain the same as in the verse, carrying through to the next line:
“Don’t feel like dancin’, dancin’, even if I find nothin’ better…”

A Key Change in the Instrumental Section

After the first chorus, we get a new instrumental section—but this time, we’ve modulated:

| Gm | C | Gm | C |
| Gm | C C# | D G/D D | D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D |

A minor chord moving to a major chord a fourth above is a II – V progression. In this case, it’s a II – V in F, which makes sense as F is the relative major of Dm. Essentially, this is a modal interchange from D major to D minor—a smooth yet unexpected twist.

The Second Instrumental & Middle 8

The next instrumental section returns to the bridge chords, leading into a brand new section (middle 8):

| D | D(#5) | D6 | D7 |
| G | Gm | A | N.C | N.C |

Here, we chromatically manipulate the D chord—similar to what Ray Charles does in Georgia On My Mind.

This is followed by another IV – IVm movement, resolving to V, where we briefly pause—building anticipation for the final chorus.

The Grand Finale

Now, we’re set up to proudly declare that we’re definitely not going to be dancing…

Yeah, right!

Here’s a chord chart—your best approach is to play along with the original recording. Take a few moments to study the chart, then use it as a quick reference. There’s a lot to take in!

I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro

Download my chord chart as a static PDF and/or in the iReal Pro format:

Using iReal Pro, you could change the key—though doing this with the chords in I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ sounds like a bit of a nightmare to me!

I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ – Co-Written with Elton John!

With clear nods to Elton John, Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees, December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) by The Four Seasons, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing by Leo Sayer, and George Michael’s Faith, I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ was destined to be a smash hit.

The Elton John influence isn’t just a passing resemblance—Elton actually co-wrote the song with Scissor Sisters! Released in 2006 as the lead single from Ta-Dah, it became their biggest hit, reaching the top 10 in over twenty countries.

A Song Built on Piano-Driven Chords

The chords are unmistakably piano-like (thank you, Elton!), and working them out took some effort. A Dsus4 and a G/D may seem like small details, but if you love chords as much as I do, you’ll know they make a difference!

To truly appreciate how this modern disco classic was written, you must study I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’’s chords and lyrics carefully—it’s a masterclass in songwriting.

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