Chords + Lyrics | Locked Out Of Heaven
Intro
| N.C C Dm |
||: N.C C Bb | N.C F/A Gm | Gm | Gm C Dm :||
Aw, yeah, yeah. Aw, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (oh).
Aw, yeah, yeah. Aw, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (oh).
Verse 1
||: N.C C Bb | N.C F/A Gm | Gm | Gm C Dm :||
Never had much faith in love or miracles (oh).
Never wanna put my heart on the line (oh).
But swimming in your water’s something spiritual (oh).
I’m born again every time you spend the night (oh).
Bridge 1
| N.C C Bb | N.C F/A Gm | Gm | Gm |
‘Cause your sex takes me to paradise. Yeah, your sex takes me to paradise.
| F | F | A7 | A7 |
And it shows. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Chorus 1
| Bb | Bb | Gm | Gm |
‘Cause you make me feel like, I’ve been locked out of heaven.
| Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Csus4 C | C |
For too long, for too long.
| Bb | Bb | Gm | Gm |
Yeah, you make me feel like, I’ve been locked out of heaven.
| Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Csus4 C | C Dm |
For too long, for too long.
Instrumental 1
||: N.C C Bb | N.C F/A Gm | Gm | Gm C Dm :||
Aw, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (oh).
Aw, yeah, yeah. Aw, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (oh).
Verse 2
| N.C | N.C | N.C | N.C C Dm |
You bring me to my knees, you make me testify (oh).
||: N.C C Bb | N.C F/A Gm | Gm | Gm C Dm :||
You can make a sinner change his ways (oh).
Open up your gates ’cause I can’t wait to see the light (oh).
And right there is where I wanna stay (oh).
Bridge 2
‘Cause your sex takes me to paradise. Yeah, your sex takes me to paradise.
And it shows. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Chorus 2
‘Cause you make me feel like, I’ve been locked out of heaven.
For too long, for too long.
Yeah, you make me feel like, I’ve been locked out of heaven.
| Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Csus4 C | C N.C |
For too long, for too long.
Middle 8
| Bb | Bb | Gm | Gm |
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
| Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Csus4 C | C |
Can I just stay here? Spend the rest of my days here?
| Bb | Bb | Gm | Gm |
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
| Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Csus4 C | C |
Can I just stay here? Spend the rest of my days here?
Chorus 3 (as chorus 1)
‘Cause you make me feel like, I’ve been locked out of heaven.
For too long, for too long.
Yeah, you make me feel like, I’ve been locked out of heaven.
For too long, for too long.
Outro
||: N.C C Bb | N.C F/A Gm | Gm | Gm C Dm :||
Aw, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (Ooh).
Aw, yeah, yeah. Aw, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (Ooh).
Locked Out Of Heaven Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Locked Out Of Heaven. 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?
In the key of Dm/F, Locked Out of Heaven follows a V – VI, V – IV, I – II progression. However, the I chord is played with its 3rd in the bass, creating a descending motion toward Gm from A rather than ascending from F. The progression looks like this:
| N.C C Dm ||: N.C C Bb | N.C F/A Gm |
| Gm | Gm C Dm :||
Bridge
Before the chorus, the chords shift to I – IIIx. Since we don’t play C and Dm in the final bar of Gm, it’s best to add a line from the previous section, effectively creating a bridge:
| N.C C Bb | N.C F/A Gm |
| Gm | Gm |
| F | F | A7 | A7 |
In the TAB found further down this lesson, you find several ideas for all these sections. Once mastered, you can use them in an improvised way, making this modern classic fun to play for years.
Chorus
The chorus begins on chord IV (Lydian), creating a sense of movement before resolving downward to II – I – V:
| Bb (IV) | Bb | Gm (II) | Gm |
| Fmaj7 (I) | Fmaj7 | Csus4 (V) C | C |
Middle 8
The middle eight cleverly reuses the chorus chords, reinforcing the song’s signature feel.
Here’s the same chord chart used in the backing track videos.
Locked Out Of Heaven Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
If you’d like to download my chord chart, here’s the PDF: Locked Out of Heaven chord chart.
This chart was created using iReal Pro. Here’s the file: Locked Out of Heaven iReal Pro. With the iReal Pro app, you can also change the key—although for this tune, I’ve never needed to.
Locked Out Of Heaven | TAB
There’s so much that can be done with this tune! Let’s start by examining three ideas for the intro/verse section.
Verse + Intro
The first idea uses A and Am shapes as a starting point:
The next variation moves up the strings and occasionally up the neck:
The final idea goes further up the neck for more range:
When playing live, the key is to stay flexible and move around as much as possible.
Bridge
Here’s one way to play the bridge. I like it because it builds into the chorus. On the recording, this section mainly consists of sound effects.
You can vary the first half as you did for the verse. For the new chords, try holding them as power chords or draw ideas from the upcoming chorus.
Chorus
Here are three ideas for the chorus:
This builds on the bridge, using a three-against-four rhythm. On the recording, it’s sparser with sound effects.
This variation moves to a new area and holds the last note for emphasis.
Here, longer notes are played on the low strings initially, then intensity increases halfway through.
Middle 8
The middle eight uses the same chords as the chorus. Once you’ve absorbed all the TAB, think about how you’ll interpret this section.
Before hitting the stage, try playing all of this using just my chord chart and backing tracks above.
Locked Out of Heaven gave Bruno Mars credibility
As the lead single from Unorthodox Jukebox, Locked Out of Heaven showcased Bruno Mars’ versatility with a Police-influenced smash hit.
Before this, he had already scored big with Just the Way You Are and Marry You, but those songs hadn’t quite earned him the same level of credibility.
In hindsight, Locked Out of Heaven was the single that elevated him to superstardom. From there, he followed up with Treasure, 24K Magic, Uptown Funk, and Forget You (released by Cee Lo Green), securing his place as a household name.
Locked Out Of Heaven Chords: Continue Learning
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