Chords + Lyrics | Mr. Big Stuff
Intro
||: Eb | Ab Bb Ab :||
Oh, yeah. Oh.
Chorus 1
||: Eb | Ab Bb Ab :||
Mr. Big Stuff. Who do you think you are?
Mr. Big Stuff. You’re never gonna get my love.
Verse 1
||: Eb | Ab :||
Now because you wear, all those fancy clothes (oh, yeah).
And have a big fine car, oh (ooh) yes, you do now.
Do you think I can afford, to give you my love? (oh, yeah).
| Eb | Ab Bb Ab |
You think you’re higher, than every (ooh) star above.
Chorus 2
Mr. Big Stuff. Who do you think you are?
Mr. Big Stuff. You’re never gonna get my love.
Verse 2
Now I know all the girls, I’ve seen you with.
I know you broke their hearts one after another now, bit by bit.
You made ’em cry, many poor girls cry.
When they try to keep you happy, they just try to keep you satisfied.
Chorus 3
Mr. Big Stuff, tell me, tell me. Who do you think you are?
Mr. Big Stuff. You’re never gonna get my love.
Instrumental
| Cm | F7 | Ab | Bb Ab |
Verse 3
I’d rather give my love to a poor guy that has a love that’s true (oh, yeah).
Than to be fooled around (ooh) and get hurt by you.
‘Cause when I give my love, I want love in return (oh, yeah).
Now I know this is a lesson Mr. Big Stuff (ooh) you haven’t learned.
Outro chorus
||: Eb | Ab Bb Ab :||
Mr. Big Stuff, tell me. Who do you think you are?
Mr. Big Stuff. You’re never gonna get my love.
Mr. Big Stuff. You’re never gonna break my heart.
Mr. Big Stuff. You’re never gonna make me cry.
Mr. Big Stuff, tell me. Just who do you think you are?
Mr. Big Stuff. You’re never gonna get my love.
Mr. Big Stuff. You’re never gonna break my heart.
Mr. Big Stuff. You’re never gonna make me cry.
Mr. Big Stuff, tell me, tell me. Just who do you think you are?
Mr. Big Stuff. You’re never gonna get my love.
Mr. Big Stuff Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Mr. Big Stuff. 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.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar to 439Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Apart from being a great tune, Jean Knight’s Mr. Big Stuff is also very easy to learn—ideal for a song that transitions from radio hit to an item on the working bands’ set lists.
Chorus + Verse
The chorus serves as both the intro and outro, while the verse follows almost the same progression, except for the Bb – Ab chords, which only appear at the end of the final line.
Instrumental
The instrumental section shifts to the relative minor, Cm. However, instead of functioning as chord VI, it acts as II, leading into an F7. This is a common jazz/funk trick, and in Mr. Big Stuff, it plays out like this:
| Cm (II) | F7 (V) | Ab (bVIIx) | Bb (I) Ab |
Here, we see modal interchange at play—Eb moves between Ionian and Lydian. Alternatively, you could think of it as bridging the keys of Eb (chorus, verse) and Bb (instrumental section), which differ by only one note.
I’ve put together TAB to help you play this exactly like the original recording, find it further down this guitar lesson.
When you know know how to exactly play the chords (TAB), a chord chart will help with the song’s structure. Here’s one I made for you.
Mr. Big Stuff Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Mr. Big Stuff chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Mr. Big Stuff iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Mr. Big Stuff | TAB
Jean Knight’s super-cool Mr. Big Stuff consists of three progressions: the verse, chorus, and instrumental section.
The chorus also serves as the intro and outro, so let’s start there. Here’s the TAB:
The verse is almost identical—we just don’t go to the Bb – Ab chords at the end, except when leading back into the chorus. Here’s the TAB:
Finally, the instrumental section moves to the relative minor, Cm. However, instead of being chord VI, it functions as II, followed by an F7. This is a common jazz/funk trick.
We can call this a modal interchange, as it’s not C Aeolian—it’s C Dorian.
Here’s the TAB:
Mr. Big Stuff Chords: Continue Learning
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