My Girl | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| N.C | N.C | C riff | C riff |
Verse 1
||: C | F | C | F :||
I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day.
When it’s cold outside, I’ve got the month of May.
Bridge 1
||: C Dm | F G :||
I guess you’d say, what can make me feel this way?
Chorus 1
| C | C | F | G Dm7 G |
My girl, my girl, my girl, talkin’ ’bout my girl. My girl.
Verse 2
I’ve got so much honey, the bees envy me.
I’ve got a sweeter song, than the birds in the trees.
Bridge 2
Well, I guess you’d say, what can make me feel this way?
Chorus 2
My girl, my girl, my girl, talkin’ ’bout my girl. My girl.
Breakdown
| N.C | N.C | C riff | C riff |
Ohh, ohh.
Solo
| C | F | C | F |
Hey hey hey. Hey hey hey.
| Dm | G | Em | A |
Oh yeah.
Verse 3 (new key)
||: D | G | D | G :||
I don’t need no money, fortune, or fame.
I’ve got all the riches baby one man can claim.
Bridge 3
||: D Em | G A :||
Well, I guess you’d say, what can make me feel this way.
Chorus 3
||: D | D | G | A G F#m Em :||
My girl, my girl, my girl, talkin’ ’bout my girl. My girl, talkin’ ’bout my girl.
I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day with my girl. I’ve even got the month of May with my girl.
Talkin’ ’bout, talkin’ ’bout, talkin’ ’bout.
My Girl Chords: Breaking Down the Key Movements
My Girl starts with the iconic C major pentatonic riff. If you’re the only guitar player in the band, it’s best to play this riff along with a chord stab on the second beat of every bar.
The verse chords are simply I – IV, or C – F, with that pentatonic riff following the chords in the key of C.
To demonstrate how to best play this, I’ll show you the TAB. Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: My Girl – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
The bridge ascends with a progression of I – II – IV – V on repeat, like this in the key of C:
||: C (I) Dm (II) | F (IV) G (V) :||
Later, after the key change, the verse becomes D (I) – G (IV), and the bridge becomes D (I) – Em (II) – G (IV) – A (V).
The bridge builds tension, which is released in the chorus over the I – IV progression, just like in the verse.
Toward the end of the solo, we modulate up a tone and continue playing My Girl in the key of D.
The outro has a lovely descending progression: V – III – IV – II, or A – G – F#m – Em.
Use the TAB (link above) and the original recording to get familiar with how to play My Girl’s chords.
To me, this is a great opportunity to play chords in different shapes, keeping the rhythm guitar part improvisational.
With that in mind, a chord chart is helpful even if it doesn’t include the notation for the major pentatonic intro riff. Here’s one I made for you.
My Girl Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: My Girl chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro. Here’s a link to the file: My Girl chord chart iReal Pro. Using the iRealPro app, you can change the key. Although, to be honest, I’ve never played this tune in a different key.
My Girl is a must for the working Motown band!
This brilliant composition by Smokey Robinson, performed by The Temptations and backed by The Funk Brothers, is one of Motown’s signature songs and a guaranteed hit for any Motown set.
Released in 1964, it sold over 2 million copies and remains a classic to this day, partly thanks to its enduring popularity in the wedding industry as the perfect Father-Daughter dance.
The Temptations even recorded the song in German and Italian in 1965 and 1966. My Girl was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 – what took them so long?
If it hasn’t been requested as the Father-Daughter dance, I highly recommend including My Girl in your first set, alongside songs like Let’s Stay Together, My Guy, Son of a Preacher Man, and Baby Love.
While you might think that only a few slow songs are needed, especially with the up-tempo tunes typically dominating the setlist, you’ll find that every once in a while, the entire first set may need to be chilled out.
There’s nothing more awkward than playing You Can’t Hurry Love while people are trying to eat, just because your band only knows 30 songs!
Being a professional, working musician is far more rewarding if you take it seriously. Make sure you know all the classics!
My Girl Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: My Girl (The Temptations) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: