Chords + Lyrics | Rosanna
Intro
| N.C | N.C | (drums only)
||: G5 (octave) :|| x4
Verse 1
| G5 (octave) | G5 (octave) | G5 (octave) |
All I wanna do when I wake up in the morning is see your eyes. Rosanna, Rosanna.
| Fsus2 | Em7 | G5 (octave) | G5 (octave) C5 |
I never thought that a girl like you could ever care for me. Rosanna.
| F5 | F (octave) | F (octave) |
All I wanna do in the middle of the evening is hold you tight. Rosanna, Rosanna.
| Eb5 | Dm7 |
I didn’t know you were looking for more than I could ever be.
Pre-chorus 1
| Gm | F/A Bb | Eb5 Bb F/A |
Not quite a year since you went away. Rosanna, yeah.
| Gm | F/A Bb Eb5 | Bb5 F5 | 2/4 F5 | 4/4
Now she’s gone, and I have to say.
Chorus 1
||: Bb Eb5 | Eb5 Bb F/A Bb :||
Meet you all the way.
Meet you all the way. Rosanna, yeah.
Meet you all the way.
| Bb Eb5 | Eb5 Bb5 F5 | 2/4 F5 | 4/4
Meet you all the way. Rosanna, yeah.
Verse 2
I can see your face still shining through the window on the other side. Rosanna, Rosanna.
I didn’t know that a girl like you could make me feel so sad. Rosanna.
All I wanna tell you is now you’ll never ever have to compromise. Rosanna, Rosanna.
I never thought that losing you could ever hurt so bad.
Pre-chorus 2
Not quite a year since you went away. Rosanna, yeah.
Now she’s gone, and I have to say.
Chorus 2
Meet you all the way.
Meet you all the way. Rosanna, yeah.
Meet you all the way.
Meet you all the way. Rosanna, yeah.
Solo (as verse)
| G5 (octave) | G5 (octave) | G5 (octave) |
| Fsus2 | Em7 | G5 (octave) | G5 (octave) C5 |
| F5 | F (octave) | F (octave) | Eb5 | Dm7 |
Pre-chorus 3
Not quite a year since you went away. (Who is it?) Rosanna, yeah.
Now she’s gone, and I have to say.
Chorus 3
Meet you all the way, yeah, yeah, girl.
Meet you all the way. Rosanna, yeah.
Meet you all the way ooh, ooh, ooh, yeah.
Meet you all the way. Rosanna, yeah.
Chorus 4
Meet you all the way.
Meet you all the way. Rosanna, yeah.
Meet you all the way.
Meet you all the way. Rosanna, yeah.
Outro
||: G5 (C/G) | G5 (C/G) :||
Rosanna Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Rosanna. 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 sharp to 441Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Best known for Jeff Porcaro’s legendary hi-hat groove, Rosanna isn’t just a favourite among drummers—chord enthusiasts like us can also appreciate its brilliantly crafted slash chords too!
If you’ve searched for Rosanna chords online, you’ve probably come across variations like Am instead of F/A. However, neither is entirely accurate. Technically, it should be F/C, as the bass plays a C. But for guitarists, this shape looks more like F/A.
Similarly, the Bb should actually be Bb/D, though on guitar, it’s simplified to just two strings.
After much deliberation, I’ve aimed to strike a balance between accuracy and simplicity. With music this intricate, it’s easy to overcomplicate things—so, TAB to the rescue!
My TAB (find it further down this guitar lesson) aim to blend what you find on the record with some other details, like the quick horn lick in the pre-chorus.
Spend some time working through the TAB before relying solely on the chord chart at your next gig!
Rosanna Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Rosanna chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Rosanna iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Rosanna | TAB
As this isn’t going to be easy, let’s get right to it—here’s the verse:
I’ve written G5 for the chords and lyrics above. This isn’t really accurate, as it’s an octave—no 3rd, but no 5th either.
In the TAB, I put Gomit3 which means no 3rd, but it doesn’t imply avoiding the 5th. So, technically, both are incorrect… I guess Im going for two wrongs make a right here!
At least Fsus2 – Em7 is straightforward. After the F5, we play octaves again, just a tone down.
Following the Eb5, there’s a Dm7, and then the same muted idea. On the recording, I don’t think the guitar actually plays that first Dm7—only the keyboards do—but it sounds good, so I’ve included it.
Next, let’s check out Rosanna’s pre–chorus—here’s the TAB:
It’s easy to mistake F/A for Am, but it’s not. On the second line, I’ve just written F, even though it’s still technically F/A.
If you want to include the keyboard and bass parts, all the chords for Rosanna’s pre–chorus are:
| Gm/Bb | F/C Bb/D | Eb Bb/D F/C |
| Gm | F/C Bb/D Eb5 | Bb5 F5 |2/4 F5 |
If you’re creating an acoustic guitar arrangement, that information is useful. In a full band, however, it can be confusing! What looked like F/A, F, or even Am, is actually F/C—very misleading…
That final horn lick is played live on guitar by Steve Lukather, so definitely learn it—it’s just a D minor blues scale.
Finally, here’s the chorus. Should I have called the F an F/A? I guess it depends on who you ask—ask the bass player and he’ll probably say it’s C again!
Every drummer’s favourite tune
Released in 1982 on Toto IV, Rosanna became a huge hit—not just with the general public but also among drum teachers, who finally had the perfect challenge for their students.
The intricate hi-hat groove featured in the song even has a name—not after Rosanna‘s drummer, Jeff Porcaro, but after another legend, Bernard Purdie. Jeff blended this technique with John Bonham’s feel and the Bo Diddley beat to create what became known as the Rosanna Shuffle.
Few drummers can play it as smoothly as the original, but they keep trying—just as they do with the iconic 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover groove from Paul Simon and Steve Gadd.
Perhaps the challenge these rhythms present is what makes them every drummer’s favourite—at least, if they can pull it off!
Why not challenge the drummer in your band to play Rosanna? He’ll be impressed when you nail that horn lick at the end of the pre-chorus…
Rosanna Chords: Continue Learning
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