Spooky | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| Am7 | D6/9 | Am7 | D6/9 |
Verse 1
| Am7 | D6/9 | Am7 | D6/9 |
In the cool of the evening when everything is getting kind of groovy.
| Am7 | D6/9 | Am7 | D6/9 |
You call me up and ask me would I like to go with you and see a movie.
| Am7 | Am7 | D6/9 N.C | D#dim7 |
First I say “no”, I’ve got some plans for the night and then I stop, and say, “all right”.
| Am7 | D6/9 | Am7 | E7#9 |
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you.
Verse 2
| Am7 | D6/9 | Am7 | D6/9 |
You always keep me guessing, I never seem to know what you are thinking.
| Am7 | D6/9 | Am7 | D6/9 |
And if a girl looks at you, it’s for sure your little eye would be a-winkin’.
| Am7 | Am7 | D13 N.C | D#dim7 |
I get confused, ’cause I don’t know where I stand and then you smile, and hold my hand.
| Am7 | D13 | Am7 | E7#9 |
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you. Spooky yeah.
Solo
| Am7 | D6/9 | Am7 | D6/9 |
| Am7 | D6/9 | Am7 | E7#9 |
Verse 3 (as verse 1)
If you decide someday to stop this little game that you are playing.
I’m gonna tell you all that my heart’s been a-dyin’ to be sayin’.
Just like a ghost, you’ve been a-hauntin’ my dreams but now I know, you’re not what you seem.
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you. Spooky, hey.
Outro
||: Am7 | D6/9 | Am7 | D6/9 :||
Ha, ah, ha. Spooky, mm, hm.
Spooky, ah, ah, ah, ah. Spooky, oh, oh.
Spooky, ah, ah, ah. Spooky.
Spooky Chords: Learn the progressions
Spooky‘s intro sets up the general loop of Am7 – D6/9.
On the guitar, it sounds best to use an Em shape and a C shape for these chords. A 6/9 chord is like a 9 chord but you replace the b7 with a 6.
All this is best described in TAB, then remembered through reading the funny looking chord extensions, here’s a link: Spooky – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
The verse simply continues with the intro loop until bar 11 when it stops, then goes to a D#dim7. This is usually the car crash moment if band members haven’t discussed the chords before the gig!
For the final chord of the verse, we get an E7#9, many musicians get this one wrong too as they play either an Em7 or an E7, which is ironic because if you put those two chords together, they become an E7#9.
In this case, two wrong chords become a right chord – Spooky!
Finally, let’s have a look at the solo as this is not a verse, instead, it’s an 8-bar minor blues. Am7 – D6/9 hints that we should probably see this as a II – V and solo in A Dorian. Finish off with an E7#9 again, like this:
| Am7 | D6/9 | Am7 | D6/9 |
| Am7 | D6/9 | Am7 | E7#9 |
On a final note, in verse 2, we play a 13 chord instead of that D6/9 in the second half, here’s a chord chart summing it all up.
Spooky Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Spooky Chord Chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Spooky iReal Pro.
Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key which may be a great idea if you want to practice Spooky’s chords in 12 keys and become better at soloing.
Spooky was never a big hit for Dusty at the time
Spooky was originally released by Classic IV in 1967. Dusty Springfield recorded it in 1968 but didn’t include it on her album Dusty… Definitely. Only on the rerelease in 2001 was it included.
Dusty’s version was a B-side in 1970 to How Can I Be Sure. By then she had already reached worldwide fame with hits like Son Of A Preacher Man and The Look Of Love.
I feel they missed a trick here as her next big hit would take until 1989, with In Private.
To me, Spooky is an excellent, slightly unexpected choice for a first-set tune by the working soul band, perhaps surrounded by I Say A Little Prayer and Let’s Stay Together.
Over the years, it’s also become a fun tune to jam for instrumental jazz bands, similar to Sunny by Bobby Hebb.
Spooky Chords | Related Pages
Spooky | Guitar Lesson + TAB
With this guitar lesson, you can learn to play Spooky by Dusty Springfield using TAB and chord analysis.
| Am7 | D6/9 | Am7 | D6/9 |
In the cool of the evening when everything is getting kind of groovy…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
Dusty Springfield tunes
Dusty Springfield is the 60s and 70s singer from London U.K who was a big part of bringing American R&B and soul to the U.K
Her most famous songs include Son Of A Preacher Man, Spooky, You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me, and I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself.
Dusty Springfield on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Spooky chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
