Superstition | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: N.C | N.C :||
||: Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) :||
Verse 1
||: Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) :||
Very superstitious, writing’s on the wall.
Very superstitious, ladders bout’ to fall.
Bridge 1
||: Ebm blues scale riff :||
Thirteen-month-old baby, broke the looking glass.
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past.
Chorus 1
| Bb7 B6b5 | Bb7 A6b5 |
When you believe in things, that you don’t understand,
| Ab7 | Bb7 N.C |
then you suffer. Superstition ain’t the way.
Instrumental 1
| Ebm6 horn riff | Ebm6 horn riff |
| Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) |
Verse 2
||: Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) :||
Uh, very superstitious, wash your face and hands.
Rid me of the problem, do all that you can.
Bridge 2
||: Ebm blues scale riff :||
Keep me in a daydream, keep me going strong.
You don’t wanna save me, sad is the song.
Chorus 2
| Bb7 B6b5 | Bb7 A6b5 |
When you believe in things, you don’t understand,
| Ab7 | Bb7 N.C |
then you suffer. Superstition ain’t the way.
Instrumental 2
| Ebm6 horn riff | Ebm6 horn riff |
| Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) |
Chorus 3 (instrumental)
| Bb7 B6b5 | Bb7 A6b5 | Ab7 | Bb7 N.C |
Ah, aw!
Instrumental 3
| Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) |
| Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) |
Verse 3
||: Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) :||
Very superstitious, nothing more to say.
Very superstitious, the devil’s on his way.
Bridge 3
||: Ebm blues scale riff :||
Thirteen-month-old baby, uh-hm, broke the looking glass.
Seven years of bad luck, good things in your past. Mm-hm.
Chorus 4
| Bb7 B6b5 | Bb7 A6b5 |
When you believe in things, that you don’t understand,
| Ab7 | Bb7 N.C |
then you suffer. Superstition ain’t the way.
Outro
| Ebm6 horn riff | Ebm6 horn riff |
No, no, no.
| Ebm6 horn riff | Ebm6 horn riff |
||: Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb Ebm7) :||
Superstition’s chords and progressions
The best way I can explain Superstition’s chords is to compare it to I Wish, which moves from Ebm7 – Ab7. A II – V (#4 on my must-know chord progression list)
In I Wish, he plays two beats per chord. In Superstition, it’s two beats for Ebm7, one 8th note of Ab7, and back to Ebm7 for the rest of the bar.
If you can fit this Ab7 chord in on beat 3, then go back to Ebm7, you’ll sound much closer to the original.
Since the bass is playing an Eb throughout, we should call this chord an Ab7/Eb.
Playing this in a band, the keyboard player will play the riffs so as a guitarist, you need to support them, not tread all over their riff.
This is best done by playing short chord stabs, perhaps with the odd fragment of the riff thrown in.
The main trick with Superstition, in order to get it somewhat authentic, is to play the main riff and the 2nd riff at the same time.
So if the keyboard player plays riff 1, and you support this by playing chords, you could start playing the riff when they switch to riff 2.
Or, if the keyboard part doesn’t change, you start playing the 2nd riff.
The bridge section goes:
| Bb7 B6b5 | Bb7 A6b5 | Ab7 | Bb7 N.C |
On a final note, some bands play Superstition in the key of Em (Dorian), as much as I disagree with this, you need to be able to just do it if called upon.
Should this be the case, do use some open strings as that’s why it’s being done, to make it work on the guitar better. Just like it’s in Ebm because that’s easier for the keyboard players, especially if they’re blind! (all black keys form the Eb Minor Pentatonic).
Stevie Wonder’s signature song
It may only be #74 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 greatest songs of all time, but it’s certainly #1 on the songs every covers band musician’s must-know-list, which is ironic as I’ve never heard anyone play Superstition’s chords 100% correct!
Superstition was released as the lead single from Stevie’s album Talking Book. Other notable songs on this album are You Are The Sunshine Of My Life and I Believe (When I Fall In Love).
It did well in the charts, being his 2nd #1 single, and has since become Stevie Wonder’s signature song.
Even though the song didn’t climb to the highest position in the charts worldwide, this is easily one of the best-known songs in the world.
If you want to play guitar for a living, there is no way around it, you have to learn how to play Superstition.
If you search the internet for how to play Superstition’s chords, you will get a lot of crazy suggestions. In the playlist above, there’s a keyboard player breaking it down, that’s the closest I’ve heard it played to the original.
It’s not easy to translate what he’s saying to chords and lyrics as on the guitar, we don’t have 10 fingers and two Clavinettes, but above, I’ve given it a go.
Superstition chords | Related pages
Five similar tunes
- Brick House chords
- Higher Ground chords
- Hold On, I’m Coming chords
- I Wish chords
- Shake Your Body Down chords
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder is the legend whom most practicing musicians come across that has a life-changing impact on them.
Stevie’s natural groove and ability to purely express music are untouched. His vocal phrasing and songwriting are second to none.
Stevie Wonder on the web
Motown & Soul
You can learn how to play these Motown & Soul tunes, and in doing so, gain yourself a repertoire so you can jam with, or even join a working band.
Study these tunes in-depth and you will map out the fretboard, master the CAGED system, and learn how to design a rhythm guitar part that works in a band.
