Chords + Lyrics | Superstition
Intro
||: N.C | N.C :||
||: Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) :||
Verse 1
||: Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) :||
Very superstitious, writing’s on the wall.
Very superstitious, ladders bout’ to fall.
Bridge 1
||: Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) (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#5 N.C |
then you suffer. Superstition ain’t the way.
Instrumental 1
| Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) horn riff | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) horn riff |
| Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) |
Verse 2
Uh, very superstitious, wash your face and hands.
Rid me of the problem, do all that you can.
Bridge 2
Keep me in a daydream, keep me going strong.
You don’t wanna save me, sad is the song.
Chorus 2
When you believe in things, you don’t understand,
then you suffer. Superstition ain’t the way.
Instrumental 2
| Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) horn riff | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) horn riff |
| Ebm7 Ab7/Eb | Ebm7 Ab7/Eb |
Chorus 3 (instrumental)
Ah, aw!
Instrumental 3
||: Ebm7 (Ab7/E) | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) :||
Verse 3
Very superstitious, nothing more to say.
Very superstitious, the devil’s on his way.
Bridge 3
Thirteen-month-old baby, uh-hm, broke the looking glass.
Seven years of bad luck, good things in your past. Mm-hm.
Chorus 4
When you believe in things, that you don’t understand,
then you suffer. Superstition ain’t the way.
Outro
| Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) horn riff | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) horn riff |
No, no, no.
||: Bb7 B6b5 | Bb7 A6b5 :||
| Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) horn riff | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) horn riff |
||: Ebm (Ab7/Eb) blues scale riff :||
||: Bb7 B6b5 | Bb7 A6b5 :||
||: Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) | Ebm7 (Ab7/Eb) :||
Superstition Backing Track | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning December, 1963 (Oh What A Night!). I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, and vocals intact.
You could use the second backing track where the vocals are removed but the keyboards remain, to solo—more on this later.
There is also a third backing track, tuned to the key of E, with all keyboards removed so you can practise playing this legendary tune in a trio (although, I left the horns in for more fun).
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
The harmony in Superstition is closely related to Stevie’s I Wish, which uses the classic II–V movement: Ebm7 – Ab7.
The difference here is rhythmic. In I Wish, each chord gets two beats. In Superstition, Ebm7 holds for two beats, then Ab7 appears briefly (an eighth note on beat 3) before returning to Ebm7. Since the bass sustains Eb, we can think of this as Ab7/Eb.
As a guitarist, your job is to support the keyboard player’s Clavinet riffs. This means short, percussive chord stabs, or doubling fragments of the riff. A great trick is to switch parts: if the keys play riff 1, you play chords; if they play riff 2, you jump on riff 1. If the keys never change, you can introduce riff 2 yourself.
There’s TAB for all possible scenarios available further down this guitar lesson.
Chorus
Superstiiton’s chorus chords introduce more movement:
| Bb7 B6b5 | Bb7 A6b5 | Ab7 | Bb7 N.C |
Some bands transpose Superstition to Em (Dorian mode). While I don’t prefer it, it works well on guitar with open strings, and it makes life easier for bassists too. If called upon, adapt quickly!
Here’s a chord chart for you to practice with, it’s the same as you find in the backing tracks.
Superstition Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
My chart follows the original recording, including the layered outro where previous sections overlap. Most live bands simplify this ending, so again, be ready to adapt. A professional knows the “correct” parts but also knows when to go with the flow.
Here’s a PDF and iReal Pro file of the chart:
Superstition | TAB
Here’s TAB for all the key sections of Superstition, so you can step into a band setting confident you’re playing the right parts. There’s plenty to get through here!
Riff 1
Notice the dots above the 8th notes — they mean “play short”. Only the first note is played long.
Play along with the backing tracks until it feels natural, keep it going as the band switches to riff 2.
Riff 2
Here’s the second riff. Switch to this only if someone else is covering riff 1. If you’re the only chordal instrument, you’ll need to play it yourself.
Bridge
Next up are the bridge chords, which also reappear as an instrumental section. There are plenty of rhythmic variations, so experiment with different feels.
Instrumental
Here’s the horn line. Notice how much difference the slides make.
Alternatively, play it an octave higher with a more legato approach:
Chord idea
If the keyboard and horn sections are already busy, you might prefer sparse chord stabs. Here’s one idea.
Key of Em
Many bands play Superstition in E minor as it works better for the bass player. Alternatively, tune your guitar down a semitone and think in E — it becomes very guitar-friendly.
Here’s riff 2 in E.
Legendary tunes like Superstition will stay with you for life. The best approach is to dig deep and learn every possible way to play it. Hopefully, this TAB gives you enough food for thought to set you on the right track.
An Essential Tune Every Guitarist Must Know
Ranked #74 on Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest songs of all time, Superstition is #1 on every covers band’s setlist. Released in 1972 as the lead single from Talking Book, it became Stevie Wonder’s second U.S. #1 and remains his signature tune.
Surrounded by classics like You Are the Sunshine of My Life and I Believe (When I Fall in Love), the track helped cement Stevie’s golden era. Despite endless covers, few guitarists play the chords exactly as on the original recording—but that’s part of the fun.
If you’re serious about professional gigging, learning Superstition is unavoidable. Every working guitarist must know it.
And knowing it properly means to be able to play the vocal melody and solo over both sections. Use the backing track above to practise.
Superstition Chords: Continue Learning
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