A-Z Songbook, Indie & Heavy Rock, Intermediate Acoustic

Teenage Dirtbag chords by Wheatus

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Teenage Dirtbag | Chords + Lyrics

Intro

||: E5 B5 | E5 Asus2 :||

Verse 1

Bridge 1

Chorus 1

| E5 A5 | B5 C#5 G#5 |
‘Cause I’m just a teenage dirtbag, baby.
| E5 A5 | B5 C#5 G#5 |
Yeah, I’m just a teenage dirtbag, baby.
| E5 A5 | B5 C#5 G#5 | E5 A5 | B5 C#5 G#5 |2/4 A5 B5 |
Listen to Iron Maiden, baby, with me. Oo-o-o-oo-o-oh.

Instrumental 1

||: E5 B5 | E5 Asus2 :||

Verse 2

Bridge 2

Chorus 3

Chorus tag 1

Instrumental 2

| E5 B5 | E5 Asus2 |

Verse 3

Bridge 3

Chorus 4 (Breakdown)

| E5 A5 | B5 C#5 G#5 |
I’ve got two tickets to Iron Maiden, baby.
| E5 A5 | B5 C#5 G#5 |
Come with me Friday, don’t say maybe
| E5 A5 | B5 C#5 G#5 | E5 A5 | B5 C#5 G#5 |2/4 A5 B5 |
I’m just a teenage dirtbag baby like you. Oo-o-oo-oh

Chorus tag 2

Outro

| E B5 | E5 Asus2 | E B5 | E5 (A G#) | (F# G# F#) E |
Missing, ah oh, oh.

Teenage Dirtbag Chords: Learn the progressions

Teenage Dirtbag uses simple chords and progression to get into your mind. Let’s analyze each chord progression to find out how ideas are recycled.

The intro, verse, and instrumental sections are all I – V – I – IV, with power chords and a sus2, like this:

||: E5 (I) B5 (V) | E5 (I) Asus2 (IV) :||

The bridge starts on chord VI, and then goes to IV – V, like this:

| C#m (VI) Asus2 (IV) | B5 (V) |

The chorus goes back to chord I and adds a turnaround riff, like this:

| E5 (I) A5 (IV) | B5 (V) C#5 (VI) G#5 (III) |

The characteristic turnaround has a 2/4 bar in it.

| E5 A5 | B5 C#5 G#5 |2/4 A5 B5 |

The chorus tag section finally uses the full triad for the E chord as it goes like this:

||: E (I) Asus2 (IV) :|| x3
| C#5 (VI) G#5 (III) A5 (IV) B5 (V) :||

The outro slows down and is compulsory to memorize!

| E B5 | E5 Asus2 | E B5 | E5 (A G#) | (F# G# F#) E |

As Teenage Dirtbag was recorded using an acoustic guitar going through amps, this tune works using the same part no matter if you play it on your own using an acoustic, or in a band with an electric – very unusual!

Members get the TAB for all sections which looks like this for the verse, intro, and instrumental sections.

Teenage Dirtbag chords and TAB for the intro, verse, and instrumental sections.

Notice how the chords are played on two strings, and then three. This makes the part feel more varied and works well to imitate the layered guitars on the original recording.

This trick is used to an even bigger extent in other sections, all aiming to create the best part for playing Teenage Dirtbag on one guitar, in a band, or on the acoustic.

Here’s a link to the complete lesson: Teenage Dirtbag – Guitar Lesson with TAB.

Teenage Dirtbag was inspired by a teenage satanic ritual murder!

Released in 2000, Teenage Dirtbag was the lead single from Wheatus‘ debut album.

An enormous success worldwide, it made the band famous overnight. Recorded in Brendan’s mother’s basement, only the mixing and mastering were done in a professional setting.

In the charts, Teenage Dirtbag performed best in Australia, Austria, and Belgium, where it reached #1. A further ten countries had it in the top 10, including the U.K. (2) and U.S. (7).

The idea for the tune came from Brendan at the age of 10, walking around in AC/DC T-shirts, being a little rebel while simultaneously a murder committed by another teen in a satanic ritual, also wearing an AC/DC T-shirt.

This caused the people around him to view him as if he were the same as the murderer when he was just a regular teenager, hence the line: I’m just a Teenage Dirtbag!

I met the band in 2003 when they were touring the U.K. At the time, Teenage Dirtbag was so big they played it three times in every gig. Their message was very bitter as they kept telling everyone: never sign a major record deal!

Wheatus never managed to follow their huge hit with another big tune. They still play it at gigs, and so do party bands, more than two decades after the initial release.

Teenage Dirtbag Chords | Related Pages

Intermediate Acoustic

Most intermediate acoustic tunes can’t be played using just basic open-position chords. We have to move up the fretboard and play CAGED barre chords as well.

We incorporate bass lines, add licks, extend chords, and play vocal melodies. Most importantly, we’ll invent second guitar parts and play these songs together.

Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics

When you can play Teenage Dirtbag's chords, try these five tunes from the songbook.

Wheatus tunes

Brendan B. Brown grew up playing Iron Maiden and AC/DC tunes, contemplating the hardship of Western white male teenage years first-hand.

As Wheatus‘ guitarist, singer, and songwriter he managed to sum this up perfectly in his massive tune Teenage Dirtbag.

Wheatus on the web

Indie & Heavy Rock

When you cna play Teenage Dirtbag, try these Indie and Heavy Rock tunes as well.

Riff-based Indie & Heavy Rock tunes must be studied in depth in order to understand why a tune in these styles work.

Learn songs by Foo Fighters, Rage Against The Machine, Green Day, Kings Of Leon, Jack White, Blink-182, and many more.

About me | Dan Lundholm

Dan Lundholm wrote this guitar lesson about Teenage Dirtbag chords.

This was a guitar lesson about Teenage Dirtbag chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and learn guitar with Spytunes.

Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.