Teenage Dream | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: Ebmaj7 | Fsus4 :||
Verse 1
||: Ebmaj7 | Fsus4 :|| x4
You think I’m pretty without any makeup on.
You think I’m funny when I tell the punch line wrong.
I know you get me, so I let my walls come down, down.
Verse 2
||: Ebmaj7 (Gm7) | Fsus4 :|| x4
Before you met me, I was alright, but
things were kinda heavy, you brought me to life, now
every February. You’ll be my Valentine, Valentine
Bridge 1
| Ebmaj7 (Gm7) | Fsus4 | Ebmaj7 (Gm7) | Fsus4 |
Let’s go all the way tonight. No regrets, just love.
| Ebmaj7 (Gm7) | Fsus4 | Ebmaj7 (Gm7) | Fsus4 N.C |
We can dance, until we die. You and I, will be young forever.
Chorus 1
||: Ebmaj7 (Gm7) | Fsus4 | Ebmaj7 (Gm7) | Fsus4 :||
You make me feel like I’m live in a, teenage dream, the way you turn me on.
I can’t sleep, let’s run away and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back.
My heart stops when you look at me. Just one touch, now, baby, I believe.
This is real, so take a chance and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back.
Verse 3 (as verse 2)
We drove to Cali and got drunk on the beach.
Got a motel and built a fort out of sheets.
I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece, I’m complete.
Bridge 2
Let’s go all the way tonight. No regrets, just love.
We can dance, until we die. You and I, will be young forever.
Chorus 2
You make me feel like I’m live in a, teenage dream, the way you turn me on.
I can’t sleep, let’s run away and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back.
My heart stops when you look at me. Just one touch, now, baby, I believe.
This is real, so take a chance and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back.
Middle 8
||: Ebmaj7 (Gm7) | Fsus4 | Ebmaj7 (Gm7) | Fsus4 :||
I’ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight.
Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight
(Tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight)
Chorus 2
You make me feel like I’m live in a, teenage dream, the way you turn me on.
I can’t sleep, let’s run away and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back.
My heart stops when you look at me. Just one touch, now, baby, I believe.
This is real, so take a chance and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back.
Outro (as middle 8)
||: Ebmaj7 (Gm7) | Fsus4 | Ebmaj7 (Gm7) | Fsus4 :||
I’ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight.
Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight
(Tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight)
Teenage Dream Chords: Learn the progressions
Essentially a two-chord song, Teenage Dreams‘ chords only move from IV – V. To spice that movement up, we first extend the chords, then add a passing note in the bass.
Depending on whether you play in a band or on just one acoustic guitar, Teenage Dream’s chords need to be arranged in different ways.
The intro and verse start by looping these two chords:
||: Ebmaj7 (IV) | Fsus4 (V) :||
This makes Teenage Dream in the Ionian key of Bb but since there is no Bb, we’re going to have to call it Eb Lydian.
Later on, a Gm7 appears, this is chord VI, and it’s very brief, I write it like this above with chords and lyrics:
||: Ebmaj7 (Gm7) | Fsus4 :||
In the chord chart below, I put it in as a raised chord which feels the most appropriate.
I’ve designed some TAB for how to play this in a band or on an acoustic (fingerstyle) as well as a deep dive into analyzing this seemingly simple tune. Here’s a link to the TAB lesson: Teenage Dream – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Having explored the TAB, this chord chart is all you need to bring to the gig.
Teenage Dream Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Teenage Dream Chord Chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Teenage Dream iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
The Teenage Dream that turned into a nightmare!
Katy Perry‘s Teenage Dream is the lead single from her hugely successful 2010 album.
This wasn’t the only huge single. Fireworks, California Gurls, and Last Friday Night also charted high and sold millions. The album itself sold well over 10 million.
Before Teenage Dream, Katy had already established herself with the album One Of The Boys (2006). This was a big change from her first album (Katy Hudson, 2001) which sold nothing and had Christian undertones.
With singles, I Kissed A Girl, and Hot n Cold, she clearly found a new direction in life and Teenage Dream further explored the more promiscuous theme.
The same year as Teenage Dream was released, Katy married Russel Brand, the king of promiscuity. The marriage lasted less than two years.
After Teenage Dream, Katy had one more worldwide hit in Roar. Russel on the other hand is currently under investigation for multiple rapes. It sounds to me as if Katy’s real-life teenage dream turned into a nightmare…
Teenage Dream Chords | Related Pages
Teenage Dream | Guitar Lesson + TAB
With this guitar lesson, you can learn to play Teenage Dream by Katy Perry using TAB and chord analysis.
||: Ebmaj7 | Fsus4 :|| x4
You think I’m pretty without any makeup on…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
Katy Perry tunes
Pop princess Katy Perry came to prominence in 2008 with her debut single I Kissed A Girl and follow-up Hot n Cold.
Katy continued the hit parade with Firework, California Gurls, Last Friday Night, Teenage Dream, and Roar.
Katy Perry on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Teenage Dream’s 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 by practising scales or studying theory in isolation.