Chords + Lyrics | Teenage Kicks
Intro
||: D | D5 C#5 /A | B5 | B5 C#5 D5 :||
Verse 1
| D | D5 C#5 /A |
Are teenage dreams so hard to beat?
| B5 | B5 C#5 D5 |
Every time she walks down the street.
| D | D5 C#5 /A |
Another girl in the neighbourhood.
| B5 | B5 A5 G5 |
Wish she was mine, she looks so good.
Chorus 1
| G5 | G5 G#5 A5 |
I wanna hold her, wanna hold her tight.
| A5 | A5 |
Get teenage kicks right through the night.
Verse 2
I’m gonna call her on the telephone.
Have her over ’cause I’m all alone.
I need excitement oh I need it bad.
And it’s the best, I’ve ever had.
Chorus 2
I wanna hold her, wanna hold her tight.
Get teenage kicks right through the night, all right.
Instrumental
| D | D (Dsus4) | B5 (Bsus4) | B5 |
| D | D (Dsus4) | B5 (Bsus4) | B5 C#5 D5 |
Verse 3
Are teenage dreams so hard to beat?
Every time she walks down the street.
Another girl in the neighbourhood.
Wish she was mine, she looks so good.
Chorus 3
I wanna hold her, wanna hold her tight.
Get teenage kicks right through the night.
Verse 4
I’m gonna call her on the telephone.
Have her over ’cause I’m all alone.
I need excitement oh I need it bad.
And it’s the best, I’ve ever had.
Chorus 4
I wanna hold her, wanna hold her tight.
Get teenage kicks right through the night, all right.
Solo (as verse)
| D5 | D5 C#5 /A | B5 | B5 C5 C#5 |
| D5 | D5 C#5 /A | B5 | B5 A5 G5 |
Chorus 5
| G | G5 G#5 A5 |
I wanna hold her, wanna hold her tight.
| A | A (Asus4) | D G | G A5 C#5 D |
Get teenage kicks right through the night, all right.
Teenage Kicks Chords: How The Undertones Crafted a Timeless Punk Anthem
In the key of D, Teenage Kicks revolves around the four strongest chords: I, VI, IV, and V (D, Bm, G, and A). Anything else is simply a chromatic passing chord.
These chords are often played as triads, but to disguise whether they’re major or minor, they can also be played as power chords—perfect for punk!
Intro
The intro connects chords I and VI with a chromatic approach, using power chords and an open A string before the Bm:
||: D (I) | D5 C#5 (VII) /A |
| Bm (VI) | B5 C#5 D5 :||
Verse
The verse follows the same idea as the intro, but with a slight variation at the end where it descends instead of ascending:
| Bm (VI) | B5 A5 (V) G5 (IV) |
Chorus
The chorus introduces more chromatic movement, resolving to a full triad on the final chord:
| G5 (IV) | G5 G#5 (#IV) | A5 (V) | A5 |
In the TAB lesson, I show you two ways to play this—including one with open-position chords! → Teenage Kicks – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Instrumental
The instrumental adds sus4 chords to create extra tension:
| D (I) | D (Dsus4) | B5 Bsus4 (VI) | B5 |
| D | D (Dsus4) | B5 Bsus4 | B5 C#5 D5 |
Solo
The solo mirrors the verse, while the final progression nods to Twist & Shout:
| D5 G5 | G5 A5 C#5 D5 |
Here’s a chord chart for reference.
Teenage Kicks Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Download my chord chart as a PDF or in the iReal Pro format:
Teenage Kicks TAB | Course Preview
In the course, you get TAB for all sections of Teenage Kicks, arranged to work for the sole guitarist in a band.
As a preview, here’s the first line of the verse. Notice how the open A string is used to move from the C#5 chord to B5.
The Song That Won John Peel’s Heart
In 1979, when punk and new wave were dominating the U.K. scene, Northern Irish band The Undertones made a major impact. After sending a demo to BBC DJ John Peel, the excited DJ not only paid for their first recording but also helped launch their career when their debut single Teenage Kicks was picked up by local label Good Vibrations.
Peel was so captivated by the song that he played it relentlessly on air—sometimes even twice in one show—declaring, “It doesn’t get much better than this!”
His love for the track was so strong that he famously requested part of the lyrics to be etched on his gravestone. In 2001, he even made a documentary, Teenage Kicks: The Undertones, returning to Derry, the band’s hometown.
→ Get the full story here: The Undertones tunes.
Teenage Kicks Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Teenage Kicks (The Undertones) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
