Chords + Lyrics | That Don’t Impress Me Much (capo 1)
Intro
| N.C | N.C (A G)| N.C | (drums)
Aw.
| Am F | C G | Am F | C G | (riff)
Aha, yeah, yeah
Verse 1
||: Am F | C G :||
I’ve known a few guys who thought they were pretty smart.
But you’ve got being right down to an art.
You think you’re a genius, you drive me up the wall.
You’re a regular original, a know-it-all.
Bridge 1
||: D A | G :||
Oh, oh, you think you’re special.
Oh, oh, you think you’re something else.
Chorus 1
| N.C | N.C |
Okay, so you’re a rocket scientist.
||: F C | G :||
That don’t impress me much.
So you got the brain but have you got the touch.
Don’t get me wrong, yeah I think you’re alright.
But that won’t keep me warm in the middle of the night.
Instrumental 1
| N.C (A G) | N.C |
That don’t impress me much.
| Am F | C G | Am F | C G |
Aha, yeah, yeah
Verse 2
I never knew a guy who carried a mirror in his pocket.
And a comb up his sleeve-just in case.
And all that extra hold gel in your hair oughta lock it.
‘Cause Heaven forbid it should fall outta place.
Bridge 2
Oh, oh, so you think you’re something special.
Oh, oh, you think you’re something else.
Chorus 2
Okay, so you’re Brad Pitt.
That don’t impress me much.
So you got the looks but have you got the touch.
Don’t get me wrong, yeah I think you’re alright.
But that won’t keep me warm in the middle of the night.
Instrumental 2 (solo)
| N.C (A G) | N.C |
That don’t impress me much.
||: Am F | C G | Am F | C G :||
Mm, Yeah.
Verse 3
| N.C (Am F) | N.C (C G) | (guitar only)
You’re one of those guys who likes to shine his machine.
You make me take off my shoes before you let me get in.
I can’t believe you kiss your car good night.
Now come on baby tell me, you must be jokin’, right?
Bridge 3
Oh, oh, so you think you’re something special.
Oh, oh, you think you’re something else.
Chorus 3
Okay, so you’ve got a car.
That don’t impress me much.
So you got the moves but have you got the touch.
Don’t get me wrong, yeah I think you’re alright.
But that won’t keep me warm in the middle of the night.
Chorus 4
||: F C | G :||
That don’t impress me much (that don’t impress me much). Ah, ah oh no,
You think you’re cool but have you got the touch.
Don’t get me wrong, yeah I think you’re alright.
But that won’t keep me warm on the long, cold, lonely night.
Outro
| N.C (A G) | N.C |
That don’t impress me much.
||: Am F | C G | Am F | C G :|| (riff)
Aha, yeah, yeah.
Okay, so what do you think you’re Elvis or something. Whatever.
That don’t impress me.
That Don’t Impress Me Much Backing Track | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning That Don’t Impress Me Much. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
To play this in the original key, you must fit a capo on fret 1, or tune your guitar a semitone sharp – very unlikely.
To help you out, I’ve made backing tracks a semitone down so you can practise without a capo as well.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
That Don’t Impress Me Much offers an excellent lesson in modal interchange and hit songwriting. The chords and the intro melody provide a wealth of insight into crafting memorable music.
The secret to writing hit melodies, whether vocal or instrumental, lies in hitting the strong intervals, something that the intro melody does to perfection.
Verse
To master that intro, you’ll need TAB, but let’s focus on the chords for now. The verse, which has the same chords as the intro follows a simple progression of VI – IV – I – V in the key of Am, played on repeat like this:
||: Am (VI) F (IV) | C (I) G (V) :||
Bridge
The bridge is equally straightforward, though it’s in a different key, D. The Roman numerals here are I – V – IV, like this:
||: D (I) A (V) | G (IV) :||
Chorus
The chorus shifts to the relative major of the verse, which is C major:
||: F (IV) C (I) | G (V) :||
I’ve created a TAB that breaks down the details, along with a look at the modal interchange techniques that helped make That Don’t Impress Me Much a hit. You’ll find this TAB furtehr down this guitar lesson.
Once you’ve absorbed the lesson on songwriting, this chord chart will help guide you through your gigs as you prepare for world dominance – don’t forget the capo!
That Don’t Impress Me Much Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: That Don’t Impress Me Much chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: That Don’t Impress Me Much iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
That Don’t Impress Me Much | TAB
A serious lesson in modal interchange and hit songwriting, That Don’t Impress Me Much’s chord progression has so much to teach us. Let’s start with the intro melody.
The money notes in melody writing are the 3rd, and the two resting notes are the 5th and the root. So, as the chords move: Am (VI) – F (IV) – C (I) – G (V), the melody lands on those notes. Here they are in TAB:
Notice how the m3, R, 3, and R are the “money” or release notes, while 4, 2, and 6 are the tension notes. As we repeat, the only change is the final note: instead of being 2 (tension), it’s 5 (release). Genius, right?
Also, the placement of these notes is crucial:
- Beat 1: Money
- Beat 2: Tension
- Beat 3: Release
- Pure genius!
That intro and the following verse, which follows the same chord progression, are in the key of Am—A Aeolian. Compare this progression with Save Tonight‘s chords and the ones in Wake Me Up.
Now, as we move to the bridge, the chords shift to D (I) – A (V) – G (IV), signaling a key change to D major, or a modal interchange to A Mixolydian.
In the chorus, the chords are F (IV) – C (I) – G (V), with C major being the relative major of Am.
What Shania has done here (though I’m sure her husband and producer, Mutt Lange, had a hand in this) is move from Am to D to C, which feels incredibly uplifting!
The most powerful thing about these three classic progressions:
- VI – IV – I – V in Am/C
- I – V – IV in D
- IV – I – V in C
The beauty lies in the fact that nothing else happens. This is the key to writing a hit: zero hesitation. If that doesn’t impress you much, I don’t know what will!
Try all this with the backing tracks above, I’ve made 4 of them with and without vocals and capo!
A Hit from Shania Twain’s Come On Over Album
One of Shania Twain‘s biggest hits, That Don’t Impress Me Much is from her immensely successful 1997 album Come On Over.
Produced by her husband, Mutt Lang (known for his work with AC/DC, Def Leppard, Bryan Adams, and others), the song sold over a million copies. While that may seem low for such a big hit, it likely owes to the fact that most people bought the album, which sold an astonishing 40 million copies!
This country-pop classic was part of an album that also featured hits like Man! I Feel Like A Woman and You’re Still The One.
If you’re interested in hit songwriting, studying the chords and melodies of That Don’t Impress Me Much—along with the other two hits—could offer valuable insights into crafting something as catchy as these tracks.
That Don’t Impress Me Much Chords: Continue Learning
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