That’s Entertainment | Chords + Lyrics (Capo 3)
Intro
| G | Em | G | Em |
| Am | F | G | Em |
Verse 1
||: G | Em :||
A police car and a screaming siren.
A pneumatic drill and ripped up concrete.
A baby wailing, stray dog howling.
The screech of brakes and lamp light blinking.
Chorus 1
| Am | F | Am | F | G | Em |
That’s entertainment, that’s entertainment.
Verse 2
||: G | Em :||
A smash of glass and the rumble of boots.
An electric train and a ripped-up phone booth.
Paint-splattered walls and the cry of a tomcat.
Lights going out and a kick in the balls.
Chorus 2
| Am | F | Am | F |
I say that’s entertainment, that’s entertainment.
| G | Em | G | Em |
Ah. La la la la la, ah. La la la la la, ah.
Verse 3
||: G | Em :||
Days of speed and slow time Mondays (La la la la la, ah).
Pissing down with rain on a boring Wednesday (La la la la la, ah).
Watching the news and not eating your tea (La la la la la, ah).
A freezing cold flat and damp on the walls (La la la la la, ah).
Chorus 3
| Am | F | Am | F | G | Em |
I say that’s entertainment, that’s entertainment.
Verse 4
||: G | Em :||
Waking up at six AM on a cool warm morning.
Opening the windows and breathing in petrol.
An amateur band rehearsing in a nearby yard.
Watching the tele and thinking about your holidays.
Chorus 4
| Am | F | Am | F |
That’s entertainment, that’s entertainment.
| G | Em | G | Em |
Ah. La la la la la, ah. La la la la la, ah.
| G | Em | Am | F | G | Em |
La la la la la, ah. La la la la la, ah.
Verse 5
||: G | Em :||
Waking up from bad dreams and smoking cigarettes.
Cuddling a warm girl and smelling stale perfume.
A hot summer’s day and sticky black tarmac.
Feeding ducks in the park and wishing you were far away.
Chorus 5
| Am | F | Am | F | G | Em |
That’s entertainment, that’s entertainment.
Verse 6
||: G | Em :||
Two lovers kissing amongst the scream of midnight.
Two lovers missing the tranquility of solitude.
Gettin’ in a cab and traveling on buses.
Reading the graffiti about slashed seat affairs.
Chorus 6
| Am | F | Am | F |
I said that’s entertainment, that’s entertainment.
Outro
||: G | Em | G | Em |
Ah. La la la la la, ah. La la la la la, ah.
| G | Em | Am | F :|| to fade
La la la la la, ah. La la la la la, ah.
That’s Entertainment’s chords and progressions
That’s Entertainment is one of the best beginner songs for students wanting to play with a pick.
All you have to do is learn how to fret four chords and then memorize two bars of rhythm.
The 16th-note triplet at the end of bar two is great for the beginner student’s development, it really gets them going, wanting to learn more as it presents a challenge, without being impossible.
Teaching this song, you can spend some time on the intro as once a student can play this, they basically know the entire song. The chords are just I – VI (G – Em), then II – bVII (Am – F), and back to I – VI, like this:
| G | Em | G | Em |
| Am | F | G | Em |
What’s interesting here is that we could see this as in the key of C instead, making G – Em V – III, Am – F VI – IV.
Often, a beginner will want to nail down what the correct answer is, this is a natural trait when learning something new, but the great thing about music is that we often bend the rules a little bit.
It’s almost as if That’s Entertainment is in both the keys of G and C and if that’s not music theory entertainment, I don’t know what is!
Here’s a link to the complete lesson (members only): That’s Entertainment chord analysis and TAB.
Become a member today and get unlimited access to all step-by-step guitar courses, TAB for the songbook, the Self-Eliminating Practice Routine, and the eBook Spytunes Method.
That’s Entertainment was the best-selling imported single in the U.K.!
National treasure Paul Weller’s band The Jam only released That’s Entertainment as a single abroad, resulting in it becoming the second biggest-selling import single in the U.K.
Describing the reality of life as a working-class citizen in the late ’70s/early ’80s, it has been hailed by the British press since the day it dropped.
BBC, who probably like Paul Weller more than anyone, even listed it as “the 43rd best song ever released by any artist”.
I’m more interested in chords, strumming patterns, and bridging key signatures than cultural impacts but maybe that’s just me!
That’s Entertainment chords | Related pages
Beginner Acoustic
This collection of beginner acoustic tunes will teach you how to arrange for one acoustic guitar, as well as how to create a supporting part.
Playing songs will help you with switching between open-position chords and give you the context you need to understand how music works theoretically.
Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics
The Jam
Formed by Paul Weller and his classmates in 1972, The Jam was a Mod/punk/rock band that released albums between 1975 and 1982.
Their best tunes include Town Called Malice, Down in the Tube Station at Midnight, Going Underground, and That’s Entertainment.
The Jam on the web
Pop & Rock
Whenever a tune doesn’t fit into a specific genre, it tends to end up here, in the Pop & Rock section.
Learn tunes from Tom Petty, Eagles, Toto, Oasis, Elvis, Clapton, John Mayer, Kings Of Leon, R.E.M., Radiohead, Bruno Mars, and more.
