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The Needle And The Damage Done Chords | Neil Young Guitar Lesson

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The Needle And The Damage Done | Chords + Lyrics

Intro

| D Dsus2 | Dsus2/C | G6/B | Gm6/Bb |
| C C6 | Fmaj11 Fmaj7 Fmaj7sus2 | Esus4 | E (A) |

Verse 1

Verse 2

I hit the city and I lost my band
I watched the needle take another man
Gone, gone, the damage done

Instrumental

| D Dsus2 | Dsus2/C | G6/B | Gm6/Bb |
| C C6 | Fmaj11 Fmaj7 Fmaj7sus2 | Esus4 | E (A) |

Verse 3

I sing the song because I love the man
I know that some of you don’t understand
Milk blood to keep from running out

Verse 4

I’ve seen the needle and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie’s like a settin’ sun

Outro

| D Dsus2 | Dsus2/C | G6/B | Gm6/Bb |

The Needle and the Damage Done Chords: Breaking Down the Musical Structure

This Neil Young classic revolves around one 8-bar chord progression that repeats throughout.

The intro, instrumental, and outro follow the same progression as the verse, just with slight variations. This approach is clever as it creates space for the vocal while maintaining a consistent musical theme.

Though the chords may appear complex, they are based on a logical pattern that becomes clearer once you have the TAB.

Here’s a link to the TAB part of this lesson: The Needle and the Damage Done – Guitar Lesson with TAB.

Let’s break down the instrumental section with Roman numerals. The first line is in the key of D, and the second line is in the key of C.

Now, let’s look at the verse with Roman numerals. Neil simplifies the progression by removing some elements!

There’s TAB for both sections of this classic, making it clear what to play. Once you’ve mastered that, reading the chords and lyrics above will become easier. Surprisingly, the complex chord names will actually be helpful!

After studying the TAB and playing along with Neil, this simple chord chart will be all you need.

The Needle And The Damage Done Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro

If you’d like to download the chart, here’s a PDF: The Needle and the Damage Done chord chart PDF.

This chord chart was created using iReal Pro. Here’s a link to that file: The Needle and the Damage Done chord chart iReal Pro. Using this and the iReal Pro app, you can change the key, though I can’t imagine it maintaining the original feel of The Needle and the Damage Done‘s chords!

Neil Young’s Impact: How His Sound Shaped Modern Rock and Beyond

Released as a B-side to Old Man during Neil’s peak years in the early ’70s, this is one of his best compositions. Not only has it been appreciated by his audience, but it has also inspired many other artists. For instance, you can compare Needle and the Damage Done with Jewel’s You Were Meant for Me.

Another widely known example of Neil’s influence is seen in the Grunge bands of the late ’80s and early ’90s. His punk rock attitude earned him the title “father of grunge.” Two prime examples of this influence are R.E.M., who clearly took inspiration from My My, Hey Hey when writing The One I Love, and Pearl Jam, a band with whom Neil collaborated in 1995 on his 21st studio album, Mirror Ball.

Neil’s seemingly careless approach to music—leaving mistakes in and refusing to edit—can be traced back to his experience with his debut solo album, Neil Young (1970). He later commented that it was “overdubbed rather than played” and that it sounded lifeless as a result.

The Needle And The Damage Done Chords: Continue Learning

The Needle And The Damage Done TAB lesson.

Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: The Needle And The Damage Done (Neil Young) Guitar Lesson with TAB.

Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: