Chords + Lyrics | The Pretender
Intro
| Amadd9 | Am /B /C Am | F#m7b5 (/G) | Fmaj7 |
Verse 1
||: Amadd9 | Am /B /C Am | F#m7b5 (/G | Fmaj7 :||
Keep you in the dark, you know they all, pretend.
Keep you in the dark, and so it all, began.
Instrumental 1
||: Am13 (F# G A) :|| x4
Verse 2
| Am | Am | Am | Am | D/F# | D/F# | Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C |
Send in your skeletons. Sing as their bones go marching in, again.
| Am | Am | Am | Am | D/F# | D/F# | Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C E5 G5 |
They need you buried deep, the secrets that you keep are ever ready, are you ready?
| Am | Am | Am | Am | D/F# | D/F# | Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C F#5 E5 G5 |
I’m finished making sense, done pleading ignorance. That old, defence.
| Am | Am | Am | Am | D/F# | D/F# | Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C F5 G5 |
Spinning infinity boy, the wheel is spinning me, it’s never-ending, never-ending.
| (D5 E5) | (F#5 G5) |
Same old story.
Chorus 1
| Am | Am | (/A /B /C) | (/C) Am D7/F# |
What if I say I’m not like the others? What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays?
| D7/F# | D7/F# | Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 |
You’re the pretender, what if I say I will never surrender?
| Am | Am | (/A /B /C) | (/C) Am D7/F# |
What if I say I’m not like the others? What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays?
| D7/F# | D7/F# | Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C |
You’re the pretender, what if I say that I will never surrender?
Instrumental 2
| A5 A6 A5 A6 A5 | A5 A6 A5 A7 A5 |
Verse 3
| Am | Am | Am | Am | D/F# | D/F# | Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C F#5 E5 G5 |
In time or so I’m told. I’m just another soul for sale, oh well.
| Am | Am | Am | Am | D/F# | D/F# | Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C F5 G5 |
The page is out of print, we are not permanent, we’re temporary, temporary.
| (D5 E5) | (F#5 G5) |
Same old story.
Chorus 2
What if I say I’m not like the others? What if I say I’m not just another one, of your plays?
You’re the pretender, what if I say I will never surrender?
What if I say I’m not like the others? What if I say I’m not just another one, of your plays?
You’re the pretender, what if I say I will never surrender?
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
Instrumental 3
||: A5 A6 A7 A6 | A5 A6 A5 A7 A5 :||
Bridge
||: A5 A6 A7 A6 | A5 A6 A5 A7 A5 :||
I’m the voice inside your head you refuse to hear.
I’m the face that you have to face, mirroring your stare.
||: Am Asus2 A5 A7 :|| x4
I’m what’s left, I’m what’s right, I’m the enemy.
||: Asus4 Am Asus2 A5 :|| x4
I’m the hand that’ll take you down, bring you to your knees.
||: A7omit3 D/A :|| x8
So who are you? Yeah, who are you? Yeah, who are you? Yeah, who are you?
Breakdown verse
| Amadd9 | Am /B /C Am | F#m7b5 (/G) | Fmaj7 |
Keep you in the dark, you know they all, pretend.
Chorus 3 (double)
What if I say I’m not like the others? What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays?
You’re the pretender, what if I say I will never surrender?
What if I say I’m not like the others? What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays?
You’re the pretender, what if I say that I’ll never surrender?
What if I say I’m not like the others? (Keep you in the dark)
What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays? (You know they all)
You’re the pretender (Pretend), what if I say I will never surrender?
What if I say I’m not like the others? (Keep you in the dark)
What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays? (You know they all)
You’re the pretender (Pretend) What if I say I will never surrender?
Instrumental 4
| (D E) | (F# G) |
Outro
||: A5 A6 A7 A6 | A5 A6 A5 A7 A5 :||
So who are you? Yeah, who are you?
||: Am Asus2 A5 A7 :|| A5 N.C A5 | A5 N.C |
Yeah, who are you?
The Pretender Chords: How Foo Fighters Crafted a Dynamic Rock Anthem
Not your average chord progression or rock ’n’ roll arrangement, The Pretender is a masterclass in chord movement and using dynamics to shape a song. Let’s break down each section.
Intro
Using an Am chord in a Cm shape and shifting the bass note, we get this progression for the intro, first verse, and one of the (many) breakdown sections:
| Amadd9 | Am /B /C Am | F#m7b5 (/G) | Fmaj7 |
Verse Riff
A repeating riff runs through the verse, using the top string to change notes while the second string drones. You could describe it like this:
||: Am13 (F# G A) :||
Verse
Once the full-band verse kicks in, the progression becomes even more intriguing. The Am chord feels both Aeolian and Dorian, as both F# and F appear.
There is also some great variation at the end of every repeat. Take note: this is how you make subtle changes to keep the interest up, and also how you get your band to sound authentic—by nailing the details.
||: Am | Am | Am | Am | D/F# | D/F# |
| 1. Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C :||
| 2. Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C E5 G5 :||
| 3. Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C F#5 E5 G5 :||
| 4. Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C F5 G5 :||
| 5. (D5 E5) | (F#5 G5) |
To get TAB detailing how to play this, including how we must blend layers and decide how to fret riffs, check out the full TAB lesson here: The Pretender – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Chorus
The chorus closely resembles the verse, with an added bass line in bars 3 and 4, and the D/F# now becoming a D7/F#.
||: Am | Am | (/A /B /C) | (/C) Am D7/F# |
| D7/F# | D7/F# | Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 :||
Breakdown
The breakdown section is Chuck Berry on acid! Starting with a classic honky-tonk rhythm, Dave moves up the neck, hitting the m3rd, sus2, b7, and sus4 extensions to build intensity—nice one, Dave!
||: A5 A6 A7 A6 | A5 A6 A5 A7 A5 :||
||: Am Asus2 A5 A7 :|| x4
||: Asus4 Am Asus2 A5 :|| x4
||: A7omit3 D/A :|| x8
Here’s a chord chart aiming to make sense of all of The Pretender’s chords and arrangement.
The Pretender Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download my chart as a PDF or in the iReal Pro format. If you choose iReal Pro, you can experiment with adjusting the layout.
The Pretender TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we look at lots of TAB, as there are many sections to learn in order to play all of The Pretender’s chords.
There are two main challenges:
- How do we combine several layered guitars into one part?
- When do we switch from one prominent idea to another if there is only one guitar in the band?
As a preview, here’s the intro, which is also played during verse 1 and the breakdown. As this is just one guitar on the original recording, it is the most straightforward part in the entire song.
How Foo Fighters Turned a Sesame Street Hook into a Rock Anthem
The Pretender was the first single and opening track from Foo Fighters’ sixth studio album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007).
The song was a huge success and is considered by many—myself included—to be Dave Grohl’s greatest performance yet.
Apparently, it was originally called Silver Heart and only had the chorus, played at a much slower tempo. Dave got the main hook from Sesame Street’s One of These Things Is Not Like the Others.
During a break from the studio, he developed the verse and the Chuck Berry-inspired breakdown, transforming it into not just the album’s lead single but also the band’s go-to opener for live shows.
The greatest lesson here? The Pretender didn’t just come to Dave—he crafted it!
The Pretender Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: The Pretender (Foo Fighter) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
