The Pretender | Chords + Lyrics
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
||: Am (F# G A) :||
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.
They need you buried deep, the secrets that you keep are ever ready, are you ready?
I’m finished making sense, done pleading ignorance. That old, defence,
Spinning infinity boy, the wheel is spinning me, it’s never-ending, never-ending.
| (D E) | (F# G) |
Same old story.
Chorus 1
| Am | Am | (A B) | (C A) |
What if I say I’m not like the others? What if I say I’m not just another one,
| D/F# | D/F# | Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C |
of your plays? You’re the pretender, what if I say I will never surrender?
| Am | Am | (A B) | (C A) |
What if I say I’m not like the others? What if I say I’m not just another one,
| D/F# | D/F# | Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C |
of your plays? You’re the pretender, what if I say that I will never surrender?
Instrumental 2
| A5 A6 A7 A6 | A5 A6 A7 A |
Verse 3 (as verse 2, but half)
In time or so I’m told. I’m just another soul for sale, oh well.
The page is out of print, we are not permanent, we’re temporary, temporary.
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 A7 A :||
Bridge
||: A5 A6 A7 A6 | A5 A6 A7 A :||
I’m the voice inside your head you refuse to hear.
I’m the face that you have to face, mirroring your stare.
||: A(#9) A9 A A7 :|| x4
I’m what’s left, I’m what’s right, I’m the enemy.
||: Asus4 A(#9) A9 A :|| x4
I’m the hand that’ll take you down, bring you to your knees.
||: A5 A7 A Asus4 :|| 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 A7 A :||
So who are you? Yeah, who are you?
||: A(#9) A9 A A7 :|| A5 N.C | 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:
||: Am (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 since both F# and F appear.
||: Am | Am | Am | Am |
| D/F# | D/F# | Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C :|| (D E) | (F# G) |
Chorus
The chorus closely mirrors the verse, with an added bass line in bars 3 and 4.
| Am | Am | (A B) | (C A) |
| D/F# | D/F# | Fsus2/C | Fsus2/C |
Breakdown
Chuck Berry on acid! Starting with a classic honky-tonk rhythm, Dave moves up the neck, adding #9, 9, 7, and 4 extensions to build intensity—nice one, Dave!
||: A5 A6 A7 A :||
||: A(#9) A9 A A7 :||
||: Aadd4 A(#9) A9 A :||
||: A5 A7 A Asus4 :||
Here’s a chord chart.
The Pretender Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
As much as I tried, there was no way to fit all of The Pretender‘s chords onto a single page. However, splitting it into two makes each section much clearer.
You can download my charts in either PDF or iReal Pro format. If you choose iReal Pro, you can even experiment with adjusting the layout yourself.
- The Pretender chord chart PDF, page 1
- The Pretender chord chart PDF, page 2
- The Pretender iReal Pro, page 1
- The Pretender iReal Pro, page 2
How Foo Fighters Turned a Sesame Street Hook into a Rock Anthem
4oThe 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 video guitar lesson above demonstrates the different guitar parts used in the song. Memorise these, then use the chords, lyrics and chord chart to guide you through the arrangement of this awesome tune.
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