Chords + Lyrics | Use Somebody
Intro
||: C5 | C/E | F | F :|| x 4
Verse 1
||: C5 | C/E | F | F :||
I’ve been roamin’ around, always lookin’ down at all I see.
Painted faces fill the places I can’t reach.
Bridge 1
||: Am | C | F | F :||
You know that I could use somebody.
You know that I could use somebody.
Verse 2
Someone like you and all you know and how you speak.
Countless lovers under cover of the street.
Bridge 2
You know that I could use somebody.
You know that I could use somebody.
Chorus 1
||: C | C/E | F | F :|| x 4
Someone like you (oh, oh, oh… ).
Verse 3
Off in the night, while you live it up, I’m off to sleep.
Wagin’ wars to shape the poet and the beat.
Bridge 3
I hope it’s gonna make you notice.
I hope it’s gonna make you notice.
Chorus 2
||: Someone like me (oh, oh, oh…). :|| x3
Use somebody (oh, oh, oh…).
Middle 8
||: D5 | D5 | F#m | F#m :||
I’m ready now, I’m ready now. I’m ready now.
I’m ready now, I’m ready now. I’m ready now. I’m ready now.
Solo
||: C5 | C/E | F | F :||
(Oh, oh, oh…)
Chorus 3
||: Someone like you, use somebody (oh, oh, oh…). :|| x3
Outro
||: C | C/E | F | F :|| x 4
I’ve been roamin’ around, always lookin’ down at all I see.
Use Somebody Chords: A Guide to the Key Progressions
Kings Of Leon‘s Use Somebody features simple yet clever chord progressions that have made it a timeless hit. Let’s break down the chords and progressions throughout the song.
Verse + Chorus
The intro, verse, chorus, and solo all follow a basic I – IV pattern with a smooth transition from the 3rd of the I chord to the IV chord. Here’s how the progression looks:
||: C5 or C (I) | C/E (I/3) | F (IV) | F :||
Bridge
In the bridge, the progression shifts slightly by swapping the C for Am, resulting in:
||: Am (VI) | C (I) | F (IV) | F :||
Middle 8
The middle 8 section steps outside the original key with a modal interchange, moving from C/Am to A/F#m, creating a shift from Aeolian to Ionian mode. Here’s how it looks:
||: D5 | D5 | F#m | F#m :||
As the only guitarist in a band, knowing just the chords won’t suffice. You’ll need to design parts that work within the context of the arrangement. Simply transcribing the layers of the original recording won’t give you the full picture.
I’ve created 8 TAB examples that will work for you whether you’re playing Use Somebody as the sole guitarist in aband, or on an acoustic guitar. These examples are perfect for live performances.
Here’s a link to the TAB lesson: Use Somebody – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you’ve gone through the TAB, you can rely on this chord chart to help you recall the progressions.
Use Somebody Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Download my chord chart as a PDF or iReal Pro file:
Use Somebody TAB | Course Preview
In the course, there’s TAB for how to play Use Somebody as the only electric guitarist in a band, along with acoustic arrangement ideas.
As a preview, here’s Idea 6 — a developed version of the chorus.
The Kings of Leon Hit That Dominated the Charts
Found on their 2008 album Only by the Night, just after Sex on Fire, is Use Somebody, one of the band’s biggest hits.
Its chart success was immense. In the U.K., for example, it spent 40 weeks on the charts, briefly dropping out for a week when Michael Jackson passed away and his old tunes surged back into the charts. After this short absence, Use Somebody re-entered and stayed for another 20 weeks. All in all, it spent 75 weeks in the U.K. charts, making it the 14th longest-charting song of all time.
The song didn’t fare badly worldwide either, hitting the top 10 in 13 other countries.
In 2008/2009, I was signed to the same label as Kings of Leon (RCA), and it was interesting to see how the A&R guys were eager to find the next Kings of Leon, as though they had discovered a formula that could be replicated.
Use Somebody Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Use Somebody (Kings Of Leon) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
