Looking for 4 four chord songs for guitar?
You'd be surprised how commonly they show up.
On this page were rounding them up, posting some of the most popular songs with only four guitar chords, primarily from the rock and pop musical styles. We'll link to a resource (tabs or lessons) for each song.
The place I noticed these songs showing up most often would be in the modern pop styles, with the keys of G and C being the most common.
Browse through these 4 chord songs for guitar and find what you like. If you have questions, feel free to drop those in the comments section below.
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Popular Rock Songs with just Four Chords
The rock genre tends to employ more extensive power chord progressions and bass lines, which often negates our four-chord limit. However, there are a few popular rock tunes that have used only four chords, particularly in the key of G and C. Note that most of these can be played with open chords or power chords.
- You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC - G, C, D, and G/B (Guitar Tricks)
- Knockin' on Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan - G, D, Am, and C (Guitar Tricks)
- Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison - G, C, D, and Em (Guitar Tricks)
- Every Rose Has its Thorn by Poison - G, D, Em, C (Guitar Tricks)
- Innocent by Our Lady Peace - C, G, F, Am (Ultimate Guitar)
- Creep by Radiohead - G, B, C, and Cm (Ultimate Guitar)
- Smell Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana - F, Bb, Ab, and C# (Ultimate Guitar)
- Don't Stop Believin' by Journey - E, B, C#m, and A (Ultimate Guitar)
- With or Without You by U2 - G, D, Em, and C (Ultimate Guitar)
- It's My Life by Bon Jovi - Em, C, D, and G (Ultimate Guitar)
- She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5 - Am, G, C, and F (Ultimate Guitar)
- Nutshell by Alice in Chains - Cadd9, Em7, G, and D (Ultimate Guitar)
Adam Levine of Maroon 5. Flickr Commons Image via Aewang
Pop Songs with Just Four Chords
Pop songs tend to use less chords than other genres, favoring simple chord progressions and bass lines with more catchy rhythms. This means you get more songs with only four chords, with a lot of emphasis on G, C, and D. Note that most of these songs can be played with open chords and without the need for barre or power chords.
- Perfect by Ed Sheeran - G, Em, C, and D (Guitar Tricks)
- My Way by Calvin Harris - Em, D, G, and Am (Guitar Tricks)
- Riptide by Vance Joy - Am, G, C, Fmaj7 (Ultimate Guitar)
- Zombie by the Cranberries - Em, C, G, and D/F# (Ultimate Guitar)
- Photograph by Ed Sheeran - D, Bm, A, and G (Ultimate Guitar)
- Stay by Justin Bieber - F, G, Am, and Em (Ultimate Guitar)
- Shivers by Ed Sheeran - Bm, G, D, and A (Ultimate Guitar)
- Ben E. King - G, Em, C, and D (Ultimate Guitar)
- Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur - G, D, Em, and C (Ultimate Guitar)
- Soul Sister by Train - C, D, Em, and G (Tabs4Acoustic)
- Let it Be by the Beatles - G, D, Em, and C (Ultimate Guitar)
- Apologize by One Republic feat. Timbaland - Am, F, C, and G (Ultimate Guitar)
- Radioactive by Imagine Dragons - Am, C, G, and D (Ultimate Guitar)
- Get Lucky by Daft Punk - Am, C, Em, and D (Ultimate Guitar)
- Wild Things by The Troggs - A, D, E, and G (Ultimate Guitar)
- Hometown Glory by Adele - C/G, Am, F, and Em (Ultimate Guitar)
Ed Sheeran. Flickr Commons Image via Kmeron
Country Songs with Just Four Chords
We dug up just a few country songs with only four chords. While country tends to be all over the place when it comes to chord progressions, they usually make for some easy-to-play guitar songs.
- Jolene by Dolly Parton - Am, C, G, and Em (Ultimate Guitar)
- Tennessee Whisky by Chris Stapleton - A, E, Bm, and D (Ultimate Guitar)
- Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker - G, D, Em, and C (Ultimate Guitar)
- Cover Me Up by Morgan Wallen - D, G, Bm, and Em (Ultimate Guitar)
- Lady May by Tyler Childers - C, F, Am, and C/B (Ultimate Guitar)
- You're Still the One by Shania Twain - D, G, A, and Em (Ultimate Guitar)
Blues Songs with Just Four Chords
To finish off, here are a few blues songs we picked up that only use four chords.
- Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash - E, E7, A, and B7 (Guitar Tricks)
- The Thrill is Gone by B.B. King - Bm, Em, G, and F#7 (Ultimate Guitar)
- I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You by Tom Waits - C, E, F, and G (Ultimate Guitar)
Conclusion
As I've mentioned a couple times in this post, I've limited my selection to the more popular songs with four chords within each genre. But it's important to mention that there are a ton of other songs with just four chords, almost regardless of the musical style you're searching.
They're great for guitar because you can easily learn and play four chords, whether you're playing open or barred patterns.
Try a few of these songs with chords that you already know.
It'll help you strengthen and improve your chord vocabulary all at the same time.
Questions and Adding 4 Chord Songs for Guitar
Do you have questions about these songs?
Or do you have other 4 chord songs for guitar that you think we should add to this list?
Particularly if they're easy to play on guitar, we want to hear about them so we can keep expanding this resource. If you know of one that you think we should add - or if you just have a question - drop it in the comments section below and we'll take a look.
If we add the song, we'll give you an update credit at the top of this page.
See you there.
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Written by Bobby on Songs and Roundups
Written by Bobby on Songs and Roundups
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