How to Play Mary Jane’s Last Dance Chords by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers on Guitar

“Mary Jane’s Last Dance” is a classic rock song by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, released in 1993 as part of their Greatest Hits album. The song features a catchy riff, a harmonica solo, and lyrics that tell the story of a man’s relationship with a woman named Mary Jane. The song is also known for its controversial music video, which shows Tom Petty as a morgue worker who takes home the body of a woman played by Kim Basinger and dances with her.

If you want to learn how to play “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” on guitar, you will need to know some basic chords, strumming patterns, and techniques. In this article, we will show you how to play the song in the key of Am, using the chords Am, G, D, Em7, and A. We will also provide some tips and tricks to make your playing sound more authentic and expressive.

Chords

[Intro]
Am    G    Dsus2    Am   (x4)
 
[Verse]
Am                G
She grew up in an Indiana town
      Dsus2                     Am
Had a good-lookin' mama who never was around
       Am                    G
But she grew up tall and she grew up right
          Dsus2                    Am
With them Indiana boys on them Indiana nights
 
Am    G    Dsus2    Am   (x2) w/harmonica
 
[Verse 2]
Am                                 G
Well she moved down here at the age of eighteen
            Dsus2                             Am
She blew the boys away, was more than they'd seen
Am                                G
I was introduced and we both started groovin'
            Dsus2                               Am
She said, "I dig you baby but I got to keep movin'"
 
Am      G    Dsus2    Am
...on, keep movin' on
Am      G    Dsus2    Am
 
[Chorus]
Em7
Last dance with Mary Jane
Em7                         A
One more time to kill the pain
Em7
I feel summer creepin' in and I'm
Em7                   A      G
Tired of this town again
 
Am    G    Dsus2    Am   (x2) w/harmonica
 
[Verse 3]
Am                    G
Well I don't know, but I've been told
         Dsus2                     Am
You never slow down, you never grow old
Am                  G
I'm tired of screwing up, I'm tired of going down
Dsus2                        Am
Tired of myself, tired of this town
Am                   G
Oh my my, oh hell yes
         Dsus2              Am
Honey put on that party dress
Am                        G
Buy me a drink, sing me a song,
Dsus2                           Am
Take me as I come 'cause I can't stay long
 
[Chorus]
Em7
Last dance with Mary Jane
Em7                         A
One more time to kill the pain
Em7
I feel summer creepin' in and I'm
Em7                  A      G
Tired of this town again
 
[Solo]
Am    G    Dsus2    Am   (x4)
 
[Verse 4]
Am                   G
There's pigeons down on Market Square
         Dsus2                     Am
She's standin' in her underwear
Am                  G
Lookin' down from a hotel room
Dsus2                               Am
Nightfall will be comin' soon
Am                   G
Oh my my, oh hell yes
      Dsus2              Am
You got to put on that party dress
Am                        G
It was too cold to cry when I woke up alone
Dsus2                            Am
I hit my last number and walked to the road
 
[Chorus]
Em7
Last dance with Mary Jane
Em7                         A
One more time to kill the pain
Em7
I feel summer creepin' in and I'm
Em7                  A      G
Tired of this town again
 
Am    G    Dsus2   Am
(Play over and over till out, with solo guitar and harmonica)

The Strumming Pattern

The strumming pattern for this song is fairly simple and consistent throughout. You can use a down-down-up-up-down-up pattern for each chord. To make it sound more natural and rhythmic, you can also accent some strums by hitting them harder or softer than others. For example, you can accent the first down strum of each chord to emphasize the beat.

You can also add some hammer-ons and pull-offs to make your playing more dynamic and expressive. A hammer-on is when you pluck a string and then quickly press down another finger on a higher fret without plucking again. A pull-off is when you pluck a string and then quickly release a finger from a lower fret without plucking again. For example, you can hammer-on your index finger on the first fret of the second string when playing Am, or pull-off your ring finger from the third fret of the second string when playing D.

The Song Structure

The song structure for “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” is as follows:

• Intro: Am G D Am (x4)
• Verse 1: Am G D Am (x4)
• Chorus: Em7 A Em7 A G
• Verse 2: Am G D Am (x4)
• Chorus: Em7 A Em7 A G
• Solo: Am G D Am (x4)
• Verse 3: Am G D Am (x4)
• Chorus: Em7 A Em7 A G
• Outro: Am G D Am (repeat until fade)

You can follow along with these chords while listening to the original song or using a backing track. You can also sing along with the lyrics or improvise your own melody.

Conclusion

“Mary Jane’s Last Dance” is a great song to learn and play on guitar. It has a simple but catchy chord progression, a memorable riff, and a cool harmonica solo. It also has lyrics that tell a story that can be interpreted in different ways. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced player, you can have fun with this song and make it your own. You can also use it as an inspiration to write your own songs or explore other genres of music.

We hope this article helped you learn how to play “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers on guitar. If you enjoyed this article, you might also like our other articles on how to play guitar, such as How to Play “Wonderwall” by Oasis or How to Play “Hotel California” by The Eagles. You can also check out our website for more guitar lessons, tabs, and resources. Happy playing!