How to Play Losing My Religion Chords by R.E.M. on Guitar
Losing My Religion is one of the most popular songs by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was released in 1991 as the first single from their seventh album Out of Time. The song features a distinctive mandolin riff that was inspired by the folk music of the Middle East. The lyrics are about doubt, confusion, and unrequited love.
If you want to learn how to play Losing My Religion 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 three steps:
- Step 1: Learn the chords
- Step 2: Learn the strumming patterns
- Step 3: Learn the song structure and variations
Learn the Chords
[Intro] F Dm G Am Am/B Am/C Am/D Am F Dm G Am G [Verse 1] Am Em Oh, life is bigger It's bigger than you Am And you are not me. Em The lengths that I will go to, Am Em The distance in your eyes, Dm Oh no, I've said too much, G I set it up. [Chorus] Am That's me in the corner, Em That's me in the spotlight Am Losing my religion. Em Trying to keep up with you. Am Em And I don't know if I can do it. Dm Oh no, I've said too much, G I haven't said enough. [Bridge] G F I thought that I heard you laughing, Dm G Am Am/B Am/C Am/D I thought that I heard you sing. Am F Dm G Am G I think I thought I saw you try. [Verse 2] Am Em Every whisper of every waking hour Am I'm choosing my confessions, Em Trying to keep an eye on you Am Em Like a hurt lost and blinded fool, fool Dm Oh no, I've said too much, G I set it up. [Verse 3] Am Consider this, consider this, Em The hint of a century, Am Consider this: the slip Em That brought me to my knees failed. Am What if all these fantasies Em Come flailing around? Dm G Now I've said too much. [Bridge] G F I thought that I heard you laughing, Dm G Am Am/B Am/C Am/D I thought that I heard you sing. Am F Dm G Am G I think I thought I saw you try. [Link] Am G e|-12-12-12-10-10-10-10-10-8-8-8-5-5-5-5-5-| B|-----------------------------------------| G|-----------------------------------------| D|-----------------------------------------| A|-----------------------------------------| E|-----------------------------------------| F G e|-12-12-12-10-10-10-10-10-8-8-8-5-5-5-5-5-| B|-----------------------------------------| G|-----------------------------------------| D|-----------------------------------------| A|-----------------------------------------| E|-----------------------------------------| C Dm But that was just a dream, C Dm That was just a dream. [Chorus] Am That's me in the corner, Em That's me in the spotlight Am Losing my religion. Em Trying to keep up with you. Am Em And I don't know if I can do it. Dm Oh no, I've said too much, G I haven't said enough. [Bridge] G F I thought that I heard you laughing, Dm G Am Am/B Am/C Am/D I thought that I heard you sing. Am F Dm G Am Am/B Am/C Am/D Am I think I thought I saw you try. F Dm G But that was just a dream, Am Am/B Am/C Am/D Am Try, cry, why, try. F Dm G Am G That was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream, dream. [Outro] Am e|-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-| B|-------------------------| G|-------------------------| x7 D|-------------------------| A|-------------------------| E|-------------------------| e|-12-10-------10----------|-----------------| B|-------13-10----13-10-13-|-10--------------| G|-------------------------|-----------------| D|-------------------------|-----------------| A|-------------------------|-----------------| E|-------------------------|-----------------|
Learn the Strumming Patterns
The song has two main strumming patterns: one for the verses and one for the choruses. The verse pattern is a simple down-up-down-up pattern that follows the rhythm of the vocals. The chorus pattern is a more complex pattern that accents the mandolin riff. Here are the patterns in notation:
Verse pattern:
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 & 7 & 8 & D U D U D U D U D U D U D U D U
Chorus pattern:
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 & 7 & 8 & D D D D D D D D U ^ ^ ^ ^
The ^ symbol indicates an accented strum that matches the mandolin riff. You can also add some palm muting or percussive strums to create more dynamics and groove.
Learn the Song Structure and Variations
The song has a simple structure that consists of four parts: intro, verse, chorus, and bridge. Here is how they are arranged:
Intro: F F9 F G Am Am/B Am/C Am/D Am F F9 F G Am G (play mandolin riff twice)
Verse 1: Am Em Am Em Dm G (repeat twice)
Chorus 1: Am Em Am Em Am Em Dm G (play mandolin riff four times)
Verse 2: Am Em Am Em Dm G (repeat twice)
Chorus 2: Am Em Am Em Am Em Dm G (play mandolin riff four times)
Bridge: G F Dm G Am Am/B Am/C Am/D (repeat twice)
Chorus 3: Am Em Am Em Am Em Dm G (play mandolin riff four times)
Outro: Am G F G C Dm C Dm (repeat four times and end on Am)
There are some variations and embellishments that you can add to make the song more interesting and expressive. For example, you can play some arpeggios or fingerpicking patterns instead of strumming the chords. You can also add some slides, bends, or vibrato to the mandolin riff. You can experiment with different effects and tones to create different atmospheres and moods.
