How to Play Neon Moon by Brooks & Dunn on Guitar
Neon Moon is a classic country song by Brooks & Dunn, released in 1992 as the third single from their debut album Brand New Man. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and has been covered by many artists, including Kacey Musgraves and Cigarettes After Sex. In this article, we will show you how to play Neon Moon on guitar, using the chords and strumming patterns from the original version and some of the popular covers.
Chords
[Intro] A A A A e|-----------------|-----------------| B|-----------------|---3-3-3-3-------| G|---2-2-2-2-------|---2-------4-2-4-| When they play "A" and "D" throughout the verse, this is the subtle D|---2-------4-2-4-|-0---------------| progression they use. A|-0---------------|-----------------| E|-----------------|-----------------| *quick *quick [Verse] A When the sun goes down on my side of town A That lonesome feelin' comes to my door D A An' the whole world turns... blue A There's a rundown bar across the railroad tracks A I got a table for two, way in the back D A Where I sit alone... and I think of losin' you E A I spend most every night beneath the light of a neon moon [Chorus] D E Now, if you lose your one and only D E There's always room here for the lonely D E To watch your broken dreams dance in and out of the beams A Of a neon moon. [Verse] A I think of two young lovers a-runnin' wild and free A I close my eyes and sometimes see D A You in the shadows of this smoke-filled room A No tellin' how many tears I've sat here and cried A Or how many lies that I've lied D A Tellin' my poor heart she'll come back someday E A Oh, but I'll be alright as long as there's light from a neon moon [Chorus] D E If you lose your one and only D E There's always room here for the lonely D E To watch your broken dreams dance in and out of the beams A Of a neon moon. [Instrumental] A A D D A A e|---------------------------|---------------------------------------------5h7-5-|-----------------| B|---------------------------|-----------------------------5-----8------10-------|-7-7-7-7-7-7-5-2-| G|-----4/6-6-6-6-4p2-2h4-2-2-|-4/6-6-4/6-6-6p4-2-2h4-2-4/6---6/9---9/11----------|-7-7-7-7-7-7-6-2-| D|-4-2-----------------------|---------------------------------------------------|-----------------| A|---------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|-----------------| E|---------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|-----------------| [Verse] A The jukebox plays on drink by drink A And the words to ev'ry sad song seem to say what I think D A And this hurt inside of me, it ain't never gonna end E A Oh, but I'll be alright as long as there's light from a neon moon [Chorus] D E If you lose your one and only D E There's always room here for the lonely D E To watch your broken dreams dance in and out of the beams A Of a neon moon. [Outro] E Watch your broken dreams dance in and out of the beams A Of a neon moon, ohhh E N.C. Watch your broken dreams dance in and out of the beams A Of a neon moon. A A A A x2
The Kacey Musgraves Version
The Kacey Musgraves version of Neon Moon is a duet with Brooks & Dunn, featured on their 2019 album Reboot. The song is in the key of C major and uses a capo on the third fret. The chord progression is similar to the original version, but with some minor changes. The chords are C, F, and G, with some variations on the C and F chords. The strumming pattern is also similar to the original version, but with some syncopation and palm muting.
Here are the chord shapes for the Kacey Musgraves version:
C: x32010 F: 133211 or x33211 G: 320003 or 320033
And here is an example of how to play the first verse and chorus:
[Verse 1] C C When the sun goes down, on my side of town C C That lonesome feeling comes to my door F C And the whole world, turns blue C C And there’s a rundown bar across the railroad tracks C C I got a table for two, way in the back F C Where I sit alone, and I think of losing you G G C I spend most every night, beneath the light of a neon moon
[Chorus] F G If you lose your one and only, F G There’s always room here for the lonely, F G To watch your broken dreams dance in and out of the beams C Of a neon moon.
You can find the complete tab for the Kacey Musgraves version here.
The Cigarettes After Sex Version
The Cigarettes After Sex version of Neon Moon is a slow and dreamy rendition of the song, released in 2018 as a single. The song is in the key of E major and does not use a capo. The chord progression is very simple and consists of only three chords: E, A, and B. The strumming pattern is also very simple and consists of only downstrokes, with some pauses between each chord.
Here are the chord shapes for the Cigarettes After Sex version:
E: 022100 or 079900 A: x02220 or 577600 B: x24440 or 799800
And here is an example of how to play the first verse and chorus:
[Verse 1] E When the sun goes down E On my side of town E That lonesome feeling E Comes to my door A E The whole world, turns blue
[Verse 2] E There’s a rundown bar E ‘Cross the railroad tracks E I got a table for two E Way in the back A E Where I sit alone, and I think of losing you B E I spend most every night, beneath the light of a neon moon
[Chorus] A B If you lose your one and only, A B There’s always room here for the lonely, A B To watch your broken dreams dance in and out of the beams E Of a neon moon.
You can find the complete tab for the Cigarettes After Sex version here.
Conclusion
Neon Moon is a timeless country song that can be played on guitar in different ways, depending on your preference and skill level. Whether you choose to play the original version by Brooks & Dunn, the duet version by Kacey Musgraves, or the indie version by Cigarettes After Sex, you will need to master the basic chords and strumming patterns of the song. You can also experiment with different embellishments and variations to make the song your own. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy playing this beautiful song.
