How to Play Starman Chords by David Bowie on Guitar

Starman is one of the most iconic songs by the legendary British singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released in 1972 as part of his album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and it tells the story of an alien messenger who wants to bring hope to humanity. The song has a catchy melody, a soaring chorus, and a distinctive guitar riff that makes it a great choice for guitar players of all levels. In this article, we will show you how to play Starman by David Bowie on guitar using chords, tabs, and video lessons.

The Chords

The first thing you need to know is the chords for Starman. The song is in the key of F major, and it uses the following chords:

[Intro]
Bb/A Fmaj7
Bb/A Fmaj7
 
 
[Verse 1]
Gm
Didn't know what time it was the lights were low-ow-ow.
F
 I lean back on my radio-o-o
C                            C7
 Some cat was laying down some rock'n'roll,
                     F  Ab Bb
'Lotta soul' he said.
 
 
[Verse 2]
Gm
 Then the loud sound did seem to fa-a-ade
F
 Came back like a slow voice on a wave of pha-a-ase
C                            C7               A    G
 That weren't no DJ that was hazy cosmic jive.
 
 
[Chorus]
          F       Dm
There's a starman waiting in the sky
     Am               Am7/G
He'd like to come and meet us
       C                   C7
But he thinks he'd blow our minds.
          F       Dm
There's a starman waiting in the sky
     Am             Am7/G
He's told us not to blow it
          C                 C7
'Cause he knows it's all worthwhile,
 
He told me,
Bb          Bbm             F         D/F#
   "Let the children lose it, let the children use it,
Gm             C
   Let all the children boogie."
 
 
[Interlude]
Bb   F   C   F   Bb   F   C
 
 
[Verse 3]
Gm
  Well I had to phone someone so I picked on you-ou-ou
F
  Hey that's far out, so you heard him too-oo-oo
C                         C7                      F  Ab Bb
  Switch on the TV we may pick him up on Channel 2.
 
 
[Verse 4]
Gm
  Look out your window I can see his li-i-ight,
F
  If we can sparkle he may land toni-i-ight,
C                              C7                        A    G
 Don't tell your papa or he'll get us locked up in fright.
 
 
[Chorus]
          F       Dm
There's a starman waiting in the sky
     Am               Am7/G
He'd like to come and meet us
       C                     C7
But he thinks he'd blow our minds.
          F       Dm
There's a starman waiting in the sky
     Am             Am7/G
He's told us not to blow it
          C                  C7
'Cause he knows it's all worthwhile,
 
He told me,
Bb          Bbm             F         D/F#
   "Let the children lose it, let the children use it,
Gm             C
   Let all the children boogie."
 
F         Dm
  Starman waiting in the sky
     Am               Am7/G
He'd like to come and meet us
       C                    C7
But he thinks he'd blow our minds.
          F       Dm
There's a starman waiting in the sky
     Am             Am7/G
He's told us not to blow it
          C                   C7
'Cause he knows it's all worthwhile,
 
He told me,
Bb          Bbm             F         D/F#
   "Let the children lose it, let the children use it,
Gm             C
   Let all the children boogie."
 
 
[Outro]
Bb   F   C   F
 
Bb          F            C            F
La la la la la, la la la la, la la la la, la la la la
Bb          F            C            F
La la la la la, la la la la, la la la la, la la la la
Bb          F            C            F
La la la la la, la la la la, la la la la, la la la la
Bb          F            C            F
La la la la la, la la la la, la la la la, la la la la

You can play these chords with a capo on the first fret to make them easier, or without a capo if you prefer. You can also use different voicings or fingerings for some of the chords, depending on your preference and skill level.

The Strumming Pattern

The next thing you need to know is the strumming pattern for Starman. The song has a simple and steady rhythm that you can follow with your right hand. The basic strumming pattern

You can apply this pattern to each chord in the song, changing chords on the first downstroke of each measure. You can also add some variations or embellishments to the pattern, such as palm muting, accents, or syncopation, to make it more interesting and dynamic.

The Intro

The intro of Starman consists of four measures of Fmaj7 and Gm chords, played with the strumming pattern we just learned. You can also add some hammer-ons or pull-offs on the Fmaj7 chord to mimic the guitar riff that is played by Mick Ronson on the original recording. Here is how the intro looks like in tab form

The Verse

The verse of Starman follows the same chord progression as the intro, but with some additional chords at the end. The lyrics tell the story of a radio listener who hears a mysterious voice from outer space. Here are the chords and lyrics for the first verse

Conclusion

Starman by David Bowie is a classic song that you can learn to play on guitar with some basic chords and strumming patterns. It is a fun and easy song that you can sing along to or play with your friends. If you want to learn more about Starman, you can check out some of the web resources below:

STARMAN CHORDS (ver 2) by David Bowie @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com: This is a detailed tab for Starman, with chord diagrams, lyrics, and strumming patterns.

STARMAN CHORDS by David Bowie @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com: This is another tab for Starman, with a slightly different chord progression and fingering.

STARMAN Chords – David Bowie | E-Chords: This is a simple chord sheet for Starman, with chord diagrams and lyrics.

[How to Play Starman by David Bowie on Guitar – YouTube]: This is a video lesson for Starman, with a step-by-step tutorial and a play-along.

[David Bowie – Starman (Official Video) – YouTube]: This is the official music video for Starman, where you can see David Bowie perform the song live.