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James Bay - Best Fake Smile Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsF, Dm, C, Bb
Strumming↓-↓-↓-↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to G key to play this song with easier chords.

  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

[Opening]
[F]No you don’t have to wear your best fake smile, Don’t have to stand there and burn inside
[Dm]Oh [C]oh oh, if you don’t [F]like it

[verse 2]
[F]She’s working late and making eyes at the door, She’s sick of everybody up on her floor,
[Dm]She wants the sun in her [C] eyes, but all she gets is [F] ignored
[F]She used to put it out and get it all back, But now she’s sipping trying to carry the act,
[Dm]She’s sweating under the [C]lights, now she’s beginning [F]to pack

[chorus]
[F]No you don’t have to wear your best fake smile, Don’t have to stand there and burn inside
[Dm]Oh oh [C]oh, if you don’t [F]like it
[F]And you don’t have to care, so don’t pretend Nobody needs a best fake friend
[Dm]Oh oh [C]oh, [F]don’t hide it

[verse 3]
[F]No hesitation now, she gets up and walks, She thinks of all the pain and pride did it cost
[Dm]She empties all the tip [C]jars, and won’t get back what [F]she lost
[F]Outside the window we’re two fingers to show She lifts her head I’m like some blur out of smoke
[Dm]She doesn’t have to [C]look back to know where she’s [F]gotta go

[chorus]
[F]No you don’t have to wear your best fake smile, Don’t have to stand there and burn inside
[Dm]Oh [C]oh oh, if you [F]don’t like it
[F]And you don’t have to care, so don’t pretend, Nobody needs a best fake friend
[Dm]Oh [C]oh oh, [F]don’t hide it

[Closing]
If you don’t [Bb]bleed it, you don’t [Dm]need it any[C]more
If you don’t [Bb]need it, get up and [Dm]leave it on the [C]floor
No more [Bb]believing like it’s a [Dm]voice you can’t [C]ignore
If you don’t [Bb]need it, you don’t need it no

[chorus]
[F]No you don’t have to wear your best fake smile, Don’t have to stand there and burn inside
[Dm]Oh [C]oh oh, if you [F]don’t like it
[F]And you don’t have to care, so don’t pretend, Nobody needs a best fake friend
[Dm]Oh [C]oh oh, [F]don’t hide it

[chorus]
[F]No you don’t have to wear your best fake smile, Don’t have to stand there and burn inside
[Dm]Oh [C]oh oh, if you [F]don’t like it
[F]And you don’t have to care, so don’t pretend, Nobody needs a best fake friend
[Dm]Oh [C]oh oh, [F]don’t hide it

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SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistJames Bay
AlbumChaos and the Calm
GenresAlternative, Blues, Rock, Blues Rock
Year2014
KeyF

How to play Best Fake Smile on Guitar (Step-by-step)

James Bay - Best Fake Smile on guitar requires 4 chords and 6 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓-↓-↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

Best Fake Smile uses these transitions most often: Dm → C (16), C → F (13), and F → Dm (13). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with F - Dm chord transition.

1. F → Dm chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

To move from F to Dm;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  4. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
F to Dm

2. Dm → C chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from Dm to C;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
Dm to C

3. C → F chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from C to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.
C to F

4. F → Bb chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

To move from F to Bb;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Slide your pinky from D string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
F to Bb

5. Bb → Dm chord transition

To move from Bb to Dm;

  1. While playing Bb, lift your pinky from B string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  4. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

6. C → Bb chord transition

To move from C to Bb;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger on D string from fret 2 to fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 3.

Best Fake Smile chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Best Fake Smile.

  • Best Fake Smile includes 50 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Best Fake Smile contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Best Fake Smile connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → Dm: 5%
    • F → Bb: 5%
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → C: 18%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.