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Owl City - Deer In The Headlights Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, F#m, G, Bm, A, Em
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

[Opening]
[D] [F#m] [G] [Bm] [A] [D]
[G]Met a girl in the [Bm]parking lot, [D]and all I did was [A]say hello [F#m] [G]
Her pepper spray made it [Bm]rather hard, [Em]for me to [G]walk her [A]home
But I [Em]guess that’s the [Bm]way it [A]goes

[chorus]
[D]Tell me again was it [A]love at first sight, when [Em]I walked by and you [G]caught my eye
[D]Didn’t you know love could [A]shine this bright,
Well [G]smile [Bm]because you’re the [G]deer in the [A]headlights

[verse 2]
[F#m] [G] [Bm] [A] [D] [F#m] [G] [Bm] [A] [D] [F#m] [G] [Bm] [A] [D] [F#m] [G] [Bm] [A] [D]
[G]Met a girl with a [Bm]graceful charm, [D]but when beauty met the [A]beast, he froze [F#m] [G]
Got the [Bm]sense I was not her type, by b[Em]lack eye and [G]bloody [A]nose
But I [Em]guess that’s the [Bm]way it [A]goes

[chorus]
[D]Tell me again was it [A]love at first sight, when [Em]I walked by and you [G]caught my eye
[D]Didn’t you know love could [A]shine this bright,
Well [G]smile [Bm]because you’re the [G]deer in the [A]headlights

[verse 3]
[Bm]It’s [A]suffocating to say, but the [Em]female mystique takes my [G]breath away
So [D]give me a smile or [A]give me a sneer, ’cause I’m [G]trying to guess [A]here

[verse 4]
[D]Tell me again was it [A]love at first sight, when [Em]I walked by and you [G]caught my eye
[D]Didn’t you know love could [A]shine this bright
I’m [Em]sorry I ever tried [A](deer in the headlights)

[verse 5]
[D]Tell me again was it [A]love at first sight, when [Em]I walked by and you [G]caught my eye
[D]Didn’t you know love could [A]shine this bright
If [G]life was a [Bm]game, you would [G]never play [A]nice
If [G]love was a [Bm]beam, you’d be [G]blind in both [A]eyes
Put your [G]sunglasses [Bm]on ‘cause you’re a [G]deer in the [A]headlights

[Closing]
[F#m] [G] [Bm] [A] [D] [F#m] [G] [Bm] [A] [D](You’re the deer in the headlights)
[F#m] [G] [Bm] [A] [D] [F#m] [G] [Bm] [A] [D](You’re the deer in the headlights)

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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.
ArtistOwl City
AlbumAll Things Bright and Beautiful
GenresPop, Electronic
Year2011
KeyD

How to play Deer In The Headlights on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Owl City - Deer In The Headlights on guitar requires 6 chords and 12 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.

Deer In The Headlights uses these transitions most often: G → Bm (18), A → D (13), and Bm → A (12). 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 D - F#m chord transition.

1. D → F#m chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram

To move from D to F#m;

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

2. F#m → G chord transition

Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from F#m to G;

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

3. G → Bm chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram

To move from G to Bm;

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

4. Bm → A chord transition

Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

To move from Bm to A;

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

5. A → D chord transition

To move from A to D;

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

6. D → G chord transition

To move from D to G;

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

7. Bm → D chord transition

To move from Bm to D;

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

8. A → F#m chord transition

To move from A to F#m;

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

9. Bm → Em chord transition

To move from Bm to Em;

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

10. Em → G chord transition

To move from Em to G;

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

11. G → A chord transition

To move from G to A;

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

12. A → Em chord transition

To move from A to Em;

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

Deer In The Headlights chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Deer In The Headlights.

  • Deer In The Headlights includes 125 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Deer In The Headlights contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Deer In The Headlights connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → D: 29%
    • A → G: 13%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
    • G → A: 6%
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.