Billy Joel - Uptown Girl Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar Gm chord diagram
Guitar Cm chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram
[intro]
[D][Em][D][G][A]
[Opening]
[D]Uptown girl, [Em]she’s been living in her [D]uptown world
[G]I bet she [A]never had a [D]back street guy
[Em]I bet her mama never [D]told her why
[G]I’m gonna [A]try for an
[chorus]
[D]Uptown girl, [Em]she’s been living in her [D]white bread world
[G]As long as [A]anyone with [D]hot blood can
[Em]And now she’s looking for a [D]downtown man
[G]That’s what I [A]am
[verse 2]
[Bb]And when she [Gm]knows what she [Cm]wants from her [F]time
[Bb]And when she [Gm]wakes up and [Cm]makes up her [F]mind
[verse 3]
[G]She’ll see I’m [Em]not so tough
[C]Just because [A]I’m in love with an [D]uptown girl
[Em]You know I’ve seen her in her [D]uptown world
[G]She’s getting [A]tired of her [D]high class toys
[Em]And all her presents from her [D]uptown boys
[G]She’s got a [A]choice
[chorus]
[F]Whoo-ooo-ooo-[G]ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo
[Em]ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-[Am]ooo-ooo-[G]ooo-oah
[F]Whoo-ooo-ooo-[G]ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo
[Em]ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-[A]ooo-ooo-[A]ooo-oah
[verse 4]
[D]Uptown girl, [Em]you know I can’t afford to [D]buy her pearls
[G]But maybe [A]someday when my [D]ship comes in
[Em]She’ll understand what kind of [D]guy I’ve been
[G]And then I’ll [A]win
[verse 5]
[Bb]And when she’s [Gm]walking, she’s [Cm]looking so [F]fine
[Bb]And when she’s [Gm]talking, she’ll [Cm]say that she’s [F]mine
[G]She’ll say I’m [Em]not so tough, [C]just because [A]I’m in love with an
[chorus]
[D]Uptown girl, [Em]she’s been living in her [D]white bread world
[G]As long as [A]anyone with [D]hot blood can
[Em]And now she’s looking for a [D]downtown man
[G]That’s what I [A]am
[chorus]
[F]Whoo-ooo-ooo-[G]ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo
[Em]ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-[Am]ooo-ooo-[G]ooo-oah
[F]Whoo-ooo-ooo-[G]ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo
[Em]ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-[A]ooo-ooo-[A]ooo-oah
[Closing]
[D]Uptown girl, [Em]she’s my uptown [D]girl
You [G]know I’m in [A]love with an [D]uptown girl
[Em]My uptown [D]girl you [G]know I’m in [A]love
With an [D]uptown girl, [Em]my uptown [D]girl
You [G]know I’m in [A]love with an [D]uptown girl
[Em]My uptown [D]girl
How to play Uptown Girl on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Billy Joel - Uptown Girl on guitar requires 10 chords and 17 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.
Uptown Girl uses these transitions most often: D → Em (15), Em → D (15), and A → D (14). 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 - Em chord transition.
1. D → Em chord transition
To move from D to Em;
- While playing D, lift your index finger from G string fret 2.
- Lift your middle finger from E string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from B string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
2. D → G chord transition
To move from D to G;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
3. G → A chord transition
To move from G to A;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 2.
4. A → D chord transition
To move from A to D;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger on B string from fret 2 to fret 3.
5. A → Bb chord transition
To move from A to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 3.
6. Bb → Gm chord transition
To move from Bb to Gm;
- Keep index finger on A string fret 1.
- Lift your middle finger from D string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
- Slide your ring finger from G string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
- Lift your pinky from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
7. Gm → Cm chord transition
To move from Gm to Cm;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 1.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
- Keep pinky on E string fret 3.
8. Cm → F chord transition
To move from Cm to F;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 1 to G string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Lift your pinky from E string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.
9. F → Bb chord transition
To move from F to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Slide your pinky from D string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
10. F → G chord transition
To move from F to G;
- While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
11. G → Em chord transition
To move from G to Em;
- While playing G, lift your index finger from A string fret 2.
- Lift your middle finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
12. Em → C chord transition
To move from Em to C;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
- Place index finger on B string fret 1.
13. C → A chord transition
To move from C to A;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 2.
14. A → F chord transition
To move from A to F;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from B string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on D string fret 3.
15. Em → Am chord transition
To move from Em to Am;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Place index finger on B string fret 1.
16. Am → G chord transition
To move from Am to G;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
17. Em → A chord transition
To move from Em to A;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 2.
- Place index finger on D string fret 2.
Uptown Girl chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Uptown Girl.
- Uptown Girl includes 114 chord transitions, 17 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Uptown Girl contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Uptown Girl connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
- D → G: 29%
- D → Em: 17%
After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).- G → F: 9%
- G → Em: 9%