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Elvis Costello - Watching The Detectives Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, F, G, C, Em, D
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am] [F] [Am] [F]
[Am]Nice girls, not one with a defect, [F]cellophane shrink-wrapped, so correct [G]
[Am]Red dogs under illegal [F]legs, [Am]she looks so good that he gets down and [F]begs [Am]

[chorus]
She is [C]watching the detectives, “ooh, [G]he’s so cute”, she is [C]watching the detectives
[G]When they shoot, [Em]shoot, [F]shoot, [D]shoot, [Am]they beat him up until the teardrops start [G]
[F]But he can’t be wounded ’cause he’s got no [C]heart [G]

[verse 2]
[Am]Long shot at that jumping sign, [G] [F]invisible shivers running down my spine [G]
[Am]Cut to baby taking off her clothes, [G] [F]close-up of the sign that says “We never close”

[verse 3]
[Am]He snatches at you and you match his cigarette, [G] [F]she pulls the eyes out with a face like a magnet
[Am]I don’t know how much more of this [F]I can take, [Am]she’s filing her nails while they’re [F]dragging the lake

[chorus]
She is [C]watching the detectives, “ooh, [G]he’s so cute”, she is [C]watching the detectives
[G]When they shoot, [Em]shoot, [F]shoot, [D]shoot, [Am]they beat him up until the teardrops start [G]
[F]But he can’t be wounded ’cause he’s got no [C]heart [G]

[verse 4]
[Am]You think you’re alone until you realize you’re in it,
Now [F]fear is here to stay, love is here for a visit
[Am]Call it instant justice when it’s past the legal limit,
[F]Someone’s scratching at the window, I wonder who is it?

[verse 5]
The [Am]detectives come to check if you belong to the parents
Who are [F]ready to hear the worst about their daughter’s disappearance
Though [G]it nearly [Am]took a miracle to get you to stay
It only took my little fingers to blow you [C]away

[verse 6]
Just like [G]watching the detectives, [C]don’t get cute, it’s just like [G]watching the detectives
[Am]I get so angry when the teardrops start, [G] [F]but he can’t be wounded ’cause he’s got no [C]heart
[G]Watching the detectives

[Closing]
[Am]It’s just like [F]watching the detectives, [Am]watching the detectives
[F]Watching the detectives, [Am]watching the detectives, [F]watching the detectives

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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.
ArtistElvis Costello
AlbumMy Aim Is True
GenresRock
Year1977
KeyAm

How to play Watching The Detectives on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Elvis Costello - Watching The Detectives on guitar requires 6 chords and 10 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.

Watching The Detectives uses these transitions most often: Am → F (13), F → Am (11), and C → G (9). 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 Am - F chord transition.

1. Am → F chord transition

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

To move from Am 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. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.
Am to F

2. F → G chord transition

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

To move from F to G;

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

3. G → Am chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

To move from G to Am;

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

4. Am → C chord transition

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

To move from Am to C;

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

5. C → G chord transition

To move from C to G;

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

6. G → Em chord transition

To move from G to Em;

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

7. Em → F chord transition

To move from Em to F;

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

8. F → D chord transition

To move from F to D;

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

9. D → Am chord transition

To move from D to Am;

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

10. F → C chord transition

To move from F to C;

  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 B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.

Watching The Detectives chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Watching The Detectives.

  • Watching The Detectives includes 72 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Watching The Detectives contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Watching The Detectives connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → F: 26%
    • Am → G: 21%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → G: 21%
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.