Big Shot chords by
Billy Joel (Official Version)

1978Rock640 views

Key: C majorDifficulty: Easy

Intro 1

Em11

G

Em11

G

Em11

D6

C

F/C

C

Verse 1
Em11 Em11 
 
Well, you went uptown
G G 
 
Ridin' in your limousine
Em11 Em11 
 
G G 
 
With your fine   Park Avenue clothes
Em11 Em11 
 
D6 D6 
 
You had the Dom    Perignon in your hand
C C 
 
F/C F/C 
 
C C 
 
And the spoon up your nose
Em11 Em11 
 
Ooh, and when you wake   up in the mornin'
G G 
 
with your head on fire
Em11 Em11 
 
G G 
 
And your eyes   too bloody to see
Em11 Em11 
 
Go on and cry    in your coffee
D6 D6 
 
C C 
 
F/C F/C 
 
C C 
 
But don't come bitchin' to me

Chorus 1
F F 
 
Because you had to be a big shot, didn't cha
G/F G/F 
 
F F 
 
You had to open  up your mouth
F/G F/G 
 
You had to be a big   shot, didn't cha
G G 
 
F/G F/G 
 
C C 
 
All your friends were so knocked out
Em11 Em11 
 
F F 
 
You had to     have the last word, last night
G/F G/F 
 
F F 
 
You know what everything's about
F/C F/C 
 
C C 
 
F/C F/C 
 
C C 
 
You had to have a white hot spot  light
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
You had to be a big   shot last  night,

Interlude 1

whoa

Em11

G

Em11

G

Em11

D6

C

F/C

C

Verse 2
Em11 Em11 
 
And they were all    impressed
G G 
 
With your Halston dress
Em11 Em11 
 
G G 
 
And the people that you knew at Elaine's
Em11 Em11 
 
D6 D6 
 
And the story  of your latest success
C C 
 
F/C F/C 
 
C C 
 
You kept 'em so entertained
Em11 Em11 
 
But now you just   don't remember
G G 
 
all the things you said
Em11 Em11 
 
G G 
 
And you're not    sure that you want to know
Em11 Em11 
 
I'll give you one    hint, honey
D6 D6 
 
C C 
 
F/C F/C 
 
You sure did put on a show
C C 
 
Yes, yes, you had to be a

Chorus 2
F F 
 
big shot, didn't cha
G/F G/F 
 
F F 
 
You had to prove it to the crowd
F/G F/G 
 
You had to be a big   shot, didn't cha
G G 
 
F/G F/G 
 
C C 
 
All your friends were so knocked out
Em11 Em11 
 
F F 
 
You had to     have the last word, last night
G/F G/F 
 
F F 
 
You're so much fun   to be around
F/C F/C 
 
C C 
 
F/C F/C 
 
C C 
 
You had to have the front page, bold  type
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
You had to be a big   shot last  night

Bridge 1

F

C

G

D

F

C

G

D

Verse 3
Em11 Em11 
 
Well, it's no     big sin
G G 
 
To stick your two cents in
Em11 Em11 
 
G G 
 
If you know   when to leave it alone
Em11 Em11 
 
But you went over   the line
D6 D6 
 
C C 
 
F/C F/C 
 
You couldn't see it was time to go home
C C 
 
No, no, no, no, no, no

Chorus 3
F F 
 
You had to be a big shot, didn't cha
G/F G/F 
 
F F 
 
You had to open  up your mouth
F/G F/G 
 
You had to be a big   shot, didn't cha
G G 
 
F/G F/G 
 
C C 
 
All your friends were so knocked out
Em11 Em11 
 
F F 
 
You had to     have the last word, last night
G/F G/F 
 
F F 
 
You're so much fun   to be around
F/C F/C 
 
C C 
 
F/C F/C 
 
C C 
 
You had to have a white hot spot  light
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
You had to be a big   shot last  night

Bridge 2

F

C

G

D

F

C

G

D

Outro 1
F F 
 
G/F G/F 
 
F F 
 
Big shot
F/G F/G 
 
G G 
 
F/G F/G 
 
C C 
 
Em11 Em11 
 
Big   shot
F F 
 
G/F G/F 
 
F F 
 
Big shot
F/C F/C 
 
C C 
 
F/C F/C 
 
C C 
 
[Repeat and fade]

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TunerE A D G B E

ChordsEm11 G D6 C F/C...

Chords

Em11
G
D6
C
F/C
F
G/F
F/G
G/D
D

Finger positions, low to high (E A D G B e). 0 is open, x is muted.

Em11: 0-2-4-0-3-5
G: 3-2-0-0-0-3
D6: x-x-0-2-0-2
C: x-3-2-0-1-0
F/C: x-3-3-2-1-x
F: x-3-3-2-1-x
G/F: 1-x-0-0-0-3
F/G: 3-x-3-2-1-x
G/D: x-x-0-0-0-3
D: x-x-0-2-3-2

Capo: No capo

Transpose: 0

0

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

F is one of the chords beginners ask about the most. A short walkthrough on how to fret it cleanly and switch in and out of it. Learn the F chord

When a song moves through a lot of chords, the strumming hand has to stay steady through every switch. The basic strumming course covers the patterns and the timing that make changes easier. Smooth out your strumming

This is the definitive original version of Big Shot by Billy Joel, transcribed exactly as it was recorded in the studio. Unlike our simplified arrangement, this chart preserves the precise chord voicings and progressions in the original key of C major. It suits players who want to learn Big Shot the way Billy Joel intended, without oversimplifying the arrangement.

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