If you’re teaching yourself to play guitar or taking guitar lessons, there’s nothing more fun than playing your favorite songs. But you may think you need to learn dozens of chords before you start to play.
Nothing could be farther from the truth! By learning just 4 simple chords, you can play more than 200 popular songs. Having some variety in your playlist keeps your guitar practicing fresh and keeps you learning new things.
Ready to start playing? Let’s dive in…
Learn therse 4 chords
Here is a list of songs that can all be played in the key of E with the following chords: E, B, C#m, A. Click on any chord to learn more about how to play it, and variations if you prefer not to play barre chords.
E major | B major | C#m chord | A major |
Looking for a fun and easy way to learn these essential chords? Download our printable chord flashcards for free.
Most of these songs follow the I-V-vi-IV chord progression. Some of them follow the vi-IV-I-V progression, which is the same chords but in a different order.
A quick primer on chord progressions
Here is a chart showing the chords in E major. The roman numerals correspond to the chords of the song. So a song with a vi-IV-I-V progression will be C#m, A, E, and B. A song with the I-V-vi-IV progression will be E, B, C#m, and A.
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii |
| E Major | E | F#m | G#m | A | B | C#m | D# dim |
Once you learn the sound of these progressions, you will start hearing them everywhere. I always hear Glycerine by Bush when I hear I-V-vi-IV. As a teenager, I worked in a guitar store and every Tuesday a kid would come in for his lesson a few minutes early. He’d grab a guitar off the wall and play Glycerine. It is now forever etched into my brain.
Hopefully this sparks you to think of songs in terms of chord progressions. As a player, it will benefit you to know how to play the same songs in different keys.
Songs that use I-V-vi-IV
- I’ve Been Waiting For This Night – Donny Montell
- Ride – Twenty One Pilots
- 20 Good Reasons – Thirsty Merc
- A Letter to Elise – The Cure
- Afterlife – Avenged Sevenfold
- All Too Well – Taylor Swift
- Almost – Bowling for Soup
- Always on My Mind – Brenda Lee
- Am I Not Too Sweet – Natural Born Hippies
- Androgynous – The Replacements
- Another Girl, Another Planet – The Only Ones
- Beast of Burden – The Rolling Stones
- Brighter – Against the Current
- Bullet – Hollywood Undead
- California King Bed – Rihanna
- Caramelldansen – Caramell
- Con te partirò (Time To Say Goodbye) – Andrea Bocelli
- Cruise – Florida Georgia Line
- Cryin’ – Aerosmith
- Dammit – Blink-182
- Demons – Imagine Dragons
- Dirty Little Secret – The All-American Rejects
- Don’t Stop the Dancing – DJ Manian
- Down Under – Men at Work
- Dragostea Din Tei – O-Zone
- Dream Catch Me – Newton Faulkner
- Feeling This – Blink-182
- Flashlight – Jessie J
- Forever Young – Alphaville
- f*ckin’ Perfect – P!nk
- Glycerine – Bush
- Going to Pasalacqua – Green Day
- Hair – Lady Gaga
- Happy Ending – Mika
- Heaven – Troye Sivan
- Heist aan zee – Bart Peeters
- Here (In Your Arms) – Hellogoodbye
- Here Without You – 3 Doors Down
- Hey, Soul Sister – Train
- Hide and Seek – Imogen Heap
- High – Lighthouse Family
- I Knew You Were Trouble[52] – Taylor Swift
- I Need Your Love – Calvin Harris
- I See You – Mika
- I Try – Macy Gray
- I Wanna Talk About Me – Toby Keith
- I’m Goin’ Down[53] – Bruce Springsteen
- I’m Yours – Jason Mraz
- If We Ever Meet Again – Timbaland feat. Katy Perry
- Innocent – Taylor Swift
- Just Ace – Grinspoon
- Let It Be – The Beatles
- Love – Lana Del Rey
- My Name Is Jonas – Weezer
- Nights With You – MØ
- No One Else – Weezer
- No One – Alicia Keys
- No Scrubs – TLC
- No Woman, No Cry – Bob Marley
- On Melancholy Hill – Gorillaz
- One Day – Matisyahu
- Out of the Woods – Taylor Swift
- Party in the U.S.A. – Miley Cyrus
- Pork and Beans – Weezer
- Push – Matchbox Twenty
- Right Here Waiting – Richard Marx
- Rods and Cones – Blue Man Group
- Save as Draft – Katy Perry
- Say You Won’t Let Go – James Arthur
- Scar – Missy Higgins
- Shooting Star – Amy Diamond
- Since You Been Gone – Russ Ballard
- So Lonely – The Police
- Someone Like You – Adele
- Summer Paradise – Simple Plan
- Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
- Television Romance – Pale Waves
- The Cheat Is Not Dead – Strong Bad
- The Edge of Glory – Lady Gaga
- The Office theme – The Scrantones
- The Story – Brandi Carlile
- To Know Him Is to Love Him – The Teddy Bears
- Torn – Natalie Imbruglia
- Tuesday’s Gone – Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Under The Bridge – Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Wagon Wheel – Old Crow Medicine Show
- Walking Disaster – Sum 41
- Walks Like Rihanna – The Wanted
- What About Now – Lonestar
- What Would I Change It To – Avicii & AlunaGeorge
- When I Come Around – Green Day
- Wherever You Will Go – The Calling
- With or Without You – U2
- Would You Be So Kind – dodie
- X-Kid – Green Day
- Youth – Troye Sivan
Songs that use vi-IV-I-V
- Frozen In Time – Grey DeLisle
- Fuego – Eleni Foureira
- Heroes Tonight – Janji
- Light Me Up – Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer
- Monsters – Saara Aalto
- San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) – Scott McKenzie
- You Can Make Me Wait – Melvins
- Still Loving You – Scorpions
- Кончается век – ЧайФ
- (There’s Gotta Be) More to Life – Stacie Orrico
- 21 Guns – Green Day
- A New Day Has Come – Celine Dion
- Africa – Toto
- Aicha – Cheb Khaled
- Ain’t Your Mama – Jennifer Lopez
- All You Wanted – Michelle Branch
- Alone – Heart
- Amaranth – Nightwish
- Amaranthine – Amaranthe
- And We Danced – Macklemore
- Apollo – Timebelle
- Apologize – OneRepublic
- Bailando – Enrique Iglesias ft. Descemer Bueno, Gente De Zona
- Be there – Krewella
- Beautiful – Akon feat. Colby O’Donis and Kardinal Offishall
- Born to Make You Happy – Britney Spears
- Brighter Than the Sun – Colbie Caillat
- Cheap Thrills – Sia
- Coconut Tree – Mohombi feat. Nicole Scherzinger
- Colour My Love – Barbarella
- Come Over – Kenny Chesney
- Complicated – Avril Lavigne
- Contact – Daft Punk
- De Música Ligera – Soda Stereo
- Despacito – Luis Fonsi
- Dig Up Her Bones – The Misfits
- Don’t Forget Me – Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Don’t Trust Me – 3OH!3
- Electrical Storm – U2
- Enter the Ninja – Die Antwoord
- Faded – Alan Walker
- Give Me Everything – Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer
- God Is a Girl – Groove Coverage
- Good Life – OneRepublic
- Great Romances Of The 20th Century – Taking Back Sunday
- Hall of Fame – The Script feat. will.i.am
- Hero of War – Rise Against
- Hey Brother – Avicii
- Holiday – Green Day
- How Old Are You – Miko Mission
- I Just Had Sex – The Lonely Island feat. Akon
- I Was Here – Beyoncé
- If I Were a Boy – Beyoncé
- Ik neem je mee – Gers Pardoel
- In My Head – Jason Derülo
- In This River – Black Label Society
- Injection – Rise Against
- International Love – Pitbull feat. Chris Brown
- Just a Dream – Nelly
- Kaze wa Fuiteiru – AKB48
- Kids – MGMT
- Leave a Light On – Tom Walker
- Lemonade – Alexandra Stan
- Little Talks – Of Monsters and Men
- Love Me – Justin Bieber
- Love the Way You Lie – Eminem feat. Rihanna
- Marilyn Monroe – Nicki Minaj
- May It Be – Enya
- Million Eyes – Loïc Nottet
- Mirrors – Natalia Kills
- No Vacancy – OneRepublic
- Nobody’s Perfect – Miley Cyrus
- Nobody’s Perfect – Jessie J
- Not Afraid – Eminem
- Numb – Linkin Park
- Não Me Toca – Anselmo Ralph
- On the Floor – Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull
- One of Us – Joan Osborne
- Otherside – Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Paralyzed – Against the Current
- Peace of Mind – Boston
- Perfect – Ed Sheeran
- Pieces – Sum 41
- Poker Face – Lady Gaga
- Ready or Not – Bridgit Mendler
- Replay – Iyaz
- Rise – McClain Sisters
- Save Tonight – Eagle Eye Cherry
- Say Something – A Great Big World
- Science & Faith – The Script
- Self Esteem – The Offspring
- Silverflame – Dizzy Mizz Lizzy
- Six Degrees of Separation – The Script
- Skyscraper – Demi Lovato
- So Small – Carrie Underwood
- Soul To Squeeze – Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Sparks Fly – Taylor Swift
- Stamp on the Ground – ItaloBrothers
- Stand – Rascal Flatts
- Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson
- Sun Goes Down – Robin Schulz ft. Jasmine Thompson
- Supernova – Babou
- Tacata (song) – Tacabro
- Tears of the Dragon – Bruce Dickinson
- The Big Ship – Brian Eno
- The Hero – JAM Project
- The Kids Aren’t Alright – The Offspring
- The Scientist – Coldplay
- Think Twice – Eve 6
- This Is Me – Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas
- Tired – Alan Walker
- Too Cool – Meaghan Jette Martin
- Try – Colbie Caillat
- U + Ur Hand – P!nk
- Wake Me Up – Avicii
- We Found Love – Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris
- Whistle – Flo Rida
- Who You Are – Jessie J
- Wicked Wonderland – Martin Tungevaag
- Wine To Di Top – Vybz Kartel & WizKid
- Wonderland – Natalia Kills
- You’re Not Sorry – Taylor Swift
- Zombie – The Cranberries
- The Passenger – Iggy Pop
