Let's dive into some easy pop songs on guitar that will help you step up your songbook!
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In this free lesson you will learn…
10 easy pop songs
New chords!
A brief history of each song
How to practice these songs to learn them efficiently
Let's Learn Some Easy Pop Songs On Guitar!
If you know a small handful of chords and you are looking for some easy pop songs on guitar to have fun with, you have landed on the right page!
The world of pop music is full of lovely creations that use chords you can easily play, with melodies that you'll love.
Check out our list of 10 easy pop songs on guitar below, and share them with your friends!
Easy Pop Songs On Guitar I – Rachel Platten – "Fight Song"
This anthem is one of the first easy pop songs on guitar you can play for your people!
Have a listen below:
Rachel Platten wrote this song in 2015 while she was struggling to break into the music industry which, as some of you may have heard, is a little bit tough.
Her willingness to be vulnerable paid off, because this song became a gigantic hit.
There are three chord progressions for you to learn, but there are only four chords.
Check out the first verse below.
Each chord symbol is one measure, or four beats, of the chord, except for the chords in between the lines, which have two beats apiece.
G G G G
Em C G G
|G C|D Em|G C| D
G
(If you don't understand the above image please read our article "How To Read Guitar Chordboxes In 60 Seconds". It will make everything clear!)
Em
C
D
Here is the chorus progression. If you don't care about the rest of the song, just learn this part! It's great!
G D Em C
G D Em C
|Em D| C G
The second verse goes like this:
Em C G D
Em C G D
|G C|D Em|G C| D
Then there's another chorus, the first verse, and then another chorus.
Try this strumming pattern to get the rhythm under your fingers:
Down, down, down, down-up-down-up.
It's a fun song to sing and play!
Easy Pop Songs On Guitar II – The Beatles – "Let It Be"
This song was written on the piano, but this is also one of the best easy pop songs on guitar. Here it is, in case you don't remember how it goes:
The song was written in the key of C, which is the easiest key on the piano, and not so much on the guitar.
Never fear! We are going to get this song done in the key of G, with the same chords Rachel Platten used in Fight Song!
Use the chords below and put your capo on the fifth fret to sing along with McCartney.
There are only two chord progressions in this song.
The verse goes like this.
G D Em C
G D C G
The chorus goes like this.
Em D C G
G D C G
Try two big strums per chord, and once you've got that down, you can try to fill in the spaces between the big strums with a softer down-up strum. DOWN down-up-DOWN down-up-DOWN, and so forth.
Plenty of lengthy books have been written about the composition of this and other Beatles songs.
If you like no stone unturned, try Marc Lewisohn's Tune In.
The Beatles' catalog includes quite a few easy pop songs on guitar, but "Let It Be" is one of the easiest.
Pro-Tip: Using a capo? Once you get it on your strings, make sure that it's parallel to the fret so your guitar doesn't sound like it's out of tune.
Also, check to make sure that it isn't pulling any strings sideways, which can also detune your guitar.
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Easy Pop Songs On Guitar III – Anna Kendrick – "When I'm Gone" (Cup Song)
Here's one of the most charming easy pop songs on guitar out there, with the amazing Anna Kendrick.
Again, "When I'm Gone" is in C, but we can avoid the F chord and play it in G with much easier chords and a capo on the fifth fret. Here is the verse progression.
G G C G
Em D C C
Em D G G
And here is the chorus progression.
Em Em C C
G G D D
Em D C C
Em D G G
This song obviously relies on that cup maneuver for most of the rhythm in the recording, but you can shape the rhythm by doing a slower strum, maybe once per chord, during the verse, and a busier strum during the chorus.
This version is an adaptation of "When I'm Gone", first recorded in 1931 by none other than the Carter Family! Here's a version by Elizabeth Cotten to prove it:
Easy Pop Songs On Guitar IV – Fleetwood Mac – "Don't Stop"
Although Lindsey Buckingham is a force to be reckoned with on guitar, he toned it down for a few easy pop songs on guitar by Fleetwood Mac, and here is the biggest of the bunch!
This song is in E, and the progression is very simple throughout:
|E D| A |E D| A
|E D| A B7 B7
E
A
B7
"Don't Stop" is the major single from Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album Rumours.
It was written by Christine McVie with help from Buckingham, as they were the two optimists in the band.
The swinging keyboard rhythm can be replicated on the guitar with a swing strum.
All you have to do is make your down strum a bit longer than your up strum, as though your arm is heavy.
Keep the beat steady, and you'll be swinging all of these easy pop songs on guitar!
Easy Pop Songs On Guitar V – Camila Cabello – "Havana"
Some of these easy pop songs on guitar are earworm-level catchy.
Check this one out by Camila Cabello, and then good luck getting it out of your head!
"Havana" is the single from Cabello's 2017 album Camila, and it's a wonderfully simple chord progression with a slow, but funky beat.
The song is recorded in the key of G minor, but you'll play it in E minor and use a capo on the third fret if you'd like to sing with Camila.
The entire song goes like this:
|Em C| B7
Em
C
B7
The key to making this strum funky is to include a lot of up strumming.
Try a pattern like this: Down, down, down-up, down-up, up, up, down-up, down-up. It spreads over two measures, which is the entire progression.
With a little practice, your easy pop songs on guitar will have them dancing in the streets!
Pro-Tip: When strumming consecutive upward strums, your arm has to come down in between! Use that downward motion to hit the strings and stop them ringing for a more percussive and funky sound.
Easy Pop Songs On Guitar VI – Katy Perry – "Firework"
Is it too soon to call this a 'classic'? This is an early hit from Katy Perry:
"Firework" is the third single from Perry's 2010 album Teenage Dream. The entire song is a four-chord cycle in the key of G that goes like this:
G Am Em C
G
Am
Em
C
The song sounds best with a straight down-up-down-up strum, but you can experiment with different rhythms to see what you like.
This is a fun and uplifting song to add to your pile of easy pop songs on guitar!
Easy Pop Songs On Guitar VII – Buffalo Springfield – "For What It's Worth"
This one is definitely a classic!
Buffalo Springfield's big hit is a universal anthem to add to your set of easy pop songs on guitar.
"For What It's Worth" is frequently referred to as an anti-war song, because it came out in 1966, but Stephen Stills (yes, THAT Stephen Stills) wrote it about some Sunset Strip curfew riots that happened that year.
This song has a sweet guitar lick for you to try during the E to A vamp in the intro and verse:
The verse changes between E and A, and the chorus chord progression goes like this:
E D A C
Buffalo Springfield did not write many easy pop songs on guitar, preferring odd meters and funky mid-song key changes, but this one is a longstanding guitar singalong favorite!
Easy Pop Songs On Guitar VIII – Taylor Swift – "You Need To Calm Down"
If you are looking for easy pop songs on guitar, you can be absolutely sure that Tay has your back at all times! Here is a song that is so fresh, it hasn't even won any of its inevitable awards yet!
Uh oh! This song has two chords in it.
Two chords, people, and some serious clapback lyrics.
Ready? Here you go. The whole song goes like this:
D G
D
G
The wonderful simplicity of this song leaves a lot of room for creative rhythm on the guitar.
You can try a down, down-up, down, down-up rhythm, or a down, down, down-up, down-up strum.
Sometimes it helps to sing while you are trying to strum, so you can keep the beat and fill in with rhythm during breaks in the lyrics.
As with all of these easy pop songs on guitar, you can just as easily keep the strum simple!
Download our lead guitar cheat-sheet to make things easier
It can be disorientating for guitarists to understand which scales work with which keys.
With this in mind, we created a cheat-sheet; a key and scale-finder that you can use again and again.
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Easy Pop Songs On Guitar IX – Thompson Twins – "Hold Me Now"
Here's a 1980s addition to your collection of easy pop songs on guitar!
This song was problematic when it was released, as it was soon discovered that none of the Thompson Twins were named 'Thompson', and that there were three of them instead of two.
It's a lovely little ballad in the key of D, however.
It was written about some argument between two of the three Thompson Twins.
The chord progression is the same through the verse and chorus, and it goes like this:
D Bm C A
D
Bm (xxx432)
C
A
That B minor chord is pretty challenging for beginners, but with some practice, you'll nail it.
It also has two notes in common with the D major chord that precedes it, making it easier to wrap our ears around.
The rhythm in this song is pretty straight, so you can use a continuous down-up strum throughout.
You needed one ballad for your collection of easy pop songs on guitar, now you have it!
Easy Pop Songs On Guitar X – Van Morrison – "Brown Eyed Girl"
To cap off your set of easy pop songs on guitar, here's a timeless singalong with Van Morrison.
From his 1967 album Blowin' Your Mind, "Brown Eyed Girl" has been a party and wedding staple for over 50 years. It's in the key of G and uses the same four chords we explored at length in the beginning.
The verse, as well as the "Sha la la" part, goes like this:
G C G D
The refrain, which starts when you sing "brown eyed girl" the first time, goes like this.
C D G Em
C D G D
G
C
D
Em
There is a sweet little bass solo in the middle of this song, and you might as well know how to bust it out. It goes like this:
Now you've got an entire varied collection of easy pop songs on guitar from the 1960s up to right now!
How To Get Better At Easy Pop Songs On Guitar
The collection of easy pop songs on guitar that you have just amassed needs a lot of tender loving care, repetition, and adaptation to your individual style.
The best way to learn a song and make it yours is to play it over and over, practicing the chord changes, working out rhythms, and getting used to playing and singing at the same time.
If you've enjoyed these easy pop songs on guitar and you'd like more, there are some great websites out there like Ultimate-Guitar.com and Chordify.com where you can search for titles.
The accuracy of those resources varies greatly, but they are a great starting point for learning the songs you want to learn.
Above all else, remember: Have fun playing guitar!
Recommended Resources
If you enjoyed this free guide, we've got plenty more reading material for you below!
How To Read Guitar Tabs
Bm Guitar Chord
How To Use A Capo
Basic Guitar Lessons
How To Play In Time
Strumming Patterns
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