How to Play Losing My Religion Chord by R.E.M. on Guitar

Losing My Religion is one of the most popular songs by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was released in 1991 as the first single from their seventh album Out of Time. The song features a distinctive mandolin riff that was inspired by the music of The Smiths and The Byrds. The lyrics are about doubt, frustration, and unrequited love.

If you want to learn how to play Losing My Religion on guitar, you will need to know some basic chords, strumming patterns, and a capo. Here are some tips and resources to help you master this song.

Chords

The song is in the key of A minor and uses the following chords:

[Intro]
 
F           Dm G     Am    Am/B     Am/C   Am/D Am
F           Dm G     Am       G
 
 
[Verse 1]
 
    Am              Em
Oh, life is bigger
 
It's bigger than you
            Am
And you are not me.
                        Em
The lengths that I will go to,
                     Am      Em
The distance in your eyes,
                     Dm
Oh no, I've said too much,
         G
I set it up.
 
 
[Chorus]
 
                 Am
That's me in the corner,
                 Em
That's me in the spotlight
            Am
Losing my religion.
          Em
Trying to keep up with you.
      Am                          Em
And I don't know if I can do it.
                     Dm
Oh no, I've said too much,
                G
I haven't said enough.
 
 
[Bridge]
 
  G                        F
I thought that I heard you laughing,
  Dm             G         Am   Am/B   Am/C   Am/D
I thought that I heard you sing.
Am   F               Dm   G   Am     G
I  think I thought I saw  you try.
 
 
[Verse 2]
 
          Am                   Em
Every whisper of every waking hour
                   Am
I'm choosing my confessions,
          Em
Trying to keep an eye on you
       Am                                 Em
Like a hurt lost and blinded fool, fool
                     Dm
Oh no, I've said too much,
         G
I set it up.
 
 
[Verse 3]
 
         Am
Consider this, consider this,
    Em
The hint of a century,
         Am
Consider this: the slip
     Em
That brought me to my knees failed.
Am
What if all these fantasies
     Em
Come    flailing around?
         Dm       G
Now I've said too much.
 
 
[Bridge]
 
    G                       F
I thought that I heard you laughing,
        Dm        G         Am   Am/B   Am/C   Am/D
I thought that I heard you sing.
Am   F               Dm  G   Am    G
I  think I thought I saw you try.
 
 
[Link]
 
   Am                      G
e|-12-12-12-10-10-10-10-10-8-8-8-5-5-5-5-5-|
B|-----------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------|
 
   F                       G
e|-12-12-12-10-10-10-10-10-8-8-8-5-5-5-5-5-|
B|-----------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------|
 
    C               Dm
But that was just a dream,
C               Dm
That was just a dream.
 
 
[Chorus]
 
                 Am
That's me in the corner,
                 Em
That's me in the spotlight
            Am
Losing my religion.
          Em
Trying to keep up with you.
      Am                           Em
And I don't know if I can do it.
                     Dm
Oh no, I've said too much,
                G
I haven't said enough.
 
 
[Bridge]
 
    G                        F
I thought that I heard you laughing,
  Dm             G         Am   Am/B   Am/C   Am/D
I thought that I heard you sing.
Am F                  Dm  G   Am   Am/B   Am/C   Am/D   Am
I  think I thought I saw you try.
    F               Dm   G
But that was just a dream,
Am   Am/B   Am/C   Am/D   Am
Try, cry,   why,   try.
F                      Dm  G      Am            G
That was just a dream,    just a dream, just a dream, dream.

Strumming

The song has a moderate tempo of 126 beats per minute and a 4/4 time signature. The main strumming pattern is:

• Down, down, up, up, down, up

You can also add some accents and syncopation to make it more interesting. For example, you can emphasize the first and third beats of each measure, or skip some upstrokes on the second and fourth beats.

Capo

The original recording of the song uses a capo on the second fret of the guitar. This means that the chords are transposed up by two semitones. For example, Am becomes Bm, Em becomes F#m, and so on.

Using a capo makes it easier to play the song in the same key as the original, and also gives it a brighter sound. However, you can also play the song without a capo, or use a different capo position if you prefer.

Resources

If you want to learn more about how to play Losing My Religion on guitar, you can check out some of these online resources:

• Losing My Religion Chords (ver 2) by R.E.M. @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com: This is a detailed tablature that shows you how to play the chords, the riff, and the solo of the song.
• LOSING MY RELIGION Chords – REM | E-Chords: This is a simple chord chart that shows you the basic chords and lyrics of the song.
• LOSING MY RELIGION CHORDS (ver 5) by R.E.M. @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com: This is another chord chart that shows you some variations of the chords and strumming patterns.

Conclusion

Losing My Religion is a classic song that is fun and easy to play on guitar. You just need to know some basic chords, strumming patterns, and a capo. You can also use some online resources to help you learn the song better. With some practice and patience, you will be able to play Losing My Religion like a pro. Happy strumming!