How to Play That Thing You Do Chords by The Wonders on Guitar
If you are a fan of the 1996 movie “That Thing You Do”, you might have wondered how to play the catchy title song by The Wonders on guitar. The song, written by Adam Schlesinger, is a pop-rock tune that features simple chords, a catchy melody, and a fun solo. In this article, I will show you how to play the song in three steps: the chords, the strumming pattern, and the solo.
Chords
[Intro] (2 bar drum fill) E Am [Verse 1] E A B E You, doin' that thing you do A B C#m F# Breakin' my heart into a million pieces F#m Am B Like you always do E A B E And you, don't mean to be cruel A B C#m F# You never even knew about the heartache D B I've been goin' through [Chorus] C#m F# Well, I try and try to forget you, girl E E7 A Am But it's just so hard to do E Am E B Every time you do that thing you do [Verse 2] E A B E I, know all the games you play A B C#m F# And I'm gonna find a way to let you know that F#m Am B You'll be mine some day E A B E 'Cause we, could be happy can't you see A B C#m F# If you'd only let me be the one to hold you D B And keep you here with me [Chorus] C#m F# Well, I try and try to forget you, girl E E7 A Am But it's just so hard to do E Am E Every time you do that thing you do [Bridge] A I don't ask a lot, girl (I don't ask a lot, girl) C#m But I know one thing's for sure (know one thing's for sure) F# It's your love I haven't got, girl B C B And I just can't take it anymore (Wow!) [Solo] | E | A B | E | A B | | C#m | F# | F#m | Am B | [Verse 3] E A B E 'Cause we, could be happy can't you see A B C#m F# If you'd only let me be the one to hold you D B And keep you here with me [Chorus] C#m F# Cause it hurts me so just to see you go E E7 A Am Around with someone new E Am And if I know you you're doin' that thing E Am Every day just doin' that thing E B7 A Am I can't take you doin' that thing you do (E) Emaj7 e|-------------4-----| B|-------------4-----| G|-------------4-----| D|-------2-----6-----| A|-----2-------7-----| E|-0-4--(0)----------| (2nd guitar plays lower note)
The Strumming Pattern
The strumming pattern for the song is fairly simple and consistent throughout. You can use a down-up-down-up pattern for each chord, with some variations depending on the rhythm of the melody. Here are some tips to help you strum along:
- For the verse, you can emphasize the first and third beats of each measure by strumming harder or accenting those strokes. For example, for the first measure of the verse (E A B E), you can strum like this: DUDU DUDU DUDU DUDU
- For the chorus, you can add some syncopation by skipping some upstrokes or adding some extra downstrokes. For example, for the first measure of the chorus (C#m F#), you can strum like this: DUDU DUDD DUDD DUDD
- For the bridge, you can use a simple down-down-down-down pattern for each chord, since the melody is slower and more relaxed. For example, for the first measure of the bridge (A), you can strum like this: DDDD DDDD DDDD DDDD
- For the solo, you can follow the same pattern as the verse, or you can improvise your own strumming pattern based on the notes of the solo.
The Solo
The solo of the song is played by two guitars: one playing the melody and one playing some fills and embellishments. The solo is based on the E major scale and uses some bends, slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs to create some interest and expression. Here is a tablature of the solo for both guitars:
Guitar One (Melody):
e|————————–|————————–| B|-9b11r9-7-5—————|-9b11r9-7-5—————| G|———–6-4-6b8r6p4—–|———–6-4-6b8r6p4—–| D|———————-6-4–|———————-6-4–| A|————————–|————————–| E|————————–|————————–|
e|————————–|————————–| B|-9b11r9-7-5—————|-9b11r9-7-5—————| G|———–6-4-6b8r6p4—–|———–6-4-6b8r6p4—–| D|———————-6-4–|———————-6-4–| A|————————–|————————–| E|————————–|————————–|
e|-7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7-| B|——————————————————–| G|——————————————————–| D|——————————————————–| A|——————————————————–| E|——————————————————–|
e|-12b14r12-10-12b14r12-10-12b14r12-10-12b14r12-10-12b14r12-10-| B|————————————————————| G|————————————————————| D|————————————————————| A|————————————————————| E|————————————————————|
e|-12b14r12-10-12b14r12-10-12b14r12-10-12b14r12-10/17b19r17p15–| B|————————————————————–| G|————————————————————–| D|————————————————————–| A|————————————————————–| E|————————————————————–|
e|-17b19r17p15/19b21r19p17/21b23r21p19/23b25r23p21/25~~~——-| B|————————————————————-| G|————————————————————-| D|————————————————————-| A|————————————————————-| E|————————————————————-|
Guitar Two (Fills):
e|–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0—–| B|–0–0–0–0–5s7s5s3s2s3s2s3s2s3s2s3s2s3s2s3s2s3s2s3s2—-| G|–1–1–1–1———————————————–| D|–2–2–2–2———————————————–| A|–2–2–2–2———————————————–| E|–0–0–0–0———————————————–|
e|–0—5—4—5—4—5—4—5—4—5—4—5—4—5—-| B|–5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—-| G|–4h6-6h8-8h9-9h11-11h13-13h14-14h16-16h18-18h20-20h21—–| D|–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x———-| A|–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x————| E|–x-x-x
e|-x—————————————–x————–x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—-x—–|| B|-17/19/20/22/24/26/27/29/31/32/34/36/37~~~-37\36\34\32\31\29\27\26\24\22\20\19\17~~~—————————————–17~~~—————————————–|| G|-18/20/21/23/25/27/28/30/32/33/35/37/38~~~-38\37\35\33\32\30\28\27\25\23\21\20\18~~~—————————————–18~~~—————————————–|| D|-19/21/22/24/26/28/29/31/33/34/36/38/39~~~-39\38\36\34\33\31\29\28\26\24\22\21\19~~~—————————————–19~~~—————————————–|| A|-20/22/23
e|-25~~~—————————————–25~~~—————————————–25~~~—————————————–25~~~—————————————–|| B|-24~~~—————————————–24~~~—————————————–24~~~—————————————–24~~~—————————————–|| G|-23~~~—————————————–23~~~—————————————–23~~~—————————————–23~~~—————————————–|| D|-22~~~—————————————–22
