Chords for Colin Hay: How To Play Overkill Tutorial

[E] A lot of people ask me how to play [D#] Overkill.
_ _ _ [N] _ 429 I think, to be exact.
_ _ _ _ [E] Last count.
Anyway, look, _ _ it's _ not a bad little rundown.
_ I'll try and explain how to play the song _ in the simplest way [N] possible. _
_ But _ in as _
[Em] interesting a way as possible.
So we'll start off with [G] a guitar which is [E] just in regular tuning.
_ _ _ It won't be in regular tuning for long, but we'll just start with that.
This is a [N] guitar which is tuned standard.
But we're going to tune both these E strings down to a D.
Which is called a Drop D tuning.
[E] So we'll do that right [D] now. _ _ _
_ _ _ [Em] And this E string as well.
[B] _ Down to a [A] D. _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ So we [A] _ _ _ have_
In other words, _ [D] you can play in all different keys. _ _
The whole point of this is to get _ _ _ a drone _ vibe going. _ _
_ Or as my wife would say, vague [D#] chords.
[Gm] Very vague chords.
[B] _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ So _ [B] here we go.
This is what this sounds like.
If you play a D chord, you don't have to play it like this.
You're just taking this finger off.
Because this string is already playing D.
[D] _ _ So we'll play Overkill.
On the record, I think it's in the key of E.
[B] But a lot of the early songs that [N] I was working on with [D] Men at Work
were written with _ this Drop D tuning. _
So we'll play it in D, just because we don't have to worry about capos and so forth.
It's the simplest approach. _ _
So you [G] start off_
It's this chord here.
I'm just going to play it and I'll just do [Am] it slowly.
So you can get [D] the fingering for the chords.
[Em] This is kind of an interesting way of playing it.
So you're not playing [D] this bar chord here, like a D. _
And then if you play the_
I'm going to play it like this.
So you've got your first finger on the 5th fret on the 5th string.
On the D.
And _ _ _ then this one is open.
[G]
The G string is open.
And [D] then you're putting your little finger down on the 2nd string on the 7th fret. _ _
So you have that chord, which is_
I don't exactly know what that chord is, but it sounds pretty. _ _ _
So you start off_
I'll just play it for you.
_ I'll _ _ _ _ do it very slowly. _
I can get [F#m] to sleep.
So [G] everything stays where it's at, except this finger here [D] _
moves down [F#m] one fret.
_ [D] _ _ You're playing exactly_
I [F#m] _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ can [F#m] get to sleep. _ _
And then you move down to [C] the C position.
_ _ [D] Same as the [G] D position, but you're moving [C] down to the C.
[D] So you're going_
I [F#m] can get to sleep.
_ _ [C] _
_ Think [G] about the_
And then move this, your first [B] finger down to [C] the B.
To the B [D] note.
I _ _ [F#m] can get to sleep.
_ _ [C] _
Think [Em] about the implications.
_ [D] _ _
Diving [F#m] in too deep.
_ _ [C] _
_ [Em] Possibly the complications.
_ [D] _
_ Especially [F#m] at night.
_ [Am] _
[C] _ I [Em] worry over _ situations.
[D] _
_ And [F#m] it will be alright. _ _
[C] _ _ Perhaps [Em] it's just imagination. _
So that's the verse.
That's all [D] the course of the verse.
So it's _ [F#m] _
_ [C] _ _ [Em] _ _ _ the same [D] _ fingering, just in a different position.
So you're in the D position.
_ [F#m] And then you go down to the Db.
_ [G] Or C [C] sharp.
And then you go down to the C.
_ [Em] And then you just bring your first finger down to the B. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [A#] _ So that's the verse.
[Em] And then the chorus is you go down to the_
It's like a B minor 7 with something else in there.
It might be a [B] 9.
I'm not quite sure what the chord is.
[G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
So that's the sound of it.
It _ has a different flavor because these two strings are tuned [B] down to a D.
So you have your first finger on the 5th string on the 2nd fret.
B note.
_ And your _ 3rd finger here on the 4th fret on the _ 4th string.
[G] This is open.
_ The G string is open.
_ _ And your 2nd finger is on the 2nd string on the 3rd fret.
On the D note. _ _
And this is the D also, so this is open.
So you have this sound.
_ _ Which _ is_ _
[D] _ [C] _ [G] _ _ Day _ after day.
_ _ _ Day after day.
It reappears.
You [A] go down to the A note.
This is that A suspended.
So you're _ [D] _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ [B] _ [G] going_
Day after day.
[A] It [B] reappears.
_ _ [A] _ Or the little melody _ _ _ [B] is_
_ [G]
Day after day.
[A] It reappears. _ _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ _ [G] Night after night.
And then you're going up to this [Am] suspended note.
Which is a kind of [F] a weird chord that I [A] like to play.
Because of the drop D's it sounds interesting as well.
So you [F] have your _ [B] 3rd finger on the [A] 7th fret on the 6th string.
This one is more muted.
_ [G] And you have this note here which is the _ G _ _ _ note on [A] the 5th fret of the 4th [G] string. _ _ _ _
And this one which is the _ _ _ suspended note which is the 4th.
_ _ _ [D] So you're [G] _
going_
Day after day.
[Dm] It reappears.
[A] _ _ [B] _
_ [G] Night after night.
My heartbeat shows _ [A] the fear.
Then you go down to the major. _
_ _ [G] _ Shows [A] the fear.
_ _ [E] _ _ Goes_
Same positioning except down here on [B] _ _ the_ _ _
[G] _ _ _ [F#] _ _ [B] 3 positions down.
Which is your 3rd finger on the [F#] 4th fret.
But it's the [G] same positioning.
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ _ [F#] _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] This _ _ _ _ is a G.
It's like a G note.
This is on the 5th fret.
But it's the [D] G note because you've [D#] tuned this string [G] down.
So this is G.
This is muted.
[D] And then the D [G] note.
G and a D.
So _ _ _ this chord.
_ And then [A] you go to the A.
[D] _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ And that's the whole song.
So I'll [C] just play it really slowly again.
So you [D] get a handle on it. _
_ I _ _ can [F#m] get to sleep.
_ _ [C] _ _ Think [G] about the [Em] implications.
[D] _ [G] _ Diving [F#m] in too deep.
_ [C] _ _ And [Em] possibly the complications.
[D] _ _ Especially [F#m]
at night.
_ [C] _ _ I [Em] worry over _ situations.
[D] _ I know we'll [F#m] be alright.
_ [C] _ _ Perhaps it's [Em] just the imagination.
[Bm] _ [G] _ _ Day after day.
It [A] reappears. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [B] _ [G] _ Night after night.
In my heartbeat. _ _ _
[A] Shows the fear.
_ [E] _ _ _
Ghosts [F#] appear.
_ And [G] fade away.
_ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ _ _ There you go.
Hope that helps. _ _ _ _ _ _