Chords for Mandolin solo on Maggie May - BBC interview
Tempo:
127.65 bpm
Chords used:
G
D
A
Em
Am
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Exactly, but another great pop song solo, you'll [Am] instantly recognize, written and performed by a man that you probably won't.
When it comes to rock and roll, you think of the [A] electric guitar.
[Cm] You don't [Dm] immediately think of the mandolin.
[Am]
[D] Despite looking like [Em] it's jumped straight out of the Middle [G] Ages, this little instrument can play a [D] key role in the [G] success of one of [D] the best loved records of all time.
[Em]
[G] Rod Stewart had been on the music [D] scene from the late 60s, but by the [E] time his third [G] solo album was released, he was still relatively [D] unknown.
[G] [D] Then, in 1971, with the [E] success of just one single, [G] he was catapulted from cult singer [D] to [G] international superstar.
[A] Wake up Maggie, [G] I think I've got something [D] to say to you.
[A] It's late September [G] and I really should be [D] back at school.
Maggie [G] Mae encapsulated Rod's [D] new sound, a mixture of rock, [G] country, blues and folk, [A] but with no real obvious hook [Em] or chorus.
One of [B] its truly [F#m] distinctive elements was its [Em] joyful mandolin [G] solo.
[D]
The [G]
[D] record made Rod Stewart a household name, but the mandolin player's contribution remained a little more anonymous.
Even in the album's sleeve notes, Rod put, his name slips my [Dm] mind.
[G] [D] In actual fact, that famous solo was played by Ray Jackson, who at the time was a member of the folk rock band [G] Lindisfarne.
[Dm]
Right.
[D] The mandolin, Rod Stewart, Maggie Mae and you, how come?
There was about three or four minutes at the end of the song which had nothing in it at all, it was just a repeat.
So I said, can you make something up on the end?
So I said, [E] well, I'll have a go, yeah.
And I played this piece and said, oh yeah, that's great, I like that.
So what you're saying is they just invited you in, because you make it sound as though it was really blasé, you just walked in, you did this thing and you walked out again, surely that wasn't [D] it?
Weren't you given notes or?
No, not a thing.
[A] Maggie Mae was initially [G] selected to be the B-side of the single Reason [D] to Believe.
However, in Ohio, America, one DJ [G] decided to flip the [D] single and play the B-side.
Maggie [G] Mae caught on in the US and Britain [A] quickly followed.
[Em]
[F#m] [Em] It [A] [Em] was a monster hit, so I take it you're able to buy all the [A] drinks down at the pub now, yeah?
[Em] No.
[Am] When you walk away from the session, you get your cash in [Em] your hand, you get [Am] a musician's union fee.
How much [A] was that?
£15 at a [Bm] time.
To add insult to injury, when the record [G] was performed on top of the pops, Rod Stewart asked his DJ friend John Peel to mime the [D] mandolin part.
[G] And [D]
that is the performance that [Am] is [Gm] everywhere.
Yeah, yeah.
Because everybody thinks that John Peel [D] did it, don't they?
Yeah, that's right.
How did you feel about that?
Well, I [A] was a bit disappointed, [G] obviously.
Get away, you were stronger than [D] disappointed.
No, I was a bit disappointed.
Is disappointed the right word?
Yes, I'll use that word.
[A] [G] Maggie Mae hit number one in Britain and [D] America.
No one had expected it to do as well as it did.
[A] When you look [G] back after 40 years and people [D] all over the world have fallen in love with it, I mean, how does that make you feel?
[G] It's quite strange.
It still takes you, [D] you know, knocks you sideways occasionally [G] when you hear it after all these years.
[Em] [G]
[D]
[G] [D]
[G] [D]
When it comes to rock and roll, you think of the [A] electric guitar.
[Cm] You don't [Dm] immediately think of the mandolin.
[Am]
[D] Despite looking like [Em] it's jumped straight out of the Middle [G] Ages, this little instrument can play a [D] key role in the [G] success of one of [D] the best loved records of all time.
[Em]
[G] Rod Stewart had been on the music [D] scene from the late 60s, but by the [E] time his third [G] solo album was released, he was still relatively [D] unknown.
[G] [D] Then, in 1971, with the [E] success of just one single, [G] he was catapulted from cult singer [D] to [G] international superstar.
[A] Wake up Maggie, [G] I think I've got something [D] to say to you.
[A] It's late September [G] and I really should be [D] back at school.
Maggie [G] Mae encapsulated Rod's [D] new sound, a mixture of rock, [G] country, blues and folk, [A] but with no real obvious hook [Em] or chorus.
One of [B] its truly [F#m] distinctive elements was its [Em] joyful mandolin [G] solo.
[D]
The [G]
[D] record made Rod Stewart a household name, but the mandolin player's contribution remained a little more anonymous.
Even in the album's sleeve notes, Rod put, his name slips my [Dm] mind.
[G] [D] In actual fact, that famous solo was played by Ray Jackson, who at the time was a member of the folk rock band [G] Lindisfarne.
[Dm]
Right.
[D] The mandolin, Rod Stewart, Maggie Mae and you, how come?
There was about three or four minutes at the end of the song which had nothing in it at all, it was just a repeat.
So I said, can you make something up on the end?
So I said, [E] well, I'll have a go, yeah.
And I played this piece and said, oh yeah, that's great, I like that.
So what you're saying is they just invited you in, because you make it sound as though it was really blasé, you just walked in, you did this thing and you walked out again, surely that wasn't [D] it?
Weren't you given notes or?
No, not a thing.
[A] Maggie Mae was initially [G] selected to be the B-side of the single Reason [D] to Believe.
However, in Ohio, America, one DJ [G] decided to flip the [D] single and play the B-side.
Maggie [G] Mae caught on in the US and Britain [A] quickly followed.
[Em]
[F#m] [Em] It [A] [Em] was a monster hit, so I take it you're able to buy all the [A] drinks down at the pub now, yeah?
[Em] No.
[Am] When you walk away from the session, you get your cash in [Em] your hand, you get [Am] a musician's union fee.
How much [A] was that?
£15 at a [Bm] time.
To add insult to injury, when the record [G] was performed on top of the pops, Rod Stewart asked his DJ friend John Peel to mime the [D] mandolin part.
[G] And [D]
that is the performance that [Am] is [Gm] everywhere.
Yeah, yeah.
Because everybody thinks that John Peel [D] did it, don't they?
Yeah, that's right.
How did you feel about that?
Well, I [A] was a bit disappointed, [G] obviously.
Get away, you were stronger than [D] disappointed.
No, I was a bit disappointed.
Is disappointed the right word?
Yes, I'll use that word.
[A] [G] Maggie Mae hit number one in Britain and [D] America.
No one had expected it to do as well as it did.
[A] When you look [G] back after 40 years and people [D] all over the world have fallen in love with it, I mean, how does that make you feel?
[G] It's quite strange.
It still takes you, [D] you know, knocks you sideways occasionally [G] when you hear it after all these years.
[Em] [G]
[D]
[G] [D]
[G] [D]
Key:
G
D
A
Em
Am
G
D
A
Exactly, but another great pop song solo, you'll [Am] instantly recognize, written and performed by a man that you probably won't. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
When it comes to rock and roll, you think of the [A] electric guitar.
[Cm] You don't [Dm] immediately think of the mandolin.
[Am] _ _
[D] _ _ Despite looking like [Em] it's jumped straight out of the Middle [G] Ages, this little instrument can play a [D] key role in the [G] success of one of [D] the best loved records of all time.
[Em] _ _ _
[G] _ Rod Stewart had been on the music [D] scene from the late 60s, but by the [E] time his third [G] solo album was released, he was still relatively [D] unknown.
_ [G] [D] Then, in 1971, with the [E] success of just one single, [G] he was catapulted from cult singer [D] to [G] international superstar.
[A] Wake up Maggie, [G] I think I've got something [D] to say to you.
_ _ _ [A] It's late September [G] and I really should be [D] back at school.
_ _ Maggie [G] Mae encapsulated Rod's [D] new sound, a mixture of rock, [G] country, blues and folk, [A] but with no real obvious hook [Em] or chorus.
One of [B] its truly [F#m] distinctive elements was its [Em] joyful mandolin [G] solo.
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
The _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ record made Rod Stewart a household name, but the mandolin player's contribution remained a little more anonymous.
Even in the album's sleeve notes, Rod put, his name slips my [Dm] mind. _ _ _
_ _ [G] [D] In actual fact, that famous solo was played by Ray Jackson, who at the time was a member of the folk rock band _ [G] Lindisfarne.
_ [Dm] _ _
Right.
[D] The mandolin, Rod Stewart, Maggie Mae and you, how come?
There was about three or four minutes at the end of the song which had nothing in it at all, it was just a repeat.
So I said, can you make something up on the end?
So I said, [E] well, I'll have a go, yeah.
_ And I played this piece and said, oh yeah, that's great, I like that.
So what you're saying is they just invited you in, because you make it sound as though it was really blasé, you just walked in, you did this thing and you walked out again, surely that wasn't [D] it?
Weren't you given notes or?
No, not a thing.
_ _ [A] Maggie Mae was initially [G] selected to be the B-side of the single Reason [D] to Believe. _
However, in Ohio, America, one DJ [G] decided to flip the [D] single and play the B-side.
Maggie [G] Mae caught on in the US and Britain [A] quickly followed.
_ _ [Em] _ _ _ _
[F#m] _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ It [A] _ _ _ [Em] was a monster hit, so I take it you're able to buy all the [A] drinks down at the pub now, yeah?
[Em] No.
[Am] When you walk away from the session, you get your cash in [Em] your hand, you get [Am] a musician's union fee.
How much [A] was that?
£15 at a [Bm] time.
To add insult to injury, when the record [G] was performed on top of the pops, Rod Stewart asked his DJ friend John Peel to mime the [D] mandolin part. _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ And [D] _ _ _ _
that is the performance that [Am] is [Gm] everywhere.
Yeah, yeah.
Because everybody thinks that John Peel [D] did it, don't they?
Yeah, that's right.
How did you feel about that?
Well, I [A] was a bit disappointed, [G] obviously.
Get away, you were stronger than [D] disappointed.
No, I was a bit disappointed.
Is disappointed the right word?
Yes, I'll use that word.
_ [A] _ _ [G] Maggie Mae hit number one in Britain and [D] America.
No one had expected it to do as well as it did.
[A] _ When you look [G] back after 40 years and people [D] all over the world have fallen in love with it, I mean, how does that make you feel?
[G] It's quite strange.
It still takes you, [D] you know, knocks you sideways occasionally [G] when you hear it after all these years.
[Em] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [G] _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
When it comes to rock and roll, you think of the [A] electric guitar.
[Cm] You don't [Dm] immediately think of the mandolin.
[Am] _ _
[D] _ _ Despite looking like [Em] it's jumped straight out of the Middle [G] Ages, this little instrument can play a [D] key role in the [G] success of one of [D] the best loved records of all time.
[Em] _ _ _
[G] _ Rod Stewart had been on the music [D] scene from the late 60s, but by the [E] time his third [G] solo album was released, he was still relatively [D] unknown.
_ [G] [D] Then, in 1971, with the [E] success of just one single, [G] he was catapulted from cult singer [D] to [G] international superstar.
[A] Wake up Maggie, [G] I think I've got something [D] to say to you.
_ _ _ [A] It's late September [G] and I really should be [D] back at school.
_ _ Maggie [G] Mae encapsulated Rod's [D] new sound, a mixture of rock, [G] country, blues and folk, [A] but with no real obvious hook [Em] or chorus.
One of [B] its truly [F#m] distinctive elements was its [Em] joyful mandolin [G] solo.
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
The _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ record made Rod Stewart a household name, but the mandolin player's contribution remained a little more anonymous.
Even in the album's sleeve notes, Rod put, his name slips my [Dm] mind. _ _ _
_ _ [G] [D] In actual fact, that famous solo was played by Ray Jackson, who at the time was a member of the folk rock band _ [G] Lindisfarne.
_ [Dm] _ _
Right.
[D] The mandolin, Rod Stewart, Maggie Mae and you, how come?
There was about three or four minutes at the end of the song which had nothing in it at all, it was just a repeat.
So I said, can you make something up on the end?
So I said, [E] well, I'll have a go, yeah.
_ And I played this piece and said, oh yeah, that's great, I like that.
So what you're saying is they just invited you in, because you make it sound as though it was really blasé, you just walked in, you did this thing and you walked out again, surely that wasn't [D] it?
Weren't you given notes or?
No, not a thing.
_ _ [A] Maggie Mae was initially [G] selected to be the B-side of the single Reason [D] to Believe. _
However, in Ohio, America, one DJ [G] decided to flip the [D] single and play the B-side.
Maggie [G] Mae caught on in the US and Britain [A] quickly followed.
_ _ [Em] _ _ _ _
[F#m] _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ It [A] _ _ _ [Em] was a monster hit, so I take it you're able to buy all the [A] drinks down at the pub now, yeah?
[Em] No.
[Am] When you walk away from the session, you get your cash in [Em] your hand, you get [Am] a musician's union fee.
How much [A] was that?
£15 at a [Bm] time.
To add insult to injury, when the record [G] was performed on top of the pops, Rod Stewart asked his DJ friend John Peel to mime the [D] mandolin part. _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ And [D] _ _ _ _
that is the performance that [Am] is [Gm] everywhere.
Yeah, yeah.
Because everybody thinks that John Peel [D] did it, don't they?
Yeah, that's right.
How did you feel about that?
Well, I [A] was a bit disappointed, [G] obviously.
Get away, you were stronger than [D] disappointed.
No, I was a bit disappointed.
Is disappointed the right word?
Yes, I'll use that word.
_ [A] _ _ [G] Maggie Mae hit number one in Britain and [D] America.
No one had expected it to do as well as it did.
[A] _ When you look [G] back after 40 years and people [D] all over the world have fallen in love with it, I mean, how does that make you feel?
[G] It's quite strange.
It still takes you, [D] you know, knocks you sideways occasionally [G] when you hear it after all these years.
[Em] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [G] _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _