Rock

Behind Blue Eyes Chords

The Who Intermediate Key of Em 6 Chords 2 min read Updated Jul 2026

Emtap to play

Gtap to play

Dtap to play

Ctap to play

Atap to play

Bmtap to play

Key

Em

Difficulty

Intermediate

Capo

None

Chords

Em · G · D · C · A · Bm

Behind Blue Eyes Chords – Guitar

A haunting classic that shifts between gentle arpeggiated verses and powerful rock sections.

Rock Ballad (4/4 Time)

↓↑↓↑↓↑

123456

Tip: Fingerpick the verses gently and switch to full strumming for the heavier bridge section.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To be the bad man, to be the sad man

C A

Behind blue eyes

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To be hated, to be fated

C A

To telling only lies

Chorus

C D

But my dreams, they aren’t as empty

G E A

As my conscience seems to be

Bm C

I have hours, only lonely

D A

My love is vengeance that’s never free

Verse 2

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To feel these feelings like I do

C A

And I blame you

Em

No one bites back as hard

G D

On their anger, none of my pain and woe

C A

Can show through

Frequently Asked Questions

What chords do you need to play "Behind Blue Eyes"?

You need 6 intermediate-friendly chords: Em, G, D, C, A and Bm.

Is "Behind Blue Eyes" easy to play on guitar?

It is rated intermediate and uses only 6 chords in the key of Em, making it a good choice for players at that level.

What key is "Behind Blue Eyes" in?

It is in the key of Em.

Who wrote "Behind Blue Eyes"?

It was written by Pete Townshend, and released in 1971.

Emtap to play

Gtap to play

Dtap to play

Ctap to play

Atap to play

Bmtap to play

Key

Em

Difficulty

Intermediate

Tuning

G-C-E-A

Chords

Em · G · D · C · A · Bm

Behind Blue Eyes Chords – Ukulele

A haunting classic that shifts between gentle arpeggiated verses and powerful rock sections.

Rock Ballad (4/4 Time)

↓↑↓↑↓↑

123456

Tip: Fingerpick the verses gently and switch to full strumming for the heavier bridge section.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To be the bad man, to be the sad man

C A

Behind blue eyes

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To be hated, to be fated

C A

To telling only lies

Chorus

C D

But my dreams, they aren’t as empty

G E A

As my conscience seems to be

Bm C

I have hours, only lonely

D A

My love is vengeance that’s never free

Verse 2

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To feel these feelings like I do

C A

And I blame you

Em

No one bites back as hard

G D

On their anger, none of my pain and woe

C A

Can show through

Frequently Asked Questions

What chords do you need to play "Behind Blue Eyes"?

You need 6 intermediate-friendly chords: Em, G, D, C, A and Bm.

Is "Behind Blue Eyes" easy to play on guitar?

It is rated intermediate and uses only 6 chords in the key of Em, making it a good choice for players at that level.

What key is "Behind Blue Eyes" in?

It is in the key of Em.

Who wrote "Behind Blue Eyes"?

It was written by Pete Townshend, and released in 1971.

Emtap to play

Gtap to play

Dtap to play

Ctap to play

Atap to play

Bmtap to play

Key

Em

Difficulty

Intermediate

Left Hand

Root notes

Chords

Em · G · D · C · A · Bm

Behind Blue Eyes Chords – Piano

A haunting classic that shifts between gentle arpeggiated verses and powerful rock sections.

Rock Ballad (4/4 Time)

↓↑↓↑↓↑

123456

Tip: Fingerpick the verses gently and switch to full strumming for the heavier bridge section.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To be the bad man, to be the sad man

C A

Behind blue eyes

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To be hated, to be fated

C A

To telling only lies

Chorus

C D

But my dreams, they aren’t as empty

G E A

As my conscience seems to be

Bm C

I have hours, only lonely

D A

My love is vengeance that’s never free

Verse 2

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To feel these feelings like I do

C A

And I blame you

Em

No one bites back as hard

G D

On their anger, none of my pain and woe

C A

Can show through

Frequently Asked Questions

What chords do you need to play "Behind Blue Eyes"?

You need 6 intermediate-friendly chords: Em, G, D, C, A and Bm.

Is "Behind Blue Eyes" easy to play on guitar?

It is rated intermediate and uses only 6 chords in the key of Em, making it a good choice for players at that level.

What key is "Behind Blue Eyes" in?

It is in the key of Em.

Who wrote "Behind Blue Eyes"?

It was written by Pete Townshend, and released in 1971.

Emtap to play

Gtap to play

Dtap to play

Ctap to play

Atap to play

Bmtap to play

Key

Em

Difficulty

Intermediate

Tuning

gDGBD (Open G)

Chords

Em · G · D · C · A · Bm

Behind Blue Eyes Chords – Banjo

A haunting classic that shifts between gentle arpeggiated verses and powerful rock sections.

Rock Ballad (4/4 Time)

↓↑↓↑↓↑

123456

Tip: Fingerpick the verses gently and switch to full strumming for the heavier bridge section.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To be the bad man, to be the sad man

C A

Behind blue eyes

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To be hated, to be fated

C A

To telling only lies

Chorus

C D

But my dreams, they aren’t as empty

G E A

As my conscience seems to be

Bm C

I have hours, only lonely

D A

My love is vengeance that’s never free

Verse 2

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To feel these feelings like I do

C A

And I blame you

Em

No one bites back as hard

G D

On their anger, none of my pain and woe

C A

Can show through

Frequently Asked Questions

What chords do you need to play "Behind Blue Eyes"?

You need 6 intermediate-friendly chords: Em, G, D, C, A and Bm.

Is "Behind Blue Eyes" easy to play on guitar?

It is rated intermediate and uses only 6 chords in the key of Em, making it a good choice for players at that level.

What key is "Behind Blue Eyes" in?

It is in the key of Em.

Who wrote "Behind Blue Eyes"?

It was written by Pete Townshend, and released in 1971.

Emtap to play

Gtap to play

Dtap to play

Ctap to play

Atap to play

Bmtap to play

Key

Em

Difficulty

Intermediate

Tuning

G-D-A-E

Chords

Em · G · D · C · A · Bm

Behind Blue Eyes Chords – Mandolin

A haunting classic that shifts between gentle arpeggiated verses and powerful rock sections.

Rock Ballad (4/4 Time)

↓↑↓↑↓↑

123456

Tip: Fingerpick the verses gently and switch to full strumming for the heavier bridge section.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To be the bad man, to be the sad man

C A

Behind blue eyes

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To be hated, to be fated

C A

To telling only lies

Chorus

C D

But my dreams, they aren’t as empty

G E A

As my conscience seems to be

Bm C

I have hours, only lonely

D A

My love is vengeance that’s never free

Verse 2

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To feel these feelings like I do

C A

And I blame you

Em

No one bites back as hard

G D

On their anger, none of my pain and woe

C A

Can show through

Frequently Asked Questions

What chords do you need to play "Behind Blue Eyes"?

You need 6 intermediate-friendly chords: Em, G, D, C, A and Bm.

Is "Behind Blue Eyes" easy to play on guitar?

It is rated intermediate and uses only 6 chords in the key of Em, making it a good choice for players at that level.

What key is "Behind Blue Eyes" in?

It is in the key of Em.

Who wrote "Behind Blue Eyes"?

It was written by Pete Townshend, and released in 1971.

Emtap to play

Gtap to play

Dtap to play

Ctap to play

Atap to play

Bmtap to play

Key

Em

Difficulty

Intermediate

Harp Key

C Diatonic

Chords

Em · G · D · C · A · Bm

Behind Blue Eyes Chords – Harmonica

A haunting classic that shifts between gentle arpeggiated verses and powerful rock sections.

Rock Ballad (4/4 Time)

↓↑↓↑↓↑

123456

Tip: Fingerpick the verses gently and switch to full strumming for the heavier bridge section.

Lyrics & Chords

Full Song

Verse 1

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To be the bad man, to be the sad man

C A

Behind blue eyes

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To be hated, to be fated

C A

To telling only lies

Chorus

C D

But my dreams, they aren’t as empty

G E A

As my conscience seems to be

Bm C

I have hours, only lonely

D A

My love is vengeance that’s never free

Verse 2

Em

No one knows what it’s like

G D

To feel these feelings like I do

C A

And I blame you

Em

No one bites back as hard

G D

On their anger, none of my pain and woe

C A

Can show through

Frequently Asked Questions

What chords do you need to play "Behind Blue Eyes"?

You need 6 intermediate-friendly chords: Em, G, D, C, A and Bm.

Is "Behind Blue Eyes" easy to play on guitar?

It is rated intermediate and uses only 6 chords in the key of Em, making it a good choice for players at that level.

What key is "Behind Blue Eyes" in?

It is in the key of Em.

Who wrote "Behind Blue Eyes"?

It was written by Pete Townshend, and released in 1971.