Queen - Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Guitar Cover

The Game (Deluxe Remastered Version)

1980 2:43

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About Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Written as a deliberate nod to rockabilly and early Elvis, this track gives guitarists a genuine taste of that stripped-back, rhythm-first style that Queen rarely revisited. The foundation is a chugging open-position D chord that drives almost the entire song, so locking in that tight, percussive strum at 139 BPM is the real work here. Brian May played the main rhythm part on a standard electric, and the whole thing sits in Eb Standard tuning, meaning you drop every string down a half step before you start. The key of D major then lands your open-position shapes right in the pocket, which is beginner-friendly in principle but demands real right-hand control to keep the groove punchy rather than sloppy. The lead guitar break is a short rockabilly-style solo built on bends and call-and-response phrasing. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop that section slowed down until the bends land cleanly in pitch. Queen kept the arrangement lean, which means every flubbed note is audible, so patience with the rhythm part pays off. Fans of Funk Rock will recognise the tight, clipped attack that gives this kind of groove its bite.

• The entire song is built around a percussive, open-position D chord strum, making right-hand rhythm control the primary technical challenge.
• The track is played in Eb Standard tuning, so tune every string down a half step before attempting any of the chord shapes.
• The lead break uses short rockabilly-style bends and phrasing, a useful exercise in controlled single-note expression at a brisk 139 BPM.