Here's more Christmas guitar music: Merry Christmas Baby is a Christmas song written by Charles Brown, a Texas blues musician who recorded the song in 1947. Elvis Presley covered it in 1971 and this is the version you'll learn to play here.
Here's a video of Presley's version of Merry Christmas Baby:
The song is a typical 12-bar blues. The Elvis version you heard on the video above is in the key of Ab, but we will be playing it in the key of G because that's easier on the guitar. If you want to play along you have to transpose everything a half tone higher, that means playing everything one fret higher on the neck.
The guitar part consists of a bass line and a typical bluesy chord embellishment that's easy and fun to play. I've put chords above the guitar tabs that you can use to strum while singing.
Here are the guitar tabs for Merry Christmas Baby. The diagonal lines that lead up to the 5th fret in every bar indicate a slide:
Some trivia about Merry Christmas Baby:
Charles brown wrote another very famous Christmas song called "Please Come Home For Christmas". This song was recorded by a lot of artists, including The Eagles, Bon Jovi, James Brown, Mariah Carey, B.B. King, Etta James and Harry Connick Jr.
Elvis Presley's version was recorded during a jam session.
Here are the lyrics and guitar chords of Merry Christmas Baby:
G7
Merry, Merry Christmas baby
C7 G7
Sure did treat me nice
C7
I said Merry Christmas baby
G7
You Sure did treat me nice
D7 C7
Gave me a diamond ring for Christmas
G7
Now I'm living in paradise
G7 C7
Well I'm feeling might fine
G7
Got good music on my radio
C7
Well, I'm feeling might fine
G7
Got good music on my radio
D7 C7
Well, I want to kiss you baby
G7
While you're standing beneath the mistletoe
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