Free Bass TranscriptionsI Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
The first single to be released from the band’s snappily titled debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ propelled the band from relative obscurity to both chart success and critical acclaim; the album remains the fastest-selling debut album of all time in the UK and ‘I Bet You Look Good…’ made number 7 in NME magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
A full two decades after its release (do you feel old yet?), this song remains something of an Indie anthem – the combination of chaotic guitars and a shout-along chorus makes it the perfect accompaniment to 10 pints of warm beer and a doner kebab (aka ‘The Great British Night Out’).
Bass-wise, there’s not much to worry about here, other than maintaining your energy levels (and the rather brisk 206bpm tempo) for the duration of the song – especially since this song tends to show up towards the end of a two-hour gig – the whole point is to play it with attitude. The real highlight is the chorus, where the bass takes a break from doubling the guitar part to deliver a subtle sub hook: the C# - E motif at the end of each bar fits with each chord in the progression (F#m, A and E, respectively), forming a clever little ostinato part. Not bad for a dumb rock song, eh?
Tonally speaking, this song works well from either a pick or fingers standpoint – it sounds like Andy Nicholson is using fingers on the recording, but whenever I have to play this song live, I opt for a pick as it helps the bass maintain clarity amongst the distorted guitars.