
Calling America
Electric Light Orchestra
Practice the chords, follow the lyrics and adjust the key to play at your own pace.
More chord sheet options
You can edit the lyrics and chords directly in the sheet below.
Tom : Bm
D A
Somebody told her that there was a place like heaven
Bm G
Across the water on a seven-fortyseven
D Bm A D Bm A
Yeah, we're living in a modern world.
D A
And pretty soon she's really got the notion
Bm G
Of flying out across the big blue ocean
D Bm
A D ( D Bm G A )
Yeah, we're living in a modern world.
[Pre-Chorus]
F# Bm
Talk is cheap on satellite
G Em C
But all I get is static
F# Bm F# Bm
Information, I'm still here
G A
Re-dial on automatic.
[Chorus]
D G
Calling America (can't get a message through)
D A
Calling America (that's what she said to do)
D G
Calling America (that's where she has to be)
D A
Calling America (she left a number for me)
A
Calling America.
[Verse]
D A
But I'm just talking to a satellite
Bm G
Twenty thousand miles up in the sky each night
D Bm A D Bm A
Yeah, we're living in a modern world.
D A
All I had to do was pick up the phone
Bm G
I'm out in space, trying to talk to someone
D Bm
A D ( D C#m )
Yeah, we're living in a modern world.
[Pre-Chorus]
F# Bm
She left a number I could call
G Em C
But no one's there, no one at all
F# Bm F# Bm
There must be something going wrong
G A
That number just rings on and on.
[Chorus]
[Solo] (over verse chords)
E|-----------|-----------|-----------|--------|-----------|---------|---------|
B|-----------|-----------|-----------|--------|-----------|---------|---------|
G|-2---0-----|-----------|-----------|--------|-2---0-----|---------|---------|
D|--------4--|-2---4--2--|-0-2-4-----|--------|--------4--|-0---0---|-0-------|
A|-----------|-----------|--------2--|-2------|-----------|---------|---------|
E|-----------|-----------|-----------|--------|-----------|---------|---------|
[Verse]
D A
Said she'd call when she'd been gone a while
Bm G
Guess she's missing me across the miles
D Bm A D Bm A
Yeah, we're living in a modern world.
[Chorus]
Rate this chord sheet
Version available for community feedback.
Looking for a chord sheet you couldn’t find?
We can generate it for you. Upload audio or paste a YouTube link to get started.
Song chords
View all chord diagrams →Chords used in this sheet
Reference guitar fingerings for the chords in this version.
How to practice this chord sheet
A practical summary of the chords, key and tempo to help you start playing this version.
Progression and practice
Detected progression: D → A → Bm → G → D → Bm → A → D
The harmony or tempo is more demanding. Work on the hard changes before playing the whole song.
- Start at 60 BPM. Speed up once you can keep time without stopping.
- Practice the two hardest chord changes first, then go back to the whole song.
- Use the transpose button if the key feels uncomfortable for your voice or the chord shapes you know.
Listen to the chords
Listen to a reference for each chord before you start. Your browser generates the sound.
Community chord sheet subject to review. Composition and lyrics belong to their respective rights holders. Copyright · Request a review
