Big Bang Generation Duran Duran
Duran Duran - Big Bang Generation (1997)
Tuning: Standard
Here is how to play most of this album track off the band's 1997 album, Medazzaland. This
is one of the last songs to feature the classic Wedding Album era line-up for the band, as well
as one of few tracks off the album to feature John Taylor on bass. Besides being one of the
more underrated tracks overall in the band's back catalog, in my opinion, the song also
features some neat distorted and reverb parts from Warren Cuccurullo. The choruses are particularly
easy to play, consisting of mostly barre chords and some light muting of those chords that
goes along with it.
Here's the tab to the intro played before the verses, as well as briefly before the final
chorus. Pretty basic stuff if you listen to the song, as long as you remember the bend the note
on the 15th fret up and down with your finger every time. Repeat as necessary.
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------| B|-------------------------------------------------------------------| G|--15(b) 13--14--13--14--15(b)--13--14--15(b)-----------------------| D|-------------------------------------------------------------------| A|-------------------------------------------------------------------| E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
For the verses, playing it with some reverb on seems to work out the best (a la How Soon Is
Now by The Smiths, which also makes use of the reverb for playing an F# chord to start out
with). If you have a decent pedal system though, you might be able to find an effect that
works out just as effectively without using the reverb necessarily.
[F#5] [B5] [D5] [C5] [B5]
e|------------------------------------------------------------------------| B|------------------------------------------------------------------------| G|--------------------------------4---4----7---5--4-----------------------| D|--4---4-----4(h)--2(h)--0(h)----4---4----7---5--4-----------------------| A|--4---4-------------------------2---2----5---3--2-----------------------| E|--2---2-----------------------------------------------------------------|
After playing the F#5 chord twice more with reverb at the "Now that I'm so alien" lyric, make
sure to transition into the chorus with this lead part used in the verses. The brief lead
part isn't played with reverb this time, so remember to kick it into distortion before playing
the chorus.
e|----------------------------------------------------------------------| B|----------------------------------------------------------------------| G|----------------------------------------------------------------------| D|--4---4----4(h)--2(h)--0(h)-------------------------------------------| A|--4---4---------------------------------------------------------------| E|--2---4---------------------------------------------------------------|
The chorus is fairly basic, as you can see below. Along with getting the up-to-down motions
right while playing them, also remember to play some muted notes at times during the chorus. They
aren't shown here since Warren seems to insert them inconsistently into each of the riffs
on the studio version. So be sure to listen in and play along until you get something that's
close to the right feel for it.
[D5] [C5] [D5] [D5] [C5]
e|---------------------------------------------------------------| B|---------------------------------------------------------------| G|--9---9--9---5---5--5---7--7----7---5--------------------------| D|--9---9--9---5---5--5---7--7----7---5--------------------------| A|--7---7--7---3---3--3---5--5----5---3--------------------------| E|---------------------------------------------------------------|
This is the middle eight lead part after Simon sings "We're gonna come together here." It
appears that when Warren played it live, he did things a bit differently with it, playing all
sorts of hammer-ons and pull-offs in the process. I tried to figure out something close to
what he played on the studio track higher up on the neck. But since he usually kept this certain
part to the middle part of the guitar neck, I figured out a simple way of playing it there
too.
So repeat this part three times at the middle eight...
e|---------------------------------------------------------------------| B|---------------------------------------------------------------------| G|--7--7(h)-----6(h)8---7--7(h)---9-------6(h)8------------------------| D|---------------------------------------------------------------------| A|---------------------------------------------------------------------| E|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
... then finish it off with a pull-off at the end, before repeating the intro.
e|---------------------------------------------------------------------| B|---------------------------------------------------------------------| G|--7--7(h)-----6(h)8---7--7(h)---9(p)8-----15(b) 13--14--13--14-------| D|---------------------------------------------------------------------| A|---------------------------------------------------------------------| E|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
The final chorus is played almost exactly like the first two, only the barre chords are moved
down two frets. Remember to listen in for some muting when wherever its needed too. This riff
is also played for the rest of the song.
[F#5] [D5] [E5] [E5] [D5]
e|------------------------------------------------------------------| B|------------------------------------------------------------------| G|--11---11--11---7---7--7----9----9---9----------------------------| D|--11---11--11---7---7--7----9----9---9----------------------------| A|--9----9---9----5---5--5----7----7---7----------------------------| E|------------------------------------------------------------------|
I haven't been able to figure out Warren's outro at the end. So if any of you have ideas for
it, feel free to submit them.
[F#5]Falling into space
[B5]At the end of time
[D5]Black as the black in y[C5]our [B5]eye
[F#5]Staring through a hole in the ozone
[B5]Thereā??s nobody home
[D5]To play back y[C5]our ansap[B5]hone
[F#5]Climax out of blue
[B5]Is it just another high?
No there m[D5]ust be s[C5]omething [B5]new
[F#5]Now that Iā??m so alien
Entering the a[E5]tmosp[C5]here[D5]
[D5]Don[C5]ā??t know what is[E5] waitin[C5]g here[D5] (oh no)
[D5]If th[C5]ereā??s nothing[E5] lef[C5]t to fea[D5]r
[D5]When they [C5]come toget[E5]her [C5]in
[D5]the Big Bang [D5]Gene[C5]ration
[F#5]Teardrop in the sky
[B5]Bursting my eye
[D5]Sound of m[C5]orning s[B5]ighs
[F#5]This life is stranger than fiction
[B5]Surreal addiction
[D5]Itā??s all [C5]I rec[B5]ognize
[F#5]Feeding off the habit
[B5]Losing control
[D5]Where is it l[C5]eading [B5]to?
[F#5]Now that Iā??m the alien
Entering the a[E5]tmosp[C5]here[D5]
[D5]Don[C5]ā??t know what is[E5] waitin[C5]g here[D5] (oh no)
[D5]If th[C5]ereā??s nothing[E5] lef[C5]t to fea[D5]r
[D5]When we c[C5]ome toget[E5]her [C5]in
[D5]the Big Bang [D5]Gene[C5]ration
[E5](Feel like I'm [C5]losing con[D5]trol)
[D5] [C5]
[E5](Now that I'm h[C5]ere al[D5]one)
[D5] [C5]
[E5](Feel like I'm [C5]losing con[D5]trol)
[D5] [C5]
[E5](Feel like I'm l[C5]osing [D5]it)
Weā??re gonna come t[D5]ogether[C5] here
[F#5]
[D5]Where you coming f[E5]rom?[E5] [D5]
[F#5]
[D5]When we gonna b[E5]urn out? Do[E5]nā??[D5]t know
[F#5]
[D5]Having so much [E5]fun[E5] [D5]
[F#5]
[D5]Greetings from the [E5]Big Bang Ge[E5]nera[D5]tion
[F#5] [D5]
[E5] [E5] [D5]
[F#5]
[D5]Meet you [E5]in the Big Bang Ge[E5]nera[D5]tion
[F#5] [D5]
[E5]Together in the B[E5]ig Bang G[D5]eneration
[F#5] [D5]
[E5]Together we're the [E5]Big Bang G[D5]eneration
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