This lovely ukulele love song is simple to play using just four regular chords – making it ideal for beginners looking to explore the instrument.
John Lennon’s iconic track from his 1990s album Imagine is another song you can learn to play on your ukulele 90s music collection. All it requires are three simple chords and a steady DUDU strumming pattern for this tune to come to life!
1. John Denver – ‘Take Me Home’
John Denver’s classic love song, “Country Roads,” is one of the easiest songs for beginners to learn and perform. Featuring four repeating chords of G, D, E and C which make this upbeat tune accessible even to novice musicians – you could try strumming along to it using either regular DD UU UDU pattern or try faster sequences to match lyrics better.
Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” is another romantic and easy love song to learn on your ukulele, with its smooth melody making for pleasant accompaniment from any ukulele.
Next up is something more challenging, yet still easy enough for beginning ukulele players: Blink-182’s “All Star,” a pop/rock hit featuring simple chord progressions and an infectious guitar riff you can learn using just three repeating chords. While you can use regular strumming patterns for much of the song, playing the riff requires quick down strums on G chord to match its pace of lyrics.
John Lennon’s heartfelt song, “Imagine,” makes the perfect finale to our list. Not as straightforward as some other pieces on here, “Imagine” should still form an integral part of your repertoire.
2. The Beach Boys – ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’
If you’re searching for romantic ukulele songs that are both simple to play and romantic in nature, look no further than this tune by The Beach Boys. The tune features four repeating chords with an easy strumming pattern – perfect to start practicing on! Learn the chords here.
This classic song from The Beach Boys was inspired by Chuck Berry’s original “Sweet Little Sixteen.” Brian Wilson altered its lyrics and turned it into an ode to surfing; this caused some legal difficulties for Berry himself; nonetheless imitation is often considered sincere form of flattery.
Add some blues flair to your ukulele love songs repertoire with Howlin’ Wolf’s ballad of “Needing Just a Spoonful of Your Precious Love”. Check out the chords here if you want to learn it on your instrument!
Hank Williams, one of the great country music legends, was known for writing romantic tunes. One of his best and a crowd pleaser at concerts is “Jambalaya”, featuring four repeating chords that provide an easy yet challenging strum pattern that anyone can learn quickly if starting to learn with Ukulele chords here.
3. Hank Williams – ‘Jambalaya’
Returning to the 50s, Hank Williams’ country music classic “Reasons for Being Happy” is an ideal song for budding ukulele players to learn. Although initially it may be difficult to master playing the Bb chord on your uke, once that step is under your belt it becomes easier – practice can help hone in on how much pressure to use on each downstroke for more percussive sounds on subsequent downstrokes to add rhythmic variety! Using extra force on second and third downstrokes adds extra percussive sounds giving the song an added percussive effect while hitting second and third downstrokes gives the song an added rhythmic quality!
This song’s chorus is simple to learn on your ukulele; all that’s required are chords C, F and G as well as strumming patterns D DU UDU for each chord. This gorgeous tune should become part of any beginning ukulele player’s repertoire!
Dolly Parton’s heartbreak classic, This Land Is Mine is an ideal song to learn on your ukulele. With only four chords – Am, C, G and E – used and an easy strumming pattern of DDUDUUDUUDU as its basis, learning this track should give a thrilling performance experience! Muting strings on downstrokes adds extra percussionist sound; definitely worth learning if you want your performances to feel powerful and moving!
4. Bon Jovi – ‘It’s My Life’
One might assume that an arena-sized rock song wouldn’t translate well onto the ukulele, but this incredibly catchy rock hit proves otherwise. Only three simple chords – C, G and F – are needed and the strumming pattern follows an intricate down strum sequence which perfectly complements its riff.
Classic rock songs make great accompaniments for the ukulele, including this tune by Bon Jovi. While its chord progression may prove challenging at first, with practice and the right instrument it becomes easier.
Justin Beiber may seem an unlikely choice for an iconic 90s song, but there’s something powerful in seeing a young man connect with teenage girls around the globe through catchy pop music. This particular track can easily be played on an ukulele and features harmony vocals that perfectly compliment its instrument.
The Lumineers popularized this song through their acoustic rendition, yet it can work wonderfully on the ukulele as well. Thanks to its simple chord progression and beautiful melody, this romantic tune makes an excellent romantic ukulele song! All beginners will find four repeating chords easy enough for them to grasp; plus there is only a straightforward strumming pattern of D, mutes UD.
5. Vance Joy – ‘Beyond The Sea’
James Keogh, better known by his stage name Vance Joy, became an instantaneous success in music when he released ‘Riptide’ in 2013. This single catapulted him to stardom worldwide as well as intimate venues across Australia – selling out every show to packed houses!
He exudes a genuine homegrown charm that instantly engages audiences, and his music and lyrics appeal to many people. His ukulele songs can easily be played anywhere from coffee shops to arenas alike; his voice suits each perfectly.
But when he attempts to add more flair and energy to his songs, things start going awry. Songs lose their charm while dissonance between vocal melody and arrangement doesn’t sit right.
Beyond The Sea is one song you won’t have trouble learning if you play ukulele. With a strong chord progression that works incredibly well on ukulele and an effortless learning process, ‘Beyond The Sea’ makes for an excellent addition to any ukulele player’s repertoire – perfect for learning with friends or on dates alike! This track also displays the popular “om-pa-pa” rhythm common to oldies songs; great fun when played as part of an ensemble piece!
6. The Beatles – ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’
Classic and iconic rockers the Beatles created something timeless with this song on ukulele that revolutionized pop and rock music. Learning it on ukulele will provide a fun challenge that gives a taste of their groundbreaking sound – all you need are C, Dm, F and G chords as well as regular DU-UDU strumming pattern to have this hit in your back pocket in no time – add extra groove by slapping strings on downstrokes for added grooviness!
Blink-182’s hit song is an extremely simple piece to learn on ukulele, thanks to some basic barre chords and some basic hammer-ons and pull-offs. Check out this ukulele tutorial for an in-depth breakdown of its chords and strumming pattern.
Anyone from the ’90s will recognize this song from its heavy radio play and appearance in popular TV shows and films. It is a perfect example of how large arena songs can translate so beautifully onto the ukulele, featuring beautiful melody and chord progression that really stand out when performed on it. Acclimatizing to Bb and Eb chords may take some practice but once learned they will feel natural on your instrument – just remember to tune to GCEA for best results.