“Someone Like You” by Adele (Ukulele Chords and Tutorial)

Arguably one of the most iconic breakup songs of the modern era, you’d have to have spent the last decade living under a rock not to recognise the classic, arpeggiated piano intro to “Someone Like You” by Adele.

But, have you ever wondered how to play “Someone Like You” on ukulele? While the original recording only features piano and vocals, “Someone Like You” actually sounds fantastic when adapted to the uke, too!

Based around five simple chords, “Someone Like You” is a great way to give some emotional variety to your ukulele repertoire. With the right approach, you can transform the bright, airy tones of your uke into the kind of somber, restrained backing that “Someone Like You” demands.   

We also feel that “Someone Like You” is a great opportunity for beginners to experiment with fingerpicking, if they’ve never tried it before on the ukulele. While it’s certainly a step up from simply strumming the chords to a song, “Someone Like You” is harmonically simple, and a relatively slow song. With some practice, it’s not too much of a leap to be able to fingerpick at least part of the song.

Chords Used in “Someone Like You”

“Someone Like You‘s” easy ukulele chords are as follows: G, D, Em, C, and Am.

Both the verses and chorus of “Someone Like You” are essentially broken up into two parts. The first part of the verses and chorus are the same as the intro chord progression. There is also a bridge, which follows the same chord progression as the second part of the verses.

All the chords that make up “Someone Like You” are fairly simple to play, being largely based around open strings. As always, if you’re having trouble really nailing any of the chord progressions, try slowing them down and making sure you have each individual chord committed to muscle memory before trying to put them together.

Intro

[G] [D] [Em] [C]

Verse

As noted above, the verses are essentially split into two sections. The first progression is as follows:

[G] I heard

That you’ll [D] settle down

That you’ve [Em] found a girl

And you’re [C] married now

[G] I heard

That your [D] dreams came true

Guess she [Em] gave you things

I didn’t [C] give to you

Following onto that is the second part of the verse. This small variation in the chords is subtle and only a brief change from the overall structure of the song. However, it is a huge part of the momentum of the piece, and it would be appropriate for you to change up your playing slightly in order to reflect this (by playing slightly louder/softer, for example).

I [Am] hate to turn up out of the [C] blue uninvited

But I [Em] couldn’t stay away, [D] I couldn’t fight it

I’d [Am] hoped you’d see my face and [C] that you’d be reminded

That for [Em] me, it isn’t [D] over

Chorus

The chorus is the emotional climax of the song and is vocally a fairly dramatic shift from the verses. As such, it would definitely be appropriate here to reflect this by playing considerably louder than before and with much more intensity than in the verses.

[G] Never mind

I’ll [D] find someone like [Em] you [C]

I wish [G] nothing but the [D] best for [Em] you, [C] too

Don’t forget [G] me

I beg [D]

I remember [Em] you said [C]

Sometimes it [G] lasts in love

But [D] sometimes it hurts [Em] instead [C]

Sometimes it [G] lasts in love

But [D] sometimes it hurts [Em] instead [C]

Bridge

[Am] Nothing compares

No [C] worries, okays, [Em] regrets and mistakes

They’re [D] memories made

[Am] Who would have known

How [C] bittersweet [Em] this [D] would [C] taste [D]

View the complete ukulele chord chart for “Someone Like You” here.

Strumming Patterns  

There are several different strumming patterns you could adopt to play along to “Someone Like You”; we’ve listed two here and would recommend trying both while playing along to the song to see which approach you prefer.

This pattern is the most rhythmically straightforward but might sound a bit too busy to play throughout the whole song. If you choose to play this pattern, we would recommend playing it at one of the louder, more expressive parts of the song, such as the chorus. Otherwise, the strumming could potentially distract from the vocal performance, which is essentially the focus of “Someone Like You”.

D U D U D U D U

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

The second pattern requires playing less notes but is rhythmically not quite as simple as the first one. For this pattern, try to make sure that you articulate each of the last three chords properly, so that they don’t blend into one another.

D – U – – D U D

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

Notes

As mentioned previously, we feel that “Someone Like You” is a fantastic way to learn fingerpicking on the ukulele. While it might seem incredibly complex, once you get started you will likely get the hang of it faster than you think. It’s a great tool to have in your arsenal, giving you a simple way to completely change the tone of the song.

Below, you’ll find a video tutorial on fingerpicking “Someone Like You” on ukulele. If you struggle with it at first, try to slow the tempo down until it becomes manageable. Then, you can work at committing the music to muscle memory and slowly practice it at a faster and faster tempo.

Video Tutorial

Enjoyed this tutorial?

If you enjoyed this song tutorial, you might like messing around with these ukulele songs as well:

• “Counting Stars” by One Republic (Am, C, G, F)
• “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd (D, C, G)
• “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King (C, Am, F, G or G7)

Or, check out our full list of easy ukulele songs for beginners for even more songs to play.