Song: Virtual Insanity
Artist: Jamiroquai
Updated in 2025 to revert largely to a previous version of the chords. There's a descending line of notes in
the first seven chords (the notes are Db C B Bb Bb Bb Ab) that I mis-synced with the chord changes. That
caused me to screw up the 2nd 3rd and 4th chords of the verse, writing 2 majors as sus4 and D dominant 9 as a
major 9. Can't believe I let this go so long.
Good news is that the correct chords are simpler to write and to play!
[Intro and verse chords]
[Ebm7] [Ab7] [Db9] [Gbmaj7] [Cm7b5] [Bmaj7] [Bb7#5]
E 6 4 x(4) x x x x
B 7 4 4(4) 2 4 4 7
G 6 5 4(4) 3 3 3 7
D 8 4 3(6) 3 4 4 (6)
A 6 6 4(4) x 3 2 x
E x 4 x(x) 2 x x 6
Chorus chords (these voicings give you the violin notes on the
top strings, especially if you ditch the Ebm7 for the Eb5 in
brackets. The Gbmaj11 needs your thumb for the bass string.
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] [Gbmaj7] [Ab7sus4] [Bb7]
x x 6 1 x x
7 6 7 2 7 9
8 4 6(8) 3 6 7
8 6 8(8) 3 4 6
x 5 6(6) x 6 8
7 x x 2 4 6
Where the chord change is on a half measure, the two chords are
connected by a hyphen (with spaces), e.g. Ebm7 - Gbmaj11.
Otherwise, each chord is one measure; if a chord is played for two
measures, it's written in twice, except for the outro, where the
timing becomes fluid – you're on your own there.
Intro
[Ebm7] [Ab7] [Db9] [Gbmaj7]
Ooh, He - ey, oh
[Cm7b5] [Bmaj7] [Bb7#5]
What we're living in, let me tell ya
Verse 1
[Ebm7] [Ab7]
It's a wonder man can eat at all
[Db9] [Gbmaj7]
When things are big that should be small
[Cm7b5] [Bmaj7]
Who can tell what magic spells
[Bb7#5] [Ebm7]
Will be doing for us?
[Ebm7] [Ab7]
And I'm giving all my love to this world
[Db9] [Gbmaj7]
Only to be told
[Cm7b5] [Bmaj7]
I can't see, I can't breathe,
[Bb7#5] [Ebm7] – [Gbmaj11]
no more will we be
[Ab7] [Db9]
And nothing's going to change the way we live
[Gbmaj7] [Cm7b5]
Cos' we can always take but never give
[Bmaj7] [Bb7#5]
An' now that things're changing for the worse, see
[Ebm7]
Woah,
[Ebm7] [Ab7]
It's a crazy world we're living in
[Db9] [Gbmaj7]
And I just can't see that
[Cm7b5] [Bmaj7] [Bb7#5]
Half of us immersed in sin is all we have to give these
Chorus 1
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Futures made of virtu - al insani - ty now
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Always seem to be governed by this love we have for
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Useless, twisting of the new techno - logy
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] – [Bb7]
Oh, now there is no sound, for we all live under - ground
Verse 2
[Ebm7] [Ab7]
And I'm thinking what a mess we're in
[Db9] [Gbmaj7]
Hard to know where to begin
[Cm7b5] [Bmaj7]
If I could slip the sickly ties
[Bb7#5] - [Dm7b5] [Ebm7] – [Gbmaj7]
That earthly man has made
[Ab7] [Db9] [Gbmaj7] [Cm7b5]
And now every mother can choose the colour
[Bmaj7] [Bb7#5] – [Dm7b5] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7]
Of her child, that's not nature's way
[Ab7] [Db9]
Well that's what they said yesterday
[Gbmaj7] [Cm7b5]
There's nothing left to do but pray
[Bmaj7] [Bb7#5] - [Dm7b5] [Ebm7] – [Gbmaj7]
I think it's time I found a new eligion, wo - ah,
[Ab7] [Db9] [Gbmaj7]
it's so insane to synthesize another strain
[Cm7b5] [Bmaj7] [Bb7#5] – [Dm7b5]
There's something in these futures that we have to be told
Chorus 2
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Futures made of virtu - al insani - ty now
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Always seem to be governed by this love we have for
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Useless, twisting of the new techno - logy
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] – [Bb7]
Oh, now there is no sound, for we all live under - ground
Chorus 3
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Now there is no sound if we all live under-ground
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7]
And now it's virtual insanity
[Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Forget your virtual real - ity
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Oh, there's nothing so bad. I know ye - ah
Interlude
[Ebm7] [Ab7] [Db9] [Gbmaj7] [Cm7b5] [Bmaj7] [Bb7#5]
[Ebm7] [Ab7sus4] [Dbmaj9] [Gbmaj11] [Cm7b5] [Bmaj7] [Bb7#5]
Chorus 4
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Futures made of virtu - al insani - ty now
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Always seem to be governed by this love we have for
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Useless, twisting of the new techno - logy
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] – [Bb7]
Oh, now there is no sound, for we all live under - ground
Chorus 5
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Living, virtu - al insani – ty
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Living, virtu - al insani – ty
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Living, virtu - al insani – ty
[Bmaj7] [Ddim7] [Ebm7] - [Gbmaj7] [Abm7] - [Bb7]
Living, virtu - al insani – ty
Outro
[Bmaj7] [Db9]
[Ebm7] [Cm7b5] [Bmaj7] [Cm7b5]
Virtual insanity is what we're living in
[Bmaj7] [Bb7#5]
