Bass transcription: Kings of Leon – “Use Somebody”

2008 proved to be a pivotal year for Kings of Leon, as the first two singles from their fourth album, Only by the Night, became global smash hits. The first single, “Sex On Fire” became one of the longest-charting UK singles of all time, while “Use Somebody” has enjoyed a similar level of enduring success.

Kings of Leon – “Use Somebody” bass transcription PDF

“Use Somebody” bass performance notes

On first listen, Kings of Leon bassist Caleb Followill appears to be playing it simple, but there are still some parts of the bassline that are worth talking about:

• During the intro, the bass dictates the harmony – notice how shifting the bass note to E in bar 2 creates a first inversion sound (written as C/E), while moving to A at the start of the second line makes the ear interpret the chord as Am.
• The verse sections provide two very different rewards: in verse 1, you get a whole 16 bars’ rest (a very welcome gift on a long gig), while verse 2 allows the bass to grab the listeners’ attention by clever use of syncopation – notice what a profound effect leaving space on the beats and playing during the ‘and’ has.
• The middle 8 section features a strange key change to (almost) D major, before moving back to C major for the guitar solo.