Skip to song content
Ukulelearn homepage
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?We analyzed 14,015 chord transitions and ranked the 100 most repeated ones. Even the first 10 will transform your practice routine. The top transition appears in 23% of all songs.

Electric Light Orchestra - 21st Century Man Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, G, Am, Em, C7, F, Dm, Bb, Bb7, G7, Fm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

  • Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
  • Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
  • Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
  • Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
  • Ukulele C7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-1Ukulele C7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
  • Ukulele Dm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-1-0Ukulele Dm chord diagram
  • Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Ukulele A#7 | B♭7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A#7 | B♭7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele Fm chord diagram Fingering: 1-0-1-3Ukulele Fm chord diagram

[Opening]
[C]A penny in your [G]pocket [G] [Am]
[Am]Suitcase in your [Em]hand [C7] [F]
[F]They won’t get you [C]very far
Now you’re a [Dm]21st century [F]man [G] [G]

[section 2]
[C]Fly across the [G]city [G] [Am]
[Am]Rise above the [Em]land [C7] [F]
[F]You can do ‘most [C]anything
Now you’re a [Dm]21st century [Bb]man [Bb] [Bb7]

[section 3]
[G]Though you [G7]ride on the [C]wheels of [F]tomorrow [Dm] [Am]
[G]You still [G7]wander the [C]fields of your [F]sorrow
What will it [Fm]bring?

[section 4]
[C]One day you’re a [G]hero [G] [Am]
[Am]Next day you’re a [Em]clown [C7] [F]
[F]There’s nothing that is [C]in between
Now you’re a [Dm]21st century [F]man [G] [G]

[section 5]
[C]You should be so [G]happy [G] [Am]
[Am]You should be so [Em]glad [C7] [F]
[F]So why are you so [C]lonely
You [Dm]21st century [Bb]man [Bb] [Bb7]

[section 6]
[G]You stepped [G7]out of a dream
[C]Believing every [F]thing was gone [Dm] [Am]
[G]Return with [G7]what you’ve learned
They’ll [C]kiss the ground you walk [F]upon [Fm]

[section 7]
[Dm]21st century [F]man [G] [G]
[C]Things ain’t how you thought they [G]were, [G] [Am]
[Am]Nothing have you [Em]planned [C7] [F]
[F]So pick up your penny and your [C]suitcase,
You’re not a [Dm]21st century [Bb]man [Bb] [Bb7]

[section 8]
[G]Though you [G7]ride on the [C]wheels of to[F]morrow [Dm]to[Am]mor[G]row
[G]You still [G7]wander the [C]fields [F]of your sorrow Tomorrow [Fm]

[Closing]
[F]21st century [C]man Maa[Dm]aaan[Em]
[F]21st century [C]man Maa[Dm]aaan[Em]
[F]21st century [C]man Maa[Dm]aaan[Em]

Report Error
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on the ukulele.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master ukulele today with the 100 most repeated chord transitions from 14,015 analyzed.
ArtistElectric Light Orchestra
AlbumTime
GenresPop
Year1981
KeyC

How to play 21st Century Man on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Electric Light Orchestra - 21st Century Man on ukulele requires 11 chords and 20 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

21st Century Man uses these transitions most often: C → Dm (8), F → C (8), and C → F (6). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with C - G chord transition.

1. C → G chord transition

Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram

To move from C to G;

  1. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
  2. Place index finger on C string fret 2.
  3. Place middle finger on A string fret 2.
C to G

2. G → Am chord transition

Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram

To move from G to Am;

  1. While playing G, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
G to Am

3. Am → Em chord transition

Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram

To move from Am to Em;

  1. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
  2. Place index finger on A string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on C string fret 4.
Am to Em

4. Em → C7 chord transition

Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
Ukulele C7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-1Ukulele C7 chord diagram

To move from Em to C7;

  1. While playing Em, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Slide your index finger on A string from fret 2 to fret 1.
Em to C7

5. C7 → F chord transition

To move from C7 to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.

6. F → C chord transition

To move from F to C;

  1. While playing F, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.

7. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm;

  1. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on E string fret 1.
  3. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.

8. Dm → F chord transition

To move from Dm to F;

  1. While playing Dm, lift your ring finger from C string fret 2.
  2. Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.

9. F → G chord transition

To move from F to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 3.

10. Dm → Bb chord transition

To move from Dm to Bb;

  1. Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from C string fret 2 to G string fret 3.

11. Bb → Bb7 chord transition

To move from Bb to Bb7;

  1. While playing Bb, lift your ring finger from G string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on C string fret 2.

12. Bb7 → G chord transition

To move from Bb7 to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 3.

13. G → G7 chord transition

To move from G to G7;

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.

14. G7 → C chord transition

To move from G7 to C;

  1. While playing G7, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Slide your ring finger on A string from fret 2 to fret 3.

15. Dm → Am chord transition

To move from Dm to Am;

  1. While playing Dm, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.

16. F → Fm chord transition

To move from F to Fm;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 1.
  3. Place pinky on A string fret 3.

17. Fm → C chord transition

To move from Fm to C;

  1. While playing Fm, first lift your index finger, middle finger, and pinky.
  2. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.

18. Fm → Dm chord transition

To move from Fm to Dm;

  1. While playing Fm, lift your pinky from A string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 1 to G string fret 2.
  4. Place ring finger on C string fret 2.

19. Dm → Em chord transition

To move from Dm to Em;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on C string from fret 2 to fret 4.

20. Em → F chord transition

To move from Em to F;

  1. While playing Em, lift your ring finger from C string fret 4.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.

21st Century Man chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in 21st Century Man.

  • 21st Century Man includes 97 chord transitions, 20 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • 21st Century Man contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how 21st Century Man connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → Am: 13%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → G: 21%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains extracted from real songs. See which songs use each chain, learn the finger transitions, and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.