Learning If Loving You Is Wrong
The song If Loving You Is Wrong is one of the most covered blues standards in existence. It was originally recorded by Big Mom Thornton in 1949, written by Bobby Moore under a pseudonym. The chords are straightforward — mostly a 12-bar blues in E with a few variations — which is why so many guitar players grab it early. But straightforward doesn't mean easy to play well. The original key is E major. The chord progression follows a standard 12-bar blues pattern for the first eight bars, then branches into a turnaround with an A7 and D7 before hitting the V chord. Here's the breakdown bar by bar: E7 for bars 1 through 4. A7 on bar 5, E7 on bar 6, then A7 again on bar 7 with a D7 on bar 8. Bars 9 through 12 return to E7, with a C#7 and D7 on the turnarounds that lead back to the top. That C#7 to D7 movement is where most people mess up because they flatten it to a regular blues turnaround and lose the flavor.
I spent about three months working on this when I first picked it up properly. The vocal melody sits comfortably in the middle register, which is good for beginners because you aren't bending into uncomfortable ranges. But the guitar part — especially the lead fills between vocal phrases — requires clean finger technique. You can play it with a pick, but the tone suffers if you are just strumming hard.
Tab and Notation
Most tab sites have this one wrong because they drop the C#7 entirely and just loop the basic blues pattern. That is the single most common mistake I see. The C#7 appears on bar 10 in the original arrangement and gives the song its distinctive upward pull before resolving. Without it, you are just playing a generic E blues and it sounds flat. The lead line that Ike & Tina Turner made famous runs mostly on the G and B strings. The first fill comes at the end of the second measure and uses a hammer-on from the fifth to seventh fret on the G string. If you practice that in isolation first, the rest of the solo becomes much easier to assemble. I used to struggle with timing on that particular lick until I slowed it down to 40 beats per minute and played it with a metronome for about two weeks. For rhythm playing, a standard E7 shape works fine for the opening bars, but switching to an open E chord on the last bar of each 12-bar cycle gives the song more lift. That is something most players skip because it feels like extra work, but it makes a noticeable difference in how the song breathes.
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Common Pitfalls
The tempo in the original Big Mom version is around 92 beats per minute. The Ike & Tina Turner version pushes it to about 130, which is where most people get frustrated trying to learn it. I recommend starting with the original tempo and learning the lead parts there before attempting the faster arrangement. Going straight to the faster version usually means you develop sloppy timing that is hard to fix later. Another issue is the bridge section. Some arrangements insert a short modulated bridge that raises the key. This isn't in the original but appears in later covers. It works if you know your fretboard, but it adds unnecessary complexity if you are still building vocabulary. Stick to the original arrangement until you have the song completely locked in. The song also appears in different keys depending on the artist. Rod Stewart recorded it in G. Led Zeppelin played it in E during live performances but sometimes transposed it for vocal comfort. If you are playing along with a specific recording, check the key before looking up tabs because many free resources assume the most common version and don't note alternatives.
How to Practice It Efficiently
Start by learning the chord progression without the melody. Play through the 12 bars three times in a row without stopping, even if you make a mistake. This builds muscle memory for the transitions, particularly the A7 to E7 movement on bars five and six, which tends to trip up players who are used to staying on one chord shape longer. Then add the vocal melody. Hum it first to internalize the phrasing. The melody has a lot of syncopation that doesn't show up clearly in standard notation. You need to hear it before you can play it accurately. After that, combine the two. This usually takes about two weeks of consistent daily practice, roughly 20 to 30 minutes per session. For the lead guitar parts, isolate each fill separately. Don't try to play the whole solo at once. Work on the first fill until you can play it cleanly at half speed, then move to the second. This method is slower upfront but saves hours of frustration later. I learned this the hard way after spending a month trying to play the full solo cold and never getting it clean.
Recording References
The Big Mom Thornton original from 1949 is the definitive starting point. It is raw and the tempo is manageable. Then move to the Ike & Tina Turner version for the more aggressive approach. The Rod Stewart version from 1971 is useful for understanding how the song translates to a rock arrangement. Each version highlights different elements of the composition, and listening to all three gives you a complete picture of what the song can do. If you want something closer to the jazz-blues side, Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons covered it on the Sweetheart of the Rodeo sessions, though that version is more country-inflected. It is worth a listen for chord interpretation ideas if you plan to rearrange the progressions later.
Why the Song Matters Practically
Learning If Loving You Is Wrong teaches you more than one song. The C#7 to D7 movement appears in many blues standards. The syncopated vocal phrasing carries over into songs like Key to the Highway and I'd Rather Go Blind. The lead fills use vocabulary that shows up in Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and later Chicago blues players. It is a foundational piece that connects multiple eras of the genre. The main limitation of this song as a learning tool is that it is deceptively simple. Beginners often think they have mastered it after learning the chords because there are only four or five shapes involved. But the nuance comes from timing, dynamics, and the fills, and those elements take considerably longer to develop. Don't skip past the basics assuming the song is too easy. It will bite you when you try to play it with others and the timing falls apart.
