Artist: U2
Song: Elevation
Album: All That You Can't Leave Behind
Transcribed by: Stephanie van der Linde
This is one of the best songs on U2's latest album, and it uses two guitars. This might not be a very good tab as I'm a pretty new guitarist, but I'm learning! I think it's pretty close. Any comments/questions/suggestions/insults can be sent to stephgurl2000@hotmail.com. Enjoy!
Note: The Edge seems to be using a lot of different distortion effects through most of the song. I've tried to match them as best as I can: Guitar #1 requires the gain and bass buttons on your amp to be turned all the way up (10), and the treble button to be turned all the way down. Guitar #2 requires the gain, treble, and bass to all be turned up to 10.
Intro
Play riff 1 seven times, then (Bono singing "Ooh!") play riff 2 along with riff 1 seven times.
(Guitar 1)
|-----------------------------|
|-----------------------------|
|----9-----------------------|
|----9--x2---------7-------|
|----7--------------7-x2---|
|--------------------5-------|
(Guitar 2)
|-----------------------------|
|-----------------------------|
|----9-------------14-------|
|----9-x4---------14-x4---|
|----7-------------12-------|
|-----------------------------|
Before verse 1 starts, add this riff in using guitar 2:
(Guitar 2)
|---------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------|
|----4-4--4-4-4 \ 2----2--2--------------|
|----4-4--4-4-4 \ 2----2--2--------------|
|----2-2--2-2-4 \ 0----0--0--------------|
|---------------------------------------------|
Verse 1
(Guitar 1)
B5 A5 E5
|----------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------|
|----4--4 \ 2--2--2-----9---9--------|
|----4--4 \ 2--2--2-----9---9--------| x4
|----2--2 \ 0--0--0-----7---7--------|
|----------------------------------------|
Chorus
The chorus uses the same chords from verse 1, plus the following acoustic riff:
(Guitar 2 in acoustic)
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|----5p3h5-----5p3h5------3---0----5p3h5----5p3h5--0--3---|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| x4
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Verse 2
(Guitar 1)
B5 A5 E5
|----------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------|
|----4--4 \ 2--2--2-----9---9--------|
|----4--4 \ 2--2--2-----9---9--------| x4
|----2--2 \ 0--0--0-----7---7--------|
|---------------------------------|
Chorus
The chorus uses the same guitar 1 chords from verse 2, plus the following acoustic riff:
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/u/u2/elevation_tab_ver_2.html ]
(Guitar 2 in acoustic)
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|----5p3h5-----5p3h5------3---0----5p3h5----5p3h5--0--3---|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| x4
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Bridge Lead in
(Play this before the bridge while Bono is singing "Oooh")
Riff 1 + Riff 2 x7. On the last time, add in riff 3 with guitar 2
Bridge
The bridge is an acoustic section (While Bono is singing "Love, lift me up out of these...) It uses the chords E, D, A. Just finger pick each chord
Chord diagram:
E D A
|----7-----| |---10----| |----5----|
|----9-----| |---10----| |----5----|
|----9-----| |---11----| |----6----|
|----9-----| |---12----| |----7----|
|----7-----| |---12----| |----7----|
|----7-----| |---10----| |----5----|
E A
Love, lift me up out of these blues
E D A
Won't you tell me something true I believe in you
Chorus
The chorus uses the same guitar 1 chords from verse 2, plus the following acoustic riff:
(Guitar 2 in acoustic)
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|----5p3h5-----5p3h5------3---0----5p3h5----5p3h5--0--3---|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| x4
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Outro
Play these two bits together 4 times
(Guitar 1)
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|------9----8----7-------|
|------9----8----7-------|
|------7----6----5-------|
|--------------------------|
(Guitar 2)
|-----------------------------|
|-----------------------------|
|----9-------------14-------|
|----9-x2---------14-x2---|
|----7-------------12-------|
|-----------------------------|
After you've played this four times, fade out with riff 1 and riff 2
Lyrics:
Intro
Yeah, yeah
Ooh!
Verse 1
High, higher than the sun
You shoot me from a gun
I need you to elevate me here
At the corner of your lips
As the orbit of your hips
Eclipse
You elevate my soul
Chorus
I've got no self-control
Been living like a mole now
Going down,
Excavation
I and I, in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly,
So high
El-E-vation
Verse 2
A star, lit up like a cigar
Strung out like a guitar
Maybe you could educate my mind
Explain all these controls
I can't sing but I've got soul
The goal,
Is elevation
Chorus
A mole, diggin' in a hole
Digging up my soul now
Going down
Excavation
I and I, in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly,
So high
El-E-vation
Bridge lead in
Ooh!
Bridge
Love, lift me up out of these blues
Won't you tell me something true
I believe in you
Chorus
A mole, diggin' in a hole
Digging up my soul now
Going down excavation
I and I, in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high
El-E-vation
Outro
Elevation
Elevation
Elevation
Elevation
Ooh!
Ooh!
Hoo hoo!
Ooh!
Ooh!
Ooh!
Ooh!
