💔 About the Song
Released in 1975, Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover is Paul Simon’s most mischievous hit — a smooth, jazzy shuffle that hides a stinging truth inside a grin.
The verses are all melancholy introspection — “The problem is all inside your head, she said to me…” — and then the chorus hits with that immortal line: “Slip out the back, Jack…”
It’s both funny and quietly brutal. Simon had just gone through a messy divorce from Peggy Harper, and you can feel the self-awareness.
He’s not wallowing — he’s working it out with rhythm and wit, like only Paul Simon can.
Underneath, you’ve got one of the grooviest drum parts ever recorded — Steve Gadd’s military-precision shuffle that drummers still obsess over. Even without drums, the uke can keep that bounce going beautifully.
🎸 Ukulele Playing Tips
- Chords:G – Em – Am – D7 – C – G/B – A7 – D.
- Verse: G – Em – Am – D7,
- Chorus: C – G/B – Am – D – G.
- Strumming pattern: Jazzy syncopated groove — Down (rest) Up–Up–Down–Up at ~100 bpm.
Keep it loose and percussive. - Tone: Use your thumb and index alternately to create a soft “pat-pat” rhythm — think brushing, not bashing.
- Feel: This song has swagger. Every chord change should feel like a raised eyebrow.
- Optional flourish: Add light mutes between phrases — it mimics that snappy drum shuffle.
- Pro move: At “Slip out the back, Jack,” lean into each name like you’re giving life advice at a bar.
🧠 Trivia You Can Drop Casually
- There aren’t actually fifty ways in the song — Paul only gives five. He joked later, “I ran out of rhymes.”
- The track hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1976 and stayed there for three weeks.
- Steve Gadd’s drum groove is still studied in jazz schools — it’s legendary.
- Paul Simon wrote it in the wake of his divorce; the humour was his coping mechanism.
- He later said the song’s mix of sadness and humour was “the only honest way” he could write about loss.
🌈 Final Word
Play Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover like you’re half heartbroken, half smirking about it.
Keep the rhythm tight, the delivery dry, and let the uke swing — this one’s about charm, not sorrow.
If someone laughs and then sighs before the last chord rings, you’ve nailed it.