Other arrangements of The Hungry Years
Pick a learning view.
(A)Girl, we made it to the top, we (Dm)went so high we could n’t stop, we (A)climbed the lad der (Dm)lead ing us no (A)where.
Two of us to (D)geth er,
build ing (Dm)cas tles
in the (A)air.
We (C)spun so fast we could n’t tell the (Fm)gold ring from the car ou sel; how (C)could we know the (Fm)ride would turn out (C)bad?
Ev ’ry thing we (Am)want ed
let’s was ev ’ry thing we (G7sus)had.
I miss the hun gry (Fmaj7)years,
the once up on a (Fm)time,
the love ly long a (C)go
we did n’t have a (D9)dime:
those days of (Dm7)me and you
we (Fm)lost a long the (Cmaj7)way.
How could I be so (Fmaj7)blind
not to see the (Fm)door
clos ing on the (C)world
I now hun ger (D9)for.
Look ing through my (Dm7)tears,
I (Fm)miss the hun gry (C)years.
We (A)shared our day dreams one by one we (Dm)mak ing plans was so much fun; we (A)set our goals and (Dm)reached the high est (A)star.
Things that we were (D)af ter
we much (Dm)bet ter
from a (A)far
We (C)Here we stand just me and you with (Fm)ev ry thing and noth ing, too; it (C)was n’t worth the (Fm)price we had to (C)pay.
Hon ey, take me (Am)home, ed
let’s go back to yes ter (G7sus)day.
I miss the hun gry (Fmaj7)years,
the once up on a (Fm)time,
the love ly long a (C)go
we did n’t have a (D9)dime:
those days of (Dm7)me and you
we (Fm)lost a long the (Cmaj7)way.
How could I be so (Fmaj7)blind
not to see the (Fm)door
clos ing on the (C)world
I now hun ger (D9)for.
Look ing through my (Dm7)tears,
I (Fm)miss the hun gry (C)years.
We (C)years.
I miss the hun gry (C)years.
The Hungry Years — Classic Piano Sheet Music
6 people have learned this song
Read "The Hungry Years" by Neil Sedaka in classic piano notation — both hands, real chords + notes, in the published key of A. Engraved server-side from the publisher MusicXML; click any note to jump there as the score follows along at 77 BPM.
This arrangement is a wonderful workout for navigating extended chords at a relaxed 77 BPM — you'll move through sixteen different chord shapes including Cmaj7, C9, D9, and Bm7, which means your left hand needs to be comfortable shifting between major, minor, and seventh voicings without hesitation.
The pedal bass pattern keeps your left hand anchored, so use that stability to focus on clean chord transitions up top.
Watch the moves between A major and the borrowed chords like Dm, Fm, and Fmaj7 — those chromatic shifts can catch you off guard if you're not anticipating them.
I'd suggest learning hands separately first, then loop any four-bar phrase where the harmony changes color unexpectedly.
Slow it down to around 55 BPM until each chord lands without fumbling, then build back up.
The most common stumble is rushing through the seventh chords instead of voicing every note clearly.
Stay patient with those shapes — this is the piece that will make extended jazz voicings feel natural under your fingers.
Try other practice modes:
About “The Hungry Years”
- Is this the same engraved sheet music a piano teacher would print for "The Hungry Years"?
- Yes — the score is rendered server-side from the publisher MusicXML using Verovio (the same engine RISM and OpenScore use). Standard piano notation, treble + bass staves, real chord symbols, key signature A. Print-quality and identical to what you'd see in a printed piano book.
- What key is "The Hungry Years" by Neil Sedaka played in?
- The Hungry Years is arranged in the key of A on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
- What's the tempo (BPM) of "The Hungry Years"?
- The arrangement plays at 77 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "The Hungry Years" easy to play on piano?
- Yes — this is one of our beginner-friendly arrangements with simplified chords and color-coded notes.
- Can I download sheet music for "The Hungry Years"?
- Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "The Hungry Years"?
- "The Hungry Years" was originally performed by Neil Sedaka. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- What chords are used in "The Hungry Years"?
- This arrangement uses 16 chords: A, Am, Bm7, C, C9, Cmaj7, D, D7, +8 more.
- What other songs by Neil Sedaka can I play here?
- Try "BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO", "BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO", "LAUGHTER IN THE RAIN". All are in our player with color-coded notes; pick the one matching your level.
- Is this the same notation a piano teacher would hand me?
- Yes — "The Hungry Years" is rendered at engraver quality (the Verovio engine, the same toolkit RISM and OpenScore editions use) from the original publisher MusicXML. You get standard piano notation: treble + bass clefs, key signature A, time signature, beams, dynamics — everything a printed sheet music book would have. Great for piano students learning to read music properly.
- What's the difference between Sheet Music and the other modes here?
- Sheet Music is the "classic" view — the one your piano teacher uses. Other modes (Beginner, Fall Down, Simple Sheet, Lead Sheet) trade real notation for color-coded notes and falling shapes to help absolute beginners. Use Sheet Music once you're ready to read both hands at once from real notation.
- Can I practice from this view at my own pace?
- Yes — slow the tempo from 77 BPM down (or up) without changing the pitch. The score scrolls in time and the currently playing note is highlighted, so you can drill a tough bar at half speed and bump it up once it feels comfortable.
- Why can I click a note in the score?
- Every notehead is interactive. Click and the audio jumps to that moment so you can drill a specific phrase or bar instead of replaying from the top. The currently playing note is highlighted as the music advances so your eye never loses its place.
- Can I download the sheet music as a PDF?
- Yes — Sheet Music PDF is one of the download formats for this song. The engraved score prints page-perfect on A4 / Letter so you can practice from paper as well as on screen.
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