Santa Monica
As recorded by Everclear on "Sparkle and Fade"
Tabbed by Steve Smith (sesmith3@eos.ncsu.edu) and Andrew Spears (ilikethebeatles@hotmail.com)

VERSION 1 - Tabbed by Andrew Spears

x = Mute (not palm muting, but slightly touching the string for a gritty noise)

This is, for the most part, the TRULY correct way to play the song.

The intro begins like the main line, with a full G chord played before going into the first verse.
e|----------------------------------------------------3--
b|----------------------------------------------------3--
g|----------------------------------------------------0--
d|-5-5---5-5-5-5-5-5--xxxx-5-5-5-5-5-5--xxxx-5-5-5-5--0--
a|-5-5---5-5-5-5-5-5--xxxx-5-5-5-5-5-5--xxxx-5-5-5-5--2--
E|-3-3---3-3-0-0-3-3--xxxx-3-3-0-0-3-3--xxxx-3-3-0-0--3--


The main rhythm line is correct, simply playing the standard powerchords.
e|-------------------------------------------------------
b|-------------------------------------------------------
g|-------------------------------------------------------
d|-5-5---5-5-5-5-5-5--xxxx-5-5-5-5-5-5--xxxx-5-5-5-5-5-5-
a|-5-5---5-5-5-5-5-5--xxxx-5-5-5-5-5-5--xxxx-5-5-5-5-5-5-
E|-3-3---3-3-0-0-3-3--xxxx-3-3-0-0-3-3--xxxx-3-3-0-0-3-3-

But the variation (“I don’t want to be your…”) actually is played this way.
e|-------------------------------------------------------
b|-------------------------------------------------------
g|----------7-7---7-7-9-9-5-5---5-5-2-2------------------
d|-5-5-5-5--7-7---7-7-9-9-5-5---5-5-2-2-5-5---5-5-5-5--5-
a|-5-5-5-5--5-5---5-5-7-7-3-3---3-3-0-0-5-5---5-5-5-5--5-
E|-3-3-0-0------------------------------3-3—--3-3-0-0--3-

After the first variation in the song (before the “With my big black boots…” part), Art strums another full G chord.
e|-3--
b|-3--
g|-0--
d|-0--
a|-2--
E|-3—-

The chorus (“We can live beside the ocean…”) is another powerchord variation.
e|--------------------------------------------------------------
b|--------------------------------------------------------------
g|-3-5-xxxx-5-5-7-7--------------9-9-7-7-xxxx-7-7-5-5-----xxxx--
d|-5-5-xxxx-5-5-7-7-5-5-xxxx-5-5-9-9-7-7-xxxx-7-7-5-5-5-5-xxxx--
a|-3-3-xxxx-3-3-5-5-5-5-xxxx-5-5-7-7-5-5-xxxx-5-5-3-3-5-5-xxxx--
E|------------------3-3-xxxx-3-3----------------------3-3-xxxx—-

The chorus is played two times with this bridging the first time with the second.
e|---------
b|---------
g|-----7-7-
d|-5-5-7-7-
a|-5-5-5-5-
E|-3-3-----

Simple little figure there, leading into the repeat of the chorus. After the whole chorus is over with (played twice), 
Art lets the last powerchord ring before going into the main verse again. The first time you play the whole chorus, 
Art SLAMS on the distortion before going into the verse. And that is the main rhythm guitar for the song.

VERSION 2 - Tabbed by Steve Smith

Santa Monica was Everclear's first big hit nation-wide. It is the main reason 
this album went platinum and sold 1.5 million copies.

Main part (repeat a few times, listen to CD for exactness):

e|-------------------------------------------------------
b|-------------------------------------------------------
g|-------------------------------------------------------
d|-5-5---5-5-5-5-5-5--xxxx-5-5-5-5-5-5--xxxx-5-5-5-5---5-
a|-5-5---5-5-5-5-5-5--xxxx-5-5-5-5-5-5--xxxx-5-5-5-5---5-
e|-3-3---3-3-0-0-3-3--xxxx-3-3-0-0-3-3--xxxx-3-3-0-0---3-

then it has a slight variation after you play that for awhile:

e|----------------------------------------------------------
b|----------------------------------------------------------
g|----------7-7---7-7-9-9-5-5---7-7-9-9-5-5---7-7-5-5-------
d|-5-5-5-5--7-7---7-7-9-9-5-5---7-7-9-9-5-5---7-7-5-5-------
a|-5-5-5-5--5-5---5-5-7-7-3-3---5-5-7-7-3-3---5-5-3-3-------
e|-3-3-0-0--------------------------------------------------

that's basically the rhythm parts, here are some of the fills and solo stuff:
fill #1 (clean tone) [guitar2] 
"With my big..."
e|---3-----------------------------------------
b|--------3------------------------------------
g|-----------4---------------------------------
d|---------------5-----------------------------
a|----------------------------------------------
e|----------------------------------------------

fill#2 (w/dist.)
"I do believe I'll find..."
e|-----------
b|-----------
g|-----------
d|---9/4-----
a|-----------
e|-----------

fill #3
"sleep walk dance..."
e|----0----------------------------------
b|----0----------------------------------
g|----2b------2--2--2--2--2--2--2--------
d|---------------------------------------
a|---------------------------------------
e|---------------------------------------

Fill #4
"fall back crutch anymore"
e|--------------------------------------
b|----------3--3------3------3---3------
g|--14\-----5------5------5----------5--
d|--14\---------------------------------
a|---0----------------------------------
e|---0----------------------------------

solo1:
"my own weird way (start solo)..."
e|-------------------------------------------------------------
b|-----12-------12----12---------12-------12-------------------
g|-----------12---------------12--------12---12--12------12----
d|-------------------------------------------14------14------14
a|-12----------------------------------------------------------
e|(12)---------------------------------------------------------

solo2:
start after: "...place to be alone"
e|-------------15---17---15----17----17----17b---15--15/8
b|--15--17-----------------------------------------------
g|-------------------------------------------------------

solo3:
start at "watch the world die, we can live..."
e|-------------------------------------------------------
b|-15b--12-----------------------------------------------
g|------------14--12-----12-14-12-----12-14-12-----12-14-
d|--------------------14--------------14--------------14-
a|-------------------------------------------------------
e|-------------------------------------------------------

then play this chord pretty much through the end of the song...
e|---15---
b|----x---
g|---12---
d|--------
a|--------
e|--------

that's about it! Comments? 
sesmith3@eos.ncsu.edu 

Suggestion from Brett Norris (kendall_klavier@hotmail.com)

I found most of the tab to very close, if not correct, 
aside from the main part. I play it this way and think it sounds closer 
to the original. Thank you for your time and your site.

Main part

e|----------------------------------------------
b|----------------------------------------------
g|----------------------------------------------
d|----------------------------------------------
a|-5-5---5-5-2-2-5-5---5-5-2-2-5-5---5-5-2-2--5-
e|-3-3---3-3-0-0-3-3---3-3-0-0-3-3---3-3-0-0--3-

Suggestion from Will Donovan (everclear792@msn.com)

I think the tab steve has on Santa Monica is a little wrong, heres how I 
think it goes:

D|-5-5--5-5--7-7---7-7-9-9-5-5---9-9-7-7--7-7-9--5-5-5-5--5-|
A|-5-5--5-5--7-7---7-7-9-9-5-5---9-9-7-7--7-7-9--5-5-5-5--5-|
E|-5-5--0-0--5-5---5-5-7-7-3-3---7-7-5-5--5-5-7--3-3-0-0--3-|

-Will

JASON'S EVERCLEAR TABS - https://members.tripod.com/~panec/