3 Classic Rock Songs From 1989 That Are Defined by Their Iconic Guitar Riffs

The guitar riff is synonymous with rock music. And the riff has evolved from a long line of amplified blues, from Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry to Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page. Though drum machines and synthesizers became common in the 1980s, the guitar remained central to rock music’s identity throughout the decade. This list highlights three rock songs from 1989 defined by iconic guitar riffs. We’ll begin with an obvious classic. But I chose to toss curveballs for the final two entries.

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“Runnin’ Down A Dream” by Tom Petty

Tom Petty’s debut solo album features most members of the Heartbreakers as well as Jeff Lynne and George Harrison, Petty’s fellow supergroupers in the Traveling Wilburys. “Runnin’ Down A Dream” is Petty’s ode to music. And if you’re going to write a banger about the full moon fever that is life in a rock and roll band, you’ll need a great riff to tell that story. Mike Campbell’s distorted guitar notes descend like a young Petty running down his dream. But Campbell wasn’t finished. He ends the song with a defining solo. An extended jam traversing the generational folk and blues legends from whom Petty was formed.

“Negative Creep” by Nirvana

Before anyone knew what grunge was, Nirvana released Bleach on Sub Pop. It’s an album utterly detached from the zeitgeist of the 1980s. You can hear the influence of punk rock and the sludge metal riffs of King Buzzo from Melvins on “Negative Creep”. But you’re also witnessing Kurt Cobain’s most unhinged vocal performance. To my ears, “Negative Creep” sounds like a pop culture uprising forming before anyone else knew what was going on. This is the revolutionaries planning in a Washington state garage. In two years, in a music video featuring a chaotic pep rally, everything changed.

“Let The Day Begin” by The Call

If you’re of a certain age, there’s a song by The Call you likely know, though not from the band’s own rendition. Remember the scene in Lost Boys, at a concert with the burly sax player, Tim Cappello. That’s Cappello rocking The Call’s “I Still Believe” at the sweaty gig. But as this list isn’t about sax riffs or muscles, we’ll instead highlight “Let The Day Begin”. The Call’s anthem—with its combined bass and guitar riffs—is sung by Michael Been, whose son, Robert Levon Been, co-founded Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Following Michael Been’s death in 2010, BRMC covered “Let The Day Begin”. And if you’re not cranking either, you’re doing it wrong.

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