The acoustic guitar is still an important part of rock music. A huge production, complete with electronic components, isn’t always necessary to create a solid rock song for the ages. These four bands and musicians proved that acoustic rock songs can be just as memorable. Let’s take a look!
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “Going To California” by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin is definitely better known for their electric, hard rock sound. However, they did release an acoustic track or two through the years. “Going To California” is a fan favorite, and for good reason.
This is one of Led Zeppelin’s most folky rock songs. Robert Plant’s vocals are beautiful, Jimmy Page’s acoustic guitar work is stunning, and John Paul Jones’ prowess at the mandolin makes this song so memorable. And no percussion is needed.
2. “Hurricane” by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is as well known for his acoustic rock songs as he is for his controversial era of electric guitar tracks. There are quite a few acoustic, unplugged, and intimate songs from the man’s huge discography, but we’re particularly fond of “Hurricane”.
This 1975 song is groovy and delightful, though it is still quite controversial for its lyrics about Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. Dylan had the best of intentions with this song. And while its lyrics and use of a slur can easily be seen as tone-deaf, the song itself is about racism in the United States and racial profiling. If Dylan went electric with this track, it would probably not have hit as hard.
3. “Ventura Highway” by America
America may be best known for “A Horse With No Name”, but there’s something to be said about the acoustic track “Ventura Highway”. It’s a masterpiece in many ways. That dreamy riff, those unique chords not often found in folk rock, those fascinating lyrics, and those vocal harmonies? On another level. There’s a lot to love about “Ventura Highway”.
4. “All Apologies” by Nirvana
We could have easily included all of Nirvana’s acoustic rock songs from their MTV Unplugged set on this list. However, we decided to go with a well-loved classic. “All Apologies” is fine enough on In Utero, but the stripped-down version from Unplugged is simply haunting.
Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
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