On This Day in 2004, Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine” Was Somehow Voted Best Riff in Rock History (Opinion)

On this day (May 2) in 2004, readers of Total Guitar Magazine voted that Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine” had contained the best guitar riff ever. Thousands of readers cast their votes, putting the 1988 No. 1 single above some of the most iconic songs in history. The contenders included songs from Metallica, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Nirvana, and more.

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There’s no denying that Slash is one of the best guitarists in modern rock. At the same time, “Sweet Child o’ Mine” has one of Guns N’ Roses’ most memorable guitar parts. It would come as no surprise to learn that most people reading this can hear the song’s main riff in their mind right now. However, subjectively speaking, it’s hard to say that the song stands up to the timeless riffs contained in songs like “Smoke on the Water,” “Whole Lotta Love,” or “Paranoid.”

[RELATED: “Where Do We Go Now?”: Guns N’ Roses Initially Didn’t Know How to End “Sweet Child O Mine”]

Guns N’ Roses Somehow Ranked Above Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and More

Total Guitar Magazine’s top 10 list was full of songs with iconic riffs. There’s no doubt about that. Check out the list below.

1. “Sweet Child o’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses
2. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
3. “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin
4. “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple
5. “Enter Sandman” by Metallica
6. “Layla” by Derek & The Dominoes
7. “Master of Puppets” by Metallica
8. “Back in Black” by AC/DC
9. “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)” by Jimi Hendrix
10. “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath

Total Guitar was a pretty standard guitar magazine. It contained artist profiles, gear reviews, tablature, and tips to improve overall technique. So, it’s fair to say that the majority of the publication’s readers were guitarists of some level of proficiency.

With that in mind, it’s remarkable that “Sweet Child o’ Mine” ranked high on the list, let alone at the top. “Smoke on the Water” is an iconic riff. More than that, it’s the first riff many guitarists learn to play because it can be played simply to great effect. Then, there’s “Paranoid.” Black Sabbath didn’t invent riffs, but they did pioneer heavy metal, and Tony Iommi is an undisputed master of writing monolithic guitar parts.

But, like the old saying goes, there’s no accounting for taste.

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