In many ways, classic rock as a genre is rooted in the guitar. The instrument is the foundation for the hard-hitting, amp-destroying sounds made famous by artists like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and many more. When music went electric, rock quickly became mainstream.
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But what are the best songs about the guitar from the genre’s standouts? It seems an obvious subject for rock songwriters—but that doesn’t mean there is a plethora of tunes about the six-string. While Chuck Berry sang about Johnny B. Goode playing his guitar, is the song really about the guitar?
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Well, below, we wanted to dive into three songs that are most certainly about the instrument.
1. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” The Beatles
This is the most obvious choice for this list, of course. Released on The Beatles’ self-titled 1968 album, which is also known as The White Album, this song, which was penned by lead guitarist George Harrison, is about the pain and sadness in the world. A truth that pushes even Harrison’s guitar to cry. The song also features famed guitarist Eric Clapton, who played lead on the track uncredited. Harrison wrote the song in the later stages of the band’s existence after the group had come back from India where they had been studying the country’s philosophies. On it, he sings,
I look at you all
See the love there that’s sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps
I look at the floor
And I see it needs sweeping
Still my guitar gently weeps
I don’t know why nobody told you
How to unfold your love
I don’t know how someone controlled you
They bought and sold you
I look at the world
And I notice, it’s turning
While my guitar gently weeps
2. “Electric Guitar,” Talking Heads
With the recent reuniting of the funk-rock band Talking Heads, now is as good a time as any to dive into their guitar-centric song, “Electric Guitar.” This abstract song, from the band’s 1979 album Fear of Music, in a way turns the instrument into a defendant against the state. Lead singer and principle songwriter David Byrne tells the story of an electric guitar getting run over by a car and then the six-string subsequently gets controlled by the state. It’s an odd song but one, if you enjoy Byrne’s surrealism, that’s kind of perfect. Byrne sings,
Electric guitar gets run over by a car on the highway
This is a crime against the state
This is the meaning of life.
To tune this electric guitar
An electric guitar is brought in to a court of law
The judge and the jury (twelve members of the jury)
All listening to records
This is a crime against the state
This is the verdict they reach:
Never listen to electric guitar
3. “Anyone Can Play Guitar,” Radiohead
We’ve come to the point in time when Radiohead is considered classic rock. What was once cutting-edge music is now part of the classic pastiche. So, let’s dive into the aptly titled track for this list, “Anyone Can Play Guitar.” Another surreal song for the grouping here, this song is something of a buzzing fever dream. From the band’s 1993 album, Pablo Honey, the track sees lead singer Thom Yorke sing about his dreams of heaven and the peril that may come before he finds himself there. Sings Yorke,
Destiny
Destiny, protect me from the world
Destiny
Hold my hand, protect me from the world
Here we are with our running and confusion
And I don’t see no confusion anywhere
And if the world does turn, and if London burns
I’ll be standing on the beach with my guitar
I want to be in a band when I get to heaven
Anyone can play guitar and they won’t be a nothing anymore
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
