1. Canon In D Rock
Agree or not, Canon in D major is one of the most enticing pieces of classical music. It was composed by famous German composer Johann Pachelbel. This finest musical piece involves three violins, one cello and eight bars of music that are played repeatedly 28 times. It was composed somewhere around 1680s and since then, it became a popular song choice for weddings. Canon in D major has many versions, but the one that shook the social media is known as Canon in Drock — a cover by Jerry C.
2. Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing
Dire Straits is a rock band famous for its ‘Sultans of Swing’ album. It is a compilation of their great hits of all time that have been played live as well as used as the background music for many videos. This album contains almost all the hits released since 1978 including the live performed pieces of music. Sultan of Swing album has all the rocking songs by Dire Straits that you will love to play on electric guitar. For now, check out this song and learn the basic chords.
3. AC/DC – Thunderstruck
AC/DC is an Australian band that produces music in the Rock genre. In 1990, they released an album with the title of ‘The Razors Edge’ which contained a lead solo song called Thunderstruck. This song became a true hit in the USA, Japan, Germany, and Australia. According to the report of US Billboard magazine, Thunderstone peaked at no.5 in hot mainstream rock tracks in 1990. This song also topped the Rock music 500 countdown in Melbourne and surprisingly, all top 5 songs were by AC/DC band. Click here to learn it now.
4. AC/DC – Back In Black
In 1980, AC/DC band released an album titled as “Back in Black”. The first song of this album was with the same name and recorded as a tribute to their former singer named as Ben Scott. This song is popular for its opening guitar riff. It has been ranked as number 4 in the top 40 greatest metal songs and in 2009, it was declared to be the second hardest rock song of all time. This song is a little bit tricky to learn but here you may find a few easy tips.
5. Gary Moore – Still Got The Blues
“Still Got the Blues” is the title song of Gary Moore’s top-selling music album of the same name. This song is also marked as Gary Moore’s return to blues music. It became an average hit and ranked as number 31 on UK’s singles chart in 1990. This is the only song of Moore which was successful enough to become a part of Billboard 100 hot tracks in which it ranked as 97th. Throughout this song, Moore played the Gibson Les Paul standard guitar which makes the song pretty easy to learn for amateur guitarists.
6. Californication
The Red Hot Chili Pepper released their seventh album titled as “Californication” in 1999. This album has the fourth single “Californication” by this band. This song was released separately as a single in 2000 and was ranked as #69 in Billboard Hot 100 List. It was at number 16 in the UK’s singles chart and topped as number 1 in the US mainstream rock tracks and modern rock tracks. This song has an incredible composition and is one of the most performed live songs by Red Hot Chili Pepper band.
7. Come As You Are
It is a hit by Nirvana band and was released as the second single in their 1992 album titled as Nevermind. This song was written by Kurt Cobain and composed by combining two genres, grunge, and alternative rock. “Come As You Are” was included in the American top 40 and UK’s top 10 hits. In billboard hot 100, this song was ranked at position 32. It is truly an amazing song and has been covered by many guitarists due to its simple and catchy tunes. You can also learn it from here.
8. Comfortably Numb
Here comes another great song for electric guitar. It is a single by an English rock band Pink Floyd and was released in 1980. It is a progressive rock song that is composed and written by the guitarist David Gilmour and bass player Roger Waters. Gilmour wrote the chorus music and guitar solos while Waters composed the music for the verses. Due to its incredible guitar solos in the middle, this song is one of the most popular pieces by Pink Floyd band. Click here to learn the basics of this song.
9. Crazy Train
“Crazy Train” is the first solo piece by Ozzy Osbourne, a British metal singer. This song is from his first album titled as Blizzard of Ozz that was released in 1980. It was written by three genius songwriters, Osbourne, Randy Rhodes, and Bob Daisley. This song is completely describing the fear of annihilation during the cold war. Its guitar riff has been widely appreciated because the full minor scale has been used in it. It is the most played song by Osbourne in the live solo performances.
10. Enter Sandman
Single by the Metallica band, this song is their first solo piece from the fifth album, Metallica. “Enter Sandman” is a heavy metal song that is written by Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, and James Hetfield. The subject matter of the lyrics is the concept of the child’s nightmares that are beautifully written by James Hetfield. The surprising fact about this song is that it has been featured in all the albums of Metallica band since 1991. Enter Sandman has been played live many times at functions and concerts.
11. Fade to Black
Performed live around 1160 times, “Fade to Black” is another great song by Metallica band to play on electric guitar. It is from their second album titled Ride the Lightning. It was released in 1984 and ranked as 24th best guitar solo in the Guitar World Readers. “Fade to Black” also came on the 100th position on the Swiss singles chart. If you focus on the lyrics, they express suicidal feelings. In the beginning, there is an acoustic introduction and as the song proceeds, the tones begin to get heavier.
12. Hotel California
“Hotel California” is a single by the Eagles band and was released in 1977. This song is quite popular and voted as the best guitar solo due to its incredible long guitar coda. According to the Eagles band, this song describes the high life of Los Angeles and journey from innocence to experience. It’s basically a soft rock song that was composed by Don Felder on the Malibu beach. “Hotel California” is very soft and refreshing song that can be played on electric guitars with a little trick.
13. Heaven’s Door
Written and sung by Bob Dylan, “Heaven’s Door” song is from the album Pat Garett & Billy the Kid. It was recorded and released in 1973 in the genre of gospel and fold rock. This song became a hit of its time and since then, it has been covered by many musicians. In addition to the original piece, many cover versions of “Heaven’s Door” have also become quite popular. This song has also been revised to create a tributary song in the memory of lives lost in the Dunblane school massacre.
14. Nothing Else Matters
It is another song by Metallica band which you would love to play on electric guitars. It’s a single from their self-titled album that was released in 1992. This heavy metal song is one of the most popular songs by Metallica band as it has been played live as well as in the background of Metallica’s music video. This song has an interesting history as it wasn’t written or composed for release at all. This song was produced by Hetfield when he was on the call with his girlfriend.
15. Whole Lotta Love
It is a single by Led Zeppelin, an English rock band. This song is the opening track of the second album titled as Zeppelin II. This song lies in the genre of blues rock and hard rock. It contains the greatest guitar riff of all times. It has a rough blues riff in the intro that ascends into a free jazz like tones. The composition has been done very carefully that makes it a tricky piece to play on an electric guitar. Here you can find some tactics to play it properly.
16. Smells Like Teen Spirit
It is another single by Nirvana band released in 1991. It’s an opening track of their album ‘Nevermind’. It lies in the genre of grunge. “Smells like Teen Spirit” song became the cause of Nevermind’s true success. This album reached the top charts in early 1992, a point that is widely considered to be the era of alternative rock. This incredible hit by Nirvana band is one of the top songs that make the history of rock music. This song is not easy to play but here is a quick guide to learn it.
Conclusion
These all 16 songs are a great hit of their times that have made the history of rock music. These are best to play on electric guitars due to the rock and grunge effect in them. Check out the quick intro of each song and their guide links to learn your favorite songs.
