Top 50 Guitar Riffs of All Time

[Pete]

There’s a bit of magic in that mystical combination of notes that makes up a good riff. And there’s no perfect formula for success. Sometimes it takes a pile of rapid-fire shots to do the trick. In other cases, it only takes three.

Gibson.com recently called upon its editors, writers and – most importantly – readers, to weigh in on the greatest riffs in music history. After all the votes were tallied, we were left with the Top 50 Guitar Riffs of All Time.

50. “Guerilla Radio,” Rage Against the Machine (1999)

For a guy who finds a way to make his guitar sound like it’s an instrument from another planet, Tom Morello also knows how to boil down a riff to its crunchy, head-crushing essentials. “Guerilla Radio” – from The Battle of Los Angeles, Rage Against the Machine’s final album or original material (so far, at least) – is a perfect example of the guitarist’s metallic simplicity that delivers the maximum in unbridled sonic power.

49. “School’s Out,” Alice Cooper (1972)

Few riffs have been as instantly memorable as the one that powers Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out.” According to original Cooper bassist Dennis Dunaway, lead guitarist Glen Buxton came up with the part during the band’s early years, while jamming with songwriter-guitarist Reggie Vincent. Coupled with Cooper’s serrated vocals, the part became ferocious. “Glen’s playing was all about feel, and was edgy and loose,” Dunaway says. “His playing was like an angry hornet.”

48. “Louie Louie,” The Kingsmen (1963)

The Kingsmen's 1963 version of this Richard Berry track is a hormone-charged, keg-party-soundtrackin’ classic, a reputation enhanced but certainly not defined by its appearance in National Lampoon’s Animal House. The simple I-IV-V-IV riff is hypnotic and raucous, and best of all – it’s dead simple to play, even for beginner guitarists. Meanwhile, the vocal hook practically demands that you and your pals gather around and holler it at full volume.

47. “Born on the Bayou,” Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)

John Fogerty is responsible for more than a few of the most instantly recognizable riffs in history, but “Born on the Bayou” is distinctive in the way it conjures its swampland vibe. Even if a California kid like Fogerty only knew of the bayou from old blues records, his opening riff created the appropriate atmosphere – achieved with a humbucker-equipped Gibson semi-acoustic overdriven with amp vibrato. It’s a grimy, murky classic laced with hoodoo.

46. “Revolution,” The Beatles (1968)

Leave it to John Lennon to produce The Beatles’ loudest, nastiest guitar riff. The riff screams out of his Epiphone Casino, wonderfully distorted and proof that often, less really is more. By plugging both lead and rhythm guitars directly into the recording console, Lennon’s overload distortion created the ballistic firepower he wanted. The B-side of “Hey Jude,” Lennon's raw musical violence proved a perfect antidote to the treacle of Paul McCartney’s lush whimsy.

45. “Cat Scratch Fever,” Ted Nugent (1977)

As much a tribute to the glory of the bluesy double-stop as it is a tale of, uh, one man’s appreciation for kitty, “Cat Scratch Fever” has been covered by Motorhead, Pantera, Hayseed Dixie and even Homer Simpson, who tweaked the lyrics to “Pac-Man Fever.” But those three notes and their parallel fourths never packed such a cultural and musical wallop as when they were being played by Ted Nugent himself.

44. “Peggy Sue,” Buddy Holly (1957)

Beautiful in its simplicity – A to D to A to E – “Peggy Sue” roused not only a generation of young guitarists, but budding songwriters, as well. Holly was able to take the simplest of I-IV-V chord progressions and, with some nifty double-time strumming, make it completely his own. There’s no mistaking the hand of Lubbock’s favorite son the second the needle hits the vinyl.

43. “Somethin’ Else,” Eddie Cochran (1959)

Eddie Cochran with his super-bendy, unwound third string defines a rockabilly proto-punk sound and attitude with this attention-grabbing burst of teen angst. “Somethin’ Else” contains one of the toughest spitfire riffs of all time and sets the snarling tone of the song in an instant. No wonder Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townshend were huge fans. Of course, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols would rework the Cochran riff bible for the Sex Pistols in the ’70s.

42. “Susie Q,” Dale Hawkins (1956)

James Burton, my friend, had the unique distinction of creating this lick when he was only 15, and it was on a hit record by Dale Hawkins. It was later brought back in simpler form as the first hit for John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival. James’ version is a true classic example of keeping a constant bass going while playing a funky lead line on top. My late daughter, Gillian, had the joy of performing this with me in front of James at a Danny Gatton tribute concert. See YouTube for this performance!

41. “I Fought the Law,” Bobby Fuller Four (1965)

One of my all-time favorite guitar riffs, this Bobby Fuller classic embodies all the best of West Texas, Buddy Holly-style rapid strumming. It’s basically “rhythm guitar as lead” and is literally a primer in learning movable and shiftable chord positions used for a melodically powerful effect. It is also one of the all-time greatest recorded guitar sounds as well, and I highly recommend that you seek out the original recording. You’ll be blown away!

[Pete]

40. “I Can’t Explain,” The Who (1964)

The opening riff to “I Can’t Explain” encapsulates the power of Pete Townshend and The ’orrible ’oo in three simple, brutal chords. Inspired by The Kinks’ recent riff-motored singles, it is direct and hard-edged, yet somehow danceable. Fun fact: Session player Jimmy Page contributed rhythm guitar to the recording, though there is some dispute as to whether that track made it onto the released version.

39. “Sultans of Swing,” Dire Straits (1978)

It was the riff and the song that got Dire Straits their record deal. Mark Knopfler’s distinctive and intrinsically tasteful fingerpicked riff gave this run-of-the-mill pub rock band a chance to surpass all bar band rivals. And they did. Knopfler’s tough but classy guitar work propels the song with an almost cinematic connection to the song’s narrative. No wonder he’d excel in soundtracks later. U.K. radio thought the song too wordy and avoided it until the track took off dramatically in the U.S. and a stadium rock band as born.

38. “Teenage Kicks,” The Undertones (1978)

Post-punk power pop from Northern Ireland’s greatest-ever band The Undertones. It’s a simple power chord riff but, in combination with this sublime song and Feargal Sharkey’s angst-sodden vocals, this track becomes one of the finest pop songs of all time. Hyperbole? Legendary British DJ John Peel gave it 28 stars (out of 5) and has “Teenage Dreams, So Hard To Beat” engraved on his headstone. ’Nuff said.

37. “Rumble,” Link Wray & His Ray Men (1958)

Has an instrumental ever sounded more menacing than this midnight, back-alley stroll with Link Wray? When Phil Everly heard the song, he told Wray he should call it “Rumble,” because it sounded like a street fight. Indeed, drenched in distortion and reverb, the track was even banned on several radio stations for that very reason when it was released in 1958 – perhaps the only instrumental to ever frighten off disc jockeys and advertisers.

36. “Panama,” Van Halen (1984)

The world knows Eddie Van Halen can ignite a fretboard with his preternatural pyrotechnics. But what really makes him one of – if not the – greatest axemen in the solar system, what separates him from the pack, is his wonderful ear for the monster and always tasty riff. “Panama,” the third single from Van Halen’s epic 1984 album, is a heavy-duty and immensely catchy riff that harkens back to some of the finer work of his first two albums. Not terribly intricate, certainly not by Edward’s standard, but the riff makes the song.


35. “Rock and Roll,” Led Zeppelin (1971)

This showstopper on Led Zeppelin IV was born during a 1971 jam session in which the band aimed to polish off their song “Four Sticks.” Instead, Jimmy Page came up with this magical intro guitar riff and the band dropped what they were doing to write “Rock and Roll.” “The riff and the sequence was really immediate to those 12-bar patterns that you had in those old rock songs like Little Richard,” Page told The Times last year. “It was just so spur-of-the-moment the way that it just came together more or less out of nowhere.”

34. “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” Scorpions (1984)

A staple of air shows, fireworks displays and sporting events, this Scorpions classic, from their 1984 album Love at First Sting, has the most important quality required to make a classic riff classic: simplicity. Those five power chords launch the song and persist throughout several other sections, making it one of the easiest, coolest riff-based songs for beginners to wrap their fingers around, thus ensuring its legacy.

33. “T.V. Eye,” The Stooges (1970)

This song might as well be called “The Michigan Chainsaw Massacre.” Ripping into the tune’s insistent riff, guitarist Ron Asheton chops up the Fun House, leaving a trail of rubble behind as he sets out to burn down all of Ann Arbor. Where other Stooges songs could be sludgy and murky, “T.V. Eye” is sharp and angry – and it’s mostly thanks to that rusty buzzsaw riff. It’s an obvious precursor to the glorious noise that would be come to known as punk rock.

32. “Wild Thing,” The Troggs (1966)

Few riffs have been as brilliantly primitive as the one Chip Taylor came up with for “Wild Thing.” A chart-topper for The Troggs in 1966, the three-chord riff-rocker sounds, in retrospect, like a prime building block in the foundation of punk rock. Oddly enough, Taylor composed the song on acoustic guitar, although even in demo form, it packed a wallop. Four decades on, the song remains a rite of passage for all aspiring bar bands.

31. “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)

Jimi Hendrix had a way of playing where the guitar appeared like a toy in his hands, but on “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” it was a tool of utter devastation. Jimi may have sung about chopping a mountain down with the edge of his hand but we all know it was this riff, not bare flesh, that laid waste to that majestic pile of rubble. The riff doesn’t stray far from an acoustic blues template but Jimi electrifies it and shoots it off into the stratosphere with pure voodoo.

[Pete]

30. “Welcome to the Jungle,” Guns N’ Roses (1987)

You know you’ve scored a killer riff when it becomes a staple at all major sporting events to fire up a crowd. The first song ever co-written by Slash and Axl Rose, “Welcome to the Jungle” was the second single from Guns N’ Roses landmark 1987 debut album Appetite for Destruction. In his autobiography, Slash says it was Axl who remembered and reminded him of the classic riff when GN’R were first starting to write songs together. The Chapeaued Shredder originally conjured “Jungle’s” riff while shacking up in his mother’s basement.

29. “Bo Diddley,” Bo Diddley (1955)

It’s all in the beat. When Bo Diddley entered the rock and roll top flight, he brought a thundering guitar riff lashed to the tightest, toughest rhythm that rock and roll had ever heard. Bo Diddley inspired everyone who followed to match that pulsating, hypnotic groove. They called it the “Bo Diddley riff” and it's everywhere, from The Rolling Stones to U2, Buddy Holly to The White Stripes. Beat that, Chuck Berry!

28. “Mannish Boy,” Muddy Waters (1955)

The famous five-note riff isn’t just the best thing about Muddy Waters’ blues classic – it’s just about the only thing. The riff is the song and Muddy and his buddies pile everything onto that stop-time phrase: harmonica, piano, bass and, especially, guitar. They ride that sleazy, electric mix for nearly three minutes, driving it harder and harder with each glorious repetition and turning a solitary riff into an anthem. Yes, Muddy, everything’s gonna be all right this morning.

27. “Rebel Rebel,” David Bowie (1974)

Ironically, the most memorable riff of David Bowie’s career was played not by one of Bowie’s great guitarist-sidemen, but rather by Bowie himself. A high point the 1974 album, Diamond Dogs, “Rebel Rebel” bade farewell to the glam movement with trashy, Stones-like abandon. Bowie recognized instantly he had a winner on his hands. “It’s fabulous riff,” he later said. “When I stumbled onto it, I thought, ‘Oh, thank you!’”

26. “Shakin’ All Over,” Johnny Kidd and the Pirates (1960)

Call it the little sister to “Susie Q” or the big sister to… err, “Little Sister,” but whatever the case may be, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates’ 1960 ode to sexual tingles is one guitar-charged monster. At the root of the track is guitarist Alan Caddy’s spine-quivering riff, which permanently etched itself on the minds of guitarists from Pete Townshend to Jimmy Page to Jack White, who lovingly covered it in later years.

25. “Highway to Hell,” AC/DC (1979)

Brothers Angus and Malcolm Young have always been geniuses at harnessing the no-nonsense power of open chords, and “Highway to Hell” features some doozies. But its main riff also includes a very clever moving bass note (F# to G) under a D chord shape, which adds a sense of movement and complexity to an otherwise simple two-chord riff. That same feeling of movement drives the verse along and sets everything up for the Big Chorus, another AC/DC staple.


24. “Ticket to Ride,” The Beatles (1965)

Yet another great riff from the masters of guitar hooks, The Beatles. This contains that searing sound that sets up the kind of song that gives you “Top 40 chills.” I guess none of this would’ve ever happened if it wasn’t for The Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man” introducing this amazing sound, but it sure works powerfully! I can still see The Beatles skiing down that mountain in Help! every time I hear this riff!

23. “Seven Nation Army,” The White Stripes (2003)

Easily the most famous riff of the aughts, Jack White’s supple creation is instantly recognizable – whether you’re hearing the Stripes’ thunderous original version or its popular incarnation as a favorite of college marching bands. The guitar hero created the riff after being inspired by Anton Bruckner’s fifth symphony and delivered the “bass” sound by running his semi-acoustic axe through an octave pedal. Whether White is plucking those low notes at the song’s beginning, or wailing on the theme down the stretch, it’s clear that the recurring riff is one of the most memorable in rock history.

22. “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love,” Van Halen (1978)

Rumor has it that when Eddie Van Halen first came up with “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love” – and its killer riff! – he actually had misgivings about whether the song was good enough to share with the band. Bwa-ha-ha-ha! No way. It’s one of Eddie’s all-time greatest riffs. Appearing on Van Halen’s 1977 debut album, the riff for “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love” is melodic, intricate (just try playing it perfectly five times in a row at speed without flubbing it), and above all, it’s extremely catchy. Definitely one for the vault.

21. “I Feel Fine,” The Beatles (1964)

One of the first great Beatle riffs, this gem erupted from the fingers of John Lennon during the “Eight Days a Week” session. Inspired by Bobby Parker’s “Watch Your Step,” a song the band covered during their Hamburg days, the riff is a propulsive motor that rarely leaves the track for more than a line of verse at a time. Energetic, nimble and melodic, it’s the perfect musical metaphor for the ’64 Beatles.

[Pete]

20. “Foxy Lady,” Jimi Hendrix (1967)

Jimi Hendrix called this the only happy song he’d ever written. Penned just two months after The Jimi Hendrix Experience was assembled, this number is a testament to the band’s powerful chemistry. To achieve the sexy, searing riff that Hendrix repeats throughout “Foxy Lady” – off 1967’s Are You Experienced – he alternated between the bass F# (played with the thumb on the second fret) and the ringing E-A dyad at the fifth fret.

19. “Johnny B. Goode,” Chuck Berry (1958)

Chuck Berry’s world famous two-note sliding riffs that derived in part from Johnnie Johnson’s rolling, boogie-woogie piano style never sounded so good as on his most famous song, “Johnny B. Goode.” There’s not a garage band in the world that doesn’t play Berry’s riff at some point, as a rite of rock and roll passage. And the great man, now in his mid-80s, is still riffing up a storm at his club in St. Louis every month.

18. “Oh, Pretty Woman,” Roy Orbison (1964)

Roy Orbison and his writing partner Billy Dees were knocking around song ideas when Orbison’s wife Claudette announced she was going to the store. Roy asked if she needed any cash to which Dees chipped in that a pretty woman never needs any money. Roy went into action on his 12-string and so was born one of the best-loved guitar riffs of all time.

17. “Black Dog,” Led Zeppelin (1971)

Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones gets the kudos for writing the iconic “Black Dog” riff, included on Led Zeppelin IV. His aim was to write a song so wild and winding that people wouldn’t be able to dance to it. “I wanted to try an electric blues with a rolling bass part,” Jones said in the liner notes for The Complete Studio Recordings. “But it couldn’t be too simple. I wanted it to turn back on itself. I showed it to the guys, and we fell into it.”

16. “Heartbreaker,” Led Zeppelin (1969)

The centerpiece of 1969’s Led Zeppelin II, “Heartbreaker” was written by Jimmy Page in New York during the band’s second tour of the U.S. and boasts a defiant riff that cinched the tune as a live favorite. Naming it amongst his favorite all-time songs, producer Rick Rubin told Rolling Stone that “Heartbreaker” is home to “One of the greatest riffs in rock. It starts, and it’s like they don’t really know where the ‘one’ is. Magical in its awkwardness.”

15. “Enter Sandman,” Metallica (1991)

Metallica’s oh-so-sinister riff in “Enter Sandman,” the first single from their self-titled fifth album, is one of their heaviest and most ominous, which is saying a lot from a band who defined heavy and ominous. But what really makes “Enter Sandman” a master-riff is just how catchy it is, which explains how it quickly became one of, if the the, signature song from the kings of thrash metal. The bottom-heavy and propulsive riff grabs you buy the throat at the very beginning and never releases. Sleep with one eye open, indeed.

14. “Purple Haze,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

This wonderful, woozy rock and roll song purportedly originated when Jimi Hendrix’s manager, Chas Chandler, overheard him playing the riff backstage in 1966 and persuaded him to flesh it out with lyrics. “Purple Haze” appeared the following year on Are You Experienced. “I dream a lot and I put a lot of my dreams down as songs,” Hendrix told New Musical Express in 1969. “[Purple Haze] … was all about a dream I had that I was walking under the sea.”

13. “Layla,” Derek and the Dominos (1970)

Perhaps the greatest riff Eric Clapton has ever played, this is a powerful and anthemic line that works in so many ways. Makes a great high lead part, or works well on the lower strings, as I recorded in a solo acoustic version on my Drive it Home CD. Clapton even makes it work as it goes into the awkward transition to the verse, by playing a half-step bend instead of a whole! Pure Rock genius!

12. “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” Guns N’ Roses (1987)

The rallying riff that winds through “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (from 1987’s Appetite for Destruction) no doubt helped make it Guns N’ Roses best-charting song ever. But the song began as an accident, a joke. “‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ was a joke,” Slash said in Guitar for the Practicing Musician. “It was a fluke. I was sitting around making funny faces and acting like an idiot and played that riff. Izzy [Stradlin] started playing the chords that I was playing, strumming them, and all of a sudden Axl [Rose] really liked it. I hated that song because it was so stupid at first. I hated the guitar part. Now I really like it.”

11. “Crazy Train,” Ozzy Osbourne (1980)

The late Randy Rhoads’ signature riff propelling “Crazy Train” down the tracks was pure metal genius on many levels. Released as a single simultaneously with “Mr. Crowley” – both from Ozzy’s debut solo album Blizzard of Ozz – “Crazy Train’s” riff is wonderfully melodic, and it perfectly conveys dark, almost schizophrenic, imagery through the frenetic rising and lowering of alternating notes. The riff’s structure makes you feel, well, crazy – sort of like you just might be going off the rails. Easily one of the greatest riffs of all time, and the one most copied by aspiring metalheads.

[Pete]

10. “Sunshine of Your Love,” Cream (1967)

One of the prototypical “riff songs,” “Sunshine Of Your Love” – from 1967’s Disraeli Gears – is built on a sinister-sounding repeating figure which hints at almost supernatural overtones – a vibe that plays upon the psychedelic blues-rock trio’s colorful, visual edge while also drawing attention to their musical powers. Legend has it that the riff itself was written by vocalist/bassist Jack Bruce after he and bandmate Eric Clapton attended a Jimi Hendrix concert at the Saville Theatre in London. Lyricist Pete Brown worked his poetic magic, and Clapton contributed the bridge that gave the song its title. Clapton used his 1964 Gibson SG on the song, revolutionizing its famed “woman tone” in the process. It’s interesting to note that Hendrix obviously felt a connection with the song he inspired, as he performed it regularly at shows throughout 1968 and 1969.

9. “Walk This Way,” Aerosmith (1975)

Joe Perry’s opening riff on “Walk this Way” is pure rock and roll genius. When the song was released as a single in August of ’75, it became an instant classic, as much for Perry’s riff as for Steven Tyler’s lyrics. As simple as the riff sounds to the ears – just a few notes climbing up, then the same few notes descending back down – it’s very original in composition and sound. Lots of classic 20th century riffs are derivative of others; the riff on “Walk this Way” stands alone.

8. “Day Tripper,” The Beatles (1965)

This brilliant riff for the 1965 Beatles hit, recorded during the sessions for the Rubber Soul album, was written by John Lennon. The riff’s slightly loopy feel foreshadowed The Beatles’ move toward a more psychedelic sound, a point driven home by the “tripper” reference and other subtle lyric cues. Oddly enough, however, the song sprung from a style that was very traditional. “‘Day Tripper’ was [written] under complete pressure, based on an old folk song I wrote about a month previous,” Lennon later revealed, according to The Beatles Anthology. “It was very hard going, and it sounds it.” Just days after recording “Day Tripper,” Paul McCartney came up with “We Can Work it Out,” which was deemed to be the more commercial of the two tracks. Lennon held firm to his belief in “Day Tripper,” however, and the songs were released together as a double-A-sided single.

7. “You Really Got Me,” The Kinks (1964)

It has been argued – convincingly – that heavy metal starts here, with the opening barrage from Dave Davies on The Kinks’ 1964 hit single, “You Really Got Me.” The driving power chords certainly kicked Pete Townshend into gear as a songwriter, and behind him a steady stream of guitarists looking to capture the raw essence of hard rock. Ray Davies later claimed that he, himself, was inspired to write the riff by The Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie,” but with all due respect to that frat-house classic, it’s a bit like saying a pop gun inspired the Howitzer.

6. “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Nirvana (1991)

Whether you worship at the altar of Nirvana or scoff at the band’s “saviors of rock” legacy, it’s tough to deny the sting of the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” riff. Assembled from four power chords by Kurt Cobain, the riff became one of rock’s most iconic in a relatively short time. The double-tracked, roaring riff formed the “loud” part of the song’s loud-quiet-loud dynamic, which Cobain said was inspired by The Pixies. Since most people couldn’t understand what Kurt was singing, you can credit the riff’s catchiness (Cobain would later call it clichéd and compare it to Boston’s “More Than a Feeling”) for the song’s success – #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also propelled Nevermind to bump The King of Pop from the top of the charts. That’s one powerful riff.

5. “Back in Black,” AC/DC (1980)

Angus Young channeled the rock and roll gods when he conjured the opening riff for the title track to AC/DC’s Back in Black album. The song was their way of paying tribute to the band’s fallen singer, Bon Scott. Three staccato-hard, crunchy chords – E, D, A – then a sliding, bending scale back down to E. The riff is unique, bone-crushing, and it instantly grabs your attention. Angus has created some sick riffs in his day, but none sicker than this ode to a lost friend.

4. “Iron Man,” Black Sabbath (1970)

Sinister, menacing and filled with foreboding, “Iron Man” remains, for many, the heaviest heavy metal riff of all time. In 2008, Tony Iommi told Gibson.com that the riff came to him during a rehearsal. “It was one of those occasions when I said, ‘I’ve got a riff, I’ll come up with something.’ Then I just built it … it just sort of happened.” Adding to the riff’s power is the fact that Ozzy Osbourne chose to double the guitar part with his vocal, an approach the singer often took with Sabbath songs. Hearing the riff for the first time, Osbourne remarked that it sounded “like a big iron bloke walking about.” So dark were “Iron Man” and other Sabbath riff-rockers, early critics often overlooked the melodic power at their core. Black Sabbath were in fact huge Beatles fans who simply wanted to give their material a frightening twist. “It was something different,” Iommi said, “something about supernatural things.”

3. “Whole Lotta Love,” Led Zeppelin (1969)

Jimmy Page can claim more than a few of the greatest riffs in rock, and Led Zeppelin fans will always debate which one is the best. But none packs more swagger than the riff that drives “Whole Lotta Love.” Page played the heavy blues riff on his Sunburst ’59 Les Paul Standard, although there’s some debate as to where and when the riff originated. Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones said it came out of an in-concert jam for “Dazed and Confused” and other sources attribute it to another concert improvisation, but Page has claimed that it was one of the riffs he wrote during rehearsals for Led Zeppelin II. The song became an instant classic and was performed at every subsequent Zeppelin gig (often as the closer).

2. “Smoke on the Water,” Deep Purple (1972)

They are, quite simply, the holy chords of rock. By guitarist Ritchie Blackmore’s standards, “Smoke on the Water” is actually a pretty simplistic riff, considering this is the same mage who summoned “Lazy,” “Burn,” “Woman from Tokyo,” “Man on the Silver Mountain” and a host of other alchemic finger-twisters. But the impact of “Nuh. Nuh. Nuh. Nuh. Nuh. Nuh-uh. (etc., etc.)” is undeniable. Ask any music store clerk, any marching band director or any guitarist worth his salt and they’ll all tell you that those driving chords are a core component of the universal language of rock.

1. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” The Rolling Stones (1965)

No other riff has ever captured the essence of rock and roll as succinctly, elegantly and infectiously as the one for “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” With just a handful of notes, Keith Richards crafted a guitar-based mantra upon which rock’s rebellious spirit could be perfectly hung. The riff came to Richards in his sleep, and he woke up just long enough to record the part on a portable cassette player. The band later recorded an acoustic version at the Chess facility in Chicago, and then did the definitive version – using a Gibson distortion pedal – at RCA Studios in Hollywood. Remarkably, Richards at first envisioned the riff as a horn line. “The fuzz tone came in handy so I could give a shape to what the horns [would later] do,” he writes, in his biography. “But the fuzz tone had never been heard before anywhere, and that’s the sound that caught everybody’s imagination.” Nearly a half-century later, it still does.

[kim]

Excellent post Pete!!!

I'm still going over some of these trying to decide if they
were put in the correct order...hahaha.
Either way, I believe a good majority of the riffs have
been nailed.

A few missing, and I'm trying to compile a small list
of those worthy enough to be considered...

Thanks
Kim

[Speedy]

Those lists are always pure BULLSHIT...trying to spread the wealth around. Hell I can think of at least TEN Iommi riffs that belong in the top 50. Many of those listed are FAR from "riffs". They don't know the meaning of "riff" I guess. NO Priest riffs...COME ON!?!?!

Sorry I always get po'd at these so called "greatest" lists.

[kim]

Feb 18, 2011 12:38:15 GMT -5 Speedy said:

Those lists are always pure BULLSHIT...trying to spread the wealth around. Hell I can think of at least TEN Iommi riffs that belong in the top 50. Many of those listed are FAR from "riffs". They don't know the meaning of "riff" I guess. NO Priest riffs...COME ON!?!?!

Sorry I always get po'd at these so called "greatest" lists.

No need to get "po'd" at the list Speedy. Yer correct.
There are a ton of riffs that any of us would gladly accept
and agree to as some of the greats...and that pretty much boils
down to a personal level.

I agree, where IS JP? "Grinder" for starters is a good one.
"Old To Be Wise" is another...and that's just from one album
for starters.
Where's Steve Miller?
They didn't mention ZZ Top?
They didn't mention Nazareth either...
The list goes on...

Most likely, it was compiled by a consortium of younger folks
that may have walked through past "great" riffs of the day
and decided that these were the "ONES"?

I can't fault them to a major degree, but it makes me wonder if they actually had the chance to be part of the so called "machine" as we were in order to come up with the
answers that they did?...something tells me they didn't.

Thank gawd for the Rock and Roll Universe...

Thanks
Kim

[kim]

23. “Seven Nation Army,” The White Stripes (2003)

Easily the most famous riff of the aughts, Jack White’s supple creation is instantly recognizable – whether you’re hearing the Stripes’ thunderous original version or its popular incarnation as a favorite of college marching bands. The guitar hero created the riff after being inspired by Anton Bruckner’s fifth symphony and delivered the “bass” sound by running his semi-acoustic axe through an octave pedal. Whether White is plucking those low notes at the song’s beginning, or wailing on the theme down the stretch, it’s clear that the recurring riff is one of the most memorable in rock history.

I'm sorry, but is this a guitar riff!!!?........ let alone a song?
My good geezly cheerist on toast...this is sad.

This isn't a guitar riff...it's a snooze-fest! Even for an 18 month
old child!

The Police..."Contact" kicks it's arse!...and most people have never heard of the track!!!!!!

Yeah...sorry, but the Statler Brothers "Flowers On The Wall"
kills this one. The worst Beatles tune rules over this one...and I'm thinking "Revolution #9"....ahahahahaha.

Again, I do apologize to the fans...but am I missing something?

Thanks
Kim

[rtbuck]

I agree on a couple more Sabbath tunes but other than not agreeing with the placement of some tunes(Johnny B Goode should be #1 in my book) I don't think the list is bad. I'm impressed seeing artists such as Link Wray, Bo Diddley, & Eddie Cochran.

As I said the placement isn't too great in my opinion but the list seems pretty well thought out. If I was making this list I probably never would have thought of adding Johnny Kidd & The Pirates but hell that is a cool riff during "Shaking All Over" & it definitely does belong on the list

[Jesse]

Folks who come up with these lists really need to buy a clue. "Seven Nation Army" is more about the BASS riff than anything done on guitar. Also, roughly 1/3 of these are actually chord progressions rather than riffs.

[Pete]

Feb 19, 2011 17:54:37 GMT -5 Jesse said:

Folks who come up with these lists really need to buy a clue. "Seven Nation Army" is more about the BASS riff than anything done on guitar. Also, roughly 1/3 of these are actually chord progressions rather than riffs.

Technically no bass in Seven Nation Army.

"delivered the “bass” sound by running his semi-acoustic axe through an octave pedal."

[Jesse]

Feb 19, 2011 19:44:24 GMT -5 Pete said:

Feb 19, 2011 17:54:37 GMT -5 Jesse said:

Folks who come up with these lists really need to buy a clue. "Seven Nation Army" is more about the BASS riff than anything done on guitar. Also, roughly 1/3 of these are actually chord progressions rather than riffs.

Technically no bass in Seven Nation Army.

"delivered the “bass” sound by running his semi-acoustic axe through an octave pedal."

Fine. Count it. It IS catchy. Still: "Sultans Of Swing"?, "Rock You Like A Hurricane", "Highway To Hell"? All chord progressions not really riffs per se.