With lyrics reportedly inspired by the gardener at Keith Richards’ country house, ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ begins with a rolling blues riff and marks a return to a blues style after the psychedelia of The Rolling Stones’ previous two albums. The track has become the band’s most frequently played concert song and has been covered by many artists in a variety of musical styles, including a sitar based version by Ananda Shankar.
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The lyrics of ‘Brown Sugar’ use metaphors to touch on themes as risqué as interracial sex, S&M and heroin use. The title of this energising song was inspired by Jagger’s then girlfriend Marsha Hunt and it combines full-on riffs, falsetto backing vocals and a swinging groove. Blazing the way for rock lyrics for years to come, ‘Brown Sugar’ is all about the emotion and audience connection.
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Roy Orbison was already a popular artist with hits such as ‘Only The Lonely’ and ‘It’s Over’, but it was with his 1964 hit ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ that firmly cemented him into popular history. Its classic, jangling opening riff provoked an instant reaction in its listeners to hit the dance floor and swing their hips. Thanks to the 1990s hit film Pretty Woman, the song received a revival and the title is back in common parlance.
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‘Heartbreaker’ is one of those Led Zepplin classics that sums up classic British rock at its best. With riffmaster general Jimmy Page on guitar producing memorable riffs as well as improvised solos, Led Zepplin remains a rock god amongst the industry.
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John, Paul, George and Ringo, better known as the fab four sparked widespread Beatlemania in the 1960s with a new sound that drove woman crazy! ‘Day Tripper’, one of the best known Beatles’ songs post rock’n’roll, repeats the maddeningly catchy riff during the song’s intro and outro.
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This iconic piece of music is best known for its unforgettable introduction, in which Hendrix expertly used the wah-wah pedal to devastating effect. A shorter and more succinct version of the original ‘Voodoo Chile’, this classic riff is recognised and revered by rock fans the world over, and continues to influence countless Blues and Rock players decades after Hendrix’s tragic death. I love this background video with insider views of the recording.
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The overdriven guitar sound on ‘You Really Got Me’ is powerful stuff and has had a big influence on rock musicians. Rumours abound about the identity of the guitar solo player – was it in fact the soon to be Led Zeppelin founder Jimmy Page? The band and Page himself deny it, claiming you can hear Dave Davies yelling expletives to his brother on the track just before playing the solo.
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In comparison to their previous songs, the meatier guitar sound of ‘Paperback Writer’ took The Beatles’ music into the genre of Hard Rock. A memorable opening riff with a series of smooth arpeggios and flying octave fills gives way to lyrics inspired by a supposed request from McCartney’s aunt to write a song that wasn’t about love. The song’s outro again features the same riff played repeatedly as the words ‘paperback writer’ are sung over and over.
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There are few rock bands who can be credited with influencing generation after generation of guitar fans, but The Jimi Hendrix Experience has done just that. ‘Foxy Lady’, with its sharp-edged riffs and Jimi Hendrix’s interesting lyrics about addressing the fairer sex led him to confirm he was, in fact, more subtle in real life!
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Although originally composed some years earlier by American singer-songwriter Chip Taylor, when R & B foursome The Troggs released their cover of ‘Wild Thing’ the response was phenomenal. Reaching number one in the US singles chart, the release became the soundtrack to the 1960s teenage revolution, all the time being based on a simple yet classic I – IV – V – IV guitar riff.
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The Ultimate Rock Riffs 