Greatest Rock Guitar Riffs (Revision Version)

[Lew]

Criteria: The opening riff is usually the most memorable parts of the song, and although not always difficult to play, it's enough to determine the lasting appeal of these recordings.

Edited By: Lew, Eric
Last Updated: 2007-02-17

https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_guitarriff.html


Ritchie Blackmore

1. Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
2. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Rolling Stones
3. Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream
4. Layla - Derek And The Dominos
5. Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
6. Iron Man - Black Sabbath
7. Johnny B Goode - Chuck Berry
8. Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin
9. You Really Got Me - The Kinks
10. Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
11. Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix Experience
12. Day Tripper - The Beatles
13. Walk This Way - Aerosmith
14. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly
15. Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
16. Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
17. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - Jimi Hendrix Experience
18. Paranoid - Black Sabbath
19. Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
20. Back In Black - AC/DC
21. Foxey Lady - Jimi Hendrix Experience
22. Frankenstein - Edgar Winter
23. Aqualung - Jethro Tull
24. Bad To The Bone - George Thorogood & Destroyers
25. Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones
26. Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran
27. Money For Nothing - Dire Straits
28. Jumpin' Jack Flash - Rolling Stones
29. American Woman - Guess Who
30. Wild Thing - The Troggs
31. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
32. Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
33. Rebel Rebel - David Bowie
34. Roadhouse Blues - The Doors
35. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
36. Breaking The Law - Judas Priest
37. Runnin' With The Devil - Van Halen
38. Enter Sandman - Metallica
39. The Hellion/Electric Eye - Judas Priest
40. Outshined - Soundgarden
41. Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor
42. Hells Bells - AC/DC
43. La Grange - ZZ Top
44. Master Of Puppets - Metallica
45. Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
46. Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits
47. Rusty Cage - Soundgarden
48. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love - Van Halen
49. Bring It On Home - Led Zeppelin
50. Man On The Silver Mountain - Rainbow
51. Panama - Van Halen
52. Maybellene - Chuck Berry
53. N.I.B. - Black Sabbath
54. Pinball Wizard - The Who
55. China Grove - The Doobie Brothers
56. Stranglehold - Ted Nugent
57. Ace Of Spades - Motorhead
58. Wipeout - The Surfaris
59. Paradise City - Guns N' Roses
60. Don't Fear The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
61. Five Minutes Alone - Pantera
62. All Day And All Of The Night - The Kinks
63. Up Around The Bend - Creedence Clearwater Revival
64. Bulls On Parade - Rage Against The Machine
65. Life In The Fast Lane - The Eagles
66. Start Me Up - Rolling Stones
67. Walk - Pantera
68. Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N' Roses
69. I'm Broken - Pantera
70. All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix Experience
71. Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
72. Working Man - Rush
73. Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
74. Pride And Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan
75. The Boys Are Back In Town - Thin Lizzy
76. Whipping Post - Allman Brothers Band
77. Aenima - Tool
78. You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
79. School Day - Chuck Berry
80. Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
81. Honey Don't - Carl Perkins
82. Moby Dick - Led Zeppelin
83. Rockin' In The Free World - Neil Young
84. Wake Up Little Susie - Everly Brothers
85. Taxman - The Beatles
86. The Ocean - Led Zeppelin
87. Lola - The Kinks
88. Hangar 18 - Megadeth
89. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top
90. Thunderstruck - AC/DC
91. Politician - Cream
92. The Trooper - Iron Maiden
93. I Feel Fine - The Beatles
94. Spirit Of Radio - Rush
95. Hallowed Be Thy Name - Iron Maiden
96. Man On A Mission - Van Halen
97. Fear Of The Dark - Iron Maiden
98. Raining Blood - Slayer
99. Scuttle Buttin' - Stevie Ray Vaughan
100. Hysteria - Muse

101. Sweet Leaf - Black Sabbath
102. Love Me Two Times - The Doors
103. Revolution - The Beatles
104. Sad But True - Metallica
105. Seek And Destroy - Metallica
106. Highway To Hell - AC/DC
107. Revolution Is My Name - Pantera
108. All Right Now - Free
109. Paperback Writer - The Beatles
110. Miserlou - Dick Dale
111. Godzilla - Blue Oyster Cult
112. Spoonman - Soundgarden
113. I Can't Explain - The Who
114. Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
115. Should I Stay Or Should I Go - The Clash
116. Cemetary Gates - Pantera
117. Burn - Deep Purple
118. Barracuda - Heart
119. Highway Star - Deep Purple
120. Symphony Of Destruction - Megadeth
121. Cowboys From Hell - Pantera
122. Guerilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine
123. In The Flesh - Pink Floyd
124. Life's Been Good - Joe Walsh
125. Stinkfist - Tool
126. The Animal - Steve Vai
127. South Of Heaven - Slayer
128. Statesboro Blues - Allman Brothers Band
129. Roundabout - Yes
130. YYZ - Rush
131. Brown Eyed Handsome Man - Chuck Berry
132. Come As You Are - Nirvana
133. Sabbra Cadabra - Black Sabbath
134. Crossroads - Cream
135. Mr.Brownstone - Guns N' Roses
136. Jessica - Allman Brothers Band
137. Otherside - Red Hot Chili Peppers
138. Children Of The Grave - Black Sabbath
139. Estranged - Guns N' Roses
140. Satch Boogie - Joe Satriani
141. Fire - Jimi Hendrix Experience
142. Cult Of Personality - Living Color
143. School's Out - Alice Cooper
144. Cocaine - Eric Clapton
145. Electric Funeral - Black Sabbath
146. Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
147. Floods - Pantera
148. Peace Frog - The Doors
149. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
150. Substitute - The Who
151. Wake Up - Rage Against The Machine
152. Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
153. Cat Scratch Fever - Ted Nugent
154. Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
155. Holy Diver - Dio
156. Norwegian Wood - The Beatles
157. What The Hell Have I - Alice In Chains
158. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - Black Sabbath
159. Driving South - Stone Roses
160. Had To Cry Today - Blind Faith
161. 21st Century Schizoid Man - King Crimson
162. No Quarter - Led Zeppelin
163. Rock And Roll - Led Zeppelin
164. Speed King - Deep Purple
165. Gallon Of Gas - The Kinks
166. Changes - Jimi Hendrix
167. War Pigs - Black Sabbath
168. Man In The Box - Alice In Chains
169. Proud Mary - Creedence Clearwater Revival
170. My Michelle - Guns N' Roses
171. Rock You Like A Hurricane - The Scorpions
172. Space Truckin - Deep Purple
173. Into The Void - Black Sabbath
174. The Extremist - Joe Satriani
175. Run To The Hills - Iron Maiden
176. Home - Dream Theater
177. Dancing Days - Led Zeppelin
178. My Generation - The Who
179. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
180. Couldn't Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan
181. Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers
182. Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf
183. On The Hunt - Lynyrd Skynyrd
184. Even Flow - Pearl Jam
185. Animal - Pearl Jam
186. Grind - Alice In Chains
187. Alive - Pearl Jam
188. The Waiting - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
189. Woman From Tokyo - Deep Purple
190. Parabola - Tool
191. Saturday Night Special - Lynyrd Skynyrd
192. Somebody To Love - Jefferson Airplane
193. Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty & Heartbreakers
194. Suck My Kiss - Red Hot Chili Peppers
195. My Own Summer - Deftones
196. Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young
197. Judith - A Perfect Circle
198. Blackest Eyes - Porcupine Tree
199. Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2
200. Vertigo - U2

Greatest Rock Guitar Riffs on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4TBeM ... CFkWb6L9q?

[ManPerson]

Thunderstruck, Fortunate Son and Seven Nation Army, especially, all seem low.

Edit: Born to be Wild too

And if we want to revise this list I'm thinking criteria should be acclaim, influence and popularity/cultural recognition

[Dubrow555]

"Taxman" is one I would take off the list entirely (more of a bassline than a guitar riff). If we want to be consistent, should we take off all of SRV's riffs?

[Zach]

I could see a few of these as candidates:

AC/DC - Whole Lotta Rosie
Aerosmith - Sweet Emotion
Alice in Chains - Them Bones
Anthrax - Caught in a Mosh
Audioslave - Cochise
Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Takin' Care of Business
Billy Idol - White Wedding
Black Flag - Rise Above
Black Sabbath - Supernaut
blink-182 - What's My Age Again?
Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer / You Give Love a Bad Name
Boston - More Than a Feeling / Peace of Mind
Carcass - Heartwork
Cheap Trick - He's a Whore / Surrender / Stiff Competition
Chic - Le Freak / Good Times
Chicago - 25 or 6 to 4
Creed - One Last Breath
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
David Bowie - Fame / The Man Who Sold the World
Death - Crystal Mountain
Def Leppard - Photograph / Rock of Ages / Foolin' / Pour Some Sugar on Me
Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus / Enjoy the Silence
Duran Duran - Girls on Film
Earth, Wind & Fire - September
Echo & the Bunnymen - Killing Moon
Faith No More - The Real Thing / Surprise! You're Dead!
Filter - Hey Man Nice Shot
Fleetwood Mac - Oh Well (Part 1)
Foo Fighters - Everlong / All My Life
Foreigner - Hot Blooded / Double Vision
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Fugazi - Waiting Room
Golden Earring - Radar Love
Green Day - American Idiot / When I Come Around
Heart - Crazy on You
Hole - Celebrity Skin
Hüsker Dü - Makes No Sense at All
Interpol - Obstacle 1
INXS - I Need You Tonight
James Brown - Papa's Got a Brand New Bag / Sex Machine
Joe Walsh - Rocky Mountain Way
Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son
Killing Joke - Eighties
King's X - Over My Head
KMFDM - A Drug Against War
Korn - Blind
Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away
Linkin Park - One Step Closer
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Gimme Three Steps
Marilyn Manson - The Beautiful People
MC5 - Kick Out the Jams
Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls
Michael Jackson - Beat It
Ministry - Just One Fix / Stigmata
Mountain - Mississippi Queen
Modest Mouse - Float On
Mötley Crüe - Dr. Feelgood / Shout at the Devil / Looks That Kill
My Chemical Romance - I'm Not Okay (I Promise)
My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow / When You Sleep
Nazareth - Hair of the Dog
Neu! - Hallogallo
Nine Inch Nails - Wish / Last
Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box / In Bloom
Paramore - Misery Business
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Pixies - Where Is My Mind? / Debaser
Prince - Purple Rain / Let's Go Crazy / Kiss
Queen - Stone Cold Crazy
Queens of the Stoneage - No One Knows
Queensryche - Queen of the Reich
Quiet Riot - Metal Health (Bang Your Head) / Cum On Feel the Noize
Radiohead - Just
R.E.M. - The One I Love / Orange Crush
Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop
Ratt - Round and Round
Rammstein - Du Hast
Rick James - Super Freak
Sam & Dave - Soul Man
Scorpions - The Zoo
Sepultura - Refuse/Resist
Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen / Anarchy in the U.K. / Pretty Vacant
Slayer - Angel of Death
Sly and the Family Stone - Thank You
Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock / Today
Sonic Youth - Kool Thing / Teen Age Riot
Steve Miller Band - Rock'n Me
Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song / Plush / Sex Type Thing
Styx - Renegade
Sum 41 - Fat Lip
System of a Down - Toxicity / Aerials
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
The Cure - A Forest
The Edgar Winter Group - Free Ride
The Isley Brothers - That Lady
The Meters - Cissy Strut
The Prodigy - Firestarter
The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog
The Strokes - Last Nite
The Temptations - My Girl
The Velvet Underground - Sister Ray
Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock
T. Rex - 20th Century Boy / Get It On
UFO - Rock Bottom / Doctor Doctor
Van Halen - Mean Streets
Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl
Venom - Black Metal
Weezer - Say It Ain't So
Whitesnake - Still of the Night
White Zombie - More Human than Human
Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music
Wilson Pickett - In the Midnight Hour
ZZ Top - Tush


The current list seems rather limited and narrow, IMHO.

[Zach]

Also, Free's "All Right Now" not even in the top 100 is baffling. Should be top 50.

[Zach]

Maybe this list could be expanded to a top 300--since I thought up another hundred or so.

[Zach]

Lew gave me the OK to revise this list. The original version was a good, solid take, but I felt it was missing several key riffs that deserve recognition. I also think approaching the list through a broader historical lens would make it more representative of the rock guitar riff's evolution.


The criteria I'm working with:

Influence - How much did the riff itself shape later guitar playing, songwriting, or genres? Considers direct imitation, adaptation, or stylistic borrowing--not the broader influence of the artist or song.

Acclaim - How highly is the riff itself regarded by critics, musicians, and historians? Credits only praise that specifically targets the riff's creativity, originality, or execution--not the song, album, or artist.

Popularity/Iconicity - How instantly recognizable and enduring is the riff itself? It must stand alone as a memorable figure, separate from vocal hooks, production, or the song's fame.


Here is a tentative top 10 for the revised version:

1. Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode
2. The Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
3. The Kinks - You Really Got Me
4. Black Sabbath - Iron Man
5. Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
6. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
7. Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water
8. AC/DC - Back in Black
9. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
10. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze

[Tim]

I know Smoke on the Water at #1 was prolly an overkill but now it looks a bit low. One of these baby guitarist's first riffs, you know. Also, I'd consider Oh, Pretty Woman and Smells Like Teen Spirit (Echoes approves) for the top 10 as well.

[Fido]

I don't think Smoke on the Water at the top was wrong. It was in fact one of the least surprising placements on any list, and what I assume most people would point to as THE rock guitar riff.

I also think Purple Haze should be Hendrix's highest.

[ManPerson]

Voodoo Child might take influence for the wah pedal I think.

I think Johnny B. Goode's a good number one but Smoke On the Water should stay top 3-5 at least.

[ManPerson]

Looking at the original list, Thunderstruck seems way too low.

[Zach]

Looking back over it, I do wonder if influence may be exerting a bit too much pull in the ordering, especially in the case of "Smoke on the Water," which does seem a little low in retrospect. And "You Really Got Me" may be a bit high.
I understand the knee-jerk reaction to expect "Smoke" at #1, but I simply can't see it above "Johnny B. Goode" or "Satisfaction" when using the stated criteria. I think somewhere around #3-#5 is probably the right range.

[Zach]

The more I think about it, the more I'm not sure "Smoke on the Water" necessarily moves higher. Again, I completely understand why people would want it higher--the recognition factor is basically unmatched, and there's a very strong argument that it's the most universally known guitar riff ever.

That said, I'm just not sure it beats "Whole Lotta Love" or "Voodoo Child" when looking at the criteria as a whole.

When making "greatest" lists, I do typically give a little more weight to influence. But in this case, I'm actually trying to keep the balance between influence, acclaim, and popularity/iconic status, and even with that balance I'm still not quite seeing "Smoke" moving above those two.

"Whole Lotta Love" has a stronger case in terms of influence because it helped establish the sound and approach of heavy rock guitar. The combination of the massive tone, blues-based heaviness, and the riff itself helped define the sound of hard rock and became a major influence on the development of metal, too.

"Voodoo Child" is a different kind of case, but arguably an even stronger one for innovation and acclaim. Hendrix was expanding what the electric guitar could do, and that riff represents a massive leap forward in terms of tone, effects, phrasing, and overall expression. It's a watershed moment in rock guitar and one of the most acclaimed riffs ever recorded.

"Smoke"'s biggest advantage is clearly its iconic status. The fact that it became one of the first riffs millions of guitarists learned is without doubt meaningful. But I think its influence is a little different--it's more about becoming the ultimate gateway riff and cultural touchstone, rather than being a riff that fundamentally changed the direction of guitar playing.

The other two riffs, though, really aren't far behind when it comes to recognizability and iconic status--the Zep riff especially. Both are instantly identifiable, deeply ingrained in rock culture, and widely regarded as all-time great riffs. Where they separate themselves is that they also clearly carry a stronger case in terms of influence and, even if slightly, critical acclaim. "Voodoo Child" in particular has an exceptionally strong reputation among guitarists and critics, while "Whole Lotta Love," again, played a major role in shaping the sound of heavy rock. So while "Smoke" has the edge in pure ubiquity, I don't think that advantage is large enough to overcome the gap in the other areas.

If the criteria were adjusted to put more weight on popularity/iconicity, I think "Smoke" would probably leapfrog several entries and have a strong case for the top 3. But with the current balance, I still think its placement is defensible.

[Fido]

The wah-wah effect was not new when Voodoo Child was released, see Clapton on Tales of Brave Ulysses or White Room for example. Purple Haze's quirky, dissonant, distorted riff and then the Hendrix chord were much more influential, not to mention his biggest hit at the time.

[Sherick]

The other two riffs, though, really aren't far behind when it comes to recognizability and iconic status--the Zep riff especially. Both are instantly identifiable, deeply ingrained in rock culture, and widely regarded as all-time great riffs. Where they separate themselves is that they also clearly carry a stronger case in terms of influence and, even if slightly, critical acclaim. "Voodoo Child" in particular has an exceptionally strong reputation among guitarists and critics, while "Whole Lotta Love," again, played a major role in shaping the sound of heavy rock. So while "Smoke" has the edge in pure ubiquity, I don't think that advantage is large enough to overcome the gap in the other areas.

I really don't think that's the case, at least not when it comes to "Whole Lotta Love". You can over-intellectualize it, but it doesn't change that "Smoke" is considered the guitar riff.
If we're going to go that route though, then I don't think there's any way that "Black Sabbath" doesn't enter the top 5.

[Dubrow555]

Anything other than Smoke on the Water at #1 makes absolutely no sense to me personally.