Continuing our series of greatest guitar solo series, I present “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles.

The song was written by George Harrison and was composed at a time after the band had just returned from a trip and stay in India to study Transcendental Meditation. Harrison, inspired by his stay in India, re-discovered his passion for the guitar and began to write songs with it as his main instrument. Thus begins an era of The Beatles and George Harrison as a maturing songwriter than made a huge contribution to the band becoming more than just the global rock phenomena pre-1968 and one where the group began to release songs and albums that reflected their new world views.

Yet, as great as the song has become since its release on November 22, 1968, it’s also well-remembered as the song that began a series of collaborations between George Harrison and Eric Clapton (a close friend) who plays lead guitar on the song. It is Clapton’s lead guitar work on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” that has mesmerized listeners throughout the decades.

Clapton plays two guitar solos, the first occurring during first bridge section of the song, and the second the song’s outro. Both solos accentuates and focuses on the song’s lyrical tradition styling where the musical instrument provides the emotions that propel the song.

The outro guitar solo has also reached a new level of immortality in 2004 when Harrison was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The collaboration of artists that included Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Marc Mann, Dhani Harrison, Prince, Steve Ferrone, Scott Thurston, Jeff Young, and Jim Capaldi. It was Prince’s extended performance of the outro solo that’s become legendary.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

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
With every mistake we must surely be learning
Still my guitar gently weeps

[guitar solo]

I don’t know how you were diverted
You were perverted too
I don’t know how you were inverted
No-one alerted you

I look at you all, see the love there that’s sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps
Look at you all……
Still my guitar gently weeps

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
With every mistake we must surely be learning
Still my guitar gently weeps

I don’t know how you were diverted
You were perverted too
I don’t know how you were inverted
No-one alerted you

I look at you all, see the love there that’s sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps
Look at you all……
Still my guitar gently weeps

[guitar solo]

Great Guitar Solos Series

• Master of Puppets (by Metallica)
• Free Bird (by Lynyrd Skynyrd)
• Hotel California (by The Eagles)
• Stairway to Heaven (by Led Zeppelin)
• Texas Flood (by Stevie Ray Vaughan)
• Comfortably Numb (by Pink Floyd)
• Powerslave (by Iron Maiden)
• Fade to Black (by Metallica)
• Bohemian Rhapsody (by Queen)
• Sweet Child o’ Mine (Guns N’ Roses)
• Mr. Crowley (by Ozzy Osbourne)
• Rainbow in the Dark (by Dio)
• Róisín Dubh (by Thin Lizzy)
• Rock You Like A Hurricane (by Scorpions)
• Whipping Post (by Allman Brothers Band)
• Carry On Wayward Son (by Kansas)
• War Pigs (by Black Sabbath)
• Since I’ve Been Loving You (by Led Zeppelin)
• Satch Boogie (by Joe Satriani)
• Rambin’ Man (by The Allman Brothers Band)
• Sympathy for the Devil (by The Rolling Stones)
• Little Wing (by Jimi Hendrix)