Okay, so you’ve probably heard Any Way You Want It by Journey at a sports game, a movie, or blasting from someone’s car with the windows down. And yeah, it’s a classic rock anthem, but let me tell you why you need to actually listen to it like it’s your new favorite song. First off, that opening riff? Pure adrenaline. It kicks in with this chugging, joyful energy that doesn’t let up. Steve Perry’s vocals are famously sky-high and smooth, but the real secret weapon here is how the whole band locks into this unstoppable groove. It’s not complicated—it’s just fun. If you’re in a bad mood, hit play. I guarantee you’ll be tapping your steering wheel by the ten-second mark.

Now, let’s talk about the guitar solo, because that’s where Neal Schon earns his legend status. It starts at 1:34, right after the second chorus when the song pulls back just for a breath. And then—bam. Schon doesn’t waste time with flashy nonsense. He comes in with this biting, melodic line that feels like a conversation. It’s not about showing off speed (though he’s got plenty); it’s about attitude. The solo builds with these perfect bends and a little wah pedal flavor, then climbs higher and higher until it just explodes into a fiery run that hands the energy right back to Perry for the final chorus. From 1:34 to about 2:00, it’s pure rock and roll perfection.

What I love most is how the solo doesn’t overpower the song—it serves it. So many guitar heroes try to steal the spotlight, but Schon is playing like he’s part of a team. You can hear him weaving in and out of the rhythm section, almost dancing with the bass and drums. And that tone? Crisp, a little overdriven, but never muddy. It’s the sound of someone who knows exactly when to let a note ring out and when to smash into the next one. If you’ve ever thought Journey was just a “ballads band,” this solo will change your mind fast.

Bottom line: Any Way You Want It is a shot of pure joy, and the guitar solo from 1:34 to 1:45 is the heart of the whole thing. Put on headphones, crank the volume, and just focus on how Schon makes his guitar sing, shout, and then whisper all in under thirty seconds. Then hit replay, because I promise you’ll miss something the first time. Give it two listens—one for the vocals, one for the solo—and you’ll wonder how you ever slept on this track. It’s not deep, it’s not complicated. It’s just perfect. Any way you want it, that’s the way you’ll need it. Trust me.

Any Way You Want It

Any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it

She loves to laugh
She loves to sing
She does everything
She loves to move
She loves to groove
She loves the lovin’ things

Ooh, all night, all night
Oh, every night
So hold tight, hold tight
Ooh baby, hold tight

Oh, she said
Any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it
She said, any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it

I was alone
I never knew
What good love could do
Ooh, then we touched
Then we sang
About the lovin’ things

Ooh, all night, all night
Oh, every night
So hold tight, hold tight
Ooh baby, hold tight

Oh, she said
Any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it
I said, any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it

[guitar solo]

She said ohh, hold on, hold on, hold on
Oh, she said any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it

Any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it

She said any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it

Any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it

Any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it

Any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it

Any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it

Any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it

Any way you want it
That’s the way you need it
Any way you want it

Any way you want it
That’s the way you need it

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)
• While My Guitar Gently Weeps (by the Beatles)
• The Rocker (by Thin Lizzy)
• Bulls on Parade (by Rage Against the Machine)
• Eruption (by Van Halen)
• Killer Queen (by Queen)
• Something (by The Beatles)
• Maggot Brain (by Funkadelic)
• Cliffs of Dover (by Eric Johnson)
• Black Magic Woman (by Carlos Santana)
• Layla (by Derek & The Dominoes)
• Dazed and Confused (by Led Zeppelin)
• Blue Sky (by The Allman Brothers Band)
• Southern Man (by Neil Young)
• Know Your Enemy (by Rage Against the Machine)
• Highway Star (by Deep Purple)
• Sharp Dressed Man (by ZZ Top)
• Black Hole Sun (by Soundgarden)
• Aqualung (by Jethro Tull)
• Scuttle Buttin’ (by Stevie Ray Vaughan)
• All Along the Watchtower (by Jimi Hendrix)
• Paranoid (by Black Sabbath)