“Layla” is still one of those solos guitar players treat like a rite of passage. It’s not just the famous riff; the way Clapton and Duane Allman tear into the lead lines makes the whole first half feel like it’s permanently on the edge of falling apart, in the best way. The solo really starts to bloom once the main riff gives way to the verse lead around the 2:20 mark, with the piano-driven section kicking in later at about 3:10 on the original studio version.

A big part of why musicians and fans rate it so highly is the balance between flash and feel. The bends, slides, and quick little runs are impressive, but they always come back to short, singable phrases instead of just running scales. Allman’s slide work, especially those pushed, “beyond the fretboard” high notes, is a huge talking point among players because it sounds wild and emotional while still landing dead-on pitch.

People also love how the solo feels like one long emotional unraveling rather than a neat, contained spotlight moment. The guitar gradually hands things over to the piano section instead of ending on a standard rock climax, so the solo feels like it spills into that second movement of the song. That journey—from searing, tangled guitar lines to that almost resigned, melodic outro—is a big reason “Layla” keeps showing up on “greatest solos” lists and in conversations between working guitarists and casual fans alike.

Layla

What’ll you do when you get lonely
And nobody’s waiting by your side?
You’ve been running and hiding much too long
You know it’s just your foolish pride

Layla
You’ve got me on my knees
Layla
I’m begging, darling, please
Layla
Darling, won’t you ease my worried mind?

I tried to give you consolation
When your old man had let you down
Like a fool, I fell in love with you
You turned my whole world upside down

Layla
You’ve got me on my knees
Layla
I’m begging, darling, please
Layla
Darling, won’t you ease my worried mind?

Let’s make the best of the situation
Before I finally go insane
Please, don’t say we’ll never find a way
And tell me all my love’s in vain

Layla
You’ve got me on my knees
Layla
I’m begging, darling, please
Layla
Darling, won’t you ease my worried mind?
Layla
You’ve got me on my knees
Layla
I’m begging, darling, please
Layla
Darling, won’t you ease my worried mind?

[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)
• 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)