Tag Archives: guitar solo

Song of the Day: Black Magic Woman (by Carlos Santana)

Posted on by Arleigh

Carlos Santana’s song “Black Magic Woman” is a timeless tune that hooks you right from the start, but it’s that guitar solo that really makes it unforgettable and that is what make it our latest “Song of the Day.” The solo kicks in around 2 minutes and 24 seconds into the track. What’s great about Santana’s solo is how it feels like a conversation rather than just fast playing. His guitar almost sounds like it’s telling a story, with smooth, soulful notes that seem to sing. It’s not about shredding or showing off; it’s about playing each note with feeling and attitude, making you want to listen over and over.

What really stands out in the solo is how Santana uses bends and vibrato — which means he gently raises the pitch of the notes and adds a slight shake. This gives the solo a warm and emotional feel, almost like a human voice expressing deep feelings. The smooth back-and-forth flow between notes keeps it easy to follow, so even if you’re not a guitarist, you can feel the emotion. Plus, the mix of Latin rhythms shines through, giving the solo a unique flavor that sets Santana apart from other guitarists and adds some groove to the song.

The solo in “Black Magic Woman” is what really grabs listeners and keeps them hooked. It’s not about playing a million notes fast, but about making every sound count and really feeling the music. Santana’s guitar almost talks and sings with a warm, inviting voice that pulls you into the mood of the song. His unique blend of smooth, flowing notes with just the right amount of grit and emotion makes the solo stand out as something special and timeless. Instead of flashy showmanship, it’s the deep connection you feel through the guitar that keeps the solo memorable and moving for generations of listeners. This soulful approach is what turns a simple guitar solo into a truly magical moment in the song.

Black Magic Woman

Got a black magic woman
Got a black magic woman

I’ve got a black magic woman
Got me so blind I can’t see
That she’s a black magic woman
She’s tryin’ to make a devil out of me

Don’t turn your back on me, baby
Don’t turn your back on me, baby

Yes, don’t turn your back on me baby
Stop messin’ around with your tricks
Don’t turn your back on me baby
You just might pick up my magic sticks

[guitar solo]

Got your spell on me baby
Got your spell on me baby

Yes you got your spell on me baby
Turning my heart into stone
I need you so bad – magic woman
I can’t leave you alone

Great Guitar Solos Series

Song of the Day: Cliffs of Dover (by Eric Johnson)

Posted on by Arleigh

Eric Johnson’s “Cliffs of Dover” is a bright and lively piece that grabs your attention from the beginning. The guitar work is smooth and confident, combining clear melodies with quick, well-executed runs. It feels like Johnson is having fun exploring different sounds, and that sense of ease makes the song enjoyable to listen to whether you’re a musician or not.

What really stands out is the tone of the guitar—clean, crisp, and well-balanced. Johnson shows great control, shifting between fast passages and slower, more expressive bends without losing the smooth flow of the music. The main solo starts about 2 minutes and 45 seconds in, and this is where the balance of technical skill and musicality comes through most clearly.

The track manages to be both intricate and accessible, with memorable themes that stick in your head after just one listen. Its upbeat and positive vibe has helped it remain popular over the years, earning respect from guitar players and fans alike. It strikes a nice balance between being impressive and inviting, which is part of why it’s still well-regarded today.

Great Guitar Solos Series

Song of the Day: Something (The Beatles)

Posted on by Arleigh

Ok, time to get back in the saddle.

The latest entry in the “Greatest Guitar Solos Series” comes courtesy of The Beatles and one of the best songs, if not the best one, from their 1969 album, Abbey Road.

The song is the George Harrison penned “Something” and its been acknowledged by musicians and critics to be the greatest love song that doesn’t have the mention the word love (on a serious note, it is the greatest love song).

The guitar solo is performed by George Harrison and arrives as part of the song’s outro.

Something

[Verse 1]
Something in the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover
Something in the way she woos me

[Chorus]
I don’t want to leave her now
You know I believe and how

[Verse 2]
Somewhere in her smile, she knows
That I don’t need no other lover
Something in her style that shows me

[Chorus]
I don’t want to leave her now
You know I believe and how

[Bridge]
You’re asking me, will my love grow?
I don’t know, I don’t know
You stick around, now, it may show
I don’t know, I don’t know

[Guitar Solo]

Great Guitar Solos Series

Song of the Day: Killer Queen (by Queen)

Posted on by Arleigh

Time to continue our greatest guitar solos series with another from the glam rock legends that is Queen.

The latest “Song of the Day” is “Killer Queen” from their third album Sheer Heart Attack released in 1974. The song continues the band’s exceptional use of vocal harmonies which, by 1974, had become the band’s signature calling musical card.

Brian May’s guitar solo happens on the 1:32 minute mark of the song. It’s not a bombastic, shredding-inducing melodies, but instead a multitracked solo that makes great use of bell chords where the drums and bass joins in sequentially to finish the section.

“Killer Queen” has become one of the band’s most popular songs and continued to cement Queen as one of the preeminent rock bands of the 1970’s.

Killer Queen

She keeps Moët et Chandon
In her pretty cabinet
“Let them eat cake,” she says
Just like Marie Antoinette
A built-in remedy
For Khrushchev and Kennedy (Ooh, ooh)
At anytime an invitation
You can’t decline (Ooh, ooh)

Caviar and cigarettes
Well versed in etiquette
Extraordinarily nice

She’s a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatin
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
(Pa-pa-pa-pa) Anytime
Ooh
Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?

To avoid complications
She never kept the same address
In conversation
She spoke just like a baroness
Met a man from China
Went down to Geisha Minah (Ooh, ooh)
(Killer, killer, she’s a killer queen)
Then again incidentally
If you’re that way inclined

Perfume came naturally from Paris (Naturally)
For cars, she couldn’t care less
Fastidious and precise

She’s a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatin
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
(Pa-pa-pa-pa)
Anytime
 
[guitar solo]

Drop of a hat she’s as willing as
Playful as a pussycat (Ooh)
Then momentarily out of action (Ooh)
Temporarily out of gas (Ta-taaa)
To absolutely drive you wild, wild
She’s out to get you

She’s a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatin
Dynamite with a laser beam (Pa-pa-pa-ra)
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime
Ooh
Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?
You wanna try

Great Guitar Solos Series

Song of the Day: Eruption (by Van Halen)

Posted on by Arleigh

Time to get back to our “Greatest Guitar Solos” series with a short but awesome rock instrumental from the one and only Eddie Van Halen.

“Eruption” was part of the band Van Halen’s self-titled debut album in 1978 and announced the arrival of one of rock’s guitar gods in Eddie Van Halen. Just like Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing”, this track was short (less than two minutes) but was very influential with future musicians.

The song itself has Eddie Van Halen mixing it classical music structures and cadences (he uses a section of “Etude No. 2” by Rodolphe Kreutzer in the beginning of the track. Eddie’s use of classical musical theory and melding it with the face-melting technique of hard rock will usher in an era of rock guitarists from all genres from hard rock to black metal where classical music is not seen a stodgy music, but a strong basis and foundation to create of the great rock songs for the next half-century.

Great Guitar Solos Series

Song of the Day: The Rocker (by Thin Lizzy)

Posted on by Arleigh

So, it looks like it’s St. Patrick’s Day here in Through the Shattered Lens. For my lone contribution to all things Irish I present “The Rocker” by Dublin, Ireland’s very own Thin Lizzy.

A song that was part of their 1973 album release Vagabonds of the Western World and it features the Dublin trio of Phil Lynott on bass guitar, Eric Bell on lead guitar and Brian Downey on drums. The song itself has the Thin Lizzy rock sound with Irish folk music influence.

I’ve chosen this song as my choice since it also qualifies as having one of the great rock guitar solos in history. Eric Bell’s guitar solo actually occurs throughout the length and breadth of the song. It’s sometimes hard to hear that there’s even a guitar solo but the whole song could be looked at as being a guitar solo from start to finish with Eric Bell being the lead and only guitar with Phil supporting on bass.

“The Rocker” by Thin Lizzy is not a song that many fans today would ever think is a major classic, but rock aficionados, especially of music of the late 60’s through the 70’s would not hesitate to have this song as one of the classics.

The Rocker

I am your main man if you’re looking for trouble
I take no lip, no one’s tougher than me
I’d kick your face, you’d soon be seeing double
Hey, little girl, keep your hands off of me

I’m a rocker
I’m a rocker
I’m a roller too, baby
I’m a rocker

Down at the juke joint, me and the boys are stompin’
Bippin’ and boppin’ and telling a dirty joke or two
In walked this chick and I knew she was up to something
And I kissed her right there, out of the blue

I said, “Hey baby, meet me, I’m a tough guy
Got my cycle outside, you wanna try?”
She just looked at me and rolled them big eyes
“Said, I’d do anything for you, for you’re a rocker”

I’m a rocker
I’m a roller too, honey
I’m a rocker

I love to rock and roll
I get my records at the Rock On stall
Sweet rock and roll
Teddy boy, he got them all

Rocker

I love to rock and roll
I get my records at the Rock On stall
Sweet rock and roll
Teddy boy, he’s got them all

I’m a rocker

Great Guitar Solos Series

Song of the Day: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (by The Beatles)

Posted on by Arleigh

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

Song of the Day: Little Wing (by Jimi Hendix)

Posted on by Arleigh

Jimi Hendrix was arguably one of the greatest musicians of the 20th Century. Some may dispute that label and maybe pigeonhole him as one of the greatest rock musician, but his impact on the musical landscape goes beyond just rock music, but all of music no matter the genre or style.

He was that one singular musician, just like any prodigy, who came along and burned bright for a short period of time before being snuffed out by the very gift and genius for creativity he became known for. There has been other musicians who have attained legend status since Jimi Hendrix’s untimely death on September 18, 1970, but even they would say that they still couldn’t comprehend what Hendrix was able to do with an electric guitar and in the short time he had in the limelight.

Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” is a microcosm of why musicians and rock historians almost look at Hendrix’s work with nigh-mythical status. The song, released on December 1, 1967, begins with Hendrix’s much slower chord progression accompanied by the haunting use of the glockenspiel that then leads to Hendrix’s vocals and drums. It is around the 1:45 minute mark when the song follows through on its vocals with one of the most precise and a nominee for greatest guitar solo of all-time.

The song itself is not very long, but even in the its two-and-a-half minute running time “Little Wing” achieves what most musicians could only dream of and that is a song that continues to inspire and bewilder (the song has been covered and studied countless times, but no could ever agree how Hendrix did his magic on the song).

Little Wing

Well, she’s walking through the clouds
With a circus mind that’s running wild
Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams
And her fairy tales
That’s all she ever thinks about
Riding with the wind
When I’m sad, she comes to me
With a thousand smiles, she gives to me free
“It’s alright” she says, “It’s alright”
Take anything you want from me, take anything
Anything
Fly on, little wing

[guitar solo]

Great Guitar Solos Series

Song of the Day: Since I’ve Been Loving You (by Led Zeppelin)

Posted on by Arleigh

LedZeppelin

To say that I’m a huge fan of Led Zeppelin would be an understatement. They’re the band that combines both my love for hard rock and, ultimately, an even bigger love for that most American of musical style, the blues.

Led Zeppelin have always been rooted in their blues foundation. They’ve been an integral part of the British rock invasion to the US that was steeped heavily in blues rock. With classic blues heavily influencing their sound, Led Zeppelin would take the US by storm starting in 1968 and would continue to do so until the band’s dissolution in 1980 soon after John Bonham’s untimely death.

It’s a song from their third album that, for me, epitomizes Led Zeppelin’s early days. These were the years when they reigned as the blues rock kings of the rock world. They would later experiment and try new sounds with their later albums as the band began to branch out into new, diversified musical styles. Yet, for me, the band will always be that blues rock band from London, England who were the first supergroup.

“Since I’ve Been Loving You” is straight up blues and Robert Plant sings it with such emotional intensity that anyone hearing the song for the first time could easily mistake him and the band as one of the classic American blues bands. The song also makes the latest “Song of the Day” not just because it’s one of my favorites but also because of Jimmy Page once again demonstrating why he’s one of the best rock guitarists.

It’s not often a song starts off with a guitar solo, but this one does and Page does so in a slow, blues tempo that would segue into Robert Plant’s vocals. The second guitar solo arrives after the song’s second verse and would have a more blues rock sound to it, but no less impressive.

Since I’ve Been Loving You

(guitar solo)

Working from seven to eleven every night,
It really makes life a drag, I don’t think that’s right.
I’ve really been the best, the best of fools, I did what I could. (Yeah)
‘Cause I love you, baby, How I love you, darling, How I love you, baby,
My beloved little girl, little girl.
But baby, Since I’ve Been Loving You (yeah). I’m about to lose my worried mind, oh, yeah.

Everybody trying to tell me that you didn’t mean me no good.
I’ve been trying, Lord, let me tell you, Let me tell you I really did the best I could.
I’ve been working from seven to eleven every night, I said It kinda makes my life a drag
Lord, that ain’t right…
Since I’ve Been Loving You, I’m about to lose my worried mind. (Watch out!)

(guitar solo)

Said I’ve been crying, yeah. Oh, my tears they fell like rain,
Don’t you hear them, Don’t you hear them falling?
Don’t you hear, Don’t you hear them falling?

Do you remember mama, when I knocked upon your door?
I said you had the nerve to tell me you didn’t want me no more, yeah
I open my front door, hear my back door slam,
You know, I must have one of them new fangled, new fangled back door man.

I’ve been working from seven, seven, seven, to eleven every night, It kinda makes my life a drag…
Baby, Since I’ve Been Loving You, I’m about to lose, I’m about to lose, lose my worried mind.

Just one more, just one more, oooh, yeah,
Since I’ve been loving you, I’m gonna lose my worried mind.

Great Guitar Solos Series

Song of the Day: War Pigs (by Black Sabbath)

Posted on by Arleigh

BlackSabbath

“War Pigs” is the classic heavy metal song by the godfathers of heavy metal itself, Black Sabbath. This song will kick you in the nuts from it’s ominous bass heavy intro right through one of the best guitar solos in the middle right up to it’s epic ending. It’s not a surprise that many heavy metal fans both new and old still consider this one of the best heavy metal songs ever. It also highlights Ozzy Osbourne as a frontman who became a template for future metal frontmen everywhere. Hearing him sing out the lyrics reminds us that he wasn’t a mumbling, drug-scarred reality tv show personlality. Ozzy was the face of metal and his voice in the early albums of Black Sabbath was one of the best in the business.

The song itself is actually an anti-war song despite many uses of it in films, tv and trailers highlighting war and violence. Last year’s 300: Rise of An Empire literally reveled in using this song for it’s end credits. Which makes me wonder if those who actually listened to this song actually listened to the lyrics after the first verse.

The lyrics speaks of the inequality of war and how those most willing to begin one are the rich and powerful (meaning they would never ever be put into harm’s way) while those who do the killing and dying are the poor and downtrodden. The interesting thing about this song is how it’s early version was not an anti-war one but just a metal song about witches and black magic rituals. The early name for the song was “Walpurgis” but with the band already being seen as Satanic by puritanical groups in England and in the US they were convinced to change the title to “War Pigs” and adjusted the lyrics to make it the anti-war song it is today.

No matter it’s history and backstory, “War Pigs” remain one of the essential heavy metal songs that any prospective heavy metal newbie needs to listen to and study.

War Pigs

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death’s construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds
Oh lord yeah!

Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor

Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait ’til their judgment day comes
Yeah!

(guitar solo)

Now in darkness world stops turning
Ashes where the bodies burning
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of judgment, God is calling
On their knees the war pig’s crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan laughing spreads his wings
Oh lord yeah!

(guitar solo)

Great Guitar Solos Series