In this article, we will be taking a look at 9 of the best Beatles guitar solos of all time. I’m staying in Liverpool for a couple of days next week so I wanted to do something Liverpool themed. I could think of nothing better than sitting back and listening to some epic Beatles music.
For me, the Beatles / George Harrison don’t get nearly enough recognition from the guitar universe. Some of the guitar work in the Beatles’ discography is out of this world and some of the guitar solos are on another planet.
It’s the guitar solos specifically that I’m focusing on today though as you can tell from the title, so here we go. 9 of best Beatles guitar solos of all time in no particular order. Please take note of the phrase “of the” in the title.
Best Beatles guitar solos #1 A Hard Day’s Night
We start things off with A Hard Day’s Night. One of the Beatles’ most iconic and well known tracks. It also happens to boast their most famous intro that also happens to be one of the most famous song intros of all time. It only lasts a couple I’d seconds but “that” chord is instantly recognisable to anyone.
What about the guitar solo? A Hard Days Night is short and sweet. So is the guitar solo. In my opinion, for something to qualify as a guitar solo, it has to be at minimum 8 bars. The guitar solo if A Hard Day’s Night does reach that requirement, just about. The solo maybe be short but it’s as sweet as refined sugar. It creates a sound almost as memorable and recognisable and iconic as that intro chord (a G7add9sus4 by the way, I think?)
Best Beatles guitar solos #2 Something
The lead guitar that we hear throughout Something is masterful from start to finish and the guitar solo itself exhibits virtuoso levels of feel and expression as it sings to the listener, evoking a level of emotion that’s hard to match. The melody that can be heard right at the start of the solo is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard on a guitar. The soft performance of that part warms my soul. The way in which the solo links up with the song’s main riff at the end is also very impressive and the tone of the guitar is perfect for the occasion. This is a lesson for guitar players that flashy isn’t always the way to go.
Best Beatles guitar solos #3 While My Guitar Gently Weeps
This is a track that has high expectation. A song called While My Guitar Gently Weeps sure as hell better contain some emotive and passionate lead guitar. I certainly wouldn’t have the stones to call a song that. That’s to much pressure man.
I’m a mere mortal though and While My Guitar Gently Weeps was never going to contain anything other than lead guitar and guitar solos true to the name of the song. The lead guitar on display here is passion personified. There’s a reason why this track is loved by guitar players all over the world.
Best Beatles guitar solos #4 And Your Bird Can Sing
And Your Bird can sing. Another tiny track clocking in at only 2 minutes. It’s a song that gives us a lot musically though despite its length and one of the things that it gives us is some rather impressive lead guitar. Okay, maybe not a guitar solo in the traditional sense but it’s more than worthy of a list spot because if the harmonising masterclass by Harrison and McCartney. Each play a single note melody on lead guitar which come together (sorry) to form a perfect showcase of guitar harmonisation. A neat little track that allows us to witness geniuses at work.
Best Beatles guitar solos #5 Come Together
Come Together is unquestionably one of my favourite tracks by the Beatles. I love everything about it, but the thing I love most is the guitars, both rhythm and lead. This is a really fun one to play on guitar. The 2 guitar solo parts from Come Together demonstrate what perfect bends are. The bends in this song are extraordinarily cool. There’s a neat and structured feel to the lead guitar in Come Together yet it also sounds care free at the same time. This is definitely one that every guitar player should learn at some point. Oh look, a link to the Come Together guitar lesson that I wrote a couple of months ago.
Best Beatles guitar solos #6 I want you (she’s so heavy)
I want you (she’s so heavy), written by John Lennon for Yoko, is one of the Beatles’ longest songs clocking in at over 7 minutes. It’s a musically interesting affair with the constant switching between time signatures and it’s perfectly paced and easy on the ears.
The lead guitar is simply mesmerising in this track. The mimicking of the vocals is neat and at times, the guitar is almost hypnotic. The guitar solo happens in the first half of the track and is almost an instrumental rendition of the verse. This is what the lead guitar does in the 4/4 parts throughout but during its own little section, the lead guitar really shines. A very cool guitar solo in a track where the lead guitar is flawless throughout.
If you’re not familiar with this one, give it a try. This track doesn’t get the praise it deserves in my opinion.
Best Beatles guitar solos #7 Taxman
I remember the first time I heard Taxman. It was in one of those Beatles themed stores near the Hard Days Night hotel in Liverpool, a hotel I used to stay at quite frequently. Up until then, the only version of Taxman that I had heard was the Stevie Ray Vaughan one. I always loved the Stevie version but never knew it was written by George Harrison. My response upon hearing it was “oh, the Beatles did this”. A real “learn something new everyday” moment.
I would later learn a new fact about Taxman. As I’m sure many have, I assumed that the guitar solo was performed by lead guitarist and the song’s writer, George Harrison but it wasn’t. The Taxman guitar solo was performed by Paul McCartney.
The solo barely scrapes through in terms of length but it’s a very guitar soloy guitar solo so it’s in. It starts off as one may expect from this type of track but soon takes a turn into a more Indian feel that sounds really cool indeed. This is definitely one that left me wanting more.
#8 Can’t Buy Me Love
Can’t Buy Me Love and its guitar solo are here for a couple of reasons. The first reason is sentimental. The solo from Can’t Buy Me Love is the first guitar solo that I ever learned to play. I wasn’t all that into lead guitar at first. I was more interested in rhythm guitar but the solo from this song was one of the reasons I started to branch out. The reason for that is the second reason why it’s here on this list.
The solo is really fun. Most of the guitar solos that folk look at as the best or, what people consider the examples of what lead guitar should be, fall into the categories of technically impressive or expressive. This guitar solo is an example of something different. It shows that lead guitar can also be fun, bouncy and up beat.
Oh look. A link to the Can’t Buy Me Love guitar chords and lesson post that I wrote much more recently but then came back into this article add…
#9 The End
The End was always going to appear last wasn’t it? I’m a master of words after all…. The End features George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Lennon rocking away on their guitars. This track will satisfy any guitar junkie. There’s n a lot of debate in the guitar universe but I’m sure we can all agree on one thing at least. Listening to the awesome licks in The End is a fantastic experience.
Which one of these Beatles guitar solos do I like the best?
As you can tell, I’m very fond of all the Beatles songs listed here and the guitar solos in them. For me though, there is a stand out guitar solo from the bunch and that’s the guitar solo from Something. I’m wracking my brains but I simply can’t think of a guitar solo that speaks to me in the way that this one does. One could say that there’s just “something” about it (sorry again). Today it was featured on a list of the best Beatles guitar solos but this one would be right at home on a list of the best guitar solos of all time. A stunningly beautiful guitar solo from a guitar and music master.
What next?
That about wraps things up for my 9 of the best Beatles guitar solos article. I’ve already let you know about my Come Together guitar lesson and my Can’t Buy Me Love guitar lesson but I’m a massive Beatles fan and therefore, there are more. Check these out.
Day Tripper TAB and Guitar Lesson
8 Days a Week Guitar Chords and Lesson
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Hello. My name is Ryan J Mellor and I play the guitar. I’m also the creator of Eat Sleep Guitar Repeat. I’ve ben a guitarist for many years and my guitar playing has been described as “above average”. My guitar and music knowledge is somewhat impressive but most importantly, I have a passion for creating great guitar and music related content.