Bob Marley’s Redemption Song is an easy and timeless guitar classic, ideal for beginning guitarists to learn. It requires only basic power chords and is very straightforward.
Once you’ve learned it well enough to play it competently, a riff such as this is perfect for showing your friends and family as an impressive show of your skills! What a way to show them off!
Paranoid by Black Sabbath
After the success of Black Sabbath’s debut, their label sent them back into the studio to record a follow-up album containing Paranoid; today this work is considered to be among the greatest heavy metal works ever recorded.
Geezer Butler, bassist for the band, wrote the lyrics for this song without understanding what paranoia meant at that time; nevertheless he described feeling as though he were going insane while writing them down.
Heavy Metal was an immediate success and this album helped define it as a genre. It marked an end to psychedelic music and signalled its place among us; massive guitar riffs, Ozzy’s rasping voice and songs dealing with death, drugs, and war soon followed. Tony Iommi even lost tips of his middle and ring fingers on his right hand days before recording, yet that did not impede their ability to produce somber musical style that is characteristic of heavy metal bands like Metallica.
Sweet Home Alabama by Alabama
Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd remains one of the most iconic southern rock songs ever, reaching number 8 on the US rock chart in 1974 and still considered one of their most beloved songs today. Additionally, many fans cherish it as the University of Alabama football team uses it as its fight song!
Though often considered an ode to southern pride, this song contains some contentious lyrics. Written as a reaction against two Neil Young songs that criticised Alabama for its racist past, this tune’s creators (two from Florida and one from California) may have had different perspectives than Alabama residents themselves; nonetheless it remains an absolute classic and must-listen for fans of Southern rock music.
Paradise by Led Zeppelin
Paradise by Led Zeppelin is an extremely popular campfire tune with an accessible strumming pattern and is easy to learn; all it requires are some chords and an accessible strumming pattern.
Robert Plant credits this song’s inspiration from a trip he and Jimmy Page took to Morocco, where they were struck by its friendly people and stunning landscape. Physical Graffiti, released in February 1975, featured this track on its sixth album release as part of its Physical Graffiti release.
This song’s lyrics refer to four symbols on an album’s sleeve that remain unknown; their meaning remains obscure. Some fans have noted a connection between these symbols and Ars Magica Arteficii’s book of occult symbols while others believe they relate to Lemuria, Atlantis and Easter Island statues.
Take Me Home by The Beatles
Everyone knows this iconic tune by one of the world’s best-known bands, The Beatles. Even if you don’t understand its lyrics, this iconic track remains an integral part of every concert experience and remains an unforgettable staple for audiences around the globe.
John Lennon wrote the lyrics while on their trip to Rishikesh, India for transcendental meditation classes, with George Harrison contributing lead guitar and Ringo Starr providing drums. These were later combined with John’s song.
While The Beatles songs often contain hidden themes, this particular track offers a humorous commentary on Americans missing home while traveling abroad. Lyrical references include Howard Johnson hotels, fast food outlets, and Russian women; its theme resonated heavily during the Cold War of that era and it was recorded for their final studio album release as a band, Let It Be. Let It Be cemented their legacy and established them as superstars.