The guitar line in Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” is one of Jimmy Page’s most iconic riffs. Only the opening of “Stairway to Heaven” rivals its memorability. It grabs you instantly and holds your attention throughout the song. The kind of riff that instantly grabs you and keeps your attention for he rest of the song. The […]
Many of Deep Purple’s songs are overshadowed by the popularity of “Smoke on the Water,” but they were a formative band, specifically for early Heavy Metal in England. The simple riff for “Smoke on the Water,” being the first thing thousands of young guitar players learn when they pick up the instrument for the first
“Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, America’s Stairway to Heaven, is a long, sprawling southern rock epic. Spanning eleven minutes and some change, it leaves us room to wade the cool waters of a southern creek on a hot southern summer day, then into the night when the real party starts. It’s one long build-up that
If there’s one thing that supports the idea that music holds some sort of ununderstood magic, it’s watching a baby react to it. It elicits some natural response, free of the social conditions and constructs that come with growing up. Life lessons, both good and bad, shape our perception of the world and those around
When we think of the album “Dizzy Up the Girl,” what songs first come to mind? You’re probably thinking, “Iris, duh,” or maybe you’re more of a “Black Balloon” sad-girlie, heck, you might be looking to bounce around a bit more to a song like “Slide.” These aren’t the only bangers on the album, though.
There are songs cemented in history, tied to their time and anchored in their era. “Unchained Melody” is both of these things and, at the same time, isn’t. It’s very much a product of the 1950s, with its chord progressions and instrumentation. Yet, it became most popular ten years after it was written, when the
“Stairway to Heaven” is one of those polarizing songs; you either love it or hate it, or you love to hate it, or maybe you hate that you love it. Possibly you once loved it and now you hate it because you worked at a Guitar Center at any time between the time it was
It’s undeniable that Taylor Swift is a pop powerhouse known for pumping out albums packed with chart-topping hits over the last 20 years. She has the gift, she has “it,” whatever that “it” may be. We could talk about any of the more than 250 songs she’s written in her short 35 years on the
With Ozzy Osbourne’s passing in July, many of us have gone back to appreciate his music and entertaining moments in the spotlight. He was a polarizing character at times, but his work ethic, talent, and wild, entertaining antics, along with his personality, captivated millions of beloved fans, as well as the many who were more
“Believe” by Cher is an iconic late 1990s pop and club anthem, most notable for its pioneering use of Autotune, which created an almost distorted, melodic, and computerized sound that paved the way for many artists of today, such as T-Pain, Daft Punk, and Travis Scott, among others. The song’s lyrical content dives much deeper
The song pours a cocktail of emotion into us, ranging from heartache and loss to an uplifting sense that you are not alone in that sadness. It feels as if she has our backs, relieving us from carrying our heartache alone. The simple melodies and straightforward instrumentation gently highlight the song’s emotional core. This allows
Shania Twain, a Canadian-born country superstar, began her music career at a young age, signing with Nashville Mercury Records in the early 1990s. Her first album, released in 1993, fell short commercially, but the single “What Made You Say That?” and its music video attracted the attention of South African producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange.