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Ten Easy Acoustic Guitar Classic Rock Songs

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Although all of these classic songs may not have been originally recorded on acoustic, they all are perfect for an acoustic jam.

These aren’t ranked in any order, just ten great songs that are super easy to play.

Even if you can’t master the iconic riffs that are part of most of these, they’re all great to add to your fun strumming repertoire.

In some cases the chord progressions may be simplified, but they'll still sound great, I promise.

So grab your guitar and check 'em out. And then check out our other ten easy acoustic guitar song lists, too.

"The Joker"– Steve Miller Band

Are you a picker and grinner? I know I am!!

That’s why this laid back song is so relatable. And fun!

"The Joker" was released by the Steve Miller Band on their 1973 album The Joker.

The song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1974. And then topped the UK charts much later in September 1990 when it was featured in a Levi’s commercial (gotta love those jeans!)

It’s really just three chords. Easy, easy!!

Intro: //:G - C - D - C ://

G
G..........C .....................................D .............C.........G
Some people call me the space cowboy, yeah
G...........C..................................D........C.........G
Some call me the gangster of love
G..........C ......................D.............C
Some people call me Maurice
................G .................C...................D........ C.........G
Cause I speak of the pompitous of love

......................G
Cause I'm a picker
............C
I'm a grinner
.........G
I'm a lover
.................. C ........G
And I'm a sinner
.................C..................D.........C
I play my music in the sun

.........G
I'm a joker
..............C
I'm a smoker
...........G..............C
I'm a midnight toker
G..................C.......................D..........D7
I sure don't want to hurt no one


"Have You Ever Seen The Rain"– Creedance Clearwater Revival

CCR has a lot of great easy to play songs. Here's one of them.

It was written by John Fogerty and released by CCR as a single in 1971 from the album Pendulum, which came out in 1970.

It peaked at number 8 on the Billboard charts in 1971.

Check out these chords and then play it to your own groove. It'll stand up, I promise!

.C
Someone told me long ago
.......................................................G
There's a calm before the storm, I know
...................................C
And it's been coming for some time

When it's over, so they say
.....................................G
It'll rain a sunny day, I know
.............................C
Shining down like water
F................G
...I wanna know
..............C........Em..........Am
Have you ever seen the rain
F ............G
I wanna know
................C......Em..........Am
Have you ever seen the rain
F...............G......................C
Coming down on a sunny day


"Take it Easy "– The Eagles

Seven women? Really? No wonder he needs to take it easy!

"Take It Easy" was written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey, and most famously recorded by the Eagles, with Frey singing lead vocals.

It was the band's first single, released on May 1, 1972. Can you believe it never made it to number 1? It peaked at #12 on the July 22, 1972 Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The opening track on the band's debut album Eagles, “Take It Easy” has become one of the Eagles’ signature songs, and a theme song of that decade.

I still dig it. And yes, I DO need to take it easy…!

.................G
Well I'm a runnin' down the road try'n to loosen my load
...................................D..........C
I've got seven women on my mind
G........................................D
Four that wanna own me, two that wanna stone me
C .......................................G
One says she's a friend of mine
..............Em ............C..... G
Take it easy, take it easy
.......................Am.......................C..........................Em
Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy
...............C........................G
Lighten up while you still can
..................C..................G
Don't even try to understand
...................Am.........................C.........................G
Just find a place to make your stand, and take it easy


"I Won’t Back Down"– Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Here’s another first of the first! “I Won’t Back Down” was the first single from Tom Petty’s debut album Full Moon Fever.

Released in 1989, the song was written by Petty and Jeff Lynne, his writing partner for the album.

It reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Album Rock Tracks chart for five weeks, starting the album's road to multi-platinum status.

Gotta love the theme of this song. I’m gonna stand my ground. So go grab your guitar and try it!

............Em.......D......G
Well I won´t back down,
........Em.......D......G
No I won´t back down,
...............Em...........D.............C
You can stand me up at the gates of Hell,
..........Em........D ....G
But I won´t back down.

...................Em.......D......G
I´m gonna stand my ground
................Em.......D......G
Won´t be turned around
..........Em...........D..................C
And I keep this world from draggin´ me down
.............Em......D....G
Gonna Ssand my ground
..........Em........D ....G
And i won´t back down

C.... D

C..........D..G.D.C.................................D
Hey, baby, There ain´t no easy way out
C.......D.......Em......D......G
Hey, I, will stand my ground,
..........Em........D .....G
And I won´t back down.


"You Might Think"– The Cars

"You Might Think" is a single by The Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City, which came out in 1984.

The track was written by Ric Ocasek, and produced by Mutt Lange and The Cars. Ocasek sang lead vocals.

It also hit #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the US.

The song had a super cool computer generated video, and "You Might Think" won the first MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year and was nominated for five more awards (best special effects, best art direction, viewer's choice, best concept video, and most experimental video) at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards.

Check out the video below and give it a try for yourself.

A..................................D.........E.............................A
You might think I'm crazy, to hang around with you.
A..................................D............E..........................A
Maybe you think I'm lucky, to have something to do.
.........F#m.....E................D.
But I think that you're wild,
......F#m.....E...........D
Inside me is some child.

A................................D
You might think I'm foolish,Oh
E..................F#m
Baby it's un-true.
A.............................D
You might think I'm crazy,
E.......................A
All I want is you.


"House of the Rising Sun"- The Animals

This song is actually a traditional folk song.

Its most well known form is the 1964 recording by the English rock group The Animals, which was a number one hit in the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden, Finland, and Canada.

However, it was also recorded by Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Nina Simone and many more.

"House of the Rising Sun" was recorded in just one take on 18 May 1964, One take!! Now that's how to do it.

Check out this easy repeating pattern.

.........Am.....C..........D............F
There is a house in New Orleans,
............Am......... C......E7
They call the "Rising Sun",
........Am.........C..........D................ F
It's been the ruin of many a poor boy
.........Am........E .........Am.......E7
And God, I know, I'm one.


"Light My Fire" - The Doors

I admit it. I thought Jim Morrison was pretty darn hot back in the day. And this song sealed the deal.

The Doors recorded it in August 1966 and released it the first week of January 1967 on their debut album.

Released as an edited single on June 1, 1967, it spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in late July, and one week on the Cash Box Top 100, nearly a year after its recording.

"Light My Fire" was performed live by The Doors on The Ed Sullivan Show broadcast on September 17, 1967. The Doors were asked by producer Bob Precht, Sullivan's son-in-law, to change the line "girl, we couldn't get much higher," as the sponsors were uncomfortable with the possible reference to drug-taking. The band agreed to do so, and did a rehearsal using the amended lyrics, "girl, we couldn't get much better." However, during the live performance, the band's lead singer Jim Morrison sang the original lyric. That's stickin' to the man in true Morrison style.

Super easy. Now go!

...........F..................................Am
You know that it would be untrue
...........F..................................Am
You know that I would be a liar
F............................Am
if i was to say to you
F......................................Am
Girl we couldn't get much higher

G.......................A............D
Come on baby light my fire
G.......................A............D
Come on baby light my fire
G.......................A............D
Try to set the night on fire


"Wish You Were Here" - Pink Floyd

True story. At one point in my life I was in an all Pink Floyd tribute band. So this list couldn't be complete without a selection by this band.

"Wish You Were Here" is the title track on Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here.. Its lyrics encompass Roger Waters' feelings of alienation from other people.

Like most of the album, it refers to former Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett and his breakdown. David Gilmour and Waters collaborated to write the music.

On June 14, 2013, the song was released as an unofficial promotional single on Spotify and when the fans streamed it one million times, the rest of the band's catalogue was released, which happened after only 4 days. Woo hoo!

The chord pattern repeats throughout the entire song.

C ................................................D
How I wish, how I wish you were here.

....................Am..............................................G................................D
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,

..........................................................C
Running over the same old ground. What have we found?

........................Am............................G
The same old fears. Wish you were here!


"Lonely People" - America

America is one of my favorite classic bands of all time. I couldn't stop singing their songs in my younger days.

"Lonely People" is a song written by the husband-and-wife team of Dan and Catherine Peek and performed by America. The track was the second release from America's 1974 album Holiday. "Lonely People" reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100, Dan Peek's only credited song to reach that chart's top 10, and was America's second number one on the Easy Listening chart, where it stayed for one week in February 1975.

"Lonely People" was written as an optimistic response to the Beatles' song "Eleanor Rigby".

Em...G...Em...G...Em...A...Em...A...G

G................Em..................Bm
This is for all the lonely people
G.....................Em.......................... Bm........D
Thinking that life has passed them by
C...............D.....................G
Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
C ...................D ..................G .......D
And ride that highway in the sky

G................Em..................Bm
This is for all the single people
G.....................Em.......................... Bm........D
Thinking that love has left them dry
C...............D.....................G
Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
C ...................D ..................G .......D
You never know until you try

..............C....G/B..Am
Well, I'm on my way
..............C....G/B..Am
Yes, I'm back to stay
..............C....G/B..Am..D......G.......D
Well, I'm on my way back home


"Lola"– The Kinks

When I was a kid one of the neighbors called me “Lola,” so this song has a special place in my heart.

"Lola" was by Ray Davies and performed by the Kinks.

Released in June 12, 1970 in the UK on the 28th in the USA, the single was on the album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One. It and reached #2 on the UK charts and #9 in the US.

Does pink champagne really taste like cherry cola? Who cares! Check out the easy chords for this classic:

.....E
I met her in a club down in old Soho where they

A......................................D...............................E
Drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry cola

................A
C-O-L-A cola

........E
She walked up to me and she asked me to dance

......A....................................... D
I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said

E ....................A ......D.................C .........D........E.......E
Lola L-O-L-A Lola Lo lo lo lo Lo - la

..................B7
Well, we drank champagne and danced all night

F#7
Under electric candle light

..........A
She picked me up and sat me on her knee

..........A
And said "dear boy won't you come home with me?"

Laura B. Whitmore is the editor of AcousticNation.com and a singer/songwriter based in the Boston metro area. A veteran music industry marketer, she has spent over two decades doing marketing, PR and artist relations for several guitar-related brands including Marshall and VOX. Her company, Mad Sun Marketing, represents Peavey, Dean Markley, MusicFirst, SIR Entertainment Services, Guitar World and many more. Laura is the founder of the Women's International Music Network at thewimn.com and the producer of the She Rocks Awards. More at mad-sun.com.


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