5 Pop Songs That Don’t Suck on Guitar
Modern songs with cool riffs?
4,4 / 5,0 | 
Pop songs of the last 20 years just don’t do it for me. However, there have been a few hidden gems lurking in the charts. Let’s check out 5 of them that are actually fun to play on guitar.
5 Good Pop Songs for Guitarists:
Why Are New Pop Songs Rubbish?
Throwing it back to a time when you could have Metallica, Heart and Simply Red all in the charts at the same time. You’ve got metal, rock and pop all rolled into one. However fast forward to today, and there isn’t anything that appealing being released.
Admittedly, county music is making a comeback, but even then, it’s just four-chord pop songs with an accent. The only other thing we see is rap, which is even less appetising. When was the last time we saw a band top the charts?
However, over the past few years, some songs and artists have slipped through the net in terms of guitar potential. These guitar-based pop songs could be liked by even the most stoic of rock and roll fans.
Get Lucky – Daft Punk
Our first pop song with some decent guitar work comes from Daft Punk, accompanied by Nile Rodgers and Pharrell Williams.
This track combines Daft Punk’s bread and butter of EDM with glassy 70s Strat vibes. Pharrell William’s clean cut vocals dress the track beautifully, sitting above a powerful guitar line played by Nile Rodgers.
The Hitmaker worked its magic yet again, as in 2013 this peaked at No.2 and gave Daft Punk their first top 10 hit. Simple yet effective, the song works around four chords with a little bit of Chic flare. By definition, this is a four-chord pop song, but it’s so much more than that.
Adventure Of A Lifetime – Coldplay
Unpopular opinion, Coldplay aren’t for me. However, I was most surprised to hear a captivating and complex guitar intro on the radio back in 2015.
As far as pop songs go, this group have done it all, and successfully. A friend of mine once described Coldplay as a band for people who aren’t interested in music. Take of that what you will.
Regardless of your thoughts, this clean and silky riff is actually pretty good. Played with a capo on the 12th fret, it’s nice and high and instantly grabs your attention. Plus, it returns as the main theme for the chorus. Fair play guys.
Hold Back The River – James Bay
British musician, James Bay, takes us to our third pop song with an interesting guitar part. I like this guy, sure he’s made some songs that need to pay the bills. Although, he’s one of us. A proper guitar nut.
10 years ago this narrowly missed out on the number 1 spot in the UK charts. Overall, the song starts off slowly with the riff that we’re looking at. It steadily builds into a typical pop song chorus with lots of flashing lights and backing vocals.
The riff in question is a fingerstyle, and you’ll want to play it with your thumb and middle finger in your right hand. Once you get the hang of it, it’s quite fun to play. James Bay has a respectable vintage guitar collection, plus a signature guitar from Epiphone.
Runaway Baby – Bruno Mars
In fairness, Bruno Mars has always showcased his ability as a talented musician. He’s a drummer, guitarist, pianist, singer and producer. Just recently he’s celebrated success with ‘Die With A Smile’ along with Lady Gaga. Which also features a nice guitar intro. For a pop song anyway.
I love the high energy that this pentatonic riff provides. Initially, it starts off with the bass, but then spreads to a nicely overdriven guitar. Another artist in this list with a signature model.
This guitar-pop song is arguably the easiest to play in this selection. It’s repetitive and only works across a few strings and frets.
This Girl – Kungs vs Cookin’ on 3 Burners
Finally, we’ve got this Ibiza-style club anthem. I couldn’t name you another song by this group, however, this pop song has always attracted my attention as a guitarist.
Dripping in reverb, this number just screams summer hit. We’ve got a repeated pattern of barre chords and a short riff featuring a hammer-on. The chorus isn’t what you’d call old school rock, but you can’t deny the cool effect of the intro.
From the easiest to the hardest, this one takes some getting used to. Probably because of the peculiar rhythm. My pick to play this would be the bridge pickup on a *Fender Stratocaster, accompanied by a reverb pedal.
5 Pop Songs: New Playlist Incoming?
So, what do you think of these tracks? For me, I’m a Beatles kind of guy. With some Iron Maiden thrown in for good measure. It varies! With that said, I can accept some newer songs on the odd occasion.
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