Easy guitar songs are great, especially if you're a beginner that recently picked up an electric guitar. Guitar lessons work best if you're putting your skills together to learn how to play songs. That's why Guitar Tricks has a ton of great song tutorials for when you've mastered the Core Learning System, or if you want to try something new.
If you're looking for the unplugged version of this list, check out our list of easy acoustic guitar songs.
We also have a great list of beginner guitar songs. Our beginner level songs are called Songs Made Easy and that means we took classic favorites and simplified them so they're easy to strum along to with only a few open chords. Check out our Made Easy songs here.
"I Saw Her Standing There" - The Beatles
The song was originally written by Paul McCartney and was titled “Seventeen.” McCartney later revealed that he borrowed the bass riff from “Talkin About You” by Chuck Berry. The finished song incorporates a number of guitar tricks from interesting guitar chord selections to using a boogie style rhythm and classic rock leads.
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" - Cyndi Lauper
One of the biggest hits of all-time, this song incorporates everything that is 80’s pop and is performed in the key of F# major, in 4/4 time. Lauper originally didn’t want to sing it since the original version was written by Robert Hazard, who wrote it from the perspective of a man. Eventually, the singer released her version of the song and the rest is history.
"I Can't Get No Satisfaction" - The Rolling Stones
At first it sounds kind of like a buzzsaw, but after listening to the song, people usually have a hard time getting the catchy riff out of their heads. The best part? It's one of the most fun beginner guitar songs and anyone can play it! The riff is played entirely on one string, the A string and consists of only three notes. Fun fact, the riff was supposed to be a placeholder for a horns section, but they loved the fuzzy guitar tone so much they never got around to the horns.
“Smoke on the Water” - Deep Purple
This instant classic from Deep Purple offers a simple, repeated section of just a handful of dyads, or two-note chords. It is one of the most recognizable guitar riffs of all time and it’s one of the easiest songs for beginners to learn. The entire section is played with just two notes per chord, and it’s a progression that keeps your fretting hand in just a single section of the neck. Once you learn this riff, it’ll be tough to stop, since it sounds so good, and it’s easy to play.
“All the Small Things” - Blink-182
By the time this Blink-182 hit was recorded, the majority of Enema of the State had already been written. Tom DeLonge wanted to add one more song to the album that was simple, and radio friendly so he got to work. The lyric “She left me roses by the stairs” came about when DeLonge’s girlfriend at the time left him roses on the stairs, and the singer found them late one night after recording. The “na na na” section was also inspired by the next band.
“Blitzkrieg Bop” - The Ramones
Perhaps the most punk rock of all punk rock, this song is played with a single guitar, strumming power chords. The rhythm is mainly made up of type of guitar chord, for example the power chords A5, D5 and E5. If you can play those three chords, you can play this fun, high-energy song.
"Wild Thing" - The Troggs
Many players cut their teeth on this three-chord rock classic. "Wild Thing" is one of the first songs every young rock band learns. Originally a hit in 1966 for proto-punk rockers The Troggs, it has been played by just about everyone, including Jimi Hendrix. "Wild Thing" is three chords of explosive groove.
“Roxanne” - The Police
The Police incorporate a ton of reggae influences into the verse before the chorus turns into standard pop rock affair. The entire riff uses only down strums, and starts with the G minor chord while also lifting your fretting hand just enough so that the chord doesn’t ring after each strum. The majority of the chord progression goes from Gm, to Dm, to EbMaj7 chord.
"Comedown" - Bush
This song from Bush, is a simple rock song that's easy to get into thanks to it's slow groove. The track consists mainly of power chords and is a great way for beginners to build up their rhythm chops. There's also harmonics at the start of the song, which can be tricky at first, but with practice, you'll get it in no time.
"Two Tickets to Paradise" - Eddie Money
This song incorporates two guitars and it's a great way to learn some rhythm that really picks up the pace. If you want to learn some new licks, the song also features a number of great lead guitar. The chorus also has fun riffs that use open chords with aggressive strumming.
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