Classic Rock Riffs That Still Give Us Chills Every Time We Listen

There are countless joys to being a classic rock fan, but it's the guitars that take center stage. We have decades of incredible riffs to look back on, thousands of evocative guitar parts that still have the power to transport you out of everyday life.

When a guitarist gets the part just right, it's enough to give you chills even after you've listened to it hundreds of times. But which classic rock songs contain these special riffs? We've done you the favor of selecting five tracks with amazing riffs that'll make your hair stand on end.

Of course, many classics won't make the cut. Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising," for example, is an iconic tune we all love, but its riffs are light and playful. However much you like the track, its not the kind of thing that you're going to feel physically. For this article, we've chosen tracks that give you goosebumps, driven by unforgettable riffs that hit the spot and feel as though they're taking you somewhere epic and mind-bending. We're sure you'll feel a visceral reaction to each of these riff-heavy classic rock gems.

Led Zeppelin's top tracks are all epics that definitely have the power to get under your skin if played at just the right moment. Several of the band's classics, such as "Whole Lotta Love" or "Stairway to Heaven," might have made the list. But "Kashmir" holds a special place in Zeppelin's discography thanks to its unique central riff. It arrives in the opening bars of the track and fills it with a sense of epic foreboding. It sounds as if "Kashmir" is soundtracking the imminent arrival of some enormous creature coming over the horizon.

Created by lead guitarist Jimmy Page, the riff is surprisingly simple on paper, as most of the best examples from the classic rock genre tend to be. But strings and brass parts arranged by bassist John Paul Jones on the Mellotron, which subtly mirror Page throughout the song, elevate the riff and make it even more hypnotic as the track progresses.

The song is an orchestral triumph, and the members of Zeppelin certainly hold it in high esteem. Vocalist Robert Plant has described it as one of his favorite songs with the group, telling Classic Rock: "I wish we were remembered for 'Kashmir' more than 'Stairway to Heaven' ... It's so right; there's nothing overblown, no vocal hysterics. Perfect Zeppelin" (via Louder). The riff is equally understated, which is central to the track's slow-moving power.

The tragic life of Pink Floyd founding member Syd Barrett was the basis for some of the band's most affecting work after Barrett left the band in 1968. "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" is a nine-track epic from Floyd's 1975 classic "Wish You Were Here," a concept album that deals with the loss of Barrett, who, after leaving the group, managed a short solo career before retreating from public view due to mental illness.

The first five parts of "Shine on You Crazy Diamond," which open the album, are underpinned by a recurrent riff from guitarist David Gilmour. The riff first appears in part two and has come to be known among fans as "Syd's Theme." Stunning in its simplicity and supported by wailing whammy-barred lead guitar and jazzy keys, the effect is both psychedelic and mournful, a soundtrack that could have been written to accompany the jettisoning of earthly remains into deep space.

The riff doesn't outstay its welcome but remains the foundation from which Floyd explores various instrumental vistas and solos, and returns briefly in part five. Composed of just four notes, it is the most memorable component of the band's ambitious masterpiece.

Few classic rock bands make you feel like you've just stepped inside a road movie like the Doors can, and on its greatest tracks, it's the riffs that tend to create this cinematic atmosphere. "Riders on the Storm" opens with a thunderstorm, and throughout its runtime, it gives the distinct impression of being lost on a highway on a night heavy with evil spirits. But while Jim Morrison's lyrical portrait of a "killer on the road" maintains the sense of danger, much of the song's effectiveness is sustained by the central riff, a mellow, minor, infectious construction played by keyboardist Ray Manzarek, accompanied by skittish electric guitar.

The riff is an adaptation of Vaughn Monroe's 1949 cowboy classic "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky," filtered through a jazz prism that gives it a nocturnal feel, while the dynamic between the keyboard and guitar gives the impression of movement and unpredictability. Creepy and brimming with malevolence, the track is evocative of those strange, uncanny moments when you feel like there is someone standing behind you. 

In the late 1970s, while living in Berlin, the glam-rock icon David Bowie began working with legendary guitarist Robert Fripp. Formerly of King Crimson, Fripp's incredible riffs and solos underpin much of the atmosphere of Bowie's gorgeous 1977 single "Heroes." Fripp's work is integral to the delicate balancing act achieved on the track. A love song that is drenched in both melancholy and optimism — like Fripp's central riff — "Heroes" is the sound of a fleeting moment. Nevertheless, the moment has great meaning in the lives of the two lovers described in the song. According to legend, the inspiration for "Heroes" was the sight of producer Tony Visconti kissing his mistress by the Berlin Wall, a relationship Bowie knew couldn't be sustained.

Fripp likely wasn't aware of this when he delivered three takes in Berlin's Hansa studios, eschewing effects pedals in favor of raw feedback from the monitors, which added a harsh, unpredictable roar to his performance. Visconti decided to combine all three takes, creating an interplay between the guitarist's varied timings to create a strange, otherworldly feel. 

"Heroes" reminds us that love is both mutable and an act of resistance against the harsh realities of the outside world. And this is thanks in great part to Fripp's spine-tingling riffs, which are most effective toward the end of each verse. They manage to be both epic and fragile, the perfect counterpoint to Bowie's increasingly emotive and desperate vocal performance.

Bruce Springsteen's masterpiece "Born to Run" was notoriously difficult to record, with possibly thousands of takes being mixed down to a 16-track recorder in the studio over the course of hundreds of hours of studio time. This resulted in the Phil Spector-esque "wall of sound" that is a hallmark of the song, yet despite the wide array of instrumentation on the track, the iconic guitar riff found in the opening bars and after the refrain roars through the mix. 

Played by Springsteen himself, it's characterized by a tremolo effect that lends the guitar line a trembling feeling — truly, it's enough to give you shivers down the back of your neck. The song began with Springsteen coming up with the title phrase before sketching out basics of the tune on guitar and finally finishing the composition on piano. The guitar part took the perfectionist Springsteen 11 takes to master in the studio, and generations of The Boss' fans would surely agree it was worth the extra effort, having gone down in history as one of classic rock's most evocative riffs.