The 25 Greatest New Wave Guitar Solos

New wave often pushed the guitar solo aside in favour of synths and rhythm, so its best guitar moments tend to be short, strange or used as texture. This list mixes classic solos from the Cars and the Pretenders with more experimental playing from Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp and Johnny Marr.

Informed by: uDiscover Music – The Best Guitar Solos Of All Time, Rolling Stone – The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time, Classic Rock (Louder) – The 100 greatest guitar solos in rock, guitarguitar – Top 50 Guitar Solos of All Time, Guitar Tricks – 200 Best Guitar Solos of All Time, Far Out – 10 pop songs with outrageously good guitar solos, American Songwriter – 4 low-key brilliant guitar solos from 80s classic hits

1. 1
   How Soon Is Now?

   The Smiths · solo by Johnny Marr · 1984
2. 2
   Just What I Needed

   The Cars · solo by Elliot Easton · 1978
3. 3
   Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)

   Talking Heads · solo by Adrian Belew · 1980
4. 4
   Tattooed Love Boys

   Pretenders · solo by James Honeyman-Scott · 1980
5. 5
   Fashion

   David Bowie · solo by Robert Fripp · 1980
6. 6
   White Wedding

   Billy Idol · solo by Steve Stevens · 1982
7. 7
   Driven to Tears

   The Police · solo by Andy Summers · 1980
8. 8
   Candy-O

   The Cars · solo by Elliot Easton · 1979
9. 9
   Rebel Yell

   Billy Idol · solo by Steve Stevens · 1983
10. 10
    The Great Curve

    Talking Heads · solo by Adrian Belew · 1980
11. 11
    Kid

    Pretenders · solo by James Honeyman-Scott · 1979
12. 12
    Eyes Without a Face

    Billy Idol · solo by Steve Stevens · 1984
13. 13
    So Lonely

    The Police · solo by Andy Summers · 1978
14. 14
    Everybody Wants to Rule the World

    Tears for Fears · solo by Neil Taylor · 1985
15. 15
    Shot by Both Sides

    Magazine · solo by John McGeoch · 1978
16. 16
    I Ran (So Far Away)

    A Flock of Seagulls · solo by Paul Reynolds · 1982
17. 17
    Another Girl Another Planet

    The Only Ones · solo by John Perry · 1978
18. 18
    In a Big Country

    Big Country · solo by Stuart Adamson, Bruce Watson · 1983
19. 19
    Life Begins at the Hop

    XTC · solo by Andy Partridge · 1979
20. 20
    Touch and Go

    The Cars · solo by Elliot Easton · 1980
21. 21
    A Forest

    The Cure · solo by Robert Smith · 1980
22. 22
    Shoplifters of the World Unite

    The Smiths · solo by Johnny Marr · 1987
23. 23
    Overkill

    Men at Work · solo by Colin Hay · 1983
24. 24
    Marquee Moon

    Television · solo by Tom Verlaine · 1977
25. 25
    Let's Dance

    David Bowie · solo by Stevie Ray Vaughan · 1983