Sunshine of Your Love

Cream, 1967, from Disraeli Gears. Solo by Eric Clapton.

Clapton's solo opens by quoting the melody of 'Blue Moon' before it takes off into a run of fluid, singing phrases. His famous 'woman tone', a thick, rounded sound with the treble rolled back, makes the lines feel smooth and vocal instead of sharp. Over Jack Bruce's heavy, unison riff and Ginger Baker's tom-heavy beat, the solo sits like a bright spot in a dark room. It became a textbook example of how a bluesy solo could fit a hard rock song, and the riff remains one of the first many players learn. Listen for how the opening quote gives way to looser, more urgent phrasing as the solo winds up.

Sunshine of Your Love by Cream is ranked #122 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Eric Clapton and the song was released in 1967. It appears on 4 lists, placing as high as #13 (liamrecord.blog).

In our lists

• The Most-Taught Solos — #44
• The Road Trip 50 — #27
• The 25 Greatest Blues Rock Guitar Solos — #13
• The 25 Greatest Psychedelic Guitar Solos — #11
• The Pioneers: 1950s & 60s — #21
• Best of Eric Clapton — #6
• SGs & Telecasters — #16
• The Best Cream Guitar Solos — #3
• The Best Eric Clapton Guitar Solos — #5

Sources

• liamrecord.blog: 洋楽ロックを代表する心に刺さる 名曲ギターソロ、ベスト20 — #13
• uDiscover Music: The Best Guitar Solos Of All Time: 108 Amazing Moments — #17
• Ranker: The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — #37
• Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #114
• Far Out Magazine: The 10 greatest guitar solos from the 1960s