Cause We've Ended As Lovers

Jeff Beck, 1975. Solo by Jeff Beck.

A Stevie Wonder song Beck dedicated to Roy Buchanan. It is phrasing as singing.

Beck takes a Stevie Wonder song, dedicates it to Roy Buchanan and turns the whole track into one long guitar vocal. There are no words, so every phrase has to carry the melody and the emotion, and Beck does it with subtle slurs, slides and microtonal bends that shade notes between pitches. The arrangement moves from hushed, almost whispered lines to fiery, sustained climaxes, making it a study in dynamics and touch rather than speed. Its crying bends are a nod to Buchanan, and players still use it to learn expression. Listen for the tiny bends that stop short of the next note; Beck is placing pitches in between the frets, the way a singer would.

Cause We've Ended As Lovers by Jeff Beck is ranked #31 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Jeff Beck and the song was released in 1975. It appears on 19 lists, placing as high as #8 (liamrecord.blog).

The story of Cause We've Ended As Lovers

Stevie Wonder wrote "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" and first cut it as a vocal song for Syreeta Wright, his former wife and songwriting partner, on the 1974 album Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta. The lyric describes a couple who have split up and wonder whether they can remain friends, a pointed subject given that Wonder and Wright had been married from 1970 to 1972.

Jeff Beck's connection to the song traced back to the Talking Book sessions of 1972. Beck had played on Wonder's "Lookin' for Another Pure Love" and had been promised "Superstition", but Motown insisted Wonder release that song himself. As Beck told it, the deal had been that he would guest on Wonder's record and receive a song in return, and this ballad became part of the compensation.

Beck recorded it in October 1974 at AIR Studios in London for Blow by Blow, his first album credited to him alone and his first all-instrumental record. Former Beatles producer George Martin produced and arranged strings, with Max Middleton on keyboards, Phil Chen on bass and Richard Bailey on drums. Beck later said Martin always made him feel like he was in the headmaster's office.

On the album sleeve Beck dedicated the track to the American guitarist Roy Buchanan, an influence on many British players including Beck and Eric Clapton, with thanks to Wonder. Epic released Blow by Blow in March 1975; it reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200, went platinum and became the highest-charting album of Beck's career. The record established Beck as an instrumental artist, a path he followed for the rest of his career.

The solo

Beck carries the melody and the extended soloing himself; the whole track is essentially one long guitar vocal. According to Parade's account, he used his "Tele-Gib", a Fender Telecaster fitted with humbucking pickups, rather than a Stratocaster, although Guitar Player notes that he may have moved between a Telecaster, a Strat and a Les Paul, with takes edited together. The performance nods to the dedicatee Roy Buchanan through its crying bends, and Guitar Player highlights Beck's subtle slurs, slides and microtonal bends that shade notes between pitches. The arrangement moves from hushed, almost whispered phrases to fiery, sustained climaxes, making the track a study in dynamics and touch rather than speed. Marty Friedman has said Beck's touch is so personal you would need to live his life to copy it.

Legacy

The track became Beck's signature piece and a fixture of his concerts for decades. Guitar World readers ranked it No. 36 among the 50 greatest guitar solos, and the magazine later named it Beck's greatest solo. Guitar Player counts Blow by Blow among the greatest guitar-instrumental albums ever made. After Beck's death, players including Tommy Emmanuel, Jennifer Batten and Steve Morse performed it as a tribute, underlining its status as an essential test of expressive guitar playing.

Top 10 facts about Cause We've Ended As Lovers

Syreeta Wright recorded the original vocal version in 1974 on Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta.
Songfacts
Beck received the song partly as compensation after Motown stopped him from releasing "Superstition", which Wonder had originally offered him.
Songfacts
The Blow by Blow liner notes dedicate the track to Roy Buchanan and thank Stevie Wonder.
Wikipedia
Beck played the track on his "Tele-Gib", a Telecaster fitted with humbuckers, rather than his usual Stratocaster.
Parade
Guitar World readers placed the performance at No. 36 on a list of the 50 greatest guitar solos of all time.
Parade
Blow by Blow reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and went platinum, the best chart showing of Beck's career.
Wikipedia
The track was recorded at AIR Studios in London in October 1974 with George Martin producing and arranging the orchestra.
Wikipedia
Beck performed it with bassist Tal Wilkenfeld at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2007, a clip his official site later shared for her birthday.
JeffBeck.com
A November 2007 version appears as track four on Live at Ronnie Scott's, released in 2008.
Wikipedia
Steve Morse played his 2024 tribute version using a custom string mute at the nut, a device he devised to cope with arthritis.
Guitar World

Live versions

Crossroads Guitar Festival (2007) Famous duet-like performance with a young Tal Wilkenfeld on bass.
Live at Ronnie Scott's (2007) Recorded at the London jazz club in November 2007 with Wilkenfeld, Vinnie Colaiuta and Jason Rebello.

Notable covers

Syreeta Wright (1974) The original vocal version, produced by Stevie Wonder.
Tommy Emmanuel (2023) Live tribute at the Lexington Opera House shortly after Beck's death.
Jennifer Batten (2024) Former Beck bandmate's tribute, released around his would-be 80th birthday.
Steve Morse (2024) Tender version on his Music Man signature guitar through an Engl amp.
Marty Friedman Covered the piece; praised Beck's inimitable touch.

In our lists

Deep Cuts — #6
Genre Champions — #11
The 25 Greatest Fusion Guitar Solos — #1
The 25 Greatest Guitar Instrumentals — #4
The 1970s — #12
Instrumentals — #4
Ballad Solos — #7
Played on a Stratocaster — #13

Sources

Who played the guitar solo on Cause We've Ended As Lovers?

Jeff Beck played the solo on Jeff Beck's Cause We've Ended As Lovers (1975).

What guitar was used on the Cause We've Ended As Lovers solo?

A fender stratocaster, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Cause We've Ended As Lovers rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#31 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 19 of them.

Who wrote "Cause We've Ended as Lovers"?

Stevie Wonder wrote it; Syreeta Wright recorded the first, vocal version in 1974.

Who is "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" dedicated to?

Jeff Beck dedicated it to guitarist Roy Buchanan, with thanks to Stevie Wonder.

What guitar did Jeff Beck use on "Cause We've Ended as Lovers"?

Accounts say he used his "Tele-Gib", a Telecaster with humbuckers, though he may also have used a Strat and a Les Paul during the sessions.

What album is "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" on?

It is on Jeff Beck's 1975 instrumental album Blow by Blow, produced by George Martin.

Why did Stevie Wonder give Jeff Beck this song?

It was part of a trade after Beck played on Talking Book and lost "Superstition" when Motown had Wonder release it himself.