Give In to Me

Michael Jackson, 1991, from Dangerous. Solo by Slash.

Slash's snarling, sustained lines give this brooding power ballad its drama and a rawer edge than typical Jackson fare.

Give In to Me is a brooding, slow-burning ballad, and Slash's guitar gives it a rawness rarely heard on Michael Jackson records. His lines snarl and sustain, with thick, bluesy bends and long notes that hang over the arrangement. He plays with the same loose, emotional feel that made his Guns N' Roses solos so memorable, favouring attitude and tone over tidy precision. The guitar becomes a second voice, answering Jackson's strained, dramatic vocal. Listen for the moments where Slash holds a bent note and lets it waver before dropping into a fast, tumbling phrase, and for how the solo builds the song's tension instead of releasing it, pushing the ballad toward the heavier final section.

Give In to Me by Michael Jackson is featured in our Pop (#15) list. The solo is played by Slash and the song was released in 1991.

In our lists

• The 25 Greatest Pop Guitar Solos — #15
• Best of Slash — #7
• The Best Slash Guitar Solos — #17

Sources

• Far Out Magazine: 10 pop songs with outrageously good guitar solos