Cinnamon Girl
Neil Young, 1969, from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. Solo by Neil Young.
The solo in Cinnamon Girl is famous for being almost nothing: Neil Young plays essentially one note, over and over, with wobbling bends and shifting rhythm. It works because of the tone and the conviction behind it, a thick, overdriven sound from Old Black and a band, Crazy Horse, that locks in hard behind him. The song is in double drop D tuning, which gives the riff its heavy, resonant low end. Young showed that feel and sound could carry a solo without any display of technique, a lesson later absorbed by punk and grunge players. It is short, blunt and memorable. Listen for how tiny changes in the bend and rhythm of that single note keep it from ever feeling static.
Cinnamon Girl by Neil Young is ranked #171 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Neil Young and the song was released in 1969. It appears on 4 lists, placing as high as #76 (Bombay Lives (Substack)).
In our lists
- Short & Perfect — #16
- Most Divisive — #14
- The Best Neil Young Guitar Solos — #10
Sources
- Bombay Lives (Substack): 100 Greatest Guitar Solos — #76
- Topito (now 10h26.com): Top 100 des plus grands solos de guitare de l'histoire (Benoit Floyd) — #76
- Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #185
- Guitar Tricks: 200 Best Guitar Solos of All Time — #196
Who played the guitar solo on Cinnamon Girl?
Neil Young played the solo on Neil Young's Cinnamon Girl (1969).
What guitar was used on the Cinnamon Girl solo?
A gibson les paul (old black), according to widely reported accounts.
Where does Cinnamon Girl rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#171 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 4 of them.