Let's Go Crazy

Prince and the Revolution, 1984, from Purple Rain. Solo by Prince.

A pop hit that ends with one of Prince's wildest solos, full of fast runs and dive-bomb whammy.

For most of its running time this is a tight, bouncing pop song, which makes the ending feel like a fuse catching. Prince tears into a closing solo on his Hohner Telecaster copy that races through fast, slurred runs, then sinks into dive-bomb whammy drops before snapping back up the neck. The effect is both showy and joyous, the sound of a songwriter who could also play circles around most rock guitarists and wanted people to know it. Because it opened Purple Rain, it announced his guitar credentials to a vast new audience in one go. Listen for how he keeps the rhythm section locked in while he goes off the rails, so the chaos always lands back on the beat.

Let's Go Crazy by Prince and the Revolution is ranked #200 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Prince and the song was released in 1984. It appears on 2 lists, placing as high as #15 (Gitaarles.nl).

In our lists

• The Road Trip 50 — #41
• The 25 Greatest Funk and Soul Guitar Solos — #4
• The 25 Greatest Pop Guitar Solos — #12
• Whammy, Fuzz & Feedback — #18
• Hidden Gems — #7
• The Best Prince Guitar Solos — #3

Sources

• Gitaarles.nl: Gitaarsolo's leren spelen met de 25 vetste gitaarsolo's aller tijden! — #15
• Magazyn Gitarzysta: 100 solówek wszech czasów [100 solos of all time] — #27