# YYZ guitar solo

> Alex Lifeson's guitar solo on YYZ by Rush (1981). From the album Moving Pictures. Ranked #293 of all time across 80 lists.

Canonical URL: <https://greatestsolos.com/song/rush-yyz/>

Rush, 1981, from *Moving Pictures*. Solo by *Alex Lifeson*.

Named for Toronto airport's code and built on its Morse-code rhythm, with a brief Lifeson solo between band workouts.

YYZ is named after the code for Toronto's airport, and its opening rhythm spells out those letters in Morse code. The track is mostly a band workout, full of intricate unison passages and shifting meters, with a brief, fiery solo from Alex Lifeson in the middle. His solo mixes rock power with a slightly exotic, melodic flavour, and it works as a short release of tension between the band's tightly composed sections. It shows Rush's ability to combine complex writing with raw energy, and it became a live showcase for all three players. Listen for how the solo launches out of the intricate ensemble section and then drops neatly back into it, like a sprinter rejoining a relay.

YYZ by Rush is ranked #293 in our consensus of 80 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Alex Lifeson and the song was released in 1981. It appears on 3 lists, placing as high as #80 (Guitar Solo Legends).

## In our lists

- [The 25 Greatest Guitar Instrumentals](https://greatestsolos.com/list/instrumental/) — #15
- [The 25 Greatest Prog Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/prog/) — #17
- [The Best Alex Lifeson Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/alex-lifeson-guitar-solos/) — #6
- [The Best Rush Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/rush-guitar-solos/) — #7
- [Top 20 Guitar Solos of 1981](https://greatestsolos.com/list/best-guitar-solos-1981/) — #8
- [The Greatest Canadian Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/canadian-guitar-solos/) — #7

## Sources

- [Guitar Solo Legends: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — Ranked (2026)](https://guitarsololegends.com/) — #80
- [Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos](https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_guitarsolo.html) — #130
- [Musician Tuts: The 51 Best Guitar Solos Of All Time](https://musiciantuts.com/best-guitar-solos/)

### Who played the guitar solo on YYZ?

Alex Lifeson played the solo on Rush's YYZ (1981).

### Where does YYZ rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#293 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 80 published lists; it appears on 3 of them.

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