The Shortage of Guitar Songs in Modern Music

My teenage daughter recently received the latest Taylor Swift CD as a gift. I was familiar with Swift only because of her song "Love Story," whose (not always accurate) allusions to Romeo and Juliet interested the English teacher in me. I glanced at the track listings to see if "Love Story" was one of the songs, when I was surprised to see a title that sounded like it would fit either a traditional country song or a something in the genres of grunge or indie rock.

The song is called "Teardrops on My Guitar." It would be fitting, especially if the artist were named Jones, Haggard, Cash, or even Kobain, Stipe, or White. But Taylor Swift? I was not completely unimpressed after hearing it, but it could neber crack a list of the top guitar songs. Nevertheless, it did bring to mind other tiltes that contained the word guitar.

I struggled to name even a few after several minutes of brainstorming. Hours later I had thought of barely a dozen songs with guitar in the title. I was surprised at the irony. In music genres that rely heavily on the guitar as their primary instrument, it's hard to explain why so few songs actually mention that instrument in their titles.

Here is a list of the best songs with guitar in their titles:

10. "This Old Guitar" by Neil Young: This poignant highlight from Prairie Wind recalls the acoustic renaissance Young experienced a decade earlier with Harvest Moon.

9. "Jail Guitar Doors" by The Clash: Strummer and Jones send a message against drug enforcement on this track from the Black Market album, as users named Wayne, Pete and Keith all get sent to the slammer by the DEA.

8. "Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man" by Johnny Cash: Here is a catchy duet with wife June Carter, who sings light retorts each time The Man in Black criticizes her.

7. "Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)" by Merle Haggard: This semi-autobiographical tale sprinkles nostalgia and sympathy on an already appetizing slice of traditional country.

6. "Guitarzan" by Ray Stevens: The novelty character spoofs the Ape Man of Edgar Rice Burroughs, highlighted by Stevens' hilarious vine-swinging yodels.

5. "Guitar and Pen" by The Who: On this track from Who Are You Pete Townsend allows fans of the band a glimpse of the difficult but rewarding process of writing songs

4. "Red Guitar" by Loudon Wainwright: The humorous folk songwriter, rather than smashing his guitar "Townsend-style" on this track from Album III, instead throws it into the fire in the last verse.

3. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles: Easily the most well-known song on the list, George Harrison seemed to favor the piano over the axe on this cut from the White Album. The guitar does weep, thanks to Eric Clapton, but the piano definitely dominates the song.

2. "Guitar Man" by Bread: David Gates sums up the six string instrument on this mellow hit when he sings that it "can make you laugh, and make you cry."

1. "Plastic Guitar" by Anton Barbeau: The title track from Barbeau's 2009 album pokes fun at the success and failure one encounters as a musician. He admits that, "Sometimes all you can do is smash a plastic guitar."