10 of The Worst Classic Rock Guitar Solos

Some guitar solos are lightning in a bottle — perfectly timed, emotionally charged, and technically impressive. But not every solo earns its place in rock history for the right reasons. For every soaring anthem, there’s a clunker that leaves listeners scratching their heads or hitting the skip button.

These aren’t just forgettable fills or background licks. These are full-blown misfires — moments where the lead guitar, instead of elevating the song, derails it. Whether it’s over-the-top shredding, out-of-place noodling, or simply poor execution, these solos stand out for all the wrong reasons.

While it’s tempting to give classic rock icons a free pass, even legends can drop the ball. The following list shines a light on those rare moments when the magic faltered and the results were more awkward than awe-inspiring.

10. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, Deep Blue Something (Home, 1995)

Second time was the charm for Texas alt-rock band Deep Blue Something when it came to recording “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” The group re-recorded the track for their second album Home, which went on to earn gold status in the U.S. The song itself has all the hallmarks of a safe, inoffensive ‘90s one-hit wonder — but the guitar solo never quite catches up to the catchiness of the chorus.

The solo isn’t overtly terrible, but it lacks personality. It meanders with some jangly phrasing that feels more like an obligation than an artistic choice. There’s no escalation, no emotional payoff, just a half-hearted melodic detour that barely rises above filler.

This isn’t a car crash of a solo, but it’s a missed opportunity. Given the strong hook and accessible structure, a more inspired lead break could’ve elevated the track. Instead, we get something that’s forgettable even while it’s playing.

9. “Mother”, The Police (Synchronicity, 1983)

The Police were no strangers to experimentation, but “Mother” was a sharp left turn even by their standards. Guitarist Andy Summers not only handled the vocals — which were deliberately unhinged — but also delivered a lead guitar part that’s abrasive, chaotic, and unapologetically weird. On an otherwise polished record like Synchronicity, it’s a jarring outlier.

Summers clearly meant for the solo to sound fractured and tense, but there’s a fine line between artistic dissonance and outright irritation. His angular, screeching lines stretch past discomfort and into something that resembles a musical panic attack. Even longtime fans were divided, with some appreciating the rawness and others skipping the track altogether.

“Mother” was never meant to be a radio hit, but the solo makes sure of that. It’s grating by design, and that’s exactly why it lands here. Intentional or not, it remains one of the most divisive — and for many, unlistenable — guitar moments in classic rock.

8. “We Are 138”, The Misfits (Static Age, 1978)

Nobody listens to The Misfits expecting refined guitar solos, but “We Are 138” still manages to trip over its own feet. The track is a punk anthem: short, aggressive, and relentless. But then, out of nowhere, comes a lead guitar part that sounds like a botched first take.

The solo is so brief and muddled that it barely registers. It’s just a few seconds of awkward noodling that does nothing to build tension or take the song anywhere new. Rather than pushing the energy further, it feels like a clumsy aside in the middle of a sprint.

Punk isn’t about perfection, but even chaos needs direction. Here, the solo adds nothing but confusion — like someone hit “record” by accident. For such a tight and ferocious track, it’s a moment that feels like dead weight.

7. “Sleeping Princess of the Arges”, Grand Belial’s Key (A Witness to the Regicide, 1994)

Black metal guitar solos tend to favor atmosphere over flash, but “Sleeping Princess of the Arges” manages to flounder on both fronts. The solo begins with a promising, almost bluesy feel that seems to complement the song’s slower midsection. Unfortunately, that early intrigue quickly dissolves into something far less focused.

As the solo continues, it loses any sense of cohesion. The phrasing becomes increasingly erratic, the timing feels rushed, and a few notes even sound outright flubbed. Instead of climaxing or reinforcing the song’s darkness, it distracts and drags things out longer than necessary.

This one lands here because it’s both ambitious and poorly executed. There’s potential in the first few bars, but it never develops — turning what could have been a memorable passage into a frustrating mess.=

6. “Unskinny Bop”, Poison (Flesh & Blood, 1990)

Poison were already starting to fray by the time they took the stage at the 1991 American Music Awards. Their performance of “Unskinny Bop” — especially C.C. DeVille’s infamous guitar solo — was a chaotic reminder of that unraveling. The lead break here doesn’t just miss the mark; it completely goes off the rails.

DeVille blazes through the solo like a man possessed, but the result is more noise than nuance. His playing is flashy but directionless, burying any melodic intent under a wave of overbent notes and overcooked flair. Rather than elevating the song, it becomes a sideshow — one that’s hard to watch and harder to justify.

Live footage makes the moment even worse, but even the studio version has the same problems in miniature. The solo feels disconnected from the song’s structure and spirit, coming across like a tantrum with strings. It’s all attitude and no aim — a textbook case of doing too much, too fast, too sloppily.

5. “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)” & “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”, Beastie Boys (Licensed to Ill, 1986)

The Beastie Boys came from punk roots, so inviting Slayer’s Kerry King to contribute guitar solos on their debut rap album Licensed to Ill wasn’t as random as it might seem. “Fight for Your Right” and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” became iconic rock/rap hybrids, blending party anthems with heavy riffs. But those Kerry King solos? They didn’t exactly mesh with the beats.

King’s signature style was built on chaos — dissonant bends, dive bombs, and reckless abandon — which works in Slayer, but sounds like a whiplash detour in early hip-hop tracks. His solos clash against the grooves, almost as if someone pasted a thrash metal moment into a Beastie Boys song without checking the tempo. It’s energetic, sure, but also completely unhinged.

For all their boundary-pushing charm, these tracks would have been stronger without the lead guitar freakouts. It’s one thing to blend genres, but another to force them together like mismatched puzzle pieces. These solos didn’t add edge — they just added noise.

4. “Some Kind of Monster”, Metallica (St. Anger, 2003)

It’s tough to believe Metallica could make this list — after all, their early albums helped define metal guitar work. But St. Anger was a different beast entirely. With its stripped-down production and no-solos philosophy, the album felt more like a therapy session than a polished record. “Some Kind of Monster” is perhaps its most infamous offering.

There’s a solo in the track’s final moments, but it barely qualifies as such. Kirk Hammett, long known for his melodic flourishes and wah-drenched runs, is instead reduced to sputtering out a few underwhelming notes that go nowhere. It’s not climactic — it’s more like someone remembered, “Oh yeah, solos are a thing,” and threw something in at the last second.

“Some Kind of Monster” could’ve used a real moment of catharsis, and Hammett was fully capable of delivering it. Instead, the solo falls flat, a victim of the band’s self-imposed limitations. For a group that once thrived on grand guitar statements, this was a disappointing whisper.

3. “Love Song”, Alice in Chains (Sap, 1992)

Alice in Chains briefly abandoned their dark and moody aesthetic on the Sap EP to experiment with “Love Song,” a chaotic hidden track where every band member swapped instruments. That meant bassist Mike Starr took the reins on lead guitar — and it shows. The result is one of the most jarring and bizarre guitar solos in their catalog.

The solo doesn’t sound like it belongs in the same song — or genre — as the rest of the track. It buzzes and whines with zero restraint, ripping through the mix like a joke gone too far. It’s the kind of moment that might get a laugh in the studio, but lands awkwardly in a finished release. Even the band seems to treat it like a throwaway.

Still, there’s a weird charm to “Love Song,” mainly because it sounds like a band blowing off steam. But charm only goes so far, and Starr’s solo doesn’t hold up to even a casual listen. It’s chaotic without being compelling — a novelty track with a novelty solo to match.

2. “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, Twisted Sister (Stay Hungry, 1984)

There’s no denying that “We’re Not Gonna Take It” is one of glam metal’s most recognizable anthems. But for a song that aims to rally the masses, its guitar solo feels like a half-hearted shrug. Instead of something bold or climactic, we get a note-for-note retread of the chorus melody — with zero added flair.

It’s not so much a guitar solo as it is a karaoke performance by the lead guitar. There’s no improvisation, no fire, no variation — just a melodic copy-paste of what Dee Snider already sang. And while it’s catchy, it feels like a missed opportunity for the band to do something more dynamic.

Twisted Sister had the energy, attitude, and platform to deliver something iconic in that moment. Instead, they played it safe — and in doing so, undercut the rebellious spirit the song was trying to sell. It’s defiant in words, but not in sound.

1. “Nevermind”, Limp Bizkit (Unreleased/Live, 2003)

Some performances become legendary for all the wrong reasons, and Fred Durst’s solo during a live version of “Nevermind” is one of them. The song was never officially released, but footage from the era shows Durst stepping into lead guitarist mode — and the results went viral for their sheer absurdity.

Durst was never supposed to be the guitar hero of Limp Bizkit — he’s the frontman, not the fret shredder. So when he dives into an extended, wailing guitar solo filled with aimless bends and erratic string-scraping, the performance quickly derails into parody. It’s like watching someone enthusiastically crash a car in slow motion.

The internet had a field day with it, and for good reason. The solo is self-indulgent, tone-deaf, and completely unaware of how out of its depth it is. It’s not just the worst guitar solo on this list — it’s the kind of moment that lives on in meme infamy.