10 rock songs that work better acoustically
The studio has always been the place where great songs are born. Even though some of the best artists of all time can get swallowed by overproduction, a handful of the best songs come from letting the composition breathe in the studio before finally taking shape when feeding off the rest of the instruments. Where most artists thrive in the studio, acts like The Beatles and Foo Fighters can get the job done without the bells and whistles.
Although each song might have worked better with glossy production, the stripped-down version of the tune always holds much more power. Compared to the other band members, nothing is getting in the way of the melody in these acoustic renditions, with the songwriter being free to say what’s on their mind outside of the usual hangups that get in the way.
But what makes something sound better unplugged? For all of the great production pieces, hearing a song in this fragile state is usually the make-or-break moment for musicians, validating whether the song is decent rather than trying to make it sound good by throwing unneeded elements into the mix.
From pairing down some of the greatest songs in history to foregoing all of their sonic trademarks in the studio, most bands understood the assignment when it came time to make something a bit more emotionally raw. For all of the long hours spent honing their craft behind the glass, these are the sounds of artists completely exposed.
10 rock songs that work better acoustically:
10. ‘Last Night on Earth’ – Green Day
Of all of Green Day’s albums, 21st Century Breakdown was the first time their intuition failed them a bit. After making one of their career-defining albums in American Idiot, going with superproducer Butch Vig for the follow-up left the audience with an album that was a bit toothless by comparison. Although ‘Last Night on Earth’ had a fantastic melody behind it, it wasn’t until they performed it live that it took on its classic form.
For most of the studio cut, the mix is dominated by lush orchestration and Billie Joe Armstrong playing most of the song through an echo-laden electric guitar. While it might have been meant to sound pretty, the sheen on the album pales in comparison to the live version, with Armstrong sounding like he’s on the verge of tears waiting for the day he can finally reunite with his lover.
Considering the song’s subject matter is about a wounded soldier who wants nothing more than to see the comfort of home, the acoustic version actually feels like it’s from that soldier’s perspective, sounding beaten down and wondering if he will ever see his family again. For all of the punk credentials that Green Day had under their belt from the days of Dookie, they could still sell a love song better than any of their peers.
9. ‘One’ – Chris Cornell
One of the best ways to showcase the power of a rock classic is through a cover song. In lieu of the artist themselves making the same tried and true version of their signature hit, it sometimes takes one of their fellow artists to make something equally as powerful out of their building blocks. Although Chris Cornell might be a fan of all flavours of rock music, fans were given something different when he decided to perform the song ‘One’.
Because what Cornell offers here are two songs for the price of one. When trying to make an acoustic version of ‘One’ by U2, Cornell came across the Metallica song of the same name and decided to pair the U2 melody with the thrash classic. Although there are a million reasons why it shouldn’t work, Cornell holds both versions together with extreme reverence.
Compared to the morbid tale of a soldier being blown away in war by Metallica, the subtle sadness of Bono’s melody slides in perfectly, straddling both ends of the rock spectrum without breaking a sweat. Despite Cornell being a master at nearly every genre of rock vocal performance, his abilities as a masterful arranger aren’t to be neglected.
8. ‘Decode’ – Paramore
Half of the songs from the days of pop-punk were never going to translate to the world of acoustic music. Even though the novelty might be entertaining, hearing a group like New Found Glory play without distortion feels like eating pizza without any cheese. Both styles of music can play nicely together in certain circumstances, and those circumstances happen to include Hayley Williams’ voice.
Although most 2000s fans would know Paramore’s ‘Decode’ as one of the standouts from the Twilight soundtrack, hearing Taylor York’s glistening guitar parts being traded in for acoustic instruments brings an heir of refinement to the whole song. Despite the smaller instrumental setup, Williams doesn’t hold back anything, still belting at the top of her lungs and sustaining every note with the same finesse of an operatic soprano.
Instead of the usual pounding drums that come in during the original chorus, letting the guitars carry the tune says a lot more about the song’s outcome than anything else. Whereas the original may have been the height of drama about not knowing this supposed friend, this version gives the listener that feeling of emptiness which comes with finding out they’ve been taken for a fool.
7. ‘Down in a Hole’ – Alice in Chains
Of all the acts to come out of the early days of grunge, Alice in Chains was one of the few to hold on to their metal credentials. For as much as a band like Soundgarden were indebted to the sounds of hard rock, Alice was one of the few acts who could wear their influences on their sleeves with pride, even going on a tour with acts like Megadeth and Slayer before they hit the big time. Despite their penchant for Sabbath-esque doom, they could still play the folksy circuit like no other.
While the original version of ‘Down in a Hole’ has striking lead guitar work from Jerry Cantrell, the band’s live performance on MTV Unplugged is one of the highlights of their career, as Layne Staley sings his heart out about heading for the bottom. Since Staley had been battling a hefty drug problem then, it’s easy to hear the pain in his voice, as if he’s subconsciously crying out for help from the stage.
One of the more heartbreaking moments from the performance comes in one of the final choruses when Staley and Cantrell are supposed to harmonise, only for Cantrell to come in alone as Staley is too weak to finish the end of the line. Alice in Chains may have given the world a good look at their scar collection, but this beauty also serves as a testament to just how far Staley had sunk himself.
6. ‘Live Forever’ – Oasis
As grunge quickly faded into the rearview, the rock world suddenly wanted to feel a lot more optimistic. Since the last few years had been spent moping about everything under the sun, acts like Oasis were just what young fans wanted to hear, with Noel Gallagher writing songs that spoke to the same working-class lads he hung out with in Manchester. Although his brother Liam had the grit in his voice to carry the song ‘Live Forever’ to new heights, the acoustic demo sounds like it’s being played by a completely different artist.
Played on a sole acoustic guitar by Noel, he almost sounds dejected in this version of the song, as he sings positive affirmations to himself about himself and this other person living for the rest of time. Although Liam’s Johnny Rotten snarl was enough to get nearly every kid hooked on the band, Noel’s version recontextualises the entire song without changing a single word.
After being considered a song of affirmation, Noel’s version is the sad flipside of the studio version, as he is practically pleading to find some connection with this person as they see things that other people will never see. While Noel and Liam may not be around until the end of time, the key to musical immortality is somewhere within this recording.
5. ‘Sound of Silence’ – Simon and Garfunkel
When looking at the material that Simon and Garfunkel had to work with, the idea of them succeeding was practically inevitable. Since Bob Dylan was one of the biggest stars in the world, hearing Simon’s prayer for humanity on ‘The Sound of Silence’ may as well have been a signal of another songwriting legend looming on the horizon. Once the single was given to the public, though, the initial reaction was a firm rejection.
After their first album sunk like a stone, both Simon and Garfunkel went on to make their own solo outings when producer Tom Wilson had an idea. Working with folk-rock session musicians, Wilson turned Simon’s original acoustic version into a dramatic ‘60s epic, albeit with a few musical inconsistencies left behind.
Although both versions are amazing, their performance at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts is another matter entirely, with both vocalists playing with the melody as they harmonise until the final verse gets subdued and quiet as they sing about the people bowing and praying to a neon God. Seeing how so much has changed since Simon originally wrote those words, him singing it to a sea of industry types at those concerts seemed all too prophetic.
4. ‘All Apologies’ – Nirvana
One of Kurt Cobain’s biggest concerns during Nirvana’s run was whether he would be remembered for his contributions as a songwriter. Though he famously never spent too much time thinking about the lyrics of his tunes, his attention to melody and structure often got overshadowed by his prophetic side, with fans calling him the spokesman of the alternative revolution. When all of the distortions were stripped away, Cobain could still hold the audience in the palm of his hand.
Bringing a close to the mellow side of their MTV Unplugged set, Nirvana’s version of ‘All Apologies’ off In Utero is one of the most melancholy tracks they would ever commit to tape. Although the original version has layers of distortion to make it sound emotionally frayed, all of the vulnerability lies in Cobain’s voice, as he croaks out different pieces of the song before raising his voice for the final lines of every chorus.
The song’s timing towards the end of the program also became tragic a few months after the taping when Cobain was found dead in his home of a self-afflicted shotgun wound. As the final piece of the song fades away with Cobain and Dave Grohl harmonising, it’s almost like the listener can hear Cobain’s soul slipping away.
3. ‘Layla’ – Eric Clapton
Throughout most of the ‘90s, Eric Clapton had firmly settled into dad-rock territory for most of his solo career. Even though he may have torn through some of the greatest blues that any musician had ever laid down, ‘Slowhand’ had spent most of his elder-statesman phase making some of the more pillowy soft rock of the late ‘90s on songs like ‘Tears in Heaven’. While there was a place for both styles of his musical soul, not many believed that both sides of Clapton could link together.
While Clapton’s Unplugged record is primarily remembered today for some of the more tepid cuts in the mix, one of the standout performances from the night is what he does with his Derek and the Dominoes’ hit ‘Layla’. Whereas the first version of the song was a primal scream of romance from Clapton to George Harrison’s wife Pattie Boyd, the reformatted take on the song is set to a slow shuffle rhythm, as Clapton calmly sings about his woman has him begging on his knees.
Although the lyrics are the same in both versions, the tepid version feels more in line with the Clapton that most fans had gotten to know for the second half of his career. Despite being a madman for most of the ‘60s and into the ‘70s, hearing him beg for some kind of affection reads like a man knowing that he has a lot to repent for before he can even come close to his lover again.
2. ‘Everlong’ – Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters were never a band known for having too many songs where they toned things down. Across their first two albums, Dave Grohl only seemed to know the dynamics of loud and louder, and the songs he wrote suited that dynamic just fine. Although ‘Everlong’ might have been made to fill stadiums worldwide, it wasn’t until a visit to Howard Stern’s radio show that it got its mellow treatment.
Coming off the success of their first few records in the late ‘90s, Grohl sings this version of the song with a slow acoustic rhythm guitar. From a songwriting standpoint, this gives him much more wiggle room to add different elements to the chorus, like the massive drum hits of the original being replaced by Grohl’s right hand delicately strumming the chords.
When he usually screams in the song’s chorus, Grohl keeps things in his lower register as he sings lines about wanting everything to feel as alive as it does when he and his lover are able to harmonise together. From a song meant to be about the life-affirming power of music, this is the more subdued take on that theme, as Grohl treats the music with reverence, refusing to let that musical fire burn out.
1. ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ – The Beatles
By the time The Beatles returned from their trip to India, they had already been through enough of each other’s company. With every songwriter getting more individual in their craft, The White Album was the first time an album by the Fab Four felt fractured, as every member retreated to their corner. Although it took a while for the band to come around to George Harrison’s ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’, the heart of the song didn’t need the other members at all.
Since the title really implies the need for a screeching guitar wailing in the background, Harrison brought in Eric Clapton to play the lead breaks on the song, featuring some of the most electrifying solos in rock history. Left to his own devices on the demo, Harrison delivers a stirring melancholy version of the tune, almost like he’s weeping for the loss of human connection as he delicately picks his six-string.
Looking back on the song, most Beatles fans would prefer this version, with Paul McCartney even considering it a favourite when going through The Beatles’ back catalogue. The album version might have the more iconic lead breaks and heartbreaking vocals, but this version proves George Harrison didn’t need his guitar to melt hearts.
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