‘Hurricane’ – Bob Dylan

You are forgiven for not noticing the 12-string guitar in what is arguably the greatest lyrical performance in all of music, which is why this song sits at 5. Somewhere beneath the one-two jab combination of Dylan’s lyrics that tell real-life story of the middleweight boxer Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter’s false imprisonment is a jangling 12-string that dances with a bongo beat.

On paper, the combination sounds too irreverent to be good but paired together with the Dylan’s cutting analysis and desperate delivery it brings the much needed chaos to a story that needs to be urgently told. While it is in no way the star of the composition, the use of this instrument provides its best attribute which is a sense of drama that mirrors the gravity of the song’s subject matter.

‘Hotel California’ – Eagles

Admittedly, this song is all about the solo and so you are forgiven for bypassing the 12-string bedrock that sits at the heart of it. But as the seven-minute epic begins and a transcendental melody plays like an entrance into a vortex, a 12-string guitar shimmers and sets the scene for one of classic rock’s most iconic ballads.

Not only does it sonically typify the opulence of 1970s California and the landscape of Hollywood that the Eagles refer to, but it also acts as a fitting dance partner to what has since become one of music’s all-time great solos. As Don Felder and Joe Walsh hit the skies with their duelling guitar solos, the 12-string allows the melody to soar alongside and give context to an otherwise ethereal solo.

‘Space Oddity’ – David Bowie

Given my description of the 12-string guitar melody in ‘Hotel California,’ it seems as though there is something innately celestial about its composition. As Bowie paints a cosmic picture upon which Major Tom can question existentialism, the 12-string peacefully shimmers in the background as the narrative glides through a world without gravity.

“David said it was actually a song about isolation and he used the astronaut in space as the metaphor. The song was written in that spirit, being isolated in this little capsule, but seeing the Universe from your window” producer, Tony Visconti explained. Space Oddity is indeed one of Bowie’s finest lyrical takes but with melodic composition so celestial, you can’t help but wonder if the feeling of space-bound isolation would have been similarly perceived in an instrumental 12-string led version.

‘Stairway To Heaven’ – Led Zeppelin

From the very first note of this song, it builds towards a climactic finish. It crawls along the misty lands of Led Zeppelin’s grand classic rock, doing so with light-footed delicacy through shimmering 12-string that hypnotises you into submission.

During an interview for the BBC, Jimmy Page said: “The idea of ‘Stairway’ was to have a piece of music, a composition, whereby it would just keep on unfolding into more layers, more moods. The subtlety of the intensity and the overlay of the composition would actually accelerate as it went through on every level, every emotional level, every musical level, so it just keeps opening up as it continues through its passage.”

The rhythm of that idea is pulled directly by the 12-string, which lifts the song’s melody above its head into the sky before passing it over to Page’s solo. When all of the band play together in the bridge, signalling the introduction of the solo, it’s the 12-string that conducts the orchestra, quietly awakening the rousing underbelly that is about to be let loose.

‘Wish You Were Here’ – Pink Floyd

While every song makes a strong case at taking the number 1 spot, Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ simply cannot be beaten because of the undeniable importance of a 12-string to the entire song’s palette. Unlike the others, ‘Wish You Were Here’ would not only cope, but in fact, thrive with the stripping down of all its remaining elements. The stand-alone figure of David Gilmour playing the melody on a 12-string is genuinely all that is required for this song to punch you straight in the gut.

For a song that considers the “indefinable, inevitable melancholy” associated with Barrett and his sad drug-induced demise, the 12-string compounds the emotive palette of the song, making it an innately emotional moment. As Gilmour sings, “We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl/year after year,” it feels as though the 12-string in the backdrop shimmers like light specs of sunlight bursting through the clear blue waters.