Best Songs on Acoustic Guitar Part 3

Here are a few more songs that deserve to at least be mentioned as some of the best acoustic songs. There are so many great songs that feature the acoustic guitar that it is hard to choose the which ones make the cut. But these songs use the instrument in a special or unique way that really sets them apart from the rest.

1. American Pie – Don McLean. This epic 9 minute ode to three dead musicians is the soundtrack for a generation. Obviously this is the song that made McLean famous, and rightfully so. The guitar work in the song is perfect. It is simple, but it needs to be simple because of how creative and in-depth the lyrics are. The song is about anything and everything about the flower power generation and culminates in talking about the untimely deaths of Richie Valens, Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper. Like I said it is an epic, 9 minute long song, yet almost everyone knows at least a good chunk of the lyrics. That is why American Pie needs to be on this list.

2. Desolation Row – Bod Dylan – This song, combined with American Pie mentioned above, are longer than most studio albums by bands now-a-days. This is one of those ranty type Bob Dylan songs where he discusses his views on society. He does it in an almost 12 minute songs with an amazing strumming and plucking pattern on the acoustic guitar. But what shines most, as with most Dylan songs, are the lyrics. They are winding, flowing, and mind-boggling. That is why Desolation Row needs to be on the list of best acoustic songs.

3. Naked as We Came – Iron and Wine – Little needs to be said to a fan of Iron and Wine when describing how amazingly talented that man is. Most would think when hearing Iron and Wine that it is a band, but as a matter of fact it is just one guy, Samuel Beam. He is a throw back to great singer-songwriters of the past. In Naked as We Came, Bean finger picks this classy melody on his acoustic guitar and his amazing voice and lyrics just flow over the tune. Though not a classic by any means, it is a tribute to the great singer-songwriters that came before him and deserves to be mentioned.

4. Honey and the Moon – Joseph Arthur. Again, like Naked as We Came, it is more of a modern tune, but still at its core is a classic singer-songwriter jam. The guitar is played capo-ed on the fourth fret and is masterfully finger picked throughout. The guitar, melody and lyrics are the highlights in the song as I am not the biggest fan of Arthur’s almost whispered vocals, but those three elements of the song alone give it it’s place among the best acoustic songs.