Acoustic guitar songs are loved the world over. Whether songs are placed on acoustic guitar albums or find their way onto individuals’ mobile devices, the most popular acoustic guitar songs are difficult to get away from. Furthermore, they are familiar to millions of people all around the world.

Here is our take on the world’s most popular acoustic guitar songs.

Good Riddance

Most people hear this song and fall in love with it before they discover it is performed by Green Day. This is one of those songs that has been covered hundreds of times through the years and not one of them comes anything close to the original. Of course, covers not being as good as the original tracks isn’t a new trend, but when a song is covered so much it is usually the case that at least one of them stands up to scrutiny.

Not in this case, which is what makes Good Riddance such a popular acoustic guitar song.

Wonderwall

Oasis have a number of “signature” tracks, and while Wonderwall isn’t everyone’s cup of tea there is no doubting its status as a musical classic. What makes it stand out from an Oasis perspective is that it is one of the few songs they do that can be stripped right back, and while the original was produced and featured many instruments it is the rawness of the track that shines through and makes it great to play on an acoustic guitar.

Wanted (Dead or Alive)

Bon Jovi often don’t get the credit for their music that many think they deserve, often because they’re not seen as a cool band to enjoy listening to. That aside, there is little doubt that the opening licks of Wanted (Dead or Alive) are among the most recognisable in any track around the world, and it is such a well written and performed song that there is little difference between the recorded version and the acoustic track.

Any Beatles Song

The Beatles are the undisputed kings of the popular acoustic guitar song, and we make no apology for bundling all of their work into one here. Whether it is something obviously acoustic like Yesterday or a track with a little more production and noise like She Loves You, there isn’t a Beatles song that cannot be enjoyed simply by sitting down with an acoustic guitar and playing it, whether you’re doing so alone or with friends.