1977 Hit Soft Rock Ballad Ranked Among the ‘Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time'-‘Another Level of Intensity'
In 1977, the Commodores had a major hit with the song "Easy."
Written by Lionel Richie, the smooth, soft rock ballad from the group's self-titled album shot to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of their signature songs.
Nearly 50 years later, "Easy" remains a classic with its breezy melody and lyrics about freedom and independence. But a surprise guitar solo is another standout feature of the timeless song.
In May 2026, Rolling Stone ranked "Easy" among the greatest guitar solos of all time, noting, "The Commodores' Seventies classic ‘Easy' might sound silky smooth, but its snapping, melodic guitar solo illuminates the tensions in its lyrics. The man who made it happen is Thomas McClary, who wrote or co-wrote many of the group's hits and played a huge role in shaping their unique mix of soul, funk, country, and gospel."
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"Easy" features an electric guitar glide instrumental mid-song. McClary once told Smashing Interviews that his guitar style grew from his past as a ukulele player.
"That's one of the reasons, I think, my guitar style is different because I was thinking like a ukulele player, but with a guitar," he shared. "In fact, I created what I like to refer to as the signature sound, which you can hear throughout all of our music, and it's more pronounced on ‘Easy' with the guitar solo, which many writers have classified as a ‘classic' guitar solo."
The guitar legend also recalled how he came up with the solo for "Easy" and how it took the song to another level.
"When you have lyrics in a song that say, 'Why in the world would anybody put chains on me? I've paid my dues to make it,' you have to match the intensity of those lyrics to a sound and a feel that musically portrays the same intensity and the same context of what you're saying," he told Songfacts in an interview. "A lot of ballads, the song would just end, but we wanted the guitar solo to take it to another level of intensity. So that was basically the inspiration behind it."
The famous song remains a favorite of Richie's. In a 2024 interview with Grammy.com, the music legend said the song still resonates today.
"My go-to for calm is ‘Easy'," he said. "I know that it's always best when you use somebody else's song, but I wrote that song in a state of just that. I wasn't quite sure. I wasn't aware."
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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 2:08 PM.