Cliffs of Dover (song)
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| “Cliffs of Dover” | ||
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| Single by Eric Johnson from the album Ah Via Musicom |
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| Released | February 1990 | |
| Recorded | March 1988 to June 1989 at Austin's Riverside Sound, Saucer One Studio, Arlyn Studios, Studio Seven |
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| Genre | Instrumental Rock | |
| Length | 4:10 | |
| Label | Capitol Records | |
| Writer(s) | Eric Johnson | |
| Producer | Eric Johnson | |
"Cliffs of Dover" is a song by guitarist Eric Johnson which appeared on his Ah Via Musicom album, which was released in 1990. The song is completely instrumental . It is written in the key of G major and features electric guitar. The song was recorded by Johnson on a Gibson ES-335[1].
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[edit] Song structure
Johnson begins the song with an ad-libbed electric guitar solo, using techniques such as string skipping and hybrid picking. In the solo, Johnson does not adhere to any distinct time signature. Next, drums are added as the song settles into a 4/4 rhythmic shuffle verse. The song then launches into a very accessible set of melodies, mostly played as single guitar solo style notes similar to the style of guitarist Jimi Hendrix (as opposed to chords). These melodies feature variations (octavations for example) on the main melody. The outro or coda recalls the freestyle mood and timing of the ad-libbed intro.[2]
While he did indeed compose "Cliffs of Dover", Johnson does not take full credit, saying "I don't even know if I can take credit for writing 'Cliffs of Dover' ... it was just there for me one day ... literally wrote in five minutes ... kind of a gift from a higher place that all of us are eligible for. We just have to listen for it and be available to receive it."[3]
[edit] Accolades for Cliffs of Dover
[edit] Grammy Award
In 1991, "Cliffs of Dover" won a Grammy award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, beating the Allman Brothers Band ("Kind of Bird"), Danny Gatton ("Elmira Street Boogie"), Rush ("Where's My Thing?"), and Yes ("Masquerade").
[edit] Guitar Hero III
A cover version of "Cliffs of Dover" is featured in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
[edit] References
- ^ Guitar Attack, "Tone is the thing…".
- ^ Ah Via Musicom, Full score. ISBN 0793592593
- ^ Eric Johnson, in Music Quotes.
