The following is a list of rock instrumentals. Only instrumentals that are notable are included.
Instrumentals which have charted Instrumental rock is rock music that emphasizes musical instruments and features very little or no singing. An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics, or singing, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting.Whitburn, Joel, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Billboard Books, New York, 1992Whitburn, Joel, The Billboard Book of TOP 40 R&B and Hip Hop Hits, Billboard Books, New York 2006
1950s and 1960s chartings Artist Song title Date Highest position on US charts Highest position on UK charts Highest position on R&B charts Miscellaneous Bill Justis "Raunchy" 1957 #3 #24 #1 Ernie Freeman "Raunchy" 1957 #4Joel Whitburns Top Pop 1955 - 1982 #1 R&B charts Joel Whitburn Top R&B Singles 1942-1999 The Champs "Tequila" 1958 #1 #5 #1 Duane Eddy "Moovin' N' Groovin'" 1958 #72 The Champs "El Rancho Rock" 1958 #30 Link Wray & His Ray Men "Rumble" 1958 #16 #11 Duane Eddy "Rebel Rouser" 1958 #6 #8 #19 Duane Eddy "Ramrod" 1958 #28 The Champs "Chariot Rock" 1958 #59 Duane Eddy "Cannonball" 1958 #15 #2 #22 Link Wray & His Ray Men "Raw-Hide" 1959 #23 The Rockin' R's "The Beat" 1959 #57 Duane Eddy "Yep!" 1959 #30 #17 The Virtues "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" 1959 #5 #27 Dave "Baby" Cortez "The Happy Organ" 1959 #1 #5 Johnny and the Hurricanes "Crossfire" 1959 #23 The Wailers "Tall Cool One" 1959 #36 #24 Preston Epps "Bongo Rock" 1959 #14 Duane Eddy "Forty Miles of Bad Road" 1959 #9 #17 Johnny and the Hurricanes "Red River Rock" 1959 #5 #3 #5 The Wailers "Mau-Mau" 1959 #68 Sandy Nelson "Teen Beat" 1959 #4 #9 #17 The piano on the recording is by Bruce Johnston. Santo & Johnny "Sleep Walk" 1959 #1 #22 #4 Santo & Johnny "Tear Drop" 1959 #23 #50 #17 Duane Eddy "Some Kind-A Earthquake" 1959 #37 #12 Johnny And The Hurricanes "Reveille Rock" 1959 #25 #17 The Fireballs "Bulldog" 1960 #24 The Champs "Too Much Tequila" 1960 #30 Johnny and the Hurricanes "Beatnik Fly" 1960 #15 #8 Bill Black's Combo "White Silver Sands" 1960 #9 #33 #1 Bill Black's Combo "Don't Be Cruel" 1960 #11 #32 #1 Duane Eddy "Shazam" 1960 #45 #4 Duane Eddy "Because They're Young" 1960 #4 #2 #17 Johnny and the Hurricanes "Rocking Goose" 1960 #60 #3 Duane Eddy "Peter Gunn" 1960 #8 #6 This was the second charting of the song in 1959. Floyd Cramer "Last Date" 1960 #2 #32 The Shadows "Apache" 1960#1 The Shadows "Man of Mystery" 1960#5 The Ventures "Walk, Don't Run" 1960 #1 #8 #13 Paul Revere & the Raiders "Like, Long Hair" 1960 #38Hot 100 - Paul Revere and the Raiders Like, Long Hair Chart History, Billboard.com. Retrieved February 16, 2025. Duane Eddy "Pepe" 1961 #18 #2 B. Bumble and the Stingers "Bumble Boogie" 1961 #21 The Fireballs "Quite a Party" 1961 #27 #29 Kokomo "Asia Minor" 1961 #8 #35Adopted from the Edvard Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor and subsequently banned by the BBC. The Mar-Keys "Last Night" 1961 #3 #2 Sandy Nelson "Let There Be Drums" 1961 #7 #3 The Shadows "F.B.I." 1961 #6 The Shadows "The Frightened City" 1961#3 The Shadows "Kon-Tiki" 1961#1 The Shadows "The Savage" 1961#10 The String-A-Longs "Wheels" 1961 #3 #8 #19 Billy Joe and the Checkmates "Percolator (Twist)" 1962 #10 The Champs "Limbo Rock" 1962 #40 Jet Harris "Besame Mucho" 1962 #22 King Curtis "Soul Twist" 1962 #17 #1 Sandy Nelson "Drums Are My Beat" 1962 #29 #30 The Shadows "Wonderful Land" 1962#1 The Shadows "Guitar Tango" 1962#4 The Shadows "Dance On!" 1962#1 The Tornados "Telstar" 1962 #1 #1 #5 Booker T. & the M.G.'s "Green Onions" 1962 #3 #1 The Busters "Bust Out" 1963 #25 The Dakotas "The Cruel Sea" 1963 #18 Jet Harris and Tony Meehan "Scarlett O'Hara" 1963 #2 Lonnie Mack "Memphis" 1963 #5 #4 Lonnie Mack Wham! 1963 #24 From the album The Wham of that Memphis Man The Marketts "Out of Limits" 1963 #3 Link Wray & His Ray Men "Jack The Ripper" 1963 #64 Released in 1961, but didn't chart until 1963. Jack Nitzsche "The Lonely Surfer" 1963 #39 The Rockin' Rebels aka The Rebels "Wild Weekend" 1963 #8 #3 #28 The Shadows "Foot Tapper" 1963#1 The Surfaris "Wipe Out" 1963 #2 #5 #10 The Pyramids "Penetration" 1964 #18 Adapted from Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor. The T-Bones "No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)" 1965 #3 The Viscounts "Harlem Nocturne" 1966 #39 #17 Originally released in 1960, peaking at #52 on Billboard and #28 on CashBox. A 1965 re-release resulted in the record topping its previous peak, reaching #39. The Bar-Kays "Soul Finger" 1967 #17 #33 #3 Cliff Nobles & Co. "The Horse" 1968 #2 #2 Fleetwood Mac "Albatross"1968#1 Charted again (#2) in Britain in 1972. Hugh Masekela "Grazing in the Grass" 1968 #1 #1 Mason Williams "Classical Gas" 1968 #2 #9 "orchestrated rock and roll" backed by the Wrecking CrewHartman, Kent, The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret, Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin's Press, New York, 2012 p.191-195 Booker T. & the M.G.'s "Time Is Tight" 1969 #6 #7 from the film Uptight The Ventures "Hawaii Five-O" 1969 #4
1970s and 1980s chartings
Artist Song title Date Highest position on US charts Highest position on UK charts Highest position on R&B charts Miscellaneous Dennis Coffey Scorpio 1971 #6 #7 #9 Hot Butter Popcorn 1972 #9 #5 Billy Preston Outa-Space 1972 #2#44 #1 Deodato Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) 1973 #2 #7based on Richard Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra Edgar Winter Group Frankenstein 1973 #1 #18 The Love Unlimited Orchestra Love's Theme 1973 #1 #10 #10 orchestra formed and song written by Barry White Billy Preston Space Race 1973 #4 #1 Average White Band Pick Up the Pieces 1974 #1 #6 #5 B. T. Express Express 1974 #2#34 #1 The Commodores Machine Gun 1974 #22 #20 #7 Focus Hocus Pocus 1974 #9 #20 MFSB TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) 1974 #1 #22 #1 Silver Convention Fly, Robin, Fly 1975 #1 #28 #1 Van McCoy The Hustle 1975 #1 #3 #1Mike PostThe Rockford Files (Theme)1975#10 Walter Murphy A Fifth Of Beethoven 1976 #1 #28 #10 based on the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony Rhythm Heritage Theme from S.W.A.T. 1976 #1 #11Chuck MangioneFeels So Good 1977#4 Herb Alpert Rise 1979 #1 #13 #4
0-9
10cc "How Dare You" (How Dare You! (album), 1976)
38 Special " Robin Hood" (Wild Eyed Southern Boys, 1980)
A
ABBA "Intermezzo No. 1" (ABBA, 1975) "Arrival" (Arrival, 1976)
AC/DC "Fling Thing" (B-side of "Jailbreak", 1976) "D.T." ("From album: Who Made Who", 1985) "Chase the Ace" ("From album: Who Made Who", 1985)
Aerosmith "The Movie" ("From album: Permanent Vacation", 1987) "Krawhitham" (Pandora's Box, 1991) "Circle Jerk" (Pandora's Box, 1991) "Boogie Man" (Get a Grip, 1993)
The Allman Brothers Band
"In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" (Idlewild South, 1970) "Hot 'Lanta" (At Fillmore East, 1971) "Mountain Jam" (Eat a Peach, 1972) "Little Martha" (Eat a Peach, 1972) "Jessica" (Brothers and Sisters, 1973) "Pegasus" (Enlightened Rogues, 1979)
Herb Alpert "Rise", (1979), No. 1 US, No. 13 UK, No. 4 R&B
And So I Watch You from Afar And So I Watch You from Afar (2009)
Animals as Leaders "Animals as Leaders" (2009) "Wave of Babies" (Single) (2010) "Weightless" (2011) "The Joy of Motion" (2014) "The Madness of Many" (2016) "Parrhesia" (2022)
Ray Anthony Peter Gunn (1959), No. 8 US, No. 22 UK, No. 4 R&B song's composer Henry Mancini wrote that it, "actually derives more from rock and roll than from jazz".
Anthrax "Pipeline" (Attack of the Killer B's, 1991)
Apocalyptica Plays Metallica by Four Cellos (1996) Inquisition Symphony (1998) Cult (2000) The Standard Version it's all instrumental and the Special Edition Disk 2 include: "Path Vol. 2" feat. Sandra Nasić and "Hope Vol. 2" feat. Matthias Sayer on vocals. Reflections (2003) On The Revised, Russian Edition & 2005 US Reissue it's include: "Seemann (Rammstein Cover)" feat. Nina Hagen on vocals. Apocalyptica (2005) Vocals: "Life Burns!" & "Bittersweet" feat. Lauri Ylönen; "En Vie" feat. Manu; On Special Edition Bonus Tracks: "How Far" & "Wie Weit" Marta Jandová. Amplified // A Decade of Reinventing the Cello It consists the band's most notable covers and original songs on 2 CDs, one for the instrumentals tunes and the other for the tunes with vocals. Worlds Collide (2003) Vocals: "I Don't Care" Adam Gontier of Three Days Grace; "I'm Not Jesus" Corey Taylor of Slipknot, Stone Sour; "S.O.S (Anything but Love)" Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil, additionals backing vocals: Mats Levén of Therion, Krux; "Helden" Till Lindemann of Rammstein. 7th Symphony (2003) Vocals: "End of Me" Gavin Rossdale of Bush; "Not Strong Enough (Album Version)" Brent Smith of Shinedown; "Not Strong Enough (US Single Version)" Doug Robb of Hoobastank; "Broken Pieces" Lacey Mosley of Flyleaf; "Bring Them to Light" Joe Duplantier of Gojira. Wagner Reloaded-Live in Leipzig (2013)
Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and various artists "A Song for Chi" (2009)
Asia Rare (2000)
August Burns Red "Carol of the Bells" (online single, 2007) "O Come O Come, Emmanuel" (O Come, O Come, Emmanuel 7", 2009) "The Little Drummer Boy" (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 7", 2011)
Avenged Sevenfold "Jade Helm" (Black Reign EP, 2018)
Average White Band "Pick Up the Pieces", (1974), No. 1 US, No. 6 UK
AVKRVST "Østerdalen" (The Approbation, 2023) "Preceding" (Waving at the Sky, 2025)
B
The Bar-Kays "Soul Finger", (1967), No. 17 US, No. 33 UK, No. 3 R&B
Michael Angelo Batio No Boundaries (1995) Planet Gemini (1997) Tradition (1999) Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity (2000)
The Beach Boys
"Moon Dawg" (Surfin' Safari, 1962) "Misirlou" (Surfin' U.S.A., 1963) "Let's Go Trippin'" (Surfin' U.S.A.) "Honky Tonk" (Surfin' U.S.A., 1963) "Surf Jam" (Surfin' U.S.A., 1963) "Stoked" (Surfin' U.S.A., 1963) "The Rocking Surfer" (Surfer Girl, 1963) "Boogie Woodie" (Surfer Girl, 1963) "Denny's Drums" (Shut Down Volume 2, 1964) "Carl's Big Chance" (All Summer Long, 1964) "Summer Means New Love" (Summer Days, 1965) "Let's Go Away for Awhile" (Pet Sounds, 1966) "Pet Sounds" (Pet Sounds) "Look" (recorded at sessions for Smile, later released with vocals) "I Wanna Be Around" / "Workshop" (The Smile Sessions, 2011) "The Elements: Fire" (The Smile Sessions) "Fall Breaks and Back to Winter (W. Woodpecker Symphony)" (Smiley Smile) "Passing By" (Friends) "Diamond Head" (Friends) "The Nearest Faraway Place" (20/20)
Beastie Boys Sabrosa (1994) The in Sound from Way Out! (1996) The Mix-Up (2007) Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament (2011)
The Beatles "Cry for a Shadow" (1964) "Flying" (Magical Mystery Tour, 1967) "Cayenne" (Anthology 1, 1995) "12-Bar Original" (Anthology 2, 1996)
Jeff Beck Most of Beck's recordings following the dissolution of The Jeff Beck Group are instrumentals. "Beck's Bolero" (B-side of "Hi Ho Silver Lining", 1967), featuring Jimmy Page, Keith Moon, John Paul Jones, and Nicky Hopkins Blow by Blow (1975) Wired (1976) There & Back (1980) Escape Flash, (1985) Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop (1989) Frankie's House (1992) Who Else! (1999) You Had It Coming (2001) Jeff (2003) Emotion & Commotion (2010) Loud Hailer (2016)
Jason Becker Perpetual Burn (1988) Perspective (1995) The Raspberry Jams (1999) The Blackberry Jams (2003)
Bee Gees "Seven Seas Symphony" (Odessa, 1969)
Bill Black's Combo Most, if not all, of the Bill Black Combo's recordings are instrumentals. "White Silver Sands", (1960), No. 9 US, No. 33 UK, No. 1 R&B "Don't Be Cruel", (1960), No. 11 US, No. 32 UK, No. 1 R&B
Black Flag The Process of Weeding Out EP (1985)
Black Sabbath
"Rat Salad" (Paranoid, 1971) "Embryo" (Master of Reality, 1971) "Orchid" (Master of Reality, 1971) "FX" (Vol. 4, 1972) "Laguna Sunrise" (Vol. 4, 1972) "Fluff" (Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, 1973) "Don't Start (Too Late)" (Sabotage, 1975) "Supertzar" (Sabotage, 1975) "Breakout" (Never Say Die!, 1978) "E5150" (Mob Rules, 1981)