| "The Guitar Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bread | ||||
| from the album Guitar Man | ||||
| B-side | "Just Like Yesterday" | |||
| Released | July 1972 | |||
| Genre | Rock, soft rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:46 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Songwriter(s) | David Gates | |||
| Producer(s) | David Gates | |||
| Bread singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Guitar Man" is a song written by David Gates and originally recorded by the rock group Bread. It first appeared on Bread's 1972 album, Guitar Man. It is a mixture of the sounds of soft rock, including strings and acoustic guitar, and the addition of a wah-wah effect electric guitar, played by Larry Knechtel. It peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States and was their third No. 1 hit on the easy listening chart,[2] (following "If" and "Baby I'm-a Want You").
Record World called it a "superfine superhit" with a "beautiful tune, apt lyric, full, rich production."[3] Cash Box said "this ballad proves [Bread's] versatility and ability to handle a lyric that says a bit more than 'I love you.'"[4] Cash Box also said the song "is about performers, but is bound to be a listener's dream."[4]
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-01-21. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 39.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. July 15, 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
- ^ a b "Cash Box Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 15, 1972. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-03-30.