10 Best Rock Guitar Riffs Of The 1980s

10. Money For Nothing - Dire Straits (1985)

Mark Knopfler was already well established by the time he debuted this number. Sultans of Swing had been released at the end of the '70s and the world was well aware of this guys ability to pluck out deliciously satisfying guitar riffs, while simultaneously playing the rhythm section.

Finger style playing has rarely been a popular method for rock musicians. It requires a certain amount of dexterity on the plucking hand and can result in a softer sound, but what you trade off in speed and aggression you gain in intricacy. Mark Knopfler was the undisputed king of this technique and it resulted in some damn fine riffs.

Drawing you in with a mystical synth melody, the track has a quintessentially '80s introduction, until Knopfler's guitar part punctuates the song with one of the most defined tones you're likely to hear. The riff serves as the driving rhythm, but in classic Knopfler style, there's enough clever finger trickery going on to make you think there must be a second guitar knocking about in the background.