The 1980s and 1990s proved to be a monumental time for popular music. Much of the contemporary arrangement styles and production techniques were exploited to extremes, lending to the proliferation of the musical hallmarks we associate with the past 40 years. One of the bands that burgeoned during this period was none other than Huey Lewis & The News: a new wave, blue-eyed soul band from San Francisco that had a thing or two to prove! Through extensive touring, charismatic performances, and a couple of globally successful albums, Huey Lewis & The News’ music would appear in Hollywood movie soundtracks, and earn the band some of the most prestigious award nominations one could ever dream of.

In this blog, we’ll be showcasing some of JamPlay’s intuitive guitar lessons that teach you how to play some of Huey Lewis & The News’ most notable songs. Let’s dive in and learn some classic hits!

“Heart Of Rock ‘N’ Roll” by Huey Lewis & The News – Song Lesson – JamPlay

In this song lesson, JamPlay educator Callum Bair demonstrates the guitar parts for “Heart of Rock ‘N’ Roll” by Huey Lewis & The News. This song was the third single representing the band’s most popular album, Sports. It peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard charts, and is said to have been inspired by a show the band played in Cleveland, Ohio!

The song consists of a few guitar parts that serve its different sections, and intertwine to form its notoriously infectious groove. For the breakdown of all of the parts, check out Callum Bair’s full song lesson on JamPlay!

“Hip To Be Square” by Huey Lewis & The News – Song Lesson – JamPlay

If you’ve ever seen the 2000 film, American Psycho, or have read the book on which the movie is based, you probably are very familiar with this one! In both the film and the novel, “Hip To Be Square” is verbally critiqued by the serial-killing protagonist, Patrick Bateman, during which he commits one of his slayings. Aside from publicity from the novel and film feature, this song was critically acclaimed and peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

“Hip To Be Square” features a memorable rock ‘n’ roll riff that’s perfect for some crunchy distortion. The original recording also presents some horns parts. But in this lesson, JamPlay educator, Chris Liepe shows you how to play those parts on guitar instead. For the note-by-note breakdown, check out Chris’ full song lesson on JamPlay!

“I Want a New Drug” by Huey Lewis & The News – Song Lesson – JamPlay

Opening with a guitar slide that was meant to honor the late Jimi Hendrix, “I Want a New Drug” is an ear-grabbing, new wave rock ‘n’ roll anthem about love. Legend has it that Huey Lewis wrote this song in under an hour at his attorney’s office. Peaking at No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100, this track was later covered by parody artist, Weird Al Yankovic.

If you like rock guitar, you’ll love learning this song. It features crunchy rock riffs, jangly rhythm parts, and some searing lead guitar melodies. For the full “I Want a New Drug” guitar lesson, check out Callum Bair‘s lesson on JamPlay.

“The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis & The News – Song Lesson – JamPlay

Undoubtedly Huey Lewis & The News’ most notable track, “The Power of Love” was the band’s first No. 1 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. And this success didn’t come solely from the songs catchiness! Huey Lewis wrote this song as part of a contract with the creators of the blockbuster sci-fi movie, Back To The Future. In the film, main character, Marty McFly’s favorite band is Huey Lewis & The News. “The Power of Love” is the movie’s theme song, and is covered by Marty’s band as part of the film’s plot.

Learning the guitar parts for this song can only be described as rewarding. The distorted rock riffs in this song are amongst some of the most memorable from the 1980s. Learn the whole song with D.J. Phillips‘ full guitar lesson on JamPlay!

“Working For a Living” by Huey Lewis & The News – Song Lesson – JamPlay

“Working For a Living” is an uptempo rock single that appeared on Huey Lewis & The News’ 1982 LP, Picture This. Peaking at No. 20 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock charts, the song is said to be about Huey Lewis’ real-life career positions before the success of his band.

In this song lesson from Chris Buono, you’ll have the chance to learn the song note-for-note as it appears on the album. He also presents an easy strum along version of the lesson for beginner-level rock guitar players. For the entire breakdown, check out Chris Buono’s full song lesson on JamPlay!

For more Song Lessons, check out JamPlay.com! JamPlay has over 450 guitar courses from 120+ instructors, and online guitar lessons tailored to every skill level, music genre, and playing style. Click here to learn more.

Become a JamPlay member for unlimited access to 7000+ guitar lessons and 120+ artists and instructors. View membership plans ›