Classical Gas is one of the most popular and well-known instrumental pieces ever. In an episode of The Simpsons called “Last Exit to Springfield,” Homer helps the workers on strike at the nuclear power plant get their lost dental plan back.
Lisa plays a sad song about work while they picket the plant. Lenny yells, “Play Classical Gas!” when she is done. Everyone watching the episode on TV says, “Oh, yeah, THAT tune!” when Lisa plays the guitar. Classical Gas is always asked for when many people and a nylon-string acoustic guitar are in the same room. It could be a better way for finger-style guitarists to show off their skills, but it is a great way to show off how the classical guitar sounds.
1968 was the year that Classical Gas came out into the world. It didn’t reach number one because of a song by The Doors but stayed in second place for two weeks. Even after 40 years, it is still one of the most well-known songs ever. It is a classical guitar staple with The Anonymous Romance and Leucona’s Malaguena. And nobody can say why.
Classical Gas has a much bigger effect than the sum of its parts. The tune has very few musical ideas. The same few notes are played over and over again. Some parts are memorable “surprises” that use syncopation, scales, strums, and sudden changes in time signature. All the pieces fit together like pearls on a necklace, and the last note gives it a beautiful ending.
On his site, the composer Mason Williams says, “I didn’t really have any big plans for it, except maybe to have something to play when the guitar was passed around at parties. I thought of it as simple music for the classical guitar, or “gasoline,” so I called it Classical Gasoline.” Mason Williams was a comedy writer and stand-up comedian by day. He did a lot more than just write classical guitar instrumentals.
Mason Williams’ work on the Smothers Brothers’ “Comedy Hour” gave him a chance for the American public to hear his favorite piece of music. The piece’s original score only has chords and a few notes. Mason Williams had Mike Post, who was only 23 then, finish the arrangement.
It won Best Instrumental Composition and Best Instrumental Performance at the Grammys for Mason Williams and Best Instrumental Arrangement for Mike Post, who has had a long and successful career making TV theme music. The theme(s) of “Law and Order” comes from his recent win.
Classical Gas has appeared in various movies and TV shows, including Apollo 4 and news broadcasts. Many people had mistakenly thought that Eric Clapton covered the song when it was played by Mason Williams on his own.
Classical Gas is a relatively easy piece to play. The trick is to play it with a lot of passion and movement so that it sounds harder than it really is. This is one of the most-asked-for guitar pieces ever.
