Steve Stevens, the legendary guitarist who has been a key member of Billy Idol’s band, recently shared an inside look into the creation of one of the most famous guitar solos in cinematic history—the soaring lead part on the Top Gun Anthem.
Recorded in 1985, this iconic solo was laid down during the final stages of tracking Idol’s Whiplash Smile album in New York. Composer Harold Faltermeyer, who was contributing keyboards to the project, took the opportunity to invite Stevens to play on a new film he was working on—a movie about fighter pilots starring a rising Tom Cruise.
Recalling the moment, Stevens tells MusicRadar, “Harold used to work with Keith Forsey, Billy Idol’s producer. He mentioned to me, ‘I’m working on this new movie about fighter pilots called Top Gun. It’s with Tom Cruise…’” Stevens, who only knew Tom Cruise from his role in the 1983 comedy Risky Business, was intrigued. Faltermeyer suggested, “You should play guitar on this song,” and that’s where the collaboration began.
The recording session took place late one Saturday night after finishing up with Idol. Stevens’ gear, including his vintage Marshall Plexi, was already set up, allowing for a smooth and efficient recording process.
“We’d wrapped up with Billy around 10 pm,” Stevens remembers. “Harold put on the multi-track, and I think we did the whole Top Gun session in about three hours.”
Stevens’ familiarity with his gear made the session seamless. “The guitars sounded great,” he recalls. “I didn’t have to get a sound together. I just plugged in, played, and we nailed the melody and solo.”
One aspect of the recording surprised Stevens: the decision to keep his entire 64-bar solo intact. “That solo is 64 bars!” he laughs. “It was such a long solo! I remember saying, ‘Come on, you’re gonna edit it down to, what, four bars?’ Harold goes, ‘No, no, I’m telling you, man, we’re gonna keep everything that you did.’ And they did!”
Nearly 40 years later, Stevens continues to receive praise from fans, especially from members of the military. “It was a great experience. It was absolutely amazing,” he says. “And all these years later, I get amazing compliments from servicemen, and enlisted people, too. They say it touched them in some way. So, it’s great to be recognized.”
