It was 1999, but the memory remains as clear as yesterday. This was the era when air-conditioned Maruti Esteems were a thing of true luxury, and this writer happened to be in one, getting dropped off in a friend’s car after computer tuitions. While on the ride, the friend slipped an audio cassette into the tape deck. It started playing Sultans of swing by Dire Straits. The AC environs of the vehicle, and the superior quality of the expensive tape deck, made the music sound extra special. But our mind was well and truly blown when Mark Knopfler launched into the song’s seminal guitar solo right at the very end. “What is this wizardry?” we wondered to ourselves, and ever since then, a well-crafted guitar solo remains one of our favourite experiences as a consumer of music.

Mark Knopfler’s ending for Sultans of swing remains one of the most enduring guitar solos of all time. Pic/Getty Images