Greatest Rock Song of All Time

[JokersWild]

Here's a list of VH1's top 100 Hard Rock songs of all time..

100 Sammy Hagar - "I Can't Drive 55"
99 Grand Funk Railroad - "We're An American Bandv
98 Buckcherry - "Lit Up"
97 The Edgar Winter Group - "Frankenstein"
96 Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son"
95 Creed - "Higher"
94 The Darkness - "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"
93 Autograph - "Turn Up The Radio"
92 Night Ranger - "Don't Tell Me You Love Me"
91 Smashing Pumpkins - "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"
90 Jethro Tull - "Aqualung"
89 Andrew W.K. - "Party Hard"
88 Alice In Chains - "Would?"
87 Winger - "Seventeen"
86 Marilyn Manson - "The Beautiful People"
85 Velvet Revolver - "Slither"
84 W.A.S.P. - "I Wanna Be Somebody"
83 Evanescence - "Bring Me To Life"
82 Rainbow - "Since You Been Gone"
81 Black Sabbath - "Heaven And Hell"
80 Journey - "Any Way You Want It"
79 Billy Idol - "Rebel Yell"
78 Bad Company - "Feel Like Making Love"
77 Soundgarden - "Black Hole Sun"
76 Lita Ford - "Kiss Me Deadly"
75 The White Stripes - "Seven Nation Army"
74 The Cult - "Love Removal Machine"
73 Thin Lizzy - "Jailbreak"
72 Pat Benetar - "Heartbreaker"
71 Jane's Addiction - "Mountain Song"
70 Foreigner - "Hot Blooded"
69 Living Colour - "Cult Of Personality"
68 White Zombie - "More Human Than Human"
67 ZZ Top - "Tush"
66 Europe - "The Final Countdown"
65 MC5 - "Kick Out the Jams"
64 Rollins Band - "Liar"
63 Survivor - "Eye Of The Tiger"
62 Dokken - "Breaking The Chains"
61 Ratt - "Round And Round"
60 Skid Row - "18 And Life"
59 Billy Squier - "The Stroke"
58 Stone Temple Pilots - "Interstate Love Song"
57 The Kinks - "You Really Got Me"
56 Warrant - "Cherry Pie"
55 Blue Oyster Cult - "Don't Fear The Reaper"
54 Faith No More - "Epic"
53 Steppenwolf - "Born To Be Wild"
52 The Runaways - "Cherry Bomb"
51 Megadeth - "Peace Sells"
50 Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Give It Away"
49 The Stooges - "Search And Destroy"
48 Korn - "Freak On A Leash"
47 Kid Rock - "Bawitdaba"
46 Anthrax - "Madhouse"
45 Foghat - "Slow Ride"
44 Cream - "Sunshine Of Your Love"
43 Dio - "Holy Diver"
42 The Clash - "Should I Stay Or Should I Go"
41 Quiet Riot - "Cum On Feel The Noize"
40 Poison - "Talk Dirty To Me"
39 Boston - "More Than A Feeling"
38 Queen - "Stone Cold Crazy"
37 The Who - "My Generation"
36 Van Halen - "Hot For Teacher"
33 Alice Cooper - "School's Out"
34 Heart - "Barracuda"
33 Green Day - "Basket Case"
32 Ted Nugent - "Cat Scratch Fever"
31 AC/DC - "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
30 Pearl Jam - "Even Flow"
29 Joan Jett - "Bad Reputation"
28 Foo Fighters - "Everlong"
27 Whitesnake - "Still Of The Night"
26 Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird"
25 The Ramones - "Blitzkrieg Bop"
24 Iron Butterfly - "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
23 Ozzy Osbourne - "Crazy Train"
22 Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Hey Joe"
21 Led Zeppelin - "Kashmir"
20 Bon Jovi - "You Give Love A Bad Name"
19 Rush - "Tom Sawyer"
18 Scorpions - "Rock You Like A Hurricane"
17 Twisted Sister - "I Wanna Rock"
16 Kiss - "Rock And Roll All Nite"
15 Motley Crue - "Dr. Feelgood"
14 Iron Maiden - "Run To The Hills"
13 Def Leppard - "Photograph"
12 Judas Priest - "Breaking The Law"
11 Deep Purple - "Smoke On The Water"
10 Motorhead - "Ace Of Spades"
09 Van Halen - "Runnin With The Devil"
08 Aerosmith - "Walk This Way"
07 Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
06 The Who - "Won't Get Fooled Again"
05 Metallica - "Enter Sandman"
04 Black Sabbath - "Paranoid"
03 Led Zeppelin - "Whole Lotta Love"
02 AC/DC - "Back In Black"
01 Guns N' Roses - "Welcome To The Jungle"

 

[JokersWild]

Here's VH1's 100 greatest "rock" songs.. not that VH1 is all knowing of course. Just a reference for discussion.

1. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," The Rolling Stones.
2. "Respect," Aretha Franklin.
3. "Stairway to Heaven," Led Zeppelin.
4. "Like a Rolling Stone," Bob Dylan.
5. "Born to Run," Bruce Springsteen.
6. "Hotel California," the Eagles.
7. "Light My Fire," the Doors.
8. "Good Vibrations," the Beach Boys.
9. "Hey Jude," the Beatles.
10. "Imagine," John Lennon.
11. "Louie Louie," the Kingsmen.
12. "Yesterday," the Beatles.
13. "My Generation," the Who.
14. "What's Going On," Marvin Gaye.
15. "Johnny B. Goode," Chuck Berry.
16. "Layla," Derek and the Dominos.
17. "Won't Get Fooled Again," the Who.
18. "Jailhouse Rock," Elvis Presley.
19. "American Pie," Don McLean.
20. "A Day in the Life," the Beatles.
21. "I Got You (I Feel Good)," James Brown.
22. "Superstition," Stevie Wonder.
23. "I Want to Hold Your Hand," the Beatles.
24. "Brown Sugar," the Rolling Stones.
25. "Purple Haze," Jimi Hendrix.
26. "Sympathy for the Devil," the Rolling Stones.
27. "Bohemian Rhapsody," Queen.
28. "You Really Got Me," the Kinks.
29. "Oh, Pretty Woman," Roy Orbison.
30. "Bridge Over Troubled Water," Simon & Garfunkel.
31. "Hound Dog," Elvis Presley.
32. "Let It Be," the Beatles.
33. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," Otis Redding.
34. "All Along the Watchtower," the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
35. "Walk This Way," Aerosmith.
36. "My Girl," the Temptations.
37. "Rock Around the Clock," Bill Haley & His Comets.
38. "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," Marvin Gaye.
39. "Proud Mary," Creedence Clearwater Revival.
40. "Born to Be Wild," Steppenwolf.
41. "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Nirvana.
42. "Every Breath You Take," the Police.
43. "What'd I Say," Ray Charles.
44. "Free Bird," Lynyrd Skynyrd.
45. "That'll Be the Day," Buddy Holly and the Crickets.
46. "Whole Lotta Love," Led Zeppelin.
47. "Dream On," Aerosmith.
48. "California Dreamin'," the Mamas and the Papas.
49. "Brown Eyed Girl," Van Morrison.
50. "Wild Thing," the Troggs.
51. "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," Crosby, Stills and Nash.
52. "Beat It," Michael Jackson.
53. "Great Balls of Fire," Jerry Lee Lewis.
54. "Stayin' Alive," the Bee Gees.
55. "For What It's Worth," the Buffalo Springfield.
56. "Blowin' in the Wind," Bob Dylan.
57. "Twist and Shout," the Beatles.
58. "Piano Man," Billy Joel.
59. "She Loves You," the Beatles.
60. "Space Oddity," David Bowie.
61. "Strawberry Fields Forever," the Beatles.
62. "Kashmir," Led Zeppelin.
63. "Crazy," Patsy Cline.
64. "London Calling," the Clash.
65. "Jumpin' Jack Flash," the Rolling Stones.
66. "Rock & Roll," Led Zeppelin.
67. "Let's Stay Together," Al Green.
68. "All Shook Up," Elvis Presley.
69. "Maggie May," Rod Stewart.
70. "Your Song," Elton John.
71. "Heartbreak Hotel," Elvis Presley.
72. "God Only Knows," the Beach Boys.
73. "The Twist," Chubby Checker.
74. "Good Golly, Miss Molly," Little Richard.
75. "Sunshine of Your Love," Cream.
76. "California Girls," the Beach Boys.
77. "Summertime Blues," Eddie Cochran.
78. "Blue Suede Shoes," Carl Perkins.
79. "A Hard Day's Night," the Beatles.
80. "Fire and Rain," James Taylor.
81. "Gloria," Them.
82. "Sexual Healing," Marvin Gaye.
83. "Start Me Up," the Rolling Stones.
84. "More Than a Feeling," Boston.
85. "Roxanne," the Police.
86. "We Are the Champions," Queen.
87. "Tangled Up in Blue," Bob Dylan.
88. "Somebody to Love," Jefferson Airplane.
89. "Stand By Me," Ben E. King.
90. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On," Jerry Lee Lewis.
91. "You Shook Me All Night Long," AC/DC.
92. "When Doves Cry," Prince & the Revolution.
93. "In the Midnight Hour," Wilson Pickett.
94. "Gimme Some Lovin'," Spencer Davis Group.
95. "Jump," Van Halen.
96. "Thunder Road," Bruce Springsteen.
97. "No Woman No Cry," Bob Marley & the Wailers.
98. "La Bamba," Ritchie Valens.
99. "We've Only Just Begun," the Carpenters.
100. "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," the Temptations.

 

[mj4cy]

Best Christian Rock song - Jesus Freak by DC Talk

 

[ISUCY23]

Here's a list of VH1's top 100 Hard Rock songs of all time..

100 Sammy Hagar - "I Can't Drive 55"
99 Grand Funk Railroad - "We're An American Bandv
98 Buckcherry - "Lit Up"
97 The Edgar Winter Group - "Frankenstein"
96 Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son"
95 Creed - "Higher"
94 The Darkness - "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"
93 Autograph - "Turn Up The Radio"
92 Night Ranger - "Don't Tell Me You Love Me"
91 Smashing Pumpkins - "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"
90 Jethro Tull - "Aqualung"
89 Andrew W.K. - "Party Hard"
88 Alice In Chains - "Would?"
87 Winger - "Seventeen"
86 Marilyn Manson - "The Beautiful People"
85 Velvet Revolver - "Slither"
84 W.A.S.P. - "I Wanna Be Somebody"
83 Evanescence - "Bring Me To Life"
82 Rainbow - "Since You Been Gone"
81 Black Sabbath - "Heaven And Hell"
80 Journey - "Any Way You Want It"
79 Billy Idol - "Rebel Yell"
78 Bad Company - "Feel Like Making Love"
77 Soundgarden - "Black Hole Sun"
76 Lita Ford - "Kiss Me Deadly"
75 The White Stripes - "Seven Nation Army"
74 The Cult - "Love Removal Machine"
73 Thin Lizzy - "Jailbreak"
72 Pat Benetar - "Heartbreaker"
71 Jane's Addiction - "Mountain Song"
70 Foreigner - "Hot Blooded"
69 Living Colour - "Cult Of Personality"
68 White Zombie - "More Human Than Human"
67 ZZ Top - "Tush"
66 Europe - "The Final Countdown"
65 MC5 - "Kick Out the Jams"
64 Rollins Band - "Liar"
63 Survivor - "Eye Of The Tiger"
62 Dokken - "Breaking The Chains"
61 Ratt - "Round And Round"
60 Skid Row - "18 And Life"
59 Billy Squier - "The Stroke"
58 Stone Temple Pilots - "Interstate Love Song"
57 The Kinks - "You Really Got Me"
56 Warrant - "Cherry Pie"
55 Blue Oyster Cult - "Don't Fear The Reaper"
54 Faith No More - "Epic"
53 Steppenwolf - "Born To Be Wild"
52 The Runaways - "Cherry Bomb"
51 Megadeth - "Peace Sells"
50 Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Give It Away"
49 The Stooges - "Search And Destroy"
48 Korn - "Freak On A Leash"
47 Kid Rock - "Bawitdaba"
46 Anthrax - "Madhouse"
45 Foghat - "Slow Ride"
44 Cream - "Sunshine Of Your Love"
43 Dio - "Holy Diver"
42 The Clash - "Should I Stay Or Should I Go"
41 Quiet Riot - "Cum On Feel The Noize"
40 Poison - "Talk Dirty To Me"
39 Boston - "More Than A Feeling"
38 Queen - "Stone Cold Crazy"
37 The Who - "My Generation"
36 Van Halen - "Hot For Teacher"
33 Alice Cooper - "School's Out"
34 Heart - "Barracuda"
33 Green Day - "Basket Case"
32 Ted Nugent - "Cat Scratch Fever"
31 AC/DC - "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
30 Pearl Jam - "Even Flow"
29 Joan Jett - "Bad Reputation"
28 Foo Fighters - "Everlong"
27 Whitesnake - "Still Of The Night"
26 Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird"
25 The Ramones - "Blitzkrieg Bop"
24 Iron Butterfly - "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
23 Ozzy Osbourne - "Crazy Train"
22 Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Hey Joe"
21 Led Zeppelin - "Kashmir"
20 Bon Jovi - "You Give Love A Bad Name"
19 Rush - "Tom Sawyer"
18 Scorpions - "Rock You Like A Hurricane"
17 Twisted Sister - "I Wanna Rock"
16 Kiss - "Rock And Roll All Nite"
15 Motley Crue - "Dr. Feelgood"
14 Iron Maiden - "Run To The Hills"
13 Def Leppard - "Photograph"
12 Judas Priest - "Breaking The Law"
11 Deep Purple - "Smoke On The Water"
10 Motorhead - "Ace Of Spades"
09 Van Halen - "Runnin With The Devil"
08 Aerosmith - "Walk This Way"
07 Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
06 The Who - "Won't Get Fooled Again"
05 Metallica - "Enter Sandman"
04 Black Sabbath - "Paranoid"
03 Led Zeppelin - "Whole Lotta Love"
02 AC/DC - "Back In Black"
01 Guns N' Roses - "Welcome To The Jungle"

I can't beleive there isnt any Slipknot in there

 

[Al_4_State]

The thing about the Beatles is even though they were a great band (i do tend to think they are overrated) and a rock band (not hard rock, but definitely rock and roll by any traditional definition) they don't have that one song that just leaps out as a definitive tune. They have tons great songs, but none that grab you by the throat as truly epic. "Let it Be" or "Hey Jude" are the closest they come, imo. However, John Lennon's "Imagine" has to be in the discussion (not a Beatles song, though).

 

[JokersWild]

Yeah, I think you have to give The Beatles credit for really "starting" something, but that doesn't mean they have to automatically have a great song just because they're "The Beatles".

 

[dmclone]

I think the VH1 Rock list is a pretty good one. The hard rock one is a joke. Anyone that thinks Welcome to the Jungles is ahead of the other top 10 is on crack. Maybe top 20.

 

[JokersWild]

Yeah, I'm not sure who voted on that VH1 top 10, but come on.. "Welcome to the Jungle"? I mean, it's a good song, but does it have the stay power of some of those others?

 

[Wesley]

All Day and All of the Night Kinks

Sunshine of Your Love Cream

Satisfaction Rolling Stones

Light My Fire Doors

Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin

House of the Rising Sun Animals

Born To Be Wild Steppenwolf

Whiter Shade of Pale Procol Harum

 

[cmoneyr]

The thing about the Beatles is even though they were a great band (i do tend to think they are overrated) and a rock band (not hard rock, but definitely rock and roll by any traditional definition) they don't have that one song that just leaps out as a definitive tune.

Yeah you're probably right on that, they don't have that one song....they have about 50.

 

[cmoneyr]

I can't beleive there isnt any Slipknot in there

I can very much believe it. Although any list with Creed on it is immediately suspect.

 

[Angie]

I can't beleive there isnt any Slipknot in there

I'm grateful there isn't any! :smile:

Re: the Beatles - they may not be "hard rock," but they're rock. I don't think this thread specified that it had to be hard rock. Listen to "Revolution" for an example of a song that is more visceral than, say, "I Want to Hold Your Hand." You don't have to like the Beatles, but to say they "suck" is ridiculous - they helped mold popular music/rock. Very few bands that "suck" are that genre-defining.

 

[Wingback]

All Day and All of the Night Kinks

Sunshine of Your Love Cream

Satisfaction Rolling Stones

Light My Fire Doors

Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin

House of the Rising Sun Animals

Born To Be Wild Steppenwolf

Whiter Shade of Pale Procol Harum

You da man, Wesley. You pretty much hit my era. I would add any good old rock n' roll from one of the first five Doobie Brothers albums (the Johnston/Simmons era). Not necessarily the stuff you heard on the Top 40 stations...the great stuff buried on those albums. Just pick one...I'll be fine with it!

 

[djcubby]

Man, no love for Pink Floyd??

Good to see "Hotel California" on the VH-1 list.

Also, my vote for THE #1 is Stairway.

 

[JokersWild]

I'm not sure how you'd actually "rate" the songs anyway.. it's pretty subjective. You'd have to consider songs that carry over from decade to decade as being on the list.

 

[HOTDON]

A lot of good stuff so far. Since I don't think I've seen their name yet; Black Sabbath - "Paranoid". I'm also not sure I've seen "Sweet Emotion". I wouldn't argue that either are the best of all time, but if you were putting a list of the top 50 together it would be a shame to miss either.

I know Teen Spirit is the popular pick to represent the 90's on this list, but as far as helping define a sound and genre, I've always thought Soundgarden's "Outshined" deserved more credit. Those guys made some GREAT albums from the shadows their more marketable contemporaries.

 

[cychhosis]

eric clapton...wonderful tonight,bob seger...turn the page...just to name a few!

I can't like Bob Seger... bashing the state of Iowa ...east of Omaha. Pretty much calls us a bunch of rednecks.:no::no:

 

[Blackhawk6515]

Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones, the sax solo is fantastic.

 

[swammi]

What do you think is the greatest rock song of all time,

personally i think it is "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana

R.I.P. Kurt

I'm sure we were born many years apart, but here goes

Rave On - Buddy Holly

You love the Thunder - Jackson Browne

Life in the Fast Lane - Eagles

Philadelphia Freedom - Elton John

Layla - Eric Clapton

 

[Phaedrus]

Actually, the Beatles are a lot like Shakespeare - They both DID revolutionize their respective fields. And their collective body of work is pretty impressive. But if you start comparing individual works, you realize that Shakespeare just invented the story board and recycled a bunch of character and plot elements, and the Beatles don't have a single earth-shaking song. Frankly, they both benefited greatly from superb marketing and riding the bow wave of popular feeling.

In fact, I find Beatles music kind of irritating. They lacked the soul and primal uncontrolled nature of The Animals and they can't touch the vocal and instrumental quality of the Stones. And that's just comparing them to other Brit invasion groups.