Selecting the top ten rock songs can be as tough as picking the best stones out of a heap of diamonds. All aspects of the song have to be taken into consideration, the lyrics, the music, the audio sound, the video presentation and the actual sales of the song. The category rock is also hard to define. Rock and Metal almost border on each other. The rhythms in rock have changed over the years. It is a mixture of rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country and traces of jazz. Two factors definitely distinguish this genre of music, the singers are white and the electric guitar is used to an overbearing extent, so much so that it can be bone jarring. There may be many other songs, personal favorites of selectors but these ten cannot be ever ignored. The modern version of Rock can be and has been classified under Alternative Rock. Taking all this into consideration these are the all time favorites in Rock:-
1. Pink Floyd – Money
This is a very popular song from the high selling Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon. The released in 1973. The distinctive sound of the song depends on the clever splicing of several different sounds into one track. The different sounds are of coins clinking, cash registers ringing, currency notes being torn and the clear hard sounds of the guitar. This was one of the songs which made the album such a super hit.
2. Guns n Roses – November Rain
This song written by Axl Rose who is also the lead singer of the band Guns n Roses was released in 1992. It is a very long song with lengthy orchestral arrangements. The ending guitar solo by Slash is considered one of the best amongst guitar solos in a song. The popular video of the song shows Axl getting married to his girl friend before a storm ruins the wedding.
3. The Eagles – Hotel California
The authenticity of this ranking cannot be disputed by anyone in the world on a top ten chart. There might be demands of placing it at number one. The song was released in1977 and was written by Don Henley, Don Felder and Glenn Frey. The song sold a million copies within three months of its release. The Eagles also won the album of the year Grammy in 1978. The song’s solo is ranked number eight.
4. Credence Clearwater Revival – Have you ever Seen the Rain
Have you seen the rain was released in 1971 and was written by John Fogerty for the band Credence Clearwater Revival. It records the end of personal idealism of the band a nostalgia for the good times that do not last too long. The song keeps getting revived and replayed in movies and televisions shows. It is from the album Pendulum.
5. Coldplay – Viva la Vida
This is an example of alternative rock and the British invasion of the American Rock scene. Viva la Vida is the collective writing effort of the entire band of Cold Play. The song was released in 2008 and won the Grammy for the Song of the year in 2009. It was a hit in both the UK and the USA. It is one of the few songs which have had 4 million paid downloads. Viva la Vida means ‘long live life’ in Spanish.
He towers over everyone else with his musical genius. He gave us words which embodied the pathos and angst of his generation and where the listeners identified themselves with the feelings and emotions which were a part of the song. He is the most influential songwriter of his times and all of us are familiar with his compositions such as The Times they are a-changing and Blowing in the Wind.
The amazing music that the Beatles gave us is the result of songs written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Music was never the same again after they burst on the scene and each song of theirs seems to be better than the last. Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, the entire album of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club, the list just goes on and on. After the group broke up Lennon and McCartney continued to compose songs individually. Lennon’s genius was cut short by his murder but McCartney continues to write songs even today.
A major figure for over 50 years in the field of rock music, David Bowie has not only been a singer, songwriter but also a record producer. The intellectual depth of his work sets him apart from the general run of the mill songwriters and he has been nominated among the Top 50 Rock Artistes of all times. His repertoire includes songs such as Let’s Dance, Ashes to Ashes and Under
A brilliant musician and songwriter, along with Garfunkel he gave us some of the most heart-warming songs of all times. Even after breaking up with Garfunkel he has continued to bring forth great songs. The film The Graduate owes a great deal to their inspiring music and to date we can hear Bridge Over Troubled waters and Sounds of Silence again and again.
The Boss writes music which reflects the angst and frustration of the ordinary folks. He gives us pathos and dreams, he gives us anger and reflection and his songs are for all times. He is his own best performer since his voice seems to suit his words very well, but the fact remains that his words will probably live longer than his own singing.
Numb is Linkin Parks most famous song ever from Linkin Parks second album “Meteora”. This nu metal song is a brilliant song which topped the charts for 12 whole weeks, which makes it the most successful and only song that stood on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart for 2 years.
Written and composed by Linkin Park, Papercut is the first single from Linkin Park in their first ever album Hybrid Theory. Papercut was a song that was written by Chester from experience of his childhood drug abuse and constant fighting. It’s a song about a strong individual who looks out for himself, who is haunted by paranoia.
Linkin Park had a great start with its first album named “Hybrid Theory”. Experiment with their music and the inclusion of a mixer with a rapper is what gave them the reputation they have today. In the End was another great song from their first album. The song was written to show persons failure and telling people that in the end all will be alright.
The Catalyst is the 14th single from Linkin Parks latest album “A Thousand Suns”. In this experimental album, Linkin Park got great reviews from the critics and had topped the US billboard Rock Song chart and got #20 spot in Billboard Hot Digital Songs.
I’m sure all of you must have seen the Transformers movie! Linkin Park provided the theme song for it, giving it some extra advertisement to the already great song. What Ive Done is Linkin Parks first single from their third album “Minutes To Midnight”.
Downloading music has never been made easier since the introduction of Napster. Despite the turbulence period that it went through after being accused of piracy that saw it being shut for a significant amount of period, napster has continued to be the number one leading website for legal music download. Majority of sites used today for downloading music found their base on napster.
Probably one of the biggest successes of Apple sore since the introduction of iPhones and iPods, iTunes has become one of the most preferred stops for music downloads. It boasts of having some of the latest hits from leading celebrities of the present age. From the site, you can download virtually everything that you need, e.g. audio, mp3 and movies.
At number three is Real Rhapsody. It has gained popularity over the past few years. The site boasts of some of the best features. What makes the site one of the best of its times? Foremost, the site has different offers depending on the service you want access to. Payment for downloads has also been simplified with availability of payment options such as credit card, paypal and online check.
At number four is eMusic. The site has managed to earn its place amongst the top ten lists due to the range of features it makes available from the site. Moreover, it has an appropriate price planning that makes it easier for anybody to download music. Unlike other sites such as iTunes that provides one with better file organization this lacks in eMusic.
Amazon is popularly known for providing a platform for buyers and sellers from around the world to buy and sell whatever commodity that they have. Nonetheless, you can be able to buy and download music of all genres from Amazon Mp3 with ease. In addition, the site does provide different payment options, e.g. credit card, paypal or online check to facilitate purchase of music with ease.
The song is brilliant and Jeff Buckley’s voice is beautiful, to say the least. However, the lyrics are so depressing that you will want to kill yourself before the song ends. It’s a pretty song which mixes breakup with a breakdown and talks a lot about loneliness.
Pink Floyd is known to have created some of the best songs ever and this one is not an exception. If you come out alive after listening to Lover, You Should Have Come Over, make sure you listen to the lyrics of this song which talk about having an unresponsive and indifferent attitude towards the world.
The fact that Ian Curtis had unmistakable suicidal tendencies becomes apparent in this song. The lyrics talk about how ‘we’ knocked on hell’s doors and forced ‘ourselves’ in. It is quite a breaking taking ode to suicide.
This song is laced with every depressing theme you can think of- mutilation, annihilation, alienation and deprecation. Richey James Edward was clearly emotionally unstable and the fact that he disappeared without a trace in 1995 makes it easy to understand why he wrote such mind-numbingly depressing lyrics.
When this song was released, it became clear that the band was a part of the ‘goth pop’ genre. The lyrics centre around a woman who is stuck in a dark society and how she drowns herself to make it end. The atmosphere surrounding the song is dark and depressing enough to make you want to cry yourself to sleep.
This song is about a farmer who finds massive amounts of cocaine in the hay at his farm. After consulting his brother, he takes it to Dallas and ends up making millions. He sells his farm and buys another one in a different part of the world. It explores a different outlook as far as cocaine is concerned and because an entrepreneurial angle has been tapped into, it is among the best ever made.
This song is interesting and is quite disturbing, to say the least. The lyrics need not be analyzed because they are quite straight-forward and easy to understand. The character in the song does not miss any opportunity to light up and do what he has to.
My Michelle is about a woman whose father works with pornographic material and her mother is never around. She adored heroin at one times but it stopped agreeing with her after a certain point. Unfortunately, it is based on real-life events but thankfully the woman cleaned up and lived happily ever after.
This song by Lynyrd Skynyrd is as bizarre as the man himself. One particular verse talks about how the central character is traveling in a new car with whiskey bottles all around him and a tree comes in his way. The air is full of smoke and he has taken too much coke which is why he needs to carry out some serious introspection.
The Eagles are world-renowned for their ambiguous and uncertain songs which leave a lot to the imagination. The best portion of the song talks about how some people host outrageous and loud parties and pay massive bills the next day. One verse talks about how the drug covers every inch of the room.
Everybody would agree that this song by the legendary singer deserves the number one spot on this list. It was terrifying when it came out because the video made use of a gruesome set and ghastly creatures. Needless to say, it is still as scary.
This song has also been a part of many Horror film soundtracks which is why it should be part of your track-list as well. Mick Fleetwood plays the drums through the song and does so in such a way that the beat will send chills down your spine.
Tubular Bells will strike a chord among those who are fans of The Exorcist. It plays in the film when the mother is walking home in the beginning. The scene shows Washington in a dark light as well as some trick or treating children. The song makes you mellow enough just to introduce you to Regan. What could be scarier?
This song is quite popular amongst those who are avid watchers of horror films. The beat and Latin lyrics come together to give the song a very spooky feel but once you translate it, it is quite inane.
Even though this is a remake, this version is definitely much more suited for a Halloween party. The original is quite amazing as well but this one is darker and spookier- which is not surprising when Marilyn Manson is involved.
Sung by Randy Travis, this song took the world by storm in 1987. The album was a part of the billboard charts for almost 4 months! Even though the country singer could not compete with himself afterwards, he did win the hearts of many music lovers all over the world with this particular ballad.
This song by Garth Brooks is definitely his best even though some people believe that The Dance is much better. The lyrics are easy to remember and the music is soothing and upbeat at the same time. It will be stuck in your head in no time, mainly because it is so easy to sing along to!
Patsy Cline has a dramatic and eerie voice- but in a good way. She hits all the notes as perfect as is humanly possible and adds her own melodious touch to it. If the best female country singer was to be chosen, she’d win hands down. This song highlights her positive points and is the best of the best.
Another female country singer, this one may not be as unique or up there as Patsy Cline but she practically oozes with talent. This particular song helped her create a permanent spot for herself in the industry and can be heard at weddings every where!
Willie Nelson is among the best country singers alive today and even though this particular track is associated with Elvis Presley, he did a great job with it too. That being said, almost all his songs are good enough to become unforgettable classics one day.
This movie had a very funky soundtrack and was Howard Shore’s baby. It was directed by Tim Burton and was extremely funny. The music was both soothing and startling at the same time and managed to capture hearts all around the world.
This breathtaking film had an equally remarkable soundtrack. The music manages to merge in with the beautiful scenery and is such that it is laced with grace and timelessness. The movie and the soundtrack are both classics and intensely beautiful.
This movie’s soundtrack is undoubtedly the most inspirational of its time. Composed by Maurice Jarre, it is peppered with well picked out themes like revolution, rebellion and paranoia. The fact that it is brilliant was clearly recognized as it won an Oscar.
This eerie remake was better than the original simply because of its soundtrack. It was picked out in such a way that it merged in with the overall theme of the movie and kept its peculiar style alive till the closing credits started rolling. Dracula’s soundtrack was as terrifying as the movie and it is not surprising that it did as well as it did.
Breakfast At Tiffany’s is undoubtedly a classic which is not surprising as the legendary Audrey Hepburn was a part of the cast. One particular song won an Academy Award as it was the highlight of a remarkable soundtrack. The movie was graceful and beautiful and the soundtrack has kept it alive all these years.
This song was written by Phil Collins and won an Oscar for Best Original Song. The music was so brilliant that it allowed Phil Collins to relaunch his career and get back in the game.
This song was written by Ray Gilbert and Allie Wrubel. It became so popular that Disney used the melody for a majority of their movies and shows for several years. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah was catchy and upbeat and became an integral part of pop culture at the time.
Many people don’t like this song because it does not fit in with the theme of the movie. The scene it plays in has a homeless woman walking around giving bread crumbs to the birds and the locals. This beautiful song by the Sherman Brothers made the scene memorable, to say the least.
This song by Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menkin won an Oscar in 1995 for Best Song. People loved it so much that it featured in the American pop charts for held the #4 slot for many weeks. It is the best in the movie and the lyrics capture the view point of Native Americans perfectly.
This song is considered to be amongst the best songs ever written for a motion picture. It was written by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey and raised the bar considerably. Not only that, but it also influenced the Jazz genre and those women who believe that their prince charming will arrive by the end of it all.
