Rate These Legendary Rock Songs And Get The Perfect Muscle Car
- by Ericka
- – on
- in Entertainment
What we know today as rock music originated as "rock and roll" in the early 1950's. It is a great big melting pot of all different sorts of music styles, R&B and Blues music. It started up in the United States with artists like Elvis Presley, who were influenced by African American musical artists. The 60's brought about "pop rock" and musicians like the Beach Boys, and the "British Invasion" of rock which brought the world iconic bands like the Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
As the years went by rock grew and branched out into several different genres like Garage, Psychedelic, Glam and Hard Rock. The Hard Rock Era in the last 60's brought us the rockers that most would consider the "classics" like Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC. Hard Rock led to Punk, then New Wave and Alternative which branches out a bunch of different genres on its own.
Rock music has been associated with a number of things over the years- youth, strong emotions, living life on the edge or to the fullest. And cars, we don't know exactly why cars are associated with rock music so often, maybe because the tempo and rhythm of the music gets a heart pumping like riding in a fast car would, or maybe because they came to be around in the same era. Rate these rock songs and get a muscle car to jam along down the road in.
Boulevard of Broken Dreams
This rock song is from the band Green Day and is one of the songs from their 2004 album. The song was inspired by lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong's, time in New York City, and how alone he felt as he took walks through the city. The title is from a painting by Austrian-Irish artist Gottifriend Helnwein.
All Along The Watchtower
This song was originally done by the singer-songwriter Bob Dylan but is widely known for its cover by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was released as a single in the US and in the UK in 1968 and reached number five in the British charts and number twenty in the Billboard charts.
Animal I Have Become
This song is a single from, Canadian rock band, Three Days Grace's second album. It stayed at the top of the rock charts in the United States for seven weeks. It was written by the lead vocal artist Adam Gontier, as recovered. It is also the first song with band member Barry Stock, who joined the band as the lead guitarist in 2003.
Another Brick in the Wall
Another Brick in the Wall is a collection of three songs created by Pink Floyd. Part 2 of the series of songs is the most widely known, and is the only number one hit of theirs to span across the United States, the United Kingdom and several other countries.
Behind Blue Eyes
This song is from the The Who's fifth album, Who's Next, and was originally written for Pete Townshend's Lifehouse project, a science fiction rock opera. This hard rock song is one of the band's most famous works and has been covered by many different artists over the year. Including the band Limp Bizkit.
Bohemian Rhapsody
This iconic song is from the one and only British rock band Queen, written by Freddie Mercury himself. It is apart of the Queen album, A Night at the Opera and remains one of Queen's most popular songs of all time. It was even inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004!
Born To Be Wild
Though this song is more about riding motorcycles than cars, Born to Be Wild is still a good pick for this list. It was written by Mars Bonfire and performed for Steppenwolf, their third single on their 1968 album. It is considered to be their most successful song, and was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Californication
This rock song is by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and it released as a single in 2000. The song is about the dark side of Hollywood and the movie industry. It has several references to pop culture, including the Star Wars movies, and several different artist including Kurt Cobain from Nirvana. It is thought to be one of the band's most popular songs.
Carry On My Wayward Son
This rock song is a single by Kansas for the 1976 album Leftoverture. It is one of the more popular and iconic songs from the band, especially with its use in the television series, Supernatural. In 1977, it won the coveted 11th spot on the US Billboard Hot 100, which marked the band's first time making it into the top 20's.
Creep
This song is by alternative rock band Radiohead. It debuted on their first album, Pablo Honey in 1992. It become a worldwide hit, but ironically the members of the bad grew tired of it and refused to play it at concerts. It wasn't until 2001 at their encore concert in South Park, Oxford that they played the song again.
Don't Stop Believin'
This song is from the iconic rock band Journey, the second single from their 1981 album Escape. It has been thought of as a "perfect rock song" and is the best selling digital track of the 20th century within the United States. It's been used in popular culture over the years, including the TV show, The Sopranos. It was also used in a 2017 commercial for the Nissan Rogue.
Smells Like Teen Spirit
This song is from the iconic band Nirvana. It is from the band's 1991 album, Nevermind. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is considered to be the band's biggest hit. It is considered to be an "anthem" for the kids of Generation X. Even after Kurt Cobain's passing, it is still considered one of the greatest songs of all time, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame under "The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", in 1997.
Feel Good Inc
The debut of the virtual band Gorillaz, was unlike anything the rock genre had seen. And the band's song "Feel Good Inc" is the only song to reach the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was written and performed by Damon Albarn who is the co-founder, lead vocalist and songwriter of the band. The song also featured the hip-hop group De La Soul.
Give Me a Sign
This song is from the band Breaking Benjamin. It is from their 2009 album Dear Agony. This alternative rock song reached number 97 on the Billboard Hot 100. It did a lot better on Billboard's rock charts, reaching number 10 on the Alternative chart and number 6 on the Mainstream Rock chart in 2010.
I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor
This indie rock band was formed in 2002 and made a name for themselves via the internet, gaining popularity through a fanmade MySpace account. "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" is their first single on their debut studio album. They performed the song at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics and it is considered one of their most famous tracks.
I Will Follow You Into the Dark
This song is by Death Cab for Cutie, and was the third single from the 2005 album, Plans. While it is the lowest charting single of the band's, it's their best selling single, the most, commercially, played on radio stations and has been covered by several different music artists. It has also been used in various movies and TV shows.
Jump
This is a song by Van Halen off of their 1983 album, 1984. Though the inspiration for the song was about a news report David Lee Roth saw about a man threatening to jump from a building, the songs lyrics are about love. It reached the number 1 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 and is their most popular song.
Love Bites (So Do I)
Halestorm debuted their first album in April of 2009. They are known for how often they are on tour, performing as many as 250 shows a year! "Love Bites (So Do I), is the lead single of their second album and won them a Grammy in 2013 for the "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Performance".
Numb
This song is from the rock band Linkin Park and was the third single from their 2003 album, Meteora. It is one of their most acclaimed and well known songs, with it staying at the top of Billboard's Alternative Songs chart for over 10 weeks. Linkin Park did a collaboration with the rapper Jay-Z, remixing the song with Jay-Z's "Encore", which earned them a Grammy.
Paint It Black
This song is from the English rock band the Rolling Stones and was written by both Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. It made it to the number 1 spot in the UK Singles Charts and Billboard Hot 100, and was the band's third number one hit in the US. It is the first number one hit to feature a Sitar. It has prompted many covers, used in film and compilation albums over the years.
Pompeii
This song is from English indie rock band Bastille. It was the single for their 2013 album. Pompeii was the band's breakthrough hit, and was the UK's most streamed single until June of 2014. It even reached the top ten charts of fifteen countries world wide. It is considered to be Bastille's most successful single so far.
Pour Some Sugar on Me
This song is from the English rock band Def Leppard. It is from their album Hysteria. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" sent the album to the number 1 spot in the Top Pop Albums, and reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1991 the music video was ranked number 1 on MTV's "Top 300 Videos of All Time".
Radioactive
This song is by the rock band Imagine Dragons. It first came out under their debut EP Continued Silence and then on their debut studio album Night Visions. It is a mix of alternative and electronic rock, with dubstep elements. It was the band's first top 10 single in 2013 and won them the Grammy for "Best Rock Performance".
Riders of the Storm
This song is by the psychedelic rock band the Doors. It released on their 1971 studio album, L.A. Woman. The guitarist for the band, Robby Krieger says the inspiration for the song was the 1948 cowboy/western song, "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend". In 2009 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Rockstar
This song is from the Canadian rock band Nickleback. It is a song from their 2005 album, All the Right Reasons. The song is about a wannabe rockstar that fantasizes about wanting money, cars and woman that is expected to come from the rockstar lifestyle. There were a lot of mixed views on the song, some considering it to be the band's worst, but the song went Platinum in the UK and sold over four millions copies in the US.
Roxanne
This song is from the English rock band The Police. It was on their 1978 debut album Outlandos d'Amour and written by the lead singer and bassist Sting. The song made it on the Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list, and it was number 85 on VH1's "100 Greatest Rock Songs". At th 2007 Grammy's, the band played this song as a live performance, kicking off their 30th Anniversary Reunion tour.
Say Amen
This song is from the pop rock band Panc! at the Disco. It is the lead single for their 2018 album, Pray for the Wicked. The music video for the song, "Say Amen (Saturday Night)", is a prequel to the band's music video for their 2013 song "This is Gospel". "Say Amen is their first number one single on a Billboard chart.
School's Out
This song is from Alice Cooper, and is the title track of the band's fifth album. It was written by Alice Cooper himself, and is his first major hit single. It was put on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and was named the 35th best hard rock song by VH1 in 2009.
Seven Nation Army
This song is from the rock duo, the White Stripes. It is the lead single of their album, Elephant. The song is known for its underlying riff, and is part of what makes it the rock duo's signature song. It reached the number one spot on the Alternative Songs chart in 2003 and won a Grammy for the Best Rock Song.
Stairway to Heaven
This song was created by one of the most iconic rock bands of all time, Led Zeppelin. It was released in 1971, on their fourth untitled album. There are three sections to the song, with each one becoming faster and louder than the previous one. It is considered to be "one of the greatest rock songs of all time". It is even in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
Sweet Home Alabama
This song is by the Southern rock band Lynryd Skynrd. It debuted in their 1974 album, Second Helping. Sweet Home Alabama was written in response to two of Neil Young's songs, Southern Man and Alabama. The song has gathered quite a few awards and recognition, including being ranked CMT's number 1 "Greatest Southern Rock song" in 2006 and used on the Top Gear's Greatest Driving Songs in 2007.
The Hand That Feeds
This song is by the industrial rock band, Nine Inch Nails. It was the lead single for their 2005 album, With Teeth. In 2005 the band included a link of a file of the song, allowing anyone who had the computer program, GarageBand, to remix the song. The Hand that Feeds is the highest charting song by the band.
The Pretender
This song is from the alternative rock band the Foo Fighters. It was a single for the 2007 album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. Frontman Dave Grohl once said in a 2007 interview that the song wasn't originally planned for the album. But it became everyone in the band's favorite song after they recorded it. It is one of their most successful songs.
The Scientist
This song is from the British rock band Coldplay was a part of their 2002 album. It was a collaboration between all the members. The song is driven by the beautiful sounds of a piano, created by lead singer Chris Martin. It is one of the songs that the band always play during their live sets since 2002.
Thunderstruck
Thunderstruck is the work of Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the lead single for the 1990's album Razor's Edge. It is one of the only songs from their older albums that the band still plays live in concerts. In 2010 it topped in Melbourne, Australia's Triple M's Ultimate 500 Rock Countdown.
Walk This Way
This song is from the hard rock band Aerosmith and debuted as a single for their Toys in the Attic album. The very beginnings of the song was crafted in Honolulu, when the band opened for the The Guess Who. It was one of the songs that both helped put them into the mainstream of music in the 70's and renewed their careers in the 80's when the song was covered by Run-D.M.C.
Welcome to the Jungle
This song is by the rock band Guns N'Roses and debuted on their 1987 album. The inspiration for the song was from a time when the band's lead vocalist, Axl Rose, was visiting a friend in Seattle. He found himself comparing Seattle to Los Angeles. It was also inspired by another moment, where Axl and a friend of his encountered a homeless man who tried to scare them, yelling at them that New York was a "jungle".
With or Without You
This song is by the Irish rock band U2 and was released on their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. The lyrics were written by Bono and are inspired by the troubling feelings he had about his life as a musician conflicting with his life as a family man. At the time it was their first number one hit in the United States and Canada and is one of their most covered and well known songs.
You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
This song is by the band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, or BTO. It was released on their 1974 album, Not Fragile. The iconic stutter of the song, was intended as a joke by the band's songwriter and lead guitarist Randy Bachman for his brother. But it ended up making its way on the album, stutter and all and became their only number hit in the United States.
You Really Got Me
This song is from the British rock band The Kinks as the band's third single. The song was written by the band's vocalist and lead songwriter, Ray Davies.It was influenced by the works of Lead Belly and Big Bill Broony, two blues musicians from the United States. This song made the band one of the top "British Invasion" musicians to hit the US.
