Excerpt from a conversation during a family trip to Sam’s Club on Saturday to obtain ribs and beer for a long day of college football and barbecuing (Texas definition). The players: Pete – driving the car and spouting ill-formed opinions – and The Wife – tolerating my stream-of-consciousness rambling yet again. She Who Shall Not Be Named was seated in the back, doing her best to watch the passing scenery and ignore her old man:
Pete [turning up "Stairway to Heaven" on the radio]: Listen up #1 Daughter, this is the greatest rock and roll song of all time.
The Wife: You really believe that?
Pete: Are you telling me years of music magazine lists and radio station countdowns have been lying to me?
The Wife: Didn’t you used to believe jackalopes were real?
Pete: Jackalopes are real.
Debates over cryptozoology aside, I found myself pondering this question as we filled up the gas tank and I made a failed attempt to impress SWSNBN with my air guitar soloing.
On the way home, we tried coming up with some likely candidates (not to disqualify "Stairway," but it’s possible KLOL was mistaken just this once). Since "rock and roll" is such a huge category, I had sort of a hard time coming up with criteria (aside from "Knowing it when I hear it") to pare down likely "rock" candidates. I’d say the song in question should feature at least some electric guitar. And percussion. Beyond that, maybe some of you music types can help me out.
As far as our own choices went, we threw quite a few titles back and forth at each other before settling on "Me and Bobby McGee" (The Wife) and "Gimme Shelter" (or maybe "Tumblin’ Dice," or "Bastards of Young," or "Your Excuse," or...) for me. Anyone here who’s been married knows the futility of trying to reach consensus on such weighty issues, and we quickly decided to agree to disagree.
Janis Joplin? Blech.
So anyway, what do you think is the greatest rock and roll song of all time?
I'd really like to vote for "Sex Farm Woman" by Spinal Tap but I'll have to go with "Gimme Shelter" by the Stones. Hard to top that one.
The Greatest Rock Song of All Time is the appropriately-named Rock Medley, from the also appropriately-named cd Rock, by none other than Tiny Tim .
Yes, THAT Tiny Tim, of Tiptoe Through the Tulips fame.
The medley combines the likes of Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Joan Jett, Sha-Na-Na, and Bill Haley (with portions of I Love Rock And Roll, Great Balls Of Fire, Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, Shake, Rattle And Roll, Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay, At The Hop, Hound Dog, Don't Be Cruel, and (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear) into a 24+ minute long guitar-wailing, drum-pounding, falsetto-screeching symphony of sonic insanity. AND it's done completely straight--Tiny Tim was earnest and sincere about his tunes, and he poured his heart and soul into this musical mayhem.
I guarantee that anyone who hears this song will never, ever, EVER be able to forget it.
Wow. I don't know if I can even begin to approach this one. You could make valid arguments for thousands of rock tunes. That being said, if I had to pick a Stones tune I think I would go with "Can't You Hear Me Knockin" over "Gimme Shelter." Others in the classic rock vein: "Baba O'Reilly" even though it's horribly overplayed, music and lyrics are quintessential Rock; If I was going to go the Zep route, I think I'd have to go with either "Immigrant Song" or "Kashmir," maybe "Ten Years Gone."
There's also "Death or Glory" by the Clash.
Any number of Beatles tunes.
Any number of Buddy Holly tunes.
Any number of Hendrix tunes.
But, since I just witnessed the second to last Rocket from the Crypt show ever, and since I think they are one of the very best rock bands period, I'm voting for "Young Livers" from their classic "Scream, Dracula, Scream."
Best Rock song ever?
Machine Gun, - Hendrix and Band of Gypsys. Followed closely by any one out of a myraid batch of Cowsills tunes. Now there was a family that rocked.
However, if aliens landed on earth, approached me, and asked, "what is Rock and/or Roll? I would play them, HIGH VOLTAGE by AC/DC, in it's entirety.
"That, my little green friends," I would say, "is rock and roll."
I'm listening to a Charlie Pride recording of "Me and Bobby McGee" right now, and it's hard for me to say, "Yeah, that's the greatest rock and roll song of all time, right there." I'd still put it over "Stairway," though, along with "Gimme Shelter," "Black Dog," and several hundred other songs. "Stairway" is a great song, but it never really hit me as an essentially "rock and roll" song. I'd even take "Aqualung" over "Stairway" for the title.
Ah, Grotesqueticle, you are so very nearly right. But I would vote for Powerage, the AC/DC record that was the soundtrack to my East Texas Dodge Dart drivin' Shiner-swilling adolescence. Aside from being a masterpiece, it is, according to legend, the record that Keef himself uses to demonstrate to his session players precisely how a tight rhythm section should sound. And if you don't believe that Bon Scott was something of a redneck poet, listen to Mark Kozelek's acoustic interpretations of choice AC/DC tunes on his CD What's Next to the Moon. "Up to my Neck in You" is sublime.
But Powerage is a record, and you asked for songs. I agree with the above-posted classics, from Gimme Shelter to Baba O'Riley (I was embarrassingly old before I realized the title was a tribute to Terry Riley).
Aside from the natural AC/DC contenders (Highway to Hell, Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution), let me also nominate any number of songs from the tragically overlooked Rush. Tom Sawyer? Limelight? I airdrummed the shit out of these songs for years.
More recently, Sabotage is a pretty nicely distilled couple minutes of rock, too.
Of course, these are songs that, you know, rock. So no Hey Jude or God Only Knows in this list.
Free Bird, man!
Had to be said. Me, I'd go for something really obscure and crammed full of rock-pseud cachet, like Thela Hun Gingeet or Handsome Gretel.
Actually, Fat Bottomed Girls and Big Dumb Sex are my real favorites.
As for "what is rock", I think we can settle on guitar + backbeat
I think you all are looking at the wrong things. I want a Rock song that is primal, like a role played by Alec Guiness--I want the performer to fade into the background and leave nothing but Rock. AC/DC is out: Every AC/DC song is an AC/DC song.
I lean toward Ballroom Blitz by The Sweet, because it's really different from their big hits, like "Love is Like Nitrogen", but the Tia Carrere cover violates rule #1a --I want there to be lots of cover versions of the song.
"Rock and Roll Music" is in the hunt. Chuck Berry wrote it, The Beatles covered it, and so did Yahoo Serious. But it's still from the precocious stage of Rock, where it was enough to wear your hair long to annoy your elders. I want more meat in my rebellion.
"Ring of Fire" is close, but it doesn't have the Rock ethos. "Folsom Prison Blues" is nearly there. Nothing says Rock like shooting a man in Reno, just to watch him die.
But the real answer, the greatest Rock and Roll song of all time is "I Fought the Law (and the Law Won)". Written in 1959 by the Post-Buddy-Holly Crickets, it's been relevant and interesting for 46 years and has been recorded by The Ramones, The Clash, Hank Williams, Jr, Green Day, The Grateful Dead, Bryan Adams, the Dead Kennedys, and many others.
But, since I just witnessed the second to last Rocket from the Crypt show ever
I hate you.
Whoa, whoa, whoa...RFTC is breaking up!?!? Dammit...first Slobberbone, now this! Pete- if you're a RFTC fan too we're officially seperated at birth.
Best rock song ever: AC/DC "For Those About to Rock." It's a kick-ass rock song dedicated to those who are about to embark on ROCKING....helllooo.
In his book "The Black House" Stephen King says "Gimmie Back My Dog" is the greastest rock song ever written.
Other candidates:
Led Zep: "Rock and Roll"
The Mats "Can't Hardly Wait"
Old 97's "Timebomb" (O.K...*I* enjoy rocking to it)
GnR: "Welcome to the Jungle"
You should've gone with your gut, stood your ground. Stairway all the way...
I recall that rock stations seem to rate ZZ Top's "La Grange" near the top of their Memorial Day Countdown or whatever, sometimes at #1. Even in Massachusetts where I grew up.
As for me... I don't know, really. Rock comes in many flavours. You've got your high-energy can't sit still rock like Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode". You've got your angry self-righteous rock like The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" and Rush's "Free Will". "Stairway" is more like, I dunno, art rock. Inscrutable lyrics, medieval instruments. Don't get me wrong. I like art rock a lot.
But if you want something that is like, elemental rock, you've got to get something that hearkens back to the blues roots of the music. ZZ Top gets close with some of their songs like "Jesus Just Left Chicago". But my vote is for Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love"- specifically the cover by Lonesome George Thorogood.
There's only one answer. "The Night Chicago Died." No question.
Seriously, I have never been able to understand the cult of Zeppelin, their desire to anoint "Stairway" by acclimation onto the peak of Mount Olympus. Stairway was a good song, but off the top of my head I can think of a dozen or two better ones. At this point, Stairway's position is more a meme than anything else -- it's been assumed (or insisted) for so long that some just accept it without question or any kind of thought.
Michael, if we're going to judge based on number of covers, shouldn't McCartney's yawner "Yesterday" be atop the list? ;-)
Oh yeah... now that I'm done slagging on other people's choices or reasoning, here's a few suggestions of my own for others to slag (in no particular order, just that I think they all belong in the discussion):
-- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Rolling Stones
-- Folsom Prison Blues, Johnny Cash
-- Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry
-- Baba O'Reilly, The Who
-- Not Fade Away, Buddy Holly
-- Bliztkreig Bop, The Ramones
-- Sunday Bloody Sunday, U2
-- Sunshine of Your Love, Cream
-- Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix
-- Hotel California, The Eagles
-- Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
Just a few thoughts, anyway.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa...RFTC is breaking up!?!? "
Don, you really didn't know that RFTC was breaking up? Where you been man? That news has been all over the Web since early September. Go to the Swami site (www.swamirecords.com) and the band's site (www.rftc.com) for all the commentary on the last shows in NYC and in San Diego and for a bunch of awesome pics.
Sorry Pete. Didn't know that you were an RFTC fan. That NYC show was our first night out since our son was born six weeks beforehand. The girl and I were going nuts, even with all the hardcore sleep deprivation that we'd experienced.
Best live band--EVER.
'Mudge: No. It fails the "Rock Sensibility Test", the "Magic 105 Test", the "No Whiney Crap Test", and the "Backbeat Test".
Perfectly fine pop drivel, and well-performed, but not The Greatest Rock and Roll Song Evar.
"Won't Get Fooled Again", by the Who. Or possibly "Baba O'Riley".
"Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen.
An ultimate rock song should have teenage uncertainty, motor vehicles, and the redemptive power of rock'n'roll.
Asking people what they think is the Greatest Rock Song of All Time is a little like asking people what their favorite food is. Your answer will depend on your mood.
I will crap out and respond with a Short List of Great Rock Tunes:
I gotta go with either Layla or Sympathy for the Devil.
Sympathy is better than Gimme Shelter for the more interesting backbeat. The thing the Stones, at their best, give you every time is a build of the song. Whether it's Gimme Shelter's iconic two string intro or Gimme Shelters layering, they start in one gear and end in another. It's what gives their sound more sophistication than, say, AC/DC (that's NOT a know on AC/DC) but still allows them to have more punch than, say, The Beatles (see earlier note about this not being a knock).
Meanwhile Leila has all the important things. Great lead? Check. Riff everyone can instantly identify? Check. Lyrics I've felt at one time or another spoke to me personally? Aside from the fact that I'm married to a woman named Leila, I found back in my single days that I reacted to every tough breakup with, "Please don't say/We'll never find a way/Don't tell me all my love's in vain." And, as a guitarist, I'm always torn between listening to Clapton do his level best to make the pentatonic scale cry and listening to Dwayne Allman try to burn a hole in his slide.
Other contenders include The Clash's "Death or Glory," Springsteen's "The River," Joe Cocker's cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends," and Metallica's "Enter Sandman." All of these are iconic, memorable and synthesize all of their influences. But all of them fail on either the "I hear that song and start to dance" or the "That's why I learned to play all those instruments" test. (I play 5, and can hack at more.)
Of course, this leans heavily to rock. For Rock and Roll, it's (hands down, for me) Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High. The height of Phil Spector, before he became scary.
Lots of good candidates already mentioned (Chuck Berry, Zepplin, Rolling Stones, Beatles, etc) so I'll contribute some fresh material. However, most reflect my personal tastes, which I admit is not "lowest common denominator" enough to ever be considered best of all time:
- live version of Jonny Cash's 'Folsom Prison Blues.' You know, the one recorded *in* San Quentin prison. Some might call it country, or blues. But if singing about booze, drugs, and killin' men in front of maximum security inmates isn't the high water mark of rock n' roll I don't know what is.
- Jimmy Hendrix' version of 'Little Wing,' live at Royal Albert Hall, London, February 24, 1969. Spectacular electric guitar work.
- Always turn Drive By Truckers' 'Sinkhole' up to maximum volume. Has not yet stood the test of time, nor has it garned mass appeal, but DBT nailed it on this track.
- Elvis' 'You Ain't Nothin' But A Hound Dog.' They didn't call him The King for nothin'.
- Doobie Brothers 'Long Train Runnin' is a personal fav that I never, ever get tired of.
Rock? Rock 'n' roll? Best song? Most influential? Most quintessential? I mean, I'm as big a Zep fan as I know, but fuck Stairway. Some of my favorite songs have been mentioned that would be high on my list(Baba OReilly, God Only Knows, Time Bomb), but if I was going to say to the little green men, "Welcome to earth, this is rock and roll," I think I'd play "Can't You Hear Me Knockin," "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and maybe some early Beatles tune for balance. That, to me, is rock and roll.
By the way, the school district that employs me has slapped on a new filter on the network that deems this site unworthy. My days seem so much longer...
Define 'song'. If you mean 'rock-and-roll performance that lasts approximately 3m40s and was released as a single', then the winner is unclear. You can make strong arguments for "Gimme Shelter", "Layla", "Whole Lotta Love" or "Black Dog"(NOT Stairway), depending on what flavor of Rock you like. I happen to think the best song ever penned during the heyday of rock was the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows", but that fails the guitar acid test.
If you actually want the greatest rock and roll peformance of all time, you have to go with Mountain Jam, performed at the Fillmore East, and subsequently reengineered for use on Eat a Peach. It's not really a 'song' as it lasts 34 minutes, but as jams go, it's the best ever.