Rolling Stone did this list about fifteen years ago and chose to go with 100 songs. So you had 90 songs picked out of a hat and slapped down on a piece of paper and then 10 that arguably made sense as to why one rock songs was better than the other. All this stuff has been, is now, and always will be subjective. It doesn't mean we can't argue about it. What I don't understand is what people even consider rock any more. During the late 90's I found Jewel in the rock section of a corporate music store. So what I did, was take five songs, FIVE, that weren't just rock but to me represented the definition of what a Rock song IS.
Love Removal Machine- The Cult: I don't care what your opinion is, THAT'S a fucking rock song. Its got a great riff, heavy intro and a little cowbell. You don't need anything else to make a great rock song
You Shook Me All Night Long- ACDC: The Power chord sounding is all time best this side of Tony Iommi. There is an old saying, which isn't actually a saying but more of a mantra dedicated to a lifestyle choice. SEX, DRUGS, and ROCK AND ROLL. This song is all of that. In everybody's individual thought, the girl Brian Johnson sings about looks different. She could be a brunette, she could be tall, chubby, British, whatever, but she's something to strive for and the goal of getting out on the streets in search of some love inside those AMERICAN THIGHS. If this isn't rock then please tell me what is?
Sweet Child Of Mine- Guns and Roses: So many of rock's best work is about a girl. Rarely though does an artist leave himself so vulnerable after tearing his heart out for a girl. Axl Rose is one of rocks bad boys, and Guns and Roses is one of the most baddass, kick ass bands in the stratosphere, so the heart wrenching lyric of "Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place where as a child I'd hide, and wait for the thunder and the rain to quietly pass me by" might get drowned out by Matt Sorums thunderous beat, Duff's powerful bass line, and one of the greatest guitar intros to ever grace our presence.
Free Bird- Lynard Skynard: Go to any concert. See that blind opera singer and chances are some drunken wise ass who got dragged to the show by a potential conquest might yell out for FREE BIRD during the encore. It's been a part of American rock history since the day it was introduced to us. Losing close friends and family is a part of life, one that won't go away no matter how painful it might be. This song took an inevitable pain and turned it into something as beautiful to embrace as death is difficult to understand. By the time the six minute plus solo kicks in, you've been floored by those simple and honest lyrics, and you're just waiting to be lifted away
Born to Run- Bruce Springsteen: We all have been desperate to move forward. Weather it was getting out of parents house, high school, college, a new job, the state, the country, we all wanted to take that next step which was as scary as it was exciting, and we wanted someone to take it with. All of that desperation, and angst was suppressed in Bruce Springsteens heart for 25 years and let out the moment he sang the opening line. He never took a breath through the entire song, and by the songs end he ran out of words but NOT THE NEED TO BE HEARD. Tramps like us. Prisoners of rock. Music that helped us escape through the years, and the same music we'll never escape
These songs. To me. This is the definition of rock
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