Of the 1000’s of songs that hit the charts and many more that didn’t it’s quite the task to pick the best 100 of the lot…people’s tastes differ and this list may not reflect everyone’s concept of what constitutes a rock classic…
popularity is just one issue in determining what is a rock classic…some artists/groups had very poor showings on major charts but had a loyal and very active cult following…
there is also the quality of the song, the music and the lyrics…a song that continually repeats the same lyrics over and over may make for a good dance tune but it makes for a lousy rock classic…
although, having said that, there are some songs that have repetitive lyrics that do qualify as rock classics for other reasons…
most people, when arranging a list like this, from what I’ve seen on the Net, take very little thought into the songs they include…if they like it they include it…
a true rock classic is typically a song that has usually some meaning or story, and helped to mold/shape the artists and music of it’s day…
this list hopes to be a little bit more thoughtful…a little bit more discerning…a little bit more Rock N’ Roll.
This list is in no specific order of importance…the first song does not mean we consider it to be number one…
however the list is arranged by decade…so the first songs you’ll see are from the 60’s, then the 70’s, and so on.
As always the links go to the song we posted on Blip…however at different times these songs may or may not be available, and we have no control over the fickle nature of Blip.
These songs may not reflect their release date, but may rather reflect the decade they became popular, received international air-play, or reached a major chart ranking.
100 Greatest Rock Classics: 1960-1999
The 60’s
Beatles – A Day in the Life
The Rolling Stones – Satisfaction
Beach Boys – Good Vibrations
Righteous Brothers – You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling
The Temptations – My Girl
Jimi Hendrix – Purple Haze
The Doors – Light My Fire
Cream – Sunshine of Your Love
Procol Harum – A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin
The Who – My Generation
Jimi Hendrix – All Along The Watchtower
Animals – House Of The Rising Sun
Jefferson Airplane – Somebody To Love
Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds Of Silence
Four Tops – Reach Out, I’ll Be There
The Mamas & the Papas – California Dreamin
Buffalo Springfield – For What It’s Worth
Beatles – Day Tripper
Tommy James & the Shondells – Crimson and Clover
Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild
Cream – White Room
Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil
Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A’Changin’
Donovan – Sunshine Superman
The 70’s
Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven
John Lennon – Imagine
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Free Bird
Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way
Boston – More Than A Feeling
Aerosmith – Dream On
Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2
The Sex Pistols – Anarchy in the UK
Deep Purple – Smoke on the Water
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Who’ll Stop the Rain
Led Zeppelin – Kashmir
Blondie – Heart of Glass
James Taylor – Fire and Rain
Black Sabbath – Paranoid
Free – All Right Now
Blue Oyster Cult – (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
Santana – Black Magic Woman
The Ramones – I Wanna Be Sedated
David Bowie – Changes
Bob Seger – Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Chicago – Saturday in the Park
The Eagles – One of These Nights
Three Dog Night – One
The 80’s
Prince – When Doves Cry
Madonna – Like a Virgin
Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine
U2 – With or Without You
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll
Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want To Have Fun
AC/DC – You Shook Me All Night Long
Metallica – One
Prince – Purple Rain
Clash – Rock the Casbah
Bon Jovi – Livin’ On a Prayer
Berlin – Take My Breath Away
Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar On Me
Duran Duran – Hungry Like the Wolf
Tears For Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule the World
Robert Palmer – Addicted To Love
Scorpions – Rock You Like a Hurricane
Fine Young Cannibals – She Drives Me Crazy
Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax
Z.Z.Top – Legs
U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday
John Lennon – (Just Like) Starting Over
Madonna – Like a Prayer
Go-Gos – Our Lips Are Sealed
The 90’s
Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
R.E.M. – Losing My Religion
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under The Bridge
Eric Clapton – Tears In Heaven
Oasis – Wonderwall
Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun
Metallica – Enter Sandman
Santana and Rob Thomas – Smooth
Sheryl Crow – All I Wanna Do
Rage Against The Machine – Killing In The Name
Stone Temple Pilots – Plush
Green Day – Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
R.E.M. – Everybody Hurts
Smashing Pumpkins – Today
Alice In Chains – Man In The Box
Counting Crows – Mr. Jones
Stone Temple Pilots – Interstate Love Song
Third Eye Blind – Semi-Charmed Life
Blind Melon – No Rain
Barenaked Ladies – One Week
Aerosmith – I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing
Matchbox 20 – 3 AM
Smash Mouth – All Star
Blink 182 – All the Small Things
Creed – Higher
You might want to check out our one-hit wonder collection lists:
One-Hit Wonders: Popular and Rare
One-Hit Wonders of the 60’s: Popular and Rare
Top Twenty One-Hit Wonders in the UK: 1960-1999
Top Ten One-Hit Wonders of the 90’s
Top Ten One-Hit Wonders of the 80’s
Top Ten One-Hit Wonders of the 70’s
Top Ten One-Hit Wonders of the 60’s
also our number-one hit collections:
Number One Hits in the UK: 1960s
Number One Hits in the UK: 1970s
Number One Hits in the UK: 1980s
Number One Hits in the UK: 1990s
also our hit collections:
Rock Classics: Remembering the Classics…songs that never made our other lists
Rock Classics: Remembering the Classics…songs that never made our other lists : Part Two
Rock Classics: that almost never get played anymore
Rock Classics: that almost never get played anymore: Part Two
Rock Classics: that almost never get played anymore: Part Three
Weird and Wacky Rock Classics: sometimes NSFW
No kiss songs?
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