# Great ballads/anthems **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 29, 2022, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-ballads-anthems/958606 "2022-01-29T02:22:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-ballads-anthems/958606/21 "2022-01-31T19:37:21Z")
For something which is both a ballad and an anthem, how about Handbags And Gladrags? The Rod Stewart version probably fits the bill best: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pyD3K7yhTFw/maxresdefault.jpg "Handbags & Gladrags") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyD3K7yhTFw) j ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2022, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-ballads-anthems/958606/22 "2022-02-01T08:40:34Z")
You want great rock ballads? There’s none much greater than Stairway to Heaven. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/QkF3oxziUI4/maxresdefault.jpg "Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven (Official Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkF3oxziUI4) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2022, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-ballads-anthems/958606/23 "2022-02-01T10:38:04Z")
Ballad? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0JzqRIdZ8Rk/hqdefault.jpg "Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Curse of Millhaven (Live)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JzqRIdZ8Rk) Anthem? Mmm, either [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/QZskq-EM8Jo/hqdefault.jpg "The Men They Couldn`t Hang -The Colours (full song) HQ") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZskq-EM8Jo) or this [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/TImbf8AoWTI/maxresdefault.jpg "Billy Bragg, "There Is Power in a Union" (With intro)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TImbf8AoWTI) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2022, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-ballads-anthems/958606/24 "2022-02-01T11:28:48Z")
it’s my life by Bon Jovi.(sort of a sequel to living on a prayer)… and for anthems, there are bad religions "I want to conqueror the world " better off dead " and "hooray for me " for BR the easily offended need not apply ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-ballads-anthems/958606/25 "2022-02-01T16:44:27Z")
Definitely an anthem, at least at Fenway Park: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/GmK5_lnQUbE/maxresdefault.jpg "Sweet Caroline") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmK5_lnQUbE) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-ballads-anthems/958606/26 "2022-02-01T17:30:30Z")
From The Cult’s metal years: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pqcAidqgqmU/maxresdefault.jpg "The Cult - Sweet Soul Sister HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqcAidqgqmU) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-ballads-anthems/958606/27 "2022-02-02T01:53:42Z")
This one’s been stuck in my head the last several days. **Uriah Heep** - “Lady In Black”. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/bYZ2ftVIr0g/maxresdefault.jpg "Uriah Heep - Lady In Black (Official Lyric Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYZ2ftVIr0g) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-ballads-anthems/958606/28 "2022-02-02T02:32:55Z")
_ **Anthem** _, from **Chess** [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lPYB7apWAqM/maxresdefault.jpg "Anthem") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPYB7apWAqM) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-ballads-anthems/958606/29 "2022-02-02T02:48:16Z")
A (sorta) Western song: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CD8EtvWW8nw/hqdefault.jpg "Frank Gallop - The Ballad Of Irving (1966)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD8EtvWW8nw) (Dr. Demento’s version is slightly different.) ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-ballads-anthems/958606/30 "2022-02-02T03:21:26Z")
Anthem? For sure. Ballad? Listen to the lyrics. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3G_oB2kns9Q/maxresdefault.jpg "James Brown - "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" - Live At The L'Olympia, Paris (1966)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G_oB2kns9Q) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-ballads-anthems/958606.md?page=1)