I am compiling a list of songs for a marriage in November I am attending, the groom is my good friend (tho I’m not in the wedding) and we both grew up with Led, the doors, pink floyd, metallica, kiss, basically rock&roll.
Anyone have some good suggestions for cool love songs that are from that era?
Led Zeppelin’s pinnacle of romance would have to be “The Rain Song” on Houses of the Holy. The Doors equivalent would probably be “Indian Summer” from Morrison Hotel. Neither is really an uptempo rock song, but “The Rain Song” is pretty climactic.
Kiss has about a million songs that mention love, but my memory cannot bring any up that seem to be about romantic, not physical love, besides “Beth”. I dunno if that would be a good choice, since if you know the backstory, then it is kind of depressing.
Pink Floyd’s songs were usually about Sid’s madness, or Roger’s dad dying in WWII, and I can think of none that would qualify as love songs. I am not familiar with anything Metallica did past '88 or so, but they just weren’t romantic guys back then.
If you do not mind using an older song, Bo Diddley’s “Sweetest Thing” from Go Bo Diddley just plain rocks, it has that Bo Diddley beat!
The Beatles have a lot of love songs, if you and yours have not heard them too much. “Oh! Darling” from Revolver would be good. It is all about devotion. Warning: The Beatles are often far too bittersweet. They longed for their old girlfiriends a lot. Reminding the Bride that the Groom was ever alone in the presence of another woman, at any time in his life, may be a bad idea on this day.
If you think that one noise rock song would not be bad “Sugar Kane” from Sonic Youth’s Dirty would work, and it sounds a lot more like a regular rock song than the types of songs Sonic Youth is known for.
I did the same sort of thing for my wedding a few years ago, I have a pretty large record collection (about 500 albums, 400 or so CD’s). Maybe it was just because of my tastes in music, but it was a tough compilation to make. Since most rock is based off of the blues in one way or another, love is usually expressed in rock by its absence, or with the physical aspects of love being the primary concern. I always liked the music partly because it was honest, but that is not what the relatives, or the bride wants to hear at the wedding. I had to include a lot of songs from other genres (e.g. Country, “Ring of Fire”) to make a 90 minute compilation.
A lot depends on the expected audience. If it is just for him, “Inna-Gadda-Davida” might work. Heck, it might work for the right reception, it would not have for the group of mostly Baptists and Methodists that I was planning on entertaining. I think including it in the ceremony would be right out, just because it would be too much like a Simpsons episode to make anyone comfortable.
I guess that I would have to ask you what were you going to do with the list to give you better suggestions. Hope that it helps.
Here’s a link to a very high quality Variable Bit Rate 192kps mp3 of a cover version I did of “The Rain Song”.
It’s an instrumental only - which I personally prefer - and it’s not quite so guitar oriented as the original - although it certainly has John Bonham’s drumming style in it.
I replaced some of the guitar parts with a Rhodes Electric Piano to give the song a more “gentle” feel - and most people agree that it works very nicely.
You’re welcome to use this on your compilation but please don’t disseminate it elsewhere. The tune isn’t officially copyrighted or approved by Led Zeppelin’s management company - although that’s in negotiation for release.
Be aware however - the mp3 is big - 11MB because of it’s high quality and it runs to just over 8 minutes - but wow, it’s an amazing piece of music. (The songwriting that is). To do cover versions of Led Zeppelin’s songs is pretty rare - it’s hard to improve on the originals - but I’d like to think I’ve come close.
For your edification… http://202.83.95.2/lkmbws/_The_Rain_Song.mp3
Hope you enjoy this enough to put on your compilation. Use the “right click” option to save the file locally on your PC.
Boo Boo Foo - That was amazing. You did that? Fantastic!
And thanks a ton Picker - Very good recommendations.
I made a mix of rock songs that are sort of love-themed for my girlfriend. If you actually get into some of the lyrics, they aren’t exactly the most romantic, but hey its the thought that counts, right? Feel free to steal any or all of it:
Metallica - “Sabra Cadabra”, originally by Sabbath
Cheap Trick - “I Want You to Want Me”
Scorpions - “Loving you Sunday Morning”
Scorpions - “The Rhythm of Love”
White Stripes - “Fell in Love with a Girl”
Led Zeppelin - “Whole Lotta Love”
AC/DC - “You Shook me all Night Long”
Bush - “Chemicals Between Us”
Guns n Roses - “Sweet Child o’ Mine”
Metallica - “Nothing Else Matters”
Led Zeppelin’s Thank You.
But, of course, the original is the only acceptable version.
Why thank you.
Yes, I play all the instruments.
They are, as follows…
A 1973 Fender Telecaster Custom through a 1967 Vox AC30 set to a “u2” 3/16th fading delay.
A 1998 Alembic Studio Master bass.
A Ludwig drumkit.
A 1973 Fender Rhodes.
A 1985 Mellotron.
A Yamaha grand piano.
And what else? Oh yeah, a hammond organ with a leslie speaker.
In particular, I play 3 of the guitar parts from the original with the Rhodes piano, and the main guitar part I play in a U2 “Edge” style setting. It gives the tune that haunting dreamy feel I find.
Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”.
Super good version of that song, Boo Boo Foo. I know how that song goes, but cannot play on the guitar very well, what you play really well on the piano. The heavy delay bugged me for a second ( I listened to that record wayyy too much as a kid ), but i quickly got over it. Nice and Dreamy.
BTW, I am a dope, “Oh! Darling” is on * Abbey Road*, not Revolver. Sorry.
When you say “love songs,” are you only interested in the subject matter, or must the songs fit the mellow “power ballad” format?
There ARE some good, romantic rock and even hard rock songs- they just may not fit with what you have in mind.
The Who’s “Bargain,” for instance, is a great love song (one any “classic rock” fan already knows and likes), but it’s not a mellow ballad, and you can’t dance to it.
If you want to stick to slow, mellow, love songs from well-known rock and/or hard rock acts, there’s always:
“Angel” (or a dozen similar tracks) from Aeromsith
“Lady Jane” by the Rolling Stones
“Here, There and Everywhere” by the Beatles
Boo Boo Foo,
Amazing cover!! im really impressed by your work!! how long did it take you to do that? and where can i hear more stuff by your band!!??
IMHO, the 100% greatest rock love song from that era:
Bad Company - Feel Like Making Love.
Paul Rodgers’ voice. Passion. Great guitar. Doesn’t get any better.
Others:
UFO - Love to Love
Beatles - In My Life; would be wonderful at a wedding.
Not classic rock, but of that era and amazing:
Al Green - Let’s Stay Together. Amazing, passionate - my wife’s and my song together…
Best of luck.
Hey, me too… I mean me and my wife, not me and yours.
Another Paul Rogers good’n is Ready For Love.
Also, don’t forget Emmerson, Lake and Palmer’s In The Beginning.
I’m mentally going back over some tapes I made my wife, then fiance.
Mommas & the Poppas - Dream A Little Dream Of Me
Ted Nugent - Wang Bang Sweet Poonta… naw.
Donovan - Jennifer Juniper
Donovan - Wear Your Love Like Heaven
Clapton - Layla
Trapeeze - Coast To Coast (Somebody help me… Isn’t this the one with “And if I die, soon you’ll be there” or something close?)
The Kinks - Lola