Rock ('n roll) songs about rock ('n roll)

Ozzie Osbourne–“You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll”…his best ballad in my opinion.

Great suggestions folks!

Adding to my own list:

The Who - Long Live Rock (rock is dead)
Loggins & Messina (also others I think?) - Your Mama Don’t Dance (& your Daddy don’t rock 'n roll)

Seems like there has to be some appropriate John Lennon but I haven’t come up with it.

Need some more female voices.

I just did a search and found http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/

The one I like is “Rocanroleando” by Freddie Fender.

Blasphemy, no one has mentioned Kiss yet.

I wanna rock and roll all night, and party every day!!!

How 'bout “Rock and Roll” from the Coup D’Etat album by the Plasmatics, voiced by the lovely and talented (and dead) Wendy O. Williams?

Jon

Kinks:

Rock and Roll Cities
Rock and Roll Fantasy

“…it’s only knock and knowall, but I like it.”

—Genesis, “it” (from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway)

The list is starting to shape up like this:

Andy Kim - Rock Me Gently
Beatles - Rock and Roll music (if you wanna dance with me)****
Billy Joel - Still Rock 'n Roll to Me
Billy Squier - Rock me Tonight
Bloodrock - You Gotta Roll
Bob Seger - Old Time Rock 'n Roll
Boston - Rock & Roll Band
Byrds - So You Wanna Be a Rock 'n Roll Star
Chuck Berry - Sweet Little Rock’n Roller
David Essex - Rock On
Def Leppard - Rock Brigade
Dobie Gray - Drift Away (Give me the beat, boys…)
Elton John - Crocodile Rock
Four Counts - Rock ‘n Roll is Good for the Soul
Heart - Rockin’ Heaven
Hendrix - Rock Me Baby
Huey Lewis - Heart of Rock 'n Roll
Jethro Tull - Too Old To Rock 'n Roll (Too Young to Die)
Joan Jett - I Love Rock ‘n Roll
Johnny Rivers - Rockin’ Pneumonia & the Boogie Woogie Flu
Kiss - I Want to Rock and Roll all Night (and party every day)
Led Zep - Rock And Roll (Been a long long long long time)
Loggins & Messina - Your Mama can’t dance (and your daddy don’t rock 'n roll)
Lou Reed - Rock’n Roll
Neil Young - My My, Hey Hey (Rock ‘n Roll is Here to Stay)
Neil Young - Rockin’ in the Free World
Ozzy Osbourne - Can’t Kill Rock and Roll
Queen - We Will Rock You
Rick Derringer - Rock 'n Roll Hoochie Koo
Steve Miller - (Keep on) Rock’n Me (Baby)
Stray Cats - Rock this Town

Those I have and like for the list. I decided against Cover of the Rolling Stone (Dr Hook) and I Dig Rock and Roll Music (Peter Paul & Mary) which I also have. My copy of Beatles’ “Rock and Roll Music” is damaged so I’ll need to get a better copy. And I’ll need to buy or borrow these:

Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock
John Cougar Mellencamp R.O.C.K. in the USA
Rolling Stones - It’s Only Rock and Roll (but I like it)
AC/DC - For Those About to Rock (we salute you)
The Who - Long Live Rock (rock is dead)
Bad Company? or Kinks? - Rock and Roll Fantasy <-- not sure which version I’ve heard

dont’ know these two but I’m curious:

Danny & the Juniors - Rock and Roll is Here to Stay
Plasmatics (Wendy O) - Rock and Roll

Blue Oyster Cult - Blue Oyster Cult - Cities On Flame :

http://www.lyred.com/lyrics/Blue+Oyster+Cult/Blue+Oyster+Cult/Cities+On+Flame/
Blue Oyster Cult - Spectres - R. U. Ready 2 Rock

http://www.lyred.com/lyrics/Blue+Oyster+Cult/Spectres/R~+U~+Ready+2+Rock/

Well, to be honest, and speaking as a Plasmatics fan, “Rock and Roll” isn’t one of the Plasmatics better songs. You really do have to check out the Supersuckers and Electric Frankenstein songs though.

Jon

Another KISS great one: “Let Me Go, Rock and Roll”

The Ramones -Rock and Roll High School
David Bowie- Rock and Roll Suicide
BB King- Rock me Baby
BB King- Hail Hail Rock and Roll
Rose Tatoo-Rock and Roll Outlaw
Brian Adams(I think) Everywhere we go the kids want to rock(?)

nitroglycerine:

OK, I’ll add them to my “curious & must check out” list :slight_smile:

I’m surprised Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page” hasn’t been mentioned yet. It’s not really about rock music, per se, but about the difficult life of a rock band being on the road and touring.

Another AC/DC tune that fits the bill:

“Rock n Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”

As Mr. Johnson so aptly states in said tune, “Rock n Roll ain’t no riddle, man. To me it makes good, good sense!”

I love that song. :smiley:

Jammer

Paul McCartney - “Venus and Mars/Rock Show”

Davie Bowie - Ziggy Stardust - pretty much the whole album.

Moody Blues - I’m Just A Singer In A Rock And Roll Band (though I hardly consider that song rock n’ roll)

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Watever Happened To My Rock And Roll

The Mekons - Memphis Egypt (not titular, but referenced many times within the song, and off the album entitled Rock ‘N’ Roll. Many of the other songs on the record relate to aspects of Rock And Roll history, such as Eric Burdon and The Animals touring the south US in the 60’s just as the civil rights movement was at it’s highest and most violent point.)

Another couple are -

Elton John - Crocodile Rock
Billy Joel - Still Rock And Roll To Me

I have to say that I would consider those more to be novelty pop though, and pretty antithetical to true rock.

In rereading the OP it sounds as if we’re looking for songs that are about rock 'n roll, not just those with the words in the title. If so then most bands have a song either about life on the road (genarlly seen as a drag, excepf for all those lovely dollars) and/or about the hucksterism and corporate BS that goes with the territory.

Examples of the former

Little Queenie by Lynyrd Skynyrd about an evening with a groupie
**Wanted: Dead or Alive ** by Bon Jovi
Homeward Bound by Simon & Garfunkel, though more folk-pop than

 rock 'n roll, is plenty evocative with it's "every day's an endless stream of
 cigarettes and magazines"

And, of course, dwc1970 pointed out one of the absolute classics, the
mesmerizing **Turn the Page ** by Bob Seger, with the incredible sax work
Examples of the latter

Workin’ for MCA Lynyrd Skynyrd
The Powerman by The Kinks, from “Lola vs. the Powerman & the
Money-Go-Round, Pt. 1” In fact, other songs on the album lash out at
different aspects of the business