# What's your "perfect" rock song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466 "2010-09-03T04:53:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/61 "2010-09-04T02:24:03Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > [Running on Empty](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub0OC1fsl1s) by Jackson Browne. The dates work with my age and it’s just a great foot-tapping rock song! _AND_, it’s about… Rock and Roll. And the effects of taking it on the road. Which brings up a good point. What is the archetypal rock song _about?_ I’d say love (the whole gamut from scoring to unrequited love to a spiritual oneness… or all of the above). So, sorry, Jackson, I’m gonna go with Beatles (“Saw Her Standing There” maybe) or Stones (“Let’s Spend the Night Together”) or Springsteen (“Rosalita” or “Thunder Road”). ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/62 "2010-09-04T03:05:32Z")
Rock ‘n’ Roll is about anything that could conceivably cause teenage angst, or anything that could possibly result from it. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/63 "2010-09-04T03:51:20Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Rock ‘n’ Roll is about anything that could conceivably cause teenage angst, or anything that could possibly result from it. Excellent answer. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/64 "2010-09-04T09:24:59Z")
Hard to say, but it was probably sung by Paul Rodgers at some point. “Feel Like Makin’ Love” “Bad Company” “All Right Now” …and then he was touring with Queen recently, so there’s that catalog… ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Cheese\_Whiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Capt\_Cheese\_Whiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Cheese_Whiz)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/65 "2010-09-04T10:11:30Z")
Nearly every cliche of “rock” got mentioned within the first 10 posts, yet no one mentioned “The Weight” by The Band? ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/66 "2010-09-04T11:05:58Z")
> [@Moonchild](#): > > [Even the Losers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E30XxSYgmqo)by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. > > It’s about love and reminiscence and pain. Great stuff. > > There was a similar thread raised a ways back when someone asked if/proclaimed that Bohemian Rhapsody was the greatest rock song ever. The debate kept coming back to \*\*Radar Love \*\*by Golden Earring. I endorse this message 😃 Great tunes, Moonchild. A couple of my picks: _[Electric Worry](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx6FV2qR2TY)_, by Clutch _[Rumble In Brighton](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPshffbyYQM)_ - STRAY CATS And here’s _[Radar Love](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQjqqy2hhDA)_ by Golden Earring, since Moonchild linked to Tom Petty already. ---
**Author:** ![pojimba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@pojimba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pojimba)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/67 "2010-09-04T13:00:55Z")
“Who Are You” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/68 "2010-09-04T17:51:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Which brings up a good point. What is the archetypal rock song about? > > I’d say love (the whole gamut from scoring to unrequited love to a spiritual oneness… or all of the above). I’d hardly describe that as archetypal to rock, since that’s what most songs, of any genre, are about. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/69 "2010-09-04T18:04:53Z")
There is that idea that theme personifies R&R: fast cars, teen-aged love, youthful rebellion. But I agree that chord progression is a significant defining factor which is something few have noted here. [www.angelfire.com/fl4/moneychords/rock.html](http://www.angelfire.com/fl4/moneychords/rock.html) ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/70 "2010-09-04T20:21:46Z")
> [@Capt\_Cheese\_Whiz](#): > > Nearly every cliche of “rock” got mentioned within the first 10 posts, yet no one mentioned “The Weight” by The Band? Don’t get me wrong, I actually like The Band a lot, and that is a classic song in its own right… but I’m not sure why anyone would deem such a Country Music-tinged song as the “perfect” _rock_ song. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/71 "2010-09-04T21:08:00Z")
Just off the top of my head: More Than A Feeling - Boston Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas Living on a Prayer - Bon Jovi I Wanna Rock - Twisted Sister Girls Girls Girls - Motley Crue Welcome to the Jungle - Guns and Roses You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC She - Green Day Times Like These - Foo Fighters Lit Up - The National City on Down - O.A.R. Duck and Run - Three Doors Down Jerk it Out - Ceasers Fell in Love With A Girl - The White Stripes All The Pretty Faces - The Killers ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/72 "2010-09-04T21:16:04Z")
> [@digs](#): > > which brings up a good point. What is the archetypal rock song _about?_ rockin’!!! ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/73 "2010-09-04T21:17:29Z")
**Spirit of Radio** -Rush **Aqualung** -Jethro Tull **Rock You Like a Hurricane** -Scorpions Best wishes, hh ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/74 "2010-09-04T21:39:26Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > 1. It’s awesome, > 2. It’s called “Rock and Roll,” and > 3. Like all the best rock songs, it’s really about sex. 1. It’s got Ian Stewart on piano on it, the ultimate white rock piano player (just a touch below the best black rock piano player, Johnnie Johnson in terms of his discography). ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/75 "2010-09-04T22:06:37Z")
> [@Anamorphic](#): > > > [@Capt\_Cheese\_Whiz](#): > > > > Nearly every cliche of “rock” got mentioned within the first 10 posts, yet no one mentioned “The Weight” by The Band? > > Don’t get me wrong, I actually like The Band a lot, and that is a classic song in its own right… but I’m not sure why anyone would deem such a Country Music-tinged song as the “perfect” _rock_ song. Rock was born the bastard child of country and R&B. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/76 "2010-09-04T22:27:02Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Rock was born the bastard child of country and R&B. “Dixie Chicken” by Little Feat was my first thought on seeing the title, until someone else came up with the ultimate classic “Rock and Roll.” “Maybelline” and “Miss Molly” and all that stuff was _way_ country sounding. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/77 "2010-09-05T00:40:10Z")
Seems too broad, diverse, and rich an area to name a single perfect song, particularly if it spans every sub-genre of rock and everything from the 50s on… That said, there’s more than a few very decent contenders offered already – and I’d definitely concur with the nomination of _Bat Out of Hell_ as an amazing rock album – but I’ll offer as a single a favourite “hard rock” song (since the singer seems to have slipped the net so far): [Rebel Yell](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2DSe6iL7j8) by Billy Idol ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/78 "2010-09-05T01:52:38Z")
I gotta fourth or fifth _Born to Run._ It’s just the perfect rock song. For the sake of research, I just cranked my amp up to 11 and played it again. The lyrics are great, as mentioned above. _The girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors And the boys try to look so hard The amusement park rises bold and stark Kids are huddled on the beach in the mist I wanna die with you Wendy on the streets tonight In an everlasting kiss_ But it’s also that whole “wall of sound” thing coming at you: guitars, bass, drums, sax, piano and organ all clearly wailing at you at once. It might be the best driving song ever, too. ---
**Author:** ![oliversarmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/eb8c5e/32.png) [@oliversarmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oliversarmy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/79 "2010-09-05T03:57:48Z")
Rock encompasses so many genres it’s difficult to find a single single that really says get in your car and go kick some ass. All the commentators have listed great examples, but for me, I have to list these: “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC “Flirtin’ With Disaster” by Molly Hatchet “Learning to Fly” by Foo Fighters There are a lot of songs and artists I like, but when you get down to the power chords and overall intensity of making me want to do something, these are my tops. And that comes from someone who lives in the state that produced ZZ Top. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/80 "2010-09-05T05:44:54Z")
Came in to say _Won’t Get Fooled Again_. Stayed to add another vote for _Born to Run_. Honorable Mention for Joan Jet’s _I Love Rock n Roll_. I’ll be in my bunk, rockin’ out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466.md?page=5)