# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/81 "2010-09-05T06:41:59Z")
I don’t think any are _perfect_, but I seem to be the first to say Rock And Roll All Night by KISS. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/82 "2010-09-05T07:05:11Z")
Interesting. Here’s the tracklisting from **Ministry** ’s last album, _Cover Up_: 1. “Under My Thumb” - 3:58 - (The Rolling Stones) 2. “Bang a Gong” - 4:48 - (T.Rex) 3. “Radar Love” - 5:21 - (Golden Earring) 4. “Space Truckin’” - 3:51 - (Deep Purple) 5. “Black Betty” - 3:21 - (Lead Belly) 6. “Mississippi Queen” - 3:14 - (Mountain) 7. “Just Got Paid” - 3:13 - (ZZ Top) 8. “Roadhouse Blues” - 4:27 - (The Doors) 9. “Supernaut” - 7:08 - (Black Sabbath) 10. “Lay, Lady, Lay” - 5:44 - (Bob Dylan) 11. “What a Wonderful World” - 7:01 - (Louis Armstrong) ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/83 "2010-09-06T09:54:06Z")
I haven’t given any thought about this recently, but when I was a kid I thought that “You Might Think” by **The Cars** was the perfect rock song. It had a great tempo, plenty of electric guitar, and I thought it was the embodiment of a perfect rock song. ---
**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 6, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/84 "2010-09-06T13:51:28Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > … > 8. “Roadhouse Blues” - 4:27 - (The Doors)… Damn, I just came back to nominate **Roadhouse Blues** and you beat me to it. I think there should be another criteria – the perfect rock song needs to be sung by somebody who overindulged, OD’ed, and died a tragically youthful death. So, who does that give us? Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix are the first names that come to mind. Hendrix is already nominated, so let me toss in **Down on Me** for Janis. On edit, Freddie Mercury needs to go on the tragically young death list, and I see he’s already been nominated song-wise. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/85 "2010-09-06T15:38:45Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > I haven’t given any thought about this recently, but when I was a kid I thought that “You Might Think” by **The Cars** was the perfect rock song. It had a great tempo, plenty of electric guitar, and I thought it was the embodiment of a perfect rock song. A lot of the obvious (meaning, obviously great) examples have been cited already. I was hoping to be the first to bring up The Cars, but I’m surprised you picked “You Might Think” as their examplar of rocking out as opposed to “[You’re All I’ve Got Tonight](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTr-ho8E6uc)”. The only rockin’ extended instrumental I can remember them doing, and it’s pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/86 "2010-09-06T16:14:49Z")
FTR, my vote for all-time single exemplar of “rock song” is The Who, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. I’m just trying to come up with more some unmentioned but worthy gems 🙂 These are not necessarily my favorite songs by these guys, mind you, just what I would call “rocking”, by some subjective measure involving feeling a great urge to perform air solos and scream along with the lyrics. Air solos are an important feature here, which for me would rule out a lot of poetic or singalong classies like, say, “Celluloid Heroes” by The Kinks, or just about the entire Paul Simon catalog. The Beatles could rock, too. “Helter Skelter” or “I’ve Got A Feeling” come to mind. The Rolling Stones’ most rocking songs, “Sympathy For The Devil”, “Monkey Man” and “Shine A Light”. Bumping forward the chonological ordering slide in the memory bank: Neil Young and Crazy Horse, “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Blue / Into the Black)”. Aerosmith, “Walk This Way”, “Love In An Elevator”. Pink Floyd, “Run Like Hell”, “Another Brick In The Wall”, “Learning To Fly”. The Clash, lessee, “Clampdown” and “London Calling”. Guns ‘n’ Roses, “You Could Be Mine”. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”. Smashing Pumpkins, “Zero”. Oasis, “Don’t Look Back In Anger”, “Wonderwall”. CAKE’s cover of “[I Will Survive](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VOMDAgWbOA)”. The Killers, “[Mr. Brightside](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGdGFtwCNBE&ob=av2e)”. OK I’ll stop now. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/87 "2010-09-06T18:38:17Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > A lot of the obvious (meaning, obviously great) examples have been cited already. > > I was hoping to be the first to bring up The Cars, but I’m surprised you picked “You Might Think” as their examplar of rocking out as opposed to “[You’re All I’ve Got Tonight](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTr-ho8E6uc)”. The only rockin’ extended instrumental I can remember them doing, and it’s pretty good. Wow, this Guitar Hero version rocks more than the studio version. Good pick. Sticking with studio versions I’m adding another Cars song to the list, “Just What I Needed”. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/88 "2010-09-06T19:05:40Z")
“Shake Some Action,” by the Flaming Groovies. Always gives me chills. “Do It Again,” Queens of the Stone Age. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/89 "2010-09-06T19:37:38Z")
\*\*“Back In Black” \*\*by AC/DC. Fist-pumping rock in its purest form. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/90 "2010-09-06T22:26:46Z")
“Surrender” by Cheap Trick. Guess I’m the only one. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/91 "2010-09-07T01:44:38Z")
[QUOTE=Boyo Jim] Damn, I just came back to nominate **Roadhouse Blues** and you beat me to it. I think there should be another criteria – the perfect rock song needs to be sung by somebody who overindulged, OD’ed, and died a tragically youthful death. [/QUOTE] Have ya _heard_ the Ministry version? [“I’ll tell you this man, all I wanna do is have my kicks before this whole shithouse goes up in flames…”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF2VMlTDX-A) 🆒 ---
**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 7, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/92 "2010-09-07T02:16:12Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > …[“I’ll tell you this man, all I wanna do is have my kicks before this whole shithouse goes up in flames…”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF2VMlTDX-A) > > 🆒 Are you aware this is a direct quote from Jim Morrison in one version of the same song? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/93 "2010-09-07T02:46:51Z")
Yes, very much. That’s why I added the cool smiley. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/94 "2010-09-07T02:52:36Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Rock ‘n’ Roll is about anything that could conceivably cause teenage angst, or anything that could possibly result from it. That would HAVE to be Springsteen and Born To Run. But I like Clothahump’s choice too (Running On Empty). ---
**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 7, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/95 "2010-09-07T03:27:34Z")
Sorry, didn’t make that connection. Ok, a few more nominees, all from artists not yet mentioned and all IMO absolute rock classics: Taking Care of Business – BTO Heart of Glass – Blondie Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Suffragette City – David Bowie Invisible Touch – Genesis Bad to the Bone – George Thorogood We’re An American Band – Grand Funk American Woman – Guess Who Crazy on You – Heart Somebody to Live – Jefferson Airplane Dancing in the Street – Martha & the Vandellas Addicted to Love – Robert Palmer Maggie Mae – Rod Stewart Smooth – Santana Born To Be Wild – Steppenwolf In the Midnight Hour – Wilson Pickett She’s Not There – The Zombies ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/96 "2010-09-07T03:41:27Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > “Shake Some Action,” by the Flaming Groovies. Always gives me chills. > > “Do It Again,” Queens of the Stone Age. For Queens, I would think most people would have picked Go With The Flow ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/97 "2010-09-07T03:49:09Z")
Neil Young - [Cinnamon Girl](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAdtUDaBfRA) Richard Thompson - [The Wall of Death](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw1ZDzBoUf8) Spencer Davis Group - [Gimme Some Lovin’](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGBWBFQtx3Q) (has more cowbell, too) ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/98 "2010-09-07T04:57:13Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Sorry, didn’t make that connection. > (snip) > Heart of Glass – Blondie Waaay too disco. Good call on Bowie, and no worries 'bout the other thing, but… Blondie? How about Jane’s Addiction? “Mountain Song” and “Ocean Size” come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/99 "2010-09-07T05:03:43Z")
After a little thought… Well, if you haven’t ever seen URGH!, here’s a clip from said film that kicks an amazing amount of ass. [The Cramps - Tear it Up](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC4LqiRoIE8) ---
**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 7, 2010, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466/100 "2010-09-07T05:39:47Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > > > Sorry, didn’t make that connection. > > (snip) > > Heart of Glass – Blondie > > Waaay too disco. > Good call on Bowie, and no worries 'bout the other thing, but… Blondie? > How about Jane’s Addiction? “Mountain Song” and “Ocean Size” come to mind. I am too old to ever even have heard of this group. I started fading out on pop music in the early 80’s. On edit, you’re probably right about _Heart of Glass_, but it’s damn GOOD disco, and there aren’t many songs I would say that about [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-perfect-rock-song/552466.md?page=6)