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”).
Rock ‘n’ Roll is about anything that could conceivably cause teenage angst, or anything that could possibly result from it.
Excellent answer.
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…
Nearly every cliche of “rock” got mentioned within the first 10 posts, yet no one mentioned “The Weight” by The Band?
I endorse this message 
Great tunes, Moonchild.
A couple of my picks:
Electric Worry, by Clutch
Rumble In Brighton - STRAY CATS
And here’s Radar Love by Golden Earring, since Moonchild linked to Tom Petty already.
“Who Are You”
I’d hardly describe that as archetypal to rock, since that’s what most songs, of any genre, are about.
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.
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.
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
rockin’!!!
Spirit of Radio-Rush
Aqualung-Jethro Tull
Rock You Like a Hurricane-Scorpions
Best wishes,
hh
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.
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 by Billy Idol
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.
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.
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.