A Tribute to the Madmen of Rock and Metal.
Well, if someone asked me what my favorites in rock were, I would be completely lost for words trying to come up with an compilation and if someone put a limit of twenty to that list, then perhaps I would throw up my hands in despair. However, I have tried the best I could to come up with this list. Some are real gems and classics that rule the FM stations even to this day. Make sure, you have these in your collection or atleast listen. You won’t regret, I promise.
Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen
Got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A
This must be one of the most misinterpreted songs in the history of rock music. Originally written sarcastically in view of the war in Vietnam, people took to this song as a symbol for nationalist pride, infact it became so popular that Ronald Reagan had used it in his re-election campaign. About the song, well there is little I can add, if you are a rock fan then this must be in your collection. It wasn’t for no reason that Bruce Springsteen was called’The Boss’.
War Pigs by Black Sabbath
Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor
Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait’till their judgement day comes, yeah!
’It was about Vietnam. We knew nothing about Vietnam, it’s just an anti-war song.’ - Ozzy Osbourne.
I had a tough choice between this one and the other songs of Black Sabbath, one of my favorite bands . In the end I chose this one as it was an anti-war song and it had everything I expect from a decent metal flick. And whatever opinion you have about the madman of metal, Ozzy Osbourne, he was one of the greatest talent finders in the history of rock. After all, he was the one who gave us Slash & Randy Rhodes, arguably one of the greatest guitarists ever.
For what it is worth by Buffalo Springfield
There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
I think it’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Perhaps this band of the sixties never made it as big as they deserved to perhaps due to the popularity of the Byrds. Another reason could be they didn’t last long enough, hardly two years and three albums.’For what is it worth’ was their signature tune, which basically signified their opposition to the war in Vietnam and the futilities of all wars in general. This song also figures in the sound track of the classic movie’Forrest Gump’.
Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd
We don’t need no education
We dont need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.
All Pink Floyd songs are open to all kinds of interpretation but this one must have been the most misinterpreted Floyd songs of all time and also one of their greatest hits. This song signifies more than just a few bad teachers in the classroom. The title of the album’The Wall’, conceived by Roger Waters, if history is to be believed, was primarily his answer to a spectator spitting on him and thus he decided that the band should begin playing behind a wall. This song was also written taking into consideration Waters’ personal life when he was estranged from all sorts of social engagements, partly owing to his larger than life ego which ultimately led to his sacking from the band. There is little chance that you might not have heard about this one, but if Pink Floyd is missing from your collection, it is not much of a collection anyways. Forgive me for my stance, but I literally worship this band.
Hotel California by The Eagles
Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said’We are all just prisoners here, of our own device’
And in the master’s chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can’t kill the beast
This must be one of the most popular songs in the history of rock. I can’t recall the first time I heard this one, must have been really long ago. Well, as harmless as it might seem, there are more stories circulating about the history of this song than perhaps the writers intended to. Recently there was an article on the BBC that the hotel which served as an inspiration to The Eagles, is on sale at 1 mln. Other interpretations for this song range from drug abuse with the hotel signifying cocaine aptly described by the lines’You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave’.
Riders on the storm by The Doors
Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house we’re born
Into this world we’re thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out alone
Riders on the storm
Any rock song collection would be incomplete without any song by the doors and the American poet, Jim Morrison. If there was a band(excluding Pink Floyd) with the most intense of lyrics, then they must be’The Doors’. The name for the band framed by Jim was inspired by a quote by William Blake. “If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear as it is, infinite”. How apt and true! .
Kashmir by Led Zeppelin:
But not a word I heard could I relate, the story was quite clear.
Something mystical about this song, as they say although ths story is quite clear, there are some issues about relating to this. However, with due respect to Led Zeppelin widely regarded as ’THE BEST’ rock band in history, Kashmir was ironically a product resulting out of major experimentation by Led Zep. Even they couldn’t have imagined that they would end up with something as amazing as this.
Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix:
Excuse me while I kiss the sky! Jimi Hendrix, one of the most brilliant guitarists ever in the history of music. It is really unfair on Jimi to leave out ’Along came a watch tower’, “Voodoo Child’ from the top 20 of rock, but then as I said twenty is not a number large enough. No rock fan really needs an introduction to Jimi Hendrix, he was the one who could almost spawn a whole universe just by playing his guitar. His influence on the world of guitaring was unparalleled. Meanwhile, Purple Haze on Residency road in B’lore was named after this awesome song.
These songs deserve to be in every rock collection. It is really unfair and a tough task to choose the best twenty out of the numerous great rock songs out there. But I would guess, these songs would make up the rest of my list, though it is really never going to be an exhaustive list. Twenty is not a number large enough to encompass the best that rock has to offer. Maybe, if there was a category titled, the best hundred of rock, then maybe some justice could be done. Meanwhile, make sure you have these in your collecion as well.
.continued in the comments section
So close no matter how far
couldn’t be much more from the heart
forever trusting who we are
and nothing else matters
-Damo
Some of the information mentioned above has been inspired from the following sources:
https://black-sabbath.com/
https://thedoorsuncovered.com/