The Five Greatest Songs of the Rock and Roll Era
What is life without a good brawl now and again? I’m not talking about the kind of brawl where actual fists fly and actual bloodshed occurs. We aren’t at that stage in life. I’m talking about questions like “Who is the most beautiful woman of all time?” “What is the best movie in the history of Hollywood?” “How do you make the perfect potato salad?”
Eventually, the people in the room will arrive at a consensus of sorts. It will come down to Elizabeth Taylor, Jennifer Lopez, or Kate Upton, depending on the age of the people talking. It will come down to “Citizen Kane” or “Airplane.” It will come down to my wife’s potato salad.
But it is hard to come to a consensus when it comes to music. While there are fans of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and fans of “Louie, Louie” those fans don’t usually have much in common.
That’s why you come to Gildshire. We are the final authority on…pretty much everything.
The truth of the matter is, music taste is incredibly subjective, but here are our five greatest songs of the rock and roll era:
5) House of the Rising Sun
Eric Burdon recorded one of the first official music videos for “House of the Rising Sun.” The video consisted of Burdon walking around and singing while his instrumentalists followed him. The best part of the video was watching his lead guitarist try not to laugh. The song itself tells a plaintive story of a lost childhood.
4) Iron Man
Black Sabbath’s song has nothing to do with the Marvel Comic hero of the same name. Reportedly, Ozzy Osbourne heard the opening chords and said, “It sounds like an iron bloke walking about.”
3) Thunderstruck
AC/DC plays only one song recorded after (For Those About to Rock, We Salute You) when they are in concert. Thunderstruck is the one.
2) Freebird
“Play Freebird!” Nuff said…
1) Old Time Rock and Roll
Today’s music ain’t got the same soul. The driving beat and nostalgic pull of this Bob Seger anthem make it the most-requested song Seger wrote. Initially, the band members didn’t care for it, They thought it wasn’t hard enough. But the overwhelming response of their fans changed the group’s mind. It was the song Seger played at his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
