Best Rock Song Ever

 

Fred Cole (@fredcole) thinks the best rock song is “White Room” by Cream for some reason. Jon Gabriel (@jon) said he’d only ever heard The KLF song titled “White Room.” I listened to both and now I want to go BASE jumping without a parachute.

I say “Unforgiven” by Metallica is much better, although it’s not even necessarily my favorite Metallica song (“Whiskey in the Jar” is high on my list). You see, Fred and I obviously have a difference in opinion when it comes to music. He seems like easy listening soft rock, while I prefer to listen to good music.

What do you think is the best rock song ever? Or, at least, share one of your favorites. And don’t forget to casually insult anyone who disagrees with you. That’s the fun part of asserting one’s own subjective preferences as being objectively true.

“White Room” by Cream (😴):

“Unforgiven” by Metallica:

Another favorite of mine is “Cochise” by Audioslave:

If you’d like to post a video of your own favorite rock song in the comments, all you have to do is paste the YouTube or Vimeo URL onto a new line by itself. The video will automatically appear after you publish your comment.

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  1. Judge Mental Member
    Judge Mental
    @JudgeMental

    For decades around here, Stairway to Heaven topped the list every year, until finally supplanted by Livin’ on a Prayer. 

    • #1
  2. Neil Hansen (Klaatu) Inactive
    Neil Hansen (Klaatu)
    @Klaatu

    A Day in the Life is the best Beatles song, thereby making it the best rock.

    • #2
  3. Jarvis Morse-Loyola Coolidge
    Jarvis Morse-Loyola
    @irb

    The best rock and roll song ever performed is objectively Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones and if you disagree you’re a filthy communist. It is overshadowed however by the best heavy metal song of all time which as everyone knows is Metallica’s Battery on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays and Iron Maiden’s Flight of Icarus on all other days. 

    • #3
  4. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    I’ve been to five concerts in my life, all between age 19 and 22: Rush once, and Billy Joel four times.

    So I’m probably not qualified to comment.

    • #4
  5. Mate De Inactive
    Mate De
    @MateDe

    Ummm Define Rock music. There are so many genres within Rock it’s hard to determine which is the best song ever. I nominate the greatest and shortest lived super group ever.

     

    • #5
  6. Basil Fawlty Member
    Basil Fawlty
    @BasilFawlty

    Max Ledoux: “Whiskey in the Jar” is high on my list

    I prefer the 1962 Highwaymen version.

    • #6
  7. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    “Layla” 1970, Derek and the Dominos.

    Philistines.

    • #7
  8. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    I really hope this can degenerate into a high-toned discussion about what is “rock” and what isn’t.  As noted just above, this is an impossible question.

    But when you have one the best rock bands ever covering one of the best rock songs ever, you’re getting close.  And it’s definitely rock.

    • #8
  9. Judge Mental Member
    Judge Mental
    @JudgeMental

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    I really hope this can degenerate into a high-toned discussion about what is “rock” and what isn’t. As noted just above, this is an impossible question.

    But when you have one the best rock bands ever covering one of the best rock songs ever, you’re getting close. And it’s definitely rock.

    Not a rock song.  A rock cover of a rock cover of a reggae song.  Cretin.

    • #9
  10. thelonious Member
    thelonious
    @thelonious

    Judge Mental (View Comment):

    For decades around here, Stairway to Heaven topped the list every year, until finally supplanted by Livin’ on a Prayer.

    No… Just no. Glam Boy pretenders from Jersey. No way!

    • #10
  11. thelonious Member
    thelonious
    @thelonious

    Won’t Get Fooled Again by the Who is the obvious answer.

    • #11
  12. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

     

    Back when music was music.

    • #12
  13. The (apathetic) King Prawn Inactive
    The (apathetic) King Prawn
    @TheKingPrawn

    I can’t tell which parts of this are parody and which are serious. Can someone get @vicrylcontessa involved in this discussion since she’s the only one on the site who actually knows anything about actual music?

    • #13
  14. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    Judge Mental (View Comment):
    Not a rock song. A rock cover of a rock cover of a reggae song. Cretin.

    Not a rock song?

    Wha?

    Granted, not everything the composer of “I Fought the Law” wrote was rock. Exhibit A:

     

     

    • #14
  15. danok1 Member
    danok1
    @danok1

    The criterion I use is: do both my son (19 yo) and I reach for the volume to turn it up?

    So the answer is…

     

    • #15
  16. lowtech redneck Coolidge
    lowtech redneck
    @lowtech redneck

    Iron Maiden, Infinite Dreams: 

    Megadeth, Peace Sells….But Who’s buying?: 

    Max, I keep forgetting, how do we embed videos?

    [edit by max: paste the YouTube url onto a new line by itself, starting with the “https”]

    • #16
  17. Max Ledoux Coolidge
    Max Ledoux
    @Max

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    I’ve been to five concerts in my life, all between age 19 and 22: Rush once, and Billy Joel four times.

    So I’m probably not qualified to comment.

    No, no you are not. 🤣😇

    • #17
  18. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Judge Mental (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    I really hope this can degenerate into a high-toned discussion about what is “rock” and what isn’t. As noted just above, this is an impossible question.

    But when you have one the best rock bands ever covering one of the best rock songs ever, you’re getting close. And it’s definitely rock.

    Not a rock song. A rock cover of a rock cover of a reggae song. Cretin.

    Not so.  Are you thinking of “Pressure Drop”?  I’m good with the cretin part though.

    • #18
  19. Judge Mental Member
    Judge Mental
    @JudgeMental

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Judge Mental (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    I really hope this can degenerate into a high-toned discussion about what is “rock” and what isn’t. As noted just above, this is an impossible question.

    But when you have one the best rock bands ever covering one of the best rock songs ever, you’re getting close. And it’s definitely rock.

    Not a rock song. A rock cover of a rock cover of a reggae song. Cretin.

    Not so. Are you thinking of “Pressure Drop”?

     

    Nope.  I Shot the Sheriff.

    • #19
  20. Max Ledoux Coolidge
    Max Ledoux
    @Max

    lowtech redneck (View Comment):
    Iron Maiden, Infinite Dreams: 

    Megadeth, Peace Sells….But Who’s buying?: 

    Yeah, ok, but you do like Skynyrd, right? I mean, obviously…

     

    • #20
  21. namlliT noD Member
    namlliT noD
    @DonTillman

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Not a rock song?

    Wha?

    Granted, not everything the composer of “I Fought the Law” wrote was rock. Exhibit A

    @jameslileks , of course you know this, but I have to say…

    Not in the hands of your neighbors, Husker Dü.

     

    • #21
  22. Max Ledoux Coolidge
    Max Ledoux
    @Max

    Anyone who likes the Rolling Stones can just  toss their computer out the window, by the way. ;-P

    • #22
  23. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Max Ledoux (View Comment):

    Anyone who likes the Rolling Stones can just toss their computer out the window, by the way. ;-P

    This is enough to make me concoct two or three dozen phony bug reports and send them your way.

    • #23
  24. tigerlily Member
    tigerlily
    @tigerlily

    Fred didn’t even get the best song by Cream. That’d be “I Feel Free”.

     

    • #24
  25. Chris Hutchinson Coolidge
    Chris Hutchinson
    @chrishutch13

    Hmmm… I can’t say my favorite for sure but I just heard Toto in the car and told myself, “Man, I forgot how good that song is!”

    • #25
  26. Jarvis Morse-Loyola Coolidge
    Jarvis Morse-Loyola
    @irb

    Max Ledoux (View Comment):

    Anyone who likes the Rolling Stones can just toss their computer out the window, by the way. ;-P

    Gladly. I can’t stand the vile little mechanical beasts. Look at what they’ve done to this once flourishing community–made us question the most fundamental truth in Rock! This division will tear us apart. A thread divided cannot stand. Accept the Stones now and heal this hurtful wound. 

    • #26
  27. Miffed White Male Member
    Miffed White Male
    @MiffedWhiteMale

    Musically, the best rock song of all time is Roll With The Changes by REO Speedwagon.

    Yes, I know, It’s REO,  But listen to it – it’s got everything.  Screaming guitar solos, good vocal harmony,  great drums, interesting bass line underneath it all, it’s even got a Hammond Organ.

    • #27
  28. Fred Cole Inactive
    Fred Cole
    @FredCole

    tigerlily (View Comment):

    Fred didn’t even get the best song by Cream. That’d be “I Feel Free”.

    Theres a lot of competition for the best Cream song.

     

     

    • #28
  29. ltpwfdcm, pribbling varlot Coolidge
    ltpwfdcm, pribbling varlot
    @ltpwfdcm

    • #29
  30. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):
    it’s got everything. Screaming guitar solos,

    Richrath was pretty good. I was never a big REO fan even before the ballad period, but for 70s rock – a period when all the music was hand-made – that’s top-shelf mid-tempo Midwestern rock. 

    Of course, my taste in 70s Midwestern rock leaned more towards scorchy numbers like this: 

    REO would never have tried that dissonance at the end of the first chorus, and I don’t think they ever wrote anything as simple and ingenious as the bridge. It’s dressed up like mean heavy metal, except it’s not: it’s actually joyous.

     

    • #30
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