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. Paul Dougherty Member
    Paul Dougherty
    @PaulDougherty

    Or “Tom Sawyer” by you know who…

    • #61
  2. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    Paul Dougherty (View Comment):

    Or “Tom Sawyer” by you know who…

    I’ve found Twain’s guitar work to be lacking. 

    • #62
  3. Archie Campbell Member
    Archie Campbell
    @ArchieCampbell

    What about “Punk Rock Girl” by The Dead Milkmen? I mean, after all, it does have the best guitar solo of all time on it, as well as the very rock-n-roll lyric:

    “We got into her car

    away we started rollin’

    I said ‘how much ya pay for this’

    she said ‘nothing, man, it’s stolen.'”

    • #63
  4. Archie Campbell Member
    Archie Campbell
    @ArchieCampbell

    Paul Dougherty (View Comment):

    Or “Tom Sawyer” by you know who…

    Of course. The one and only Mindless Self Indulgence:

    • #64
  5. Archie Campbell Member
    Archie Campbell
    @ArchieCampbell

    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.

    Uh, it’s a cover of a song, but “I Fought the Law” is definitely a rock song. My guess is that you’re thinking of “I Shot the Sheriff”, Judge.

    • #65
  6. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Paul Dougherty (View Comment):

    Live version of “Midnight Rambler” – Rolling Stones.

    End of Thread.

    We are way too woke for that.

    • #66
  7. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    Archie Campbell (View Comment):

    Paul Dougherty (View Comment):

    Or “Tom Sawyer” by you know who…

    Of course. The one and only Mindless Self Indulgence:

    I’d never heard of ’em. ty. 

    • #67
  8. lowtech redneck Coolidge
    lowtech redneck
    @lowtech redneck

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):

    Now if you want to talk greatest Rock album of all time, it’s clearly Meatloaf’s Bat Out Of Hell. On this there can be no debate.

     

     

    I would debate it, but not with any heat: its a great album, and a fine choice.

    • #68
  9. Archie Campbell Member
    Archie Campbell
    @ArchieCampbell

    TBA (View Comment):

    Archie Campbell (View Comment):

    Paul Dougherty (View Comment):

    Or “Tom Sawyer” by you know who…

    Of course. The one and only Mindless Self Indulgence:

    I’d never heard of ’em. ty.

    You bet. I’m not a big fan of MSI’s original stuff*, but this is fun, and their cover of Method Man’s “Bring the Pain” is great:

    *Uh, I mean, except for “Tom Sawyer”, which MSI totally originated.

    • #69
  10. TRibbey Inactive
    TRibbey
    @TRibbey

    Archie Campbell (View Comment):

    Paul Dougherty (View Comment):

    Or “Tom Sawyer” by you know who…

    Of course. The one and only Mindless Self Indulgence:

    Oh this takes me back. They are one of the more uh, unique, groups to see live.

    • #70
  11. lowtech redneck Coolidge
    lowtech redneck
    @lowtech redneck

    Archie Campbell (View Comment):

    What about “Punk Rock Girl” by The Dead Milkmen?

    I forgot about that one (shame on me).

    I’ve always really liked People Who Died by Jim Carroll:

    • #71
  12. Chris Gregerson Member
    Chris Gregerson
    @ChrisGregerson

    I’m coming in at way at the end of the steam, here’s how I rate ’em:

    1. Rolling Stones: Sympathy for the Devil
    2. AC/DC: Thunder
    3. KLF: 3 AM

    My fav is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUi_S6YWjZw

    • #72
  13. Chris Gregerson Member
    Chris Gregerson
    @ChrisGregerson

    • #73
  14. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Jarvis Morse-Loyola (View Comment):

    Max Ledoux (View Comment):

    Basil Fawlty (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):

    Now if you want to talk greatest Rock album of all time, it’s clearly Meatloaf’s Bat Out Of Hell. On this there can be no debate.

     

     

    An excellent choice. If “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” isn’t the best song about teenage guys dating, I don’t know what is . . .

    Too gay.

    BE CORDIAL

    I think an examination of homoerotic subtext in Meat Loaf’s earlier work, particularly the emphasis Mr. Fawlty places on the over-abundance of that subtextual reading (indeed; even meta-reading), informs not only this discussion but also our lives with a requisite amount of cordiality or, failing that, acts as a respectable epistemological excursion certainly appropriate to this site.

    If you keep doing that with your brain, it’s gonna get stuck like that.

    • #74
  15. Basil Fawlty Member
    Basil Fawlty
    @BasilFawlty

    Anyone mentioned Southern Cross?

    • #75
  16. Miffed White Male Member
    Miffed White Male
    @MiffedWhiteMale

    Basil Fawlty (View Comment):

    Anyone mentioned Southern Cross?

    Seems like an odd choice.

    • #76
  17. Jimmy Carter Member
    Jimmy Carter
    @JimmyCarter

    • #77
  18. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Basil Fawlty (View Comment):

    Anyone mentioned Southern Cross?

    I know it’s kind of fashionable to trash Jimmy Buffett, but he does a great cover of that.

    • #78
  19. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Are we good with second choices now? C’mon, you gotta love the “video.”

    • #79
  20. Gumby Mark (R-Meth Lab of Demo… Coolidge
    Gumby Mark (R-Meth Lab of Demo…
    @GumbyMark

    Paul Dougherty (View Comment):

    Or “Tom Sawyer” by you know who…

    Definitely the best air drumming song.

    • #80
  21. Gumby Mark (R-Meth Lab of Demo… Coolidge
    Gumby Mark (R-Meth Lab of Demo…
    @GumbyMark

    Let’s not forget Chrissie!

    • #81
  22. Erika Kinder Member
    Erika Kinder
    @ErikaKinder

    Led Zeppelin is the greatest rock band of all time, you silly rabbits.

    • #82
  23. lowtech redneck Coolidge
    lowtech redneck
    @lowtech redneck

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Basil Fawlty (View Comment):

    Anyone mentioned Southern Cross?

    I know it’s kind of fashionable to trash Jimmy Buffett, but he does a great cover of that.

    I love Margaritaville.  

    The only other song of his I remember is Cheeseburger in Paradise (meh).

    • #83
  24. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    Erika Kinder (View Comment):
    Led Zeppelin is the greatest rock band of all time, you silly rabbits.

    Gun to my head, I’d probably have to agree. One could make the case for The Who or the Stones, but neither had a guitar genius like Page. 

    • #84
  25. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    lowtech redneck (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Basil Fawlty (View Comment):

    Anyone mentioned Southern Cross?

    I know it’s kind of fashionable to trash Jimmy Buffett, but he does a great cover of that.

    I love Margaritaville.

    The only other song of his I remember is Cheeseburger in Paradise (meh).

    He occupies a strange space in rknrl. He reminds me of the Spinal Tap bassist who was ‘an intermediary, like luke-warm water’. 

    • #85
  26. TGR9898 Inactive
    TGR9898
    @TedRudolph

    In the spirit of the OP’s request “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”  I’ll jump in.


    TBA (View Comment)
    :

    The best rock song is one that you losers have never heard of. I’d link to it but it’s just that rare. Plus I don’t want you to sully it with your inability to appreciate genius.

    I’ll indulge a little noblesse oblige and leave a few breadcrumbs to help guide these unwashed masses in the direction of music that’s at least from this millennium (seriously folks, turn off the damn classic rock station every once in a while & try something different. There’s this new thing called the interwebs that will make all sorts of suggestions for you… sure some of them them suck – but unlike the days of radio, you now have a “Skip” button).

    While there’s certainly great mainstream rock and roll from Jet & The Black Keys I wouldn’t be doing you all any favors by just linking well known songs.  This is about ME bettering YOU, isn’t it?

    So how about Silversun Pickups…. either Panic Switch or Lazy Eye?

    Like Cream, The Airborne Toxic Event has well crafted music although the lyrics are often an emotional punch in the gut – don’t ever drink whisky & clean your rifle while listening to All I Ever Wanted or All At Once  Try to limit firearms maintenance to fun songs like Gasoline

    For those still listening to Southern bands with NO surviving members…. try a little Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats instead – You Worry Me

    And while they’re primarily known for their self-made innovative videos, the music of OK Go isn’t too shabby either.  Try Do What You Want or the song/homemade video that put them on the map Here It Goes Again (seriously – their newer, more elaborate videos are worth investigating on their own and then you can waste many more hours watching the making-of videos)

    Come on, geezers – if you want old hard rock, you only need to roll the clock back to the days when Billy Corgan still had hair

    YOU’RE WELCOME.  ;)

    • #86
  27. TGR9898 Inactive
    TGR9898
    @TedRudolph

    Paul Dougherty (View Comment):

    Live version of “Midnight Rambler” – Rolling Stones.

    End of Thread.

    If any Rolling Stones Song is on the list other than “Paint It Black” or “Sympathy For The Devil” then the thread should be executed, burned and the ashes dumped in the ocean.

    • #87
  28. Judge Mental Member
    Judge Mental
    @JudgeMental

    TGR9898 (View Comment):

    Paul Dougherty (View Comment):

    Live version of “Midnight Rambler” – Rolling Stones.

    End of Thread.

    If any Rolling Stones Song is on the list other than “Paint It Black” or “Sympathy For The Devil” then the thread should be executed, burned and the ashes dumped in the ocean.

     

    • #88
  29. TGR9898 Inactive
    TGR9898
    @TedRudolph

    Archie Campbell (View Comment):

    What about “Punk Rock Girl” by The Dead Milkmen? I mean, after all, it does have the best guitar solo of all time on it, as well as the very rock-n-roll lyric:

    “We got into her car

    away we started rollin’

    I said ‘how much ya pay for this’

    she said ‘nothing, man, it’s stolen.’

    That was a blast from the past. Sadly, Zipperhead closed years ago, the dilapidated Eastern State Penitentiary (where the bulk of the video was filmed) was cleaned up & is now a tourist attraction, the surrounding neighborhood is gentrified with $750K 800 square foot homes, the mall they wander around is closed, and the Milkmen are soon collecting Social Security.

    I did have a couple of friends that took advantage of the “Free Ear Piercing” neon sign shown in Zipperhead’s window.

    The antibiotics required later weren’t equally free.

    • #89
  30. TGR9898 Inactive
    TGR9898
    @TedRudolph

    lowtech redneck (View Comment):

    Archie Campbell (View Comment):

    What about “Punk Rock Girl” by The Dead Milkmen?

    I forgot about that one (shame on me).

    I’ve always really liked People Who Died by Jim Carroll:

    Or if you’re in a more laid back mood, slow things down with The Butthole Surfer’s Pepper

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO8vBVUaKvk

    • #90
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