200 Greatest Hard Rock Songs

Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes a great song. We all have our individual, unique perspective about what’s hot and what’s not.  Some like it fast and some like it hard (I’ve met a few women like that), some like it slow and deep, some like it to build up to a screaming crescendo, some focus on melody and the emotional impact it creates in the listener. For me these are all factors, but there’s many more intangibles that are difficult to put into words. The best way to show your musical personality is to write a list of your favourite songs. So with that said, I’ve written a list of what I consider to be 200 of the greatest hard rock songs.

This list is a mix of many rock music sub genres such as, classic rock, hard rock, heavy metal, punk, thrash, and industrial rock. Most of my choices will lean towards heavier, melodic sounds but there’s also a few classic lighter tunes on the list, as well as some less melodic, more groove oriented songs.

 

The Greatest Hard Rock Songs – IMO

 

greatest hard rock songs

Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

1. Detroit Rock City – KISS

2. Hells Bells – AC/DC

3. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath – Black Sabbath

4. Midlife Crisis – Faith No More

5. Back In The Saddle – Aerosmith

6. More Than A Feeling – Boston

7. Unchained – Van Halen

8. Gates Of Babylon – Rainbow

9. Space Truckin` – Deep Purple

Greatest Hard Rock Songs Deep Purple

Deep Purple has lots of great songs on this album, Machine Head

10. Black Dog – Led Zeppelin

11. Pictured Life –The Scorpions

12. I Stay Away – Alice In Chains

13. I Don’t Know – Ozzy Osbourne

14. Lady Strange – Def Leppard

15. Rock Bottom – KISS

16. Rats In The Cellar – Aerosmith

17. War Pigs – Black Sabbath

18. Black Diamond –KISS

19. In Bloom – Nirvana

Greatest Hard Rock bands Nirvana

Nirvana – Nevermind

20. Light Up The Sky – Van Halen

21. A Farewell To Kings – RUSH

22. Johnny Blade – Black Sabbath

23. Wrathchild – Iron Maiden

24. The Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin

25. Room For One More – Anthrax

26. Highway To Hell – AC/DC

27. Killing Yourself To Live – Black Sabbath

28. Ashes To Ashes – Faith No More

29. Smells Like Teen Spirit –Nirvana

Iron Maiden - greatest hard rock songs

Iron Maiden – Killers

30. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen

31. Lounge Act – Nirvana

32. Sweet F.A. – The Sweet

33. Spiral Architect – Black Sabbath

34. Eighteen – Alice Cooper

35. Highway Star – Deep Purple

36. What Is And What Should Never Be – Led Zeppelin

37. Let It Go – Def Leppard

38. Ace Of Spades – Motorhead

KISS greatest hard rock songs

Creatures of The Night is an excellent KISS album!

39. Surrender – Cheap Trick

40. Creatures Of The Night – KISS

41. Never Say Die – Black Sabbath

42. Over The Mountain – Ozzy Osbourne

43. Flaming Youth – KISS

44. Hair Of The Dog – Nazareth

45. Wheels Of Confusion – Black Sabbath

46. Kings And Queens – Aerosmith

47. Touch Too Much – AC/DC

48. A Farewell To Kings – Rush

AC/DC greatest hard rock songs

AC/DC – Highway To Hell

49. Pictures Of Home – Deep Purple

50. Junkhead – Alice In Chains

51. Mean Street – Van Halen

52. Lazy – Deep Purple

53. Neon Nights – Black Sabbath

54. No You Don’t – Sweet

55. Bang Your Head (Metal Health) – Quiet Riot

56. I Wanna Be Somebody – WASP

57. Mirrors – Angel

greatest hard rock songs Van Halen

Van Halen – Women And Children First

58. Catch Your Train – The Scorpions

59. Would – Alice In Chains

60. Hear About It Later – Van Halen

61. Simple Ryhme – Van Halen

62. Somebody Get Me A Doctor – Van Halen

63. Round And Round – RATT

64. Back For More, –RATT

65. Balls To The Wall – Accept

66. Runnin`With The Devil – Van Halen

67. Die Young – Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath greatest hard rock songs

Black Sabbath – Heaven And Hell

68. This Flight Tonight – Nazareth/ Joni Mitchell

69. Photograph – Def Leppard

70. Foolin` – Def Leppard

71. Carry On My Wayward Son – Kansas

72. Whole Lotta Rosie – AC/DC

73. The Pinnacle – Kansas

74. Still Of The Night – Whitesnake

75. Saturday Night Special – Lynard Skynard

76. Ooh That Smell – Lynard Skynard

77. Dream Police – Cheap Trick

Greatest Hard Rock Songs KISS

KISS
Rock And Roll Over

78. A Million To One – KISS

79. Touch Too Much – AC/DC

80. Shoot To Thrill – AC/DC

81. Down Payment Blues, AC/DC

82. Screaming In The Night – Krokus

83. I Want You – KISS

84. Since I’ve Been Loving You – Led Zeppelin

85. Kill The King – Rainbow

86. Edison’s Medicine – Tesla

87. American Woman – The Guess Who

Greatest Hard Rock Songs Toxicity

System Of A Down – Toxicity

88. Baba O’Riley –The Who

89. Behind Blue Eyes – The Who

90. Sick As A Dog – Aerosmith

91. Chop Suey, System Of A Down

92. Love Gun – KISS

93. The Unforgiven – Metallica

94. Flirtin’ With Disaster – Molly Hatchet

95. Symphony Of Destruction – Megadeth

96. Cum On Feel The Noise – Slade/ Quiet Riot

97. Nobody’s Fault – Aerosmith

Greatest Hard Rock Songs from David Lee Roth

David Lee Roth – Eat ‘Em And Smile

98. Lithium – Nirvana

99. Fat Bottom Girls – Queen

100. Yankee Rose – David Lee Roth

101. Stricken – Disturbed

102. Tonight You Belong To Me – Paul Stanley

103. Roundabout, –YES

104. Xanadu – RUSH

105. The Shed (Subtle) – Rainbow

106. Spirit Of The Radio – RUSH

greatest hard rock songs Stricken

Listen to “Stricken” on Disturbed’s album – Ten Thousand Fists

107. She’s Gone – Black Sabbath

108. Turning In Circles – Judas Priest

109. Mean Streak – Y&T 

110. The Trooper – Iron Maiden

111. Mr. Crowley – Ozzy Osbourne

112. Live Wire – AC/DC

113. 18 And Life – Skid Row

114. Problem Child – AC/DC

115. What Do You Do For Money Honey – AC/DC

116. Fly By Night – RUSH

KISS Greatest Hard Rock Songs

KISS released their 2nd album “Hotter Than Hell” in 1974

117. The Beautiful People, –Marilyn Manson

118. Mr. 69 – Krokus

119. So This Is Love – Van Halen

120. Live Wire – Motley Crue

121. Little Guitars – Van Halen

122. Bringin’ On The Heartbreak –Def Leppard

123.Frankenstein – Edgar Winter

124. No You Don’t – The Sweet

125. Fox On The Run, The Sweet

126. Set Me Free – The Sweet

greatest hard rock song from Sweet

Sweet – Desolation Boulevard

127. Lovechild – Accept

128. Easy Livin’ – Uriah Heep

129. Rainbow In The Dark – DIO

130. Cherry Bomb – The Runaways

132. All The Way- KISS

133. Sweet Pain- KISS

134. Night Train – Guns N’ Roses

135. I Stole Your Love- KISS

136. Save Your Love- KISS

Guns 'N Roses greatest hard rock songs

Guns ‘N Roses – Appetite For Destruction

137. Welcome To The Jungle – Guns N” Roses

138. Room Service- KISS

139. Not For The Innocent- KISS

140. I Just Wanna Have Something To Do- The Ramones

141. We Are The Road Crew- Motorhead

142. Southern Girls- Cheap Trick

143. Killing In The Name – Rage Against The Machine

144. School- Supertramp

The Ramones Greatest Hard Rock Songs

The Ramones – Road To Ruin

145. Hide In Your Shell- Supertramp

146. Dreams I’ll Never See- Molly Hatchet

147. Junior’s Eyes – Black Sabbath

148. Flying High Again- Ozzy Osbourne

149. You Can’t Kill Rock And Roll- Ozzy Osbourne

150. The Reaper- Blue Oyster Cult

151. Edie (Ciao Baby) –The Cult

152. Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin

153. Crazy On You – Heart

Greatest Hard Rock Songs by Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin released their fourth album in 1971. It is untitled, but most people refer to it as “Led Zeppelin IV”

154. The Logical Song – Supertramp

155. Fools Overture – Supertramp

156. Children Of The Grave – Black Sabbath

157. There’s Noone Like You – The Scorpions

158. Long Way From Home- Foreigner

159. Smoke On The Water – Deep Purple

160. Cold As Ice – Foreigner

161. Feels Like The First Time – Foreigner

162. Out On The Tiles – Led Zeppelin

163. Aqualung – Jethro Tull

164. Let Love Rule – Lenny Kravitz

Twisted Sister's Greatest Hard Rock Songs

In 1984 Twisted Sister had huge success with their multi-platinum album “Stay Hungry”

165. I Wanna Rock – Twisted Sister

166. Changes – Black Sabbath

167. Suffragette City – David Bowie

168. Ziggy Stardust – David Bowie

169. Rude Awakening – Prong

170. Self-Esteem, The Offspring

171. In The End – Linkin Park

172. Underwhelmed – Sloan

173. Come Out And Play – The Offspring

174. Seether – Veruca Salt

175. Pretty Fly For A White Guy –The Offspring

Greatest Hard Rock Songs from Rob Zombie

Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe

176. Even Flow – Pearl Jam

177. Denial Revisited – The Offspring

178. Go For Soda – Kim Mitchell

179. Dragula – Rob Zombie

180. Electric Eye – Judas Priest 

181. Wang Dang Sweet Poontang or Wango Tango – Ted Nugent

182. You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette

183. Rip It Out – Ace Frehley

184. Magic Man – Heart

185. Is It My Body – Alice Cooper

186, Who Are You? –  Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath's Greatest Hard Rock Songs

Black Sabbath’s self titled, debut album

187. Looking For Today –  Black Sabbath

188. Bring Me To Life – Evanescence

189. Somebody Save Me – Cinderella

190. Long Live Rock N’ Roll – Rainbow

191. Lady Of The Lake –  Rainbow

192. Fade To Black – Metallica

193. Enter Sandman – Metallica

194. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath

195. She Sells Sanctuary – The Cult

196. Sweet Leaf – Black Sabbath

197. All Along The Watch Tower – Jimi Hendrix/ Bob Dylan

198. White Room – Cream

199. Special Delivery – The Offspring

200. Under Suspicion – Angel

Maybe these aren’t the 200 Greatest Hard Rock Songs but they’re 200 songs that I really like a lot. Some more than others. There’s probably about 300 more songs that I could’ve included but the page has to end somewhere, right? You’ll notice a lot of AC/DC, KISS, Van Halen, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin songs on the list. That’s probably because they’re my favorites. I had to stop myself from adding more of their songs to the list. It would have been easy to write a list of 200 greatest hard rock songs for just those 6 bands alone.

What great songs did I miss? What would your list look like?

Brent Johnston
Damn Wicked

 

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