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
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
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
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 – 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
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 – 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
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 – 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
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
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
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
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 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
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 – 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 – 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
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
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
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 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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