Top 10 Rock Songs Of All Time

  From Chuck Berry to Paramore, we’ve tirelessly searched through over sixty years of rock & roll history in search of the best rock songs ever recorded, blowing out countless speakers in the process. It wasn’t easy, and there were some tough decisions to be made, but here – after careful consideration – are TrendPimp’s top 10 rock songs of all time:

10. “Anarchy in the U.K.” by the Sex Pistols (1976)
  With lyrics that compared the United Kingdom to a series of prominent terrorist groups, including the IRA, the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.” caused a media firestorm in the band’s home country of England (which was further inflamed when, during an interview on a London television show, guitarist Steve Jones called host Bill Grundy “a fucking rotter” live on the air). The quintessential punk rock song and an anthem for nihilists the world over, “Anarchy in the U.K.” is punk rock at its best: loud, fast, and unapologetically snotty.

9. “Miss Murder” by AFI (2006)
  After fifteen years of making a name for themselves on the hardcore punk circuit, California natives AFI finally scored their first #1 hit on the US Modern Rock charts with “Miss Murder,” an admittedly verbose meditation on the fleeting nature of beauty and fame. More than anything else, “Miss Murder” proved to the world that while rock may be down, it isn't out.

8. “Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley (1957)
  As the so-called King of Rock n’ Roll, Elvis Presley performed many songs that went on to become #1 hits, but none were quite as great as his rendition of “Jailhouse Rock”. Originally written by legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, “Jailhouse Rock” was a perfect fit for the young Elvis Presley, who performed it with his trademark mixture of “white” and “black” music styles.

7. “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones (1965)
  The making of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” is the stuff of legend. While staying at a motel in Clearwater, Florida in 1965, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards allegedly came up with the song in his sleep, woke up, made a quick recording of the main riff and the lyrics “I can’t get no satisfaction” and promptly returned to his bed. All it took were vocals from Mick Jagger and precise instrumentals from the rest of the Stones to turn Richards’ dream into the 1960s’ sexiest song.

6. "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses (1987)
  Guns N’ Roses’ first single and the song that ultimately propelled them to international superstardom, “Welcome to the Jungle” is a fast-paced ass-kicker of a song that remains the best hard rock track ever recorded. The song received its eponymous lines from an incident where frontman Axl Rose had just stepped off of a bus after arriving in Los Angeles and was greeted by a haggard old man who shouted “You know where you are? You're in the jungle, baby! You're gonna die!"

5. “The End” by the Doors (1967)
  At 11 minutes and 41 seconds in length, “The End” is a drawn-out, brooding acid rock masterpiece. While Doors frontman Jim Morrison originally conceived “The End” as a sort of morose farewell to an ex-girlfriend of his, over time the song’s lyrics evolved to include references to, among other things, the Cold War and the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex. Morrison himself has said of the song, “Every time I hear that song, it means something else to me. It started out as a simple good-bye song probably just to a girl, but I see how it could be a goodbye to a kind of childhood. I really don't know. I think it's sufficiently complex and universal in its imagery that it could be almost anything you want it to be.”

4. "Purple Haze" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)
  If Jimi Hendrix is the Michelangelo of the guitar world, then “Purple Haze” must be his Statue of David, a timeless masterpiece whose straight-forward simplicity seems to defy its excellence. While commonly assumed to be a reference to a batch of acid sold by LSD guru Owsley Stanley in the mid-1960s, Hendrix himself has stated that “Purple Haze” is actually a love song, with the term “Purple Haze” itself having been adapted from a phrase in a Philip José Farmer book he had been reading. Whatever his lyrical motivations when writing the song, “Purple Haze” stands out as a coup for Hendrix in largely instrumental terms, being that it features what is undoubtedly the best guitar riff in rock and roll history.

3. "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin (1971)
  It’s no coincidence that “Stairway to Heaven” is both the most-requested and most-played song on FM radio in the United States, despite never having been released as a single in that country. As the dramatic centerpiece of Led Zeppelin IV – which is itself the third best-selling album in American history – “Stairway to Heaven” is a gradual, dreamy musical journey from the acoustic softness of its introduction to the thundering hard rock of its climax. Guitarist Jimmy Page observed that “Every musician wants to do something of lasting quality, something which will hold up for a long time and I guess we did it with "Stairway"”. They most certainly did.

2. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana (1991)
  “Smells Like Teen Spirit” may forever be remembered as the song that buried 1980s hair metal and ushered in the era of “alternative rock” virtually overnight, but there’s a more important fact not to overlook amidst its historical significance: it’s one of the best rock songs ever recorded, period. By perfecting the “soft/loud” dynamic of his favourite band the Pixies, singer Kurt Cobain gave his unique brand of punk-inspired “grunge” music a catchy (some would say poppy) edge that propelled it into mainstream success. Cobain may be long gone, but “Smells Like Teen Spirit” will be convincing apathetic teenagers to half-heartedly rebel for generations to come.

1. "Layla" by Derek and the Dominoes (1970)
  From the moment guitarists Eric Clapton and Duane Allman open the song with its contagious riff, “Layla” grabs the listener by the ears and doesn’t let go until the very end. Featuring some of Clapton’s best-ever vocals and an instrumental denouement that perfectly complements the song’s fierce opening salvo, “Layla” is a brilliant fusion of raw emotion, flawless musicianship and expert song writing. Written by Clapton as he secretly pined for Pattie Boyd, the wife of his friend (and Beatles guitarist) George Harrison, the song remains an unassailable titan of rock and roll music.

About the author:

  Curtis is a writer specializing in politics, popular media and the entertainment industry. Based out of Vancouver, Canada, he graduated from Kwantlen University College with an Arts degree in 2006 and is now a contributing editor at TrendPimp magazine. His online portfolio can be found at CurtisSpring.com.