135 Greatest Classic Rock and Roll Songs

This list tries to include some of the greatest rock tunes ever, all of which are classics; that is, songs released before the year 2000. Also keep in mind it only includes mainstream rock and roll (and we all know what that is, right?) whether soft or hard rock, but certainly not pop, R&B, soul, funk, blues, hip-hop, disco, jazz, country, bluegrass or classical—just good ol’ rock and roll, period, okay?

Moreover, most of these songs were released as singles, so their exposure has been much greater than songs only available on albums.

So let’s start the countdown!

135. “Subterranean Homesick Blues” — Bob Dylan (1965)

Found on Bringing It All Back Home—Bob Dylan’s first album recorded with musicians using electric instruments—this single is Dylan’s first Top 40 hit in the US. Inspired by Chuck Berry’s “Too Much Monkey Business,” SHB became an anthem of the 1960s culture clash. Using quirky, anti-authoritarian lyrics, the most memorable line of the song may be: "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."

134. “Give It Away” — Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991)

Perhaps the band’s most popular song ever, “Give It Away” was their first #1 hit on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks. Written by John Frusciante and Flea, it’s featured on the album Blood, Sugar, Sex Magik (1991). The tune expresses the virtue of giving away one’s possessions—even the clothes on your back—to make the world a better place. A line in the chorus reads: “Give it away now … I can’t tell if I’m a kingpin or a pauper.”

133. “What’s Love Got to Do with It” — Tina Turner (1984)

After dumping husband Ike Turner and then turning solo in the 1980s, Tina Turner, at 44, seemed washed up, and then she launched the greatest hit of her illustrious career. WLGTDWI soared to #1 on the US Billboard 100 and was her only number one single. Turner was also the oldest female artist to top the Hot 100. The song won three Grammy Awards too! Hey, 40 is the new 20, isn’t it?

132. “For What It’s Worth” — Buffalo Springfield (1966)

A flash in the pan—though spectacular one—Buffalo Springfield, once the house band at the Whisky a Go Go in L.A., was one of rock’s first supergroups. Written and sang by Stephen Stills, “For What It’s Worth,” the band’s only Top Ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, was a protest song that attained anthemic significance during the mid-1960s rock efflorescence.

131. “Sweet Child O’ Mine” — Guns N’ Roses (1987)

A classic hard rock band if there ever was one and often considered one of the best-selling musical acts in history, Guns N’ Roses delivered their only #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when they released “Sweet Child O’ Mine, found on their debut album Appetite for Destruction. The song features one of Slash’s greatest guitar solos and is often considered one of rock’s greatest too.

130. “Pretty Woman” – Roy Orbison (1964)

Written and sung by Roy Orbison, the so-called Caruso of Rock, “Pretty Woman” has a catchy opening bass line many people from that era will recall. The song hit #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for three weeks. Van Halen produced a popular cover of the tune; and the title was used for the 1990 hit movie Pretty Woman, as wells as the 2018 Broadway musical, Pretty Woman: The Musical.

129. “Heroes” – David Bowie (1977)

Needing a break from being an international rock star, David Bowie relocated to West Berlin, Germany. Found on David Bowie’s album Heroes, “Heroes” the single involves the love affair between two people, one from West Berlin and the other from East Berlin, fearing death every moment at the hands of the secret police during the Cold War. Not a hit initially, this inspirational tune eventually became one of Bowie’s most popular songs.

128. “California Dreamin’” – The Mamas & the Papas (1965)

A folk rock singing group that featured the new California sound, which helped define the budding counterculture of the 1960s, The Mamas & the Papas, led by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips, wrote “California Dreamin’, a paean to the reputed eternal sunshine (and general hipness) of the Golden State. The tune peaked at #4 on the US Billboard 100 and was considered by Billboard’s year-end survey to be the top single of 1966.

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127. “Stayin’ Alive” – The Bee Gees (1977)

Few musical acts did as well as The Bee Gees in the middle 1970s. Reviving disco music, which had gone limp, The Bee Gees released Saturday Night Fever, which soon became the quintessential disco album. The LP’s hit singles included “Stayin’ Alive,” and its memorable, boogie down beat, which jumped to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It’s often included on various lists for the greatest song, rock or pop tune, of all time.

126. “Smooth” – Santana (1999)

Many people had forgotten Santana—until the release of Supernatural, that is, which won eight Grammy Awards and includes six singles, perhaps the best of which “Smooth,” featuring Rob Thomas at lead singer. The tune skyrocketed to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for 12 weeks. Notably, it was the last number one hit of the 1990s and the first of the 2000s!

125. “Space Truckin’” – Deep Purple (1972)

Deep Purple was considered—along with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin—a member of the unholy trinity of British heavy metal. Included on Machine Head, the band’s most commercially successful album, the lyrics of “Space Truckin’” tell of space travel through the solar system and Milky Way.

Often played as a long jam at the end of concerts, one version of the tune is over 30 minutes long! Many artists have covered the song, including William Shatner on his spoken word album, Seeking Major Tom (2011).

124. “96 Tears” – Question Mark & the Mysterians (1966)

A garage/proto-punk band from Bay City, Michigan, Question Mark & the Mysterians produced an organ-driven sound covering tunes such as “Midnight Hour” and “Can’t Get Enough of You Baby.” The band hit pay dirt with the release of “96 Tears,” a #1 song on the US Billboard Hot 100. Their singer/songwriter, the Question Mark—Rudy Martinez—never considered naming it “69 Tears,” because for him the number 96 has philosophical significance.

123. “Tonight, Tonight” – Smashing Pumpkins (1996)

Written by Billy Corgan, frontman for Smashing Pumpkins, a shoegaze group from Chicago, “Tonight, Tonight” is a tribute song for Cheap Trick, another Windy City band. With its dark lyrics, soaring guitars and the symphonic accompaniment of a 30-part orchestra, the song lifts one’s spirits as few can.

The video, which takes you on a retro sci-fi trip to the moon, won a Grammy Award and is considered one of the greatest music videos ever.

122. “I Can See for Miles” – The Who (1967)

Featured on The Who Sell Out, “I Can See for Miles” sprang to #9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and is The Who’s highest charting single in the U.S. After reading a review of the song, in which the writer declared it was the heaviest rock tune he’d ever heard, Paul McCartney wrote “Helter Skelter” (also credited to John Lennon), hoping to make it even heavier than The Who’s raucous smash hit.

121. “All Along the Watchtower” – Jimi Hendrix (1968)

Jimi Hendrix, before his untimely demise at 27, released his version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”. The song hit #20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, making it Hendrix’s highest charting single; and, because of Hendrix’s star power, also helped to make “Watchtower” one of Dylan’s most popular songs (he’s performed it more than 2,268 times, at last count).

120. “Kicks” – Paul Revere & the Raiders (1966)

The Raiders were a so-called show band, the members of which often engaging in antics and dancing while playing their instruments, as shown on the TV shows such as Where The Action Is. Featured on the album Midnight Ride, “Kicks” was the band’s most popular single, reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Contrary to the lyrics of many rock tunes of that era, the tune has an anti-drug message: “Before you find out it’s too late, girl, you better get straight!”

119. “Born on a Bayou” – Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)

CCR was one of the most popular rock bands in the US from 1969 to 1971. Springing from bands such as The Blue Velvets and The Golliwogs, they produced many rousing southern-rock tunes back in the day. “Born on a Bayou,” written and sang by frontman John Fogerty, has a swamp rock vibe, in which Fogerty positively “howls” an ode to Cajun folklore and music. The song is the B-side of “Proud Mary,” which reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. So, which song is the best?

118. “You’re So Vain” – Carly Simon (1972)

One of 24 charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100, “You’re So Vain” may be Simon’s greatest song to date, but that would be a very difficult claim to prove, as her list of hit songs seems as long as that of the Beatles or Madonna. Of course, people have wondered who the subject of the song is. Warren Beatty? (Who thought it was about him.) David Bowie? David Cassidy? Cat Stevens? Don Knotts? (No, Knotts' name is a Family Guy joke). Or is Mr. X a composite of three men, as Simon one time suggested?

117. “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)

A staple of southern and classic rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s highest charting single—#8 on the Billboard Hot 100—“Sweet Home Alabama,” written by three members of the band, is a rejection of the lyrics in two songs by Neil Young—“Alabama” and “Southern Man”—both of which seem to blame the South for America’s slavery. Moreover, in the lyrics for “Sweet Home Alabama,” Neil Young is “dissed” a time or two. Whatever, the song is a favorite to play around the campfire.

116. “Photograph” – Def Leppard (1983)

A British band with numerous hit singles under their collective belts, Def Leppard released “Photograph” during a time when the band was considered a new wave entry in the British heavy metal movement of the 1980s. The top single on Pyromania (1983) and generally the final song performed at their concerts, it’s about a man who’s in love with the photo of a beautiful woman. The chorus is unforgettable: “Look what you've done to this rock ‘n’ roll clown! Look what you’ve done! I gotta have you!”

115. “Kashmir” – Led Zeppelin (1975)

Included on the Zep’s double album, Physical Graffiti (1975), “Kashmir” is considered—along with “Stairway to Heaven”—to be one of the band’s two progressive epics. Played with orchestration by John Paul Jones and studio musicians—and with Jimmy Page’s guitar exotically tuned to DADGAD—the lyrics evoke Robert Plant’s state of mind as he drove through southern Morocco: “My Shangri-La beneath the summer moon, I will return again. Sure as the dust floats high in June, when moving through Kashmir.”

114. “One” – Three Dog Night (1969)

Comprised of three outstanding vocalists—Danny Hutton, Cory Wells and Chuck Negron—as well as their many backup musicians over the years, Three Dog Night posted more than 20 Billboard Top 40 hit singles between 1969 and 1975. Written by Harry Nilsson, “One” is the highest charting single on the group’s debut album, hitting #5 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The song’s most memorable line is “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.”

113. “Walk Like an Egyptian” – The Bangles (1986)

Found on Different Light, the Bangles most successful album, the song was written by Liam Sternberg, who originated the title when he saw how people tried to keep their balance while walking on the deck of a boat in choppy water; he likened their sideways gait to that of ancient Egyptians as depicted on the walls of tombs. The song parodies this locomotion: “Life's short you know (Oh-Way-Oh) so strike a pose on a Cadillac.” Silly, huh? Well, does anybody actually know how the old-time Egyptians walked?

112. “Spill the Wine” – Eric Burdon and War (1970)

This song was the first hit single by War, a funk, R&B, soul and rock band from L.A. and their debut album was Eric Burdon Declares War. “Spill the Wine” hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Eric Burdon sang the potent chorus: “Spill the wine, dig that girl. Spill the wine, take that pearl!” Burdon soon left War, but the band didn’t miss a beat, producing more hits: “The World Is a Ghetto,” “Cisco Kid,” “Low Rider,” “All Day Music”, “Summer” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”

111. “La Grange” – ZZ Top (1973)

Included on the album Tres Hombres, “La Grange,” a song about a bordello in La
Grange, Texas, alias the “Chicken Ranch,” is a quintessential blues-rock tune that nearly every blues guitarist in the world can play. These same players may also sing along with the well-known line: “a-how, how, how, how,” which originated with John Lee Hooker’s classic “Boom Boom”; and the initial rant-rant-rant in the tune comes from Hooker’s “Boogie Chillen.” Apparently, though, Hooker never complained about such usage.

110. “Every Breath You Take” – The Police (1983)

The Police were a key component of the Second British Invasion in the 1980s. Producing many hit albums and singles during that period, “Every Breath You Take” is the band’s only hit single to summit the US Billboard Hot 100. Written by Sting, the song helped The Police win two Grammy Awards. Considered by many to be a touching, romantic tune, Sting disagreed: “I think the song is very, very sinister and ugly and people have actually misinterpreted it as being a gentle little love song, when it's quite the opposite.”

109. “Feel Like Making Love” – Bad Company (1975)

An English supergroup comprised of musicians from bands such as Free (Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke) Mott the Hoople (Mick Ralphs) and King Crimson (Boz Burrell), Bad Company was one of the most popular British bands of the 1970s. Included on the album Straight Shooter (1975), “Feel Like Making Love” is a power ballad with a ka-boom at the chorus. Written by Paul Rodgers and Mick Ralphs, it sprang to #10 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

108. “Whatever Gets You thru the Night” – John Lennon (1974)

Featuring the harmony singing and keyboards of Elton John, who predicted the tune would hit #1—though John Lennon didn’t think so—“Whatever Gets You thru the Night” was Lennon’s only #1 hit single in the US during his lifetime (he was also the last Beatle to make such an achievement). Notably, Lennon created a promotional film for the song, and 1974 Elton John recorded a live version with Lennon, released in 1981.

107. “Take Me to the Top” – Loverboy (1981)

A Canadian hard rock quintet from Calgary, Alberta, Loverboy was rejected by many recording labels in the US but eventually signed with Columbia/CBS Records, Canada. Found on Get Lucky, which hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart, “Take Me to the Top” is one of a plethora of singable hits produced by the band; it features the catchy and rakish guitar of Paul Dean.

106. “Your Momma Don’t Dance” – Loggins and Messina (1972)

Loggins and Messina, one of the greatest rock duos of the 1970s, included “Your Momma Don’t Dance” on their eponymous album in 1972. The song is perhaps the best of many fine pop-rock tunes on this LP, which also features “Good Friend,” “Angry Eyes,” “Golden Ribbons” and “Thinking of You.” Some rock purists slammed “Your Momma,” calling it “ordinary good-time rock”; nevertheless, it sailed to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it L&M’s greatest charting single.

105. "Maggie May" – Rod Stewart (1971)

Written by Sir Rod Stewart or “Rod the Mod” and Martin Quinttenton, “Maggie May” was included on Every Picture Tells a Story, Rod Stewart’s third studio album. The song is about an older woman with whom Stewart had his first sexual experience. But Maggie May wasn’t her real name; Stewart took that name from an old English folk song about a prostitute. “Maggie May” rocketed to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

104. "Walking in L.A.” – Missing Persons (1983)

Missing Persons were a synthpop group from La La Land, a metropolis dominated by cars, freeways and smog. The song was sung by lead singer Dale Bozzio, a cutesy blonde who fit the MTV profile. The song’s bridge goes thusly: “Walkin' walkin' walkin' walkin'. You won't see a cop walkin' on the beat—you only see 'em drivin' cars out on the street. You won't see kids walkin' home from school—their mothers pick ‘em up in a car pool.” (If you’ve ever driven on L.A.’s infamous 4-0-5, you know what this song’s about!)

103. "Surrender” – Cheap Trick (1978)

"Surrender” is Cheap Trick’s first single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was featured on the live album Cheap Trick at Budokan (Japan), which launched the band into international stardom, particularly in the US, where the album achieved triple platinum status. Rolling Stone called “Surrender” an “ultimate Seventies teen anthem.” The tune has many pop culture references; in Showtime's Californication, Hank’s daughter Becca sings it.

102. "Money for Nothing” – Dire Straits (1985)

Featured on Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits’ fifth and most popular studio album, “Money for Nothing” was written by Mark Knopfler and Sting, and also features some vocals by Sting, specifically, “I want my MTV.” But perhaps the most memorable line in the tune is that musicians on MTV apparently “get money for nothing and chicks for free.” The song is the most commercially successful in Dire Straits’ extensive oeuvre; it spiked at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

101. "Can’t Find My Way Home” – Blind Faith (1969)

Written by Steve Winwood, “Can’t Find My Way Home” is perhaps the most popular tune for the one-album-wonder band, Blind Faith, which featured Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood. Some critics considered the album a disappointing throwaway by musicians between gigs, but over the decades it’s become a prominent LP from rock’s classic period. Many artists have covered the number, and Clapton and Winwood have often played it while touring.

100. "Magic” – Pilot (1974)

“Magic” was one of the hottest tunes during the summer of 1975. Released by Pilot, a one-hit wonder band from Scotland, the single hit #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100; it also sold a million copies and won a gold disc. At any rate, Pilot still exists, so give them credit being better than a flash in the pan! Incidentally, you can hear the melody for this tune in a contemporary jingle for a diabetes medication: “Oh, oh, oh, it’s magic, you know, never believe it’s not so!”

99. "The House of the Rising Sun” – Animals (1964)

An integral aspect of the British Invasion of the middle 1960s, The Animals, featuring frontman Eric Burdon, released “The House of the Rising Sun,” which hit #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. A traditional English folk tune with no verifiable authorship, the song made its way into the American South in the early 1900s; even Woody Guthrie did a version of it in 1941. But The Animals’ rendering of the song, recorded in one take, is perhaps the first folk rock hit single.

98. "She Blinded Me with Science” – Thomas Dolby (1982)

Written and performed by Englishman Thomas Dolby, this rock song is probably the only one with “science” in the title. Featuring a synthpop vibe and heavy funk backbeat, it’s about a young man who falls in love with his science teacher: “Now she's making love to me. The spheres are in commotion, the elements in harmony. She blinded me with science—and hit me with technology!” This single hit #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

97. "Children of the Grave” – Black Sabbath (1971)

Released as a single from the album Master of Reality, and often considered one of Black Sabbath’s greatest tunes, “Children of the Grave,” like many of their songs, promotes love not war, as some of the lyrics attest: “Spread the word today. Show the world that love is still alive. You must be brave or you children of today—are children of the grave!” Many metal bands have covered this timeless Vietnam War era, anti-war tune.