Thursday, September 06, 2007

Rockin'-est song of all time?

Steve Hyden of the Onion's AV Club just posted his choice for the Most Rockin' Song of All Time.

His choice? Ramble Tamble by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

It's kind of funny he chose a CCR song, as I've often thought of them as perhaps the purest rock band of all time. And he managed to choose a song I'd never heard, and yes, it rocks.

But it's not the rockin'-est song of all time.

First, let's look at the criteria he's used...

1) It came out between 1955 and 1980
2) It has to be bluesy, but not too bluesy
3) It can’t be a classic rock radio staple
4) It must make you drive at least 10 mph faster within the first 60 seconds and/or make doing the dishes fun.
5) You know it when you hear it.

I disagree with criterea 1 and 3. There's no reason to exclude post 1980 music... "Born in the U.S.A.," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," and "Rock This Town," and everything by AC/DC deserve to be considered, and even newer songs, like "Cold Hard Bitch" by Jet, are pretty straightforward rock songs. And I see no reason why a popular song can't be the rockin'-est ever.

I have no problem with the other 3 criterea, although I don't know about driving faster, but it should make driving fun. I agree that the purest rock is somewhat bluesy, and, while the phrase is pretty empty, sure, you know it when you hear it.

I'm adding 3 criterea...

1) The song has to clock in at under 5:30. The purest rock is concise. This, incidentally, would disqualify Ramble Tamble.
2) At it's base, it's gotta be electric guitar, bass, and drums. Keyboards are acceptable. A stray instrument is ok, like the cowbell of "Honky Tonk Woman" or a Neil Young-esque harmonica, but not much more.
3) The song has to have a confident, perhaps even cocky attitude. One of the first songs that came to mind for me was "Don't Do Me Like That" by Tom Petty, but the lyrics are all about being scorned, perhaps even a little whiny... so that's not the ticket.

So the verdict is...

I don't know. I'm working on it. I'll get back to you on it. A few nominees though, from which I may or may not choose....

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2. Although asking "How long must we sing this song" isn't really the right attitude, I don't think.

"Lust for Life" by Iggy Pop.

"My Generation" by The Who.

"Rock and Roll" by Led Zeppelin.

"Fortunate Son" or "Travelin' Band" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

"You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC.

Thoughts?

4 Comments:

At 9:55 AM, Blogger DSL said...

Why wouldn't the rockin'est song be played on classic rock stations? In fact, why all the other criteria. That's silly. And no, his selection would not make the dishes fun.

 
At 10:07 AM, Blogger dara said...

I'm going to go against type and vote for Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin. But only because you had the wrong U2 song choice. :P

No, seriously, it's because whenever that or The Immigrant Song come on the radio, I know that my chances of getting a speeding ticket go up at least 50%.

 
At 10:16 AM, Blogger Justin S. said...

DSL-

Agreed, in fact, the greatest rock song should be on classic rock radio all the time.

Dara-

Rock and Roll is perhaps the most perfectly concise rock song ever crafted. I'm thinking lyrics are a big component though, and I'm not sure Rock and Roll has enough attitude as far as that goes. Right now I'm thinking it might come down to "Fortunate Son,"
"My Generation" and "You Shook Me All Night Long."

A couple nominees occured to me since I posted...

"I Love Rock and Roll" by Joan Jett... perhaps the best female rock song of all time... Although, again, I'm not sure the lyrics have what it takes.

"Roxanne" by the Police... But it's a song about talking a woman out of being a prostitute, not exactly rock attitude there.

 
At 10:50 AM, Blogger dara said...

In all honesty, the reason that Zep is not my favorite band is their lyrics.

For me, with The Police, it's Message in a Bottle. That also makes me drive faster. And it made me bounce in concert. Roxanne is just too hard to sing along with.

Of your last three, I could agree with with My Generation or You Shook Me All Night Long. Fortunate Son doesn't do anything for me.

And if I were to go with a Tom Petty song, it's American Girl. It's an anthem.

 

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