Top 100 continued
49 Animals
The Animals recorded this in 1 take. They had perfected the song from years of performing it on the road.
48 John Lennon Karma is the belief that your actions effect your future lives. Good deeds will have a positive effect while bad deeds bring negative consequences. The concept of Karma is popular in the Hindu and Buddhist religions. Lennon's idea of "Instant Karma" refers to a more immediate concept of accountability for your actions. Basically, what comes around, goes around.
47 Jimi Hendrix It is unclear who wrote this. Many people believe it was written by Chester Powers (aka Dino Valenti of Quicksilver Messenger Service), but Hendrix himself - and also The Leaves - attribute it to William (Bobby) Roberts. No one has been able to copyright it, so the song is considered "traditional," meaning anyone can record it without paying royalties. (thanks, Gary - Thetford, England)
46 Deep Purple This is about a fire in the Casino at Montreux, Switzerland. The band was going to record Machine Head there right after a Frank Zappa concert, but someone fired a flare gun at the ceiling which set the place on fire. The band was relocated to another hotel and recorded the album in the Rolling Stones mobile studio.
45 Cream 1967 This was Cream's biggest hit. It was their first to do better in the US than in England, as they started to catch on in America.
44 Rolling Stones 1971 The lyrics are about slaves from Africa who were sold in New Orleans and raped by their white masters. The subject matter is quite serious, but the way the song is structured, it comes off as a fun rocker about a white guy having sex with a black girl. (thanks, Phil - Palo Alto, CA)
43 The Who 1965 Roger Daltrey sang the lead vocals with a stutter, which was very unusual. After recording 2 takes of this normally, manager Kit Lambert suggested to Daltrey that he stutter to sound like a British kid on speed.
42 The Doors In 1971, Morrison died in mysterious circumstances while living in Paris, leaving some fans believing that Morrison faked his death in order to escape the spotlight. The remaining Doors continued, Krieger and Manzarek replacing Morrison as singers, and released two more albums, Other Voices and Full Circle. The band was very successful with all four original members.
41 Led Zepplien was a British band noted for their innovative, influential approach to heavy blues-rock and as one of the most popular and influential bands of the 1970s. Some describe them as a heavy metal band, though the use of this term in connection to Led Zeppelin is debatable.
40 Eric Clapton The lyrics are about drug addiction. Clapton did lots of drugs in the early '70s. He got off drugs in 1974 and struggled with alcoholism in the late '70s and early '80s. He eventually started a rehab center in Antigua to help others who are fighting addiction.
39 The Beatles McCartney had a dream one night when he was paranoid and anxious. He saw his mom who had been dead for ten years or so; she came to him in his time of trouble, speaking words of wisdom. This brought him much peace when he needed it. It was this sweet dream that got him to begin writing the song.
38 Boston is a best-selling rock band that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. The music of Boston is often cited as having been influential in the music industry's move from heavy metal in the 1970s to the "power pop" that would dominate the 1980s. The most famous of the band's works include the singles "More than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind" and "Amanda".
37 Free "All Right Now" was created after a bad gig in Durham, England. Our repertoire at that time was mostly slow and medium paced blues songs which was alright if you were a student sitting quietly and nodding your head to the beat. However, we finished our show in Durham and walked off the stage to the sound of our own footsteps. The applause had died before I had even left the drum riser. When we got into the dressing room, it was obvious that we needed an uptempo number, a rocker to close our shows. All of sudden, the Inspiration struck Fraser, and he started bopping around singing ALL RIGHT NOW.... He sat down and wrote it right there in the dressing room. It couldn't have taken more than ten minutes." (thanks, Annie - Boston, MA)
36 Grateful Dead were an American rock band, which was formed in the mid 1960s in San Francisco from the remnants of another band, Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions. The Dead were known for their unique and eclectic songwriting style, which fused elements of rock, folk music, bluegrass, blues, country, jazz, and for long modal jams. The band's numerous fans, called Dead Heads, were renowned for their dedication to the band's music; many followed the Dead from concert to concert for years
35 Kansas This was the group's first hit. It remains a staple of Classic Rock radio
34 Kinks Dave Davies got the dirty guitar sound by slashing the speaker cone on his amp with a razor blade. The vibration of the fabric produced an effect known as "fuzz," which became common as various electronic devices were invented to distort the sound. At the time, none of these devices existed, so Davies would mistreat his amp to get the desired sound, often kicking it. The amp was a cheap unit called an Elpico.
33 Pink Floyd David Gilmour's car radio was used in recording the intro of the song "Wish You Were Here."
32 Lynyrd Skynyrd Collins wrote the music long before Ronnie Van Zant came up with lyrics for it. Van Zant finally got inspired one night and had Collins and Gary Rossington play it over and over until he wrote the words.
31 Led Zeppelin A 1973 Led Zeppelin concert at the Boston Garden was canceled by the mayor after nearly 1000 fans, waiting all night before tickets went on sale, rioted and caused $30,000 worth of damage to the venue.
30 Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones got their name from the Muddy Waters blues song "Rollin' Stone Blues." Well my mother told my father, just before I was born, 'I gotta boy-child comin, gonna be a Rollin' Stone'."
29 AerosmithThis was the first single Aerosmith released. Their manager had them share a house and concentrate on writing songs for their first album. Steven Tyler had been working on this on and off for about 6 years, and was able to complete it with the help of the rest of the band.
28 Juthro Tull Tull vocalist and flute player Ian Anderson wrote this about a character he made up. Aqualung is a bum with poor hygiene.
27 The Beatles When John and Yoko began living together in 1968, divorce proceedings began between John and his wife Cynthia. Paul McCartney, who was very close to John and Cynthia's son, Julian, was concerned over John's marriage breaking up, and in support of Cynthia and Julian, wrote this song. Originally titled "Hey Julian," it later developed to "Hey Jules," then finally "Hey Jude," because it was thought Jude was a stronger sounding name.
26 Jefferson Airplane Slick wrote and performed this when she was in a band called The Great Society. She brought it with her, along with "Somebody To Love," when she joined Jefferson Airplane in 1966.
25 The Doors When Jim Morrison got drunk, he liked to sing Blues numbers at their jam sessions. They jammed on a lot of Blues numbers, and came up with this at one of the sessions.
24 Yes is a progressive rock band whose first songs appeared in 1969. Although the composition of the band has changed over the years, founding members Jon Anderson and Chris Squire may be considered the core of the band. Anderson performed on all but one album while Squire performed on all official Yes albums. Rick Wakeman, on the other hand, has joined and left the band at least four times.
23 The Who The Guiness Book of Records listed The Who as the "World's loudest pop group," with a 120 decibel reading -- the same as a jet airplane taking off -- which took place at the Charlton Athletic Football Club in 1976.
22 Led Zeppelin A 1973 Led Zeppelin concert at the Boston Garden was canceled by the mayor after nearly 1000 fans, waiting all night before tickets went on sale, rioted and caused $30,000 worth of damage to the venue.
21 Moody Blues This was written by Justin Hayward, who joined the band the year before. He got the idea for it after someone gave him a set of white satin sheets.
20 Bob Dy The title is not a reference to The Rolling Stones. It is taken from the phrase "A rolling stone gathers no moss." Dylan got the idea from the Hank Williams song "Lost Highway," which contains the line, "I'm a rolling stone, I'm alone and lost."
19 Pink Flyod This is about the bad things money can bring. Ironically, it made them lots of cash, as the album sold over 34 million copies.
18 Grateful Dead The '60s was a time for traveling and discovering your place in the world. Sometimes what you found was an empty existence that just keeps repeating itself day to day. Having to deal with everyday life when you were always waiting for some kind of revelation to expand your consciousness was often depressing. They sang of acceptance of banality and the drive to continue their search for epiphany.
17 Queen is a British rock band popular in the 1970s and 1980s. They are most well known for their hit "Bohemian Rhapsody", first released in 1975 and promoted by one of the earliest successful music videos and later re-released for the soundtrack album to the movie Wayne's World. Queen are widely recognised as pioneers of R&B, glam rock, and stadium rock.
16 Jimi Hendrix Hendrix claimed this was inspired by a dream where he was walking under the sea. In the dream, he said a purple haze surrounded him, engulfed him and got him lost. It was a traumatic experience, but in his dream his faith in Jesus saved him.
15 The Beatles This is the most covered pop song of all time. For years, it was also the song with the most radio plays, but in 1999 BMI music publishing reported that "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" had passed it."
14 Cream This is about depression and hopelessness, but the setting is an empty apartment. The lyrics were written by a beat poet named Pete Brown, who was a friend of Cream bass player Jack Bruce. Brown also wrote the words for "Sunshine Of Your Love" and "I Feel Free."
13 Rolling Stones Because their long hair was considered outrageous in the early 60s, the Rolling Stones took out a Christmas ad in a paper saying "Best wishes to all the starving hairdressers and their families."
12 The Who The Who played at the 1969 Woodstock Festival but hated it. They said it was "probably the worst ever festival experience we ever had."
11 Led Zeppelin It was Keith Moon who inspired the Led Zeppelin name. He told Jimmy Page at a recording session that his new band would probably go down like a lead zeppelin. The "a" was left out of the "lead" so that Americans wouldn't mispronounce the name.
10 John Lennon Following the Beatles' split in 1970, he released the Plastic Ono Band album, a raw, honest record, heavily influenced by Arthur Janov's Primal therapy, which Lennon had undergone previously. This was followed by Imagine , his most successful solo album, which dealt with some of the same themes. The title track is a lovely song which has become an anthem for world harmony, but Lennon himself was later dismissive of it, claiming he had "sugar coated" his message. Certainly there is irony in Lennon, a prodigious shopper, urging his fans to imagine life with "no possessions."
9 Bruce Springsteen This was the first song Springsteen wrote for a studio production, rather than a live performance. After recording 4 versions (one with a female chorus) at the low-budget studio where he recorded his first 2 albums, he moved to a higher end studio to finish it, refusing to release it until it was just right.
8 The Eagles in 1976, was about the pursuit of the American dream, 1970s style. Using California as a metaphor for the nation, the Eagles wrote about innocence ("New Kid in Town", a #1 hit in Billboard on February 26, 1977) and temptations ("Life In The Fast Lane" and the title track, a #1 hit in Billboard on May 7, 1977) of that pursuit.
7 Pink Flyod The band was named after 2 American Blues musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
6 The Doors The producers of The Ed Sullivan Show asked the band to change the line "Girl we couldn't get much higher" for their appearance in 1967. Morrison said he would, but sung it anyway. Afterwards, he told Sullivan that he was nervous and simply forgot to change the line. This didn't fly, and The Doors were never invited back.
5 The Who Pete Townshend wrote this about a revolution. In the first verse, there is an uprising. In the middle, they overthrow those in power, but in the end, the new regime becomes just like the old one ("Meet the new boss, same as the old boss"). Townshend felt revolution was pointless because whoever takes over is destined to become corrupt.
4 The Beatles "A Day in the Life" is one of the last true collaborations between Lennon and McCartney: Lennon wrote the opening and closing sections, while McCartney contributed the "woke up/Fell out of bed" middle. For the climax, they hired forty classical musicians, dressed them in tuxedos and funny hats, and told them they had fifteen bars to ascend from the lowest note on their instruments to the highest. "Listen to those trumpets -- they're just freaking out," McCartney said. The final thundering piano chord concluded the Sgt. Pepper's album and made rock music seem like it had infinite possibilities.
3 Derek and the Dominoes It is extremely difficult to believe, but the original 1970 Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs album never charted in Great Britain. There were several possible explanations. At the time of release there were no familiar tracks, and an unknown double album is always a risky purchase. The average consumer would not have known that the artist was accomplished, since Eric Clapton hid behind the pseudonym. And "Layla" itself was over seven minutes in length, therefore not gaining much radio exposure. At least in the US the album went gold, though it never made the Top 10.
2 Rolling Stones While in Clearwater, Florida on The Stones third US tour in 1965, Keith Richards woke up in his hotel room with the guitar riff and lyric "Can't get no satisfaction" in his head. He recorded it on a portable tape deck, went back to sleep, and brought it to the studio that week. The tape contained his guitar riff followed by the sounds of him snoring.
1 Led Zeppelin is the biggest selling piece of sheet music in rock history. It sells about 15,000 copies every year. In total, over one million copies have been sold.
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