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200 Greatest Hard Rock Songs

Criteria: These hard rock songs are ranked according to their initial and lasting acclaim, influence as well as initial and lasting popularity. For songs which are only partially hard rock, only their hard rock parts are factored into their ranking.

See Definition below list.

List Begun: 2021-09-16
Greatest Hard Rock Songs
  1. Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix Experience
  2. Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream
  3. Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
  4. All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix Experience
  5. Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who
  6. I Love Rock 'N' Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
  7. Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
  8. You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
  9. More Than a Feeling - Boston
10. We Will Rock You - Queen
11. Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple
12. Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf
13. Highway to Hell - AC/DC
14. Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
15. Walk This Way - Aerosmith
16. White Room - Cream
17. Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
18. Baba O'Riley - The Who
19. Dazed And Confused - Led Zeppelin
20. Back In Black - AC/DC
21. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
22. All Right Now - Free
23. Aqualung - Jethro Tull
24. Revolution - Beatles
25. Livin On a Prayer - Bon Jovi
26. You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet - Bachman-Turner Overdrive
27. I Can See For Miles - The Who
28. Rock And Roll - Led Zeppelin
29. Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
30. Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
31. School's Out - Alice Cooper
32. Rock and Roll All Nite - KISS
33. Bang a Gong (Get It On) - T. Rex
34. Welcome To the Jungle - Guns N' Roses
35. The Boys Are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy
36. Dream On - Aerosmith
37. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
38. Pinball Wizard - The Who
39. Paradise By the Dashboard Light - Meat Loaf
40. American Woman - The Guess Who
41. Helter Skelter - Beatles
42. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly
43. Beat It - Michael Jackson
44. Radar Love - Golden Earring
45. Highway Star - Deep Purple
46. Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith
47. You Keep Me Hangin' On - Vanilla Fudge
48. The Final Countdown - Europe
49. Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
50. We're an American Band - Grand Funk
51. Runnin' with the Devil - Van Halen
52. Who Are You - The Who
53. November Rain - Guns N' Roses
54. Behind Blue Eyes - The Who
55. Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas
56. Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
57. Surrender - Cheap Trick
58. Hey Hey My My (Into the Black) - Neil Young
59. Summertime Blues - Blue Cheer
60. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - Jimi Hendrix Experience
61. Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
62. You Really Got Me - Van Halen
63. Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin
64. Photograph - Def Leppard
65. Cryin' - Aerosmith
66. Thunderstruck - AC/DC
67. Love Bites - Def Leppard
68. Here I Go Again - Whitesnake
69. Paradise City - Guns N' Roses
70. Cult of Personality - Living Colour
71. Tom Sawyer - Rush
72. Hard to Handle - Black Crowes
73. Child in Time - Deep Purple
74. Crossroads - Cream
75. You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi
76. Rockin' In the Free World - Neil Young
77. Can't Get Enough - Bad Company
78. Long Time - Boston
79. Barracuda - Heart
80. Whole Lotta Rosie - AC/DC
81. Fox On the Run - Sweet
82. La Grange - ZZ Top
83. Bad Medicine - Bon Jovi
84. Break On Through (To the Other Side) - Doors
85. Over the Hills and Far Away - Led Zeppelin
86. Bad Company - Bad Company
87. Crazy On You - Heart
88. Slow Ride - Foghat
89. Locomotive Breath - Jethro Tull
90. Black Betty - Ram Jam
91. Foxey Lady - Jimi Hendrix Experience
92. Dude (Looks Like a Lady) - Aerosmith
93. We're Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister
94. Hot for Teacher - Van Halen
95. The Spirit of Radio - Rush
96. Detroit Rock City - KISS
97. Rock You Like a Hurricane - Scorpions
98. The Show Must Go On - Queen
99. Working for the Weekend - Loverboy
100. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - AC/DC

101. Ballroom Blitz - Sweet
102. Dr. Feelgood - Mötley Crüe
103. Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
104. Twilight Zone - Golden Earring
105. Janie's Got a Gun - Aerosmith
106. T.N.T. - AC/DC
107. Tush - ZZ Top
108. Girls, Girls, Girls - Mötley Crüe
109. Hocus Pocus - Focus
110. Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group
111. Peace Of Mind - Boston
112. White Wedding - Billy Idol
113. The Stroke - Billy Squier
114. Magic Man - Heart
115. We're Not Gonna Take It - The Who
116. Hush - Deep Purple
117. Some Kind Of Wonderful - Grand Funk
118. 18 and Life - Skid Row
119. Bad to the Bone - George Thorogood
120. Round and Round - Ratt
121. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top
122. Nothin' But a Good Time - Poison
123. Gimme All Your Lovin' - ZZ Top
124. Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd
125. Good Times, Bad Times - Led Zeppelin
126. I Hate Myself For Loving You - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
127. When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin
128. Panama - Van Halen
129. Eighteen - Alice Cooper
130. Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young
131. Hot Blooded - Foreigner
132. Whiskey in the Jar - Thin Lizzy
133. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love - Van Halen
134. Youth Gone Wild - Skid Row
135. Blaze of Glory - Jon Bon Jovi
136. Why Can't This Be Love? - Van Halen
137. I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
138. Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Guns N' Roses
139. Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet
140. Still of the Night - Whitesnake
141. Unskinny Bop - Poison
142. Innuendo - Queen
143. Hells Bells - AC/DC
144. Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen
145. Down Down - Status Quo
146. Stay with Me - Faces
147. Feel Like Makin' Love - Bad Company
148. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) - AC/DC
149. Limelight - Rush
150. Wheel In the Sky - Journey
151. The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk
152. You Could Be Mine - Guns N' Roses
153. Don't Look Back - Boston
154. It's a Long Way to the Top - AC/DC
155. Stranglehold - Ted Nugent
156. Cherry Bomb - Runaways
157. Burn - Deep Purple
158. Mississippi Queen - Mountain
159. Let There Be Rock - AC/DC
160. Feels Like the First Time - Foreigner
161. Free Ride - Edgar Winter Group
162. Everything About You - Ugly Kid Joe
163. Eruption - Van Halen
164. No More Mr. Nice Guy - Alice Cooper
165. Cum On Feel the Noize - Quiet Riot
166. Communication Breakdown - Led Zeppelin
167. Heartbreaker - Pat Benatar
168. Dance the Night Away - Van Halen
169. Party Hard - Andrew W.K.
170. Right Now - Van Halen
171. Life Is a Highway - Tom Cochrane
172. I'll Wait - Van Halen
173. Dreams - Van Halen
174. Children of the Revolution - T. Rex
175. Cum On Feel the Noize - Slade
176. Rock of Ages - Def Leppard
177. Hysteria - Def Leppard
178. Poison - Alice Cooper
179. Rag Doll - Aerosmith
180. Keep the Faith - Bon Jovi
181. Armageddon It - Def Leppard
182. Sister Christian - Night Ranger
183. Rocket - Def Leppard
184. Bad Time - Grand Funk
185. Love Reign O'er Me - The Who
186. Same Old Song and Dance - Aerosmith
187. Back In the Saddle - Aerosmith
188. Achilles Last Stand - Led Zeppelin
189. Hair Of the Dog - Nazareth
190. Seven Seas of Rhye - Queen
191. Love in an Elevator - Aerosmith
192. Kickstart My Heart - Mötley Crüe
193. Animal - Def Leppard
194. Love Removal Machine - Cult
195. And the Cradle Will Rock - Van Halen
196. Burning Heart - Survivor
197. Burnin' For You - Blue Öyster Cult
198. I Can't Drive '55 - Sammy Hagar
199. Smokin' - Boston
200. Bang Your Head (Metal Health) - Quiet Riot

Purple Haze single cover



Sunshine Of Your Love single cover



Whole Lotta Love single cover



All Along The Watchtower single cover



Won't Get Fooled Again single cover



I Love Rock 'N' Roll single cover








Definition 1 (what is hard rock):

Hard rock is a genre of rock music with special emphasis on distorted electric guitars. It is often described as "aggressive", "heavy" and "anthemic". Its harmonic structure is usually based on power chords played over a blues scale. Hard rock originated in late 1966 with the first recordings by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream. Its stylistic origins lie primarily in the garage rock of the first half of the 1960s.

Definition 2 (what isn't hard rock):

For the purposes of the list, songs from the following genres were not considered for this list, even though they may suit the definition given above: garage rock (e.g. The Sonics, The Kinks, Monks), heavy metal/proto-metal (e.g. Black Sabbath, Budgie, Sir Lord Baltimore), punk/proto-punk (e.g. The Stooges, MC5, New York Dolls), alternative rock/grunge (e.g. Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Nirvana) and stoner rock (e.g. Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Monster Magnet). The reason for this is that punk, metal and alt-rock already have their own lists, and thus it would be redundant to list them again. Also, they represent different branches of the rock tree with different stylistic features (for example, they're often not as clearly rooted in blues). Garage rock on the other hand is a sort of proto-'hard rock' with a more amateurish approach. Stoner rock is an almagam of influences from different styles (mainly hard rock, metal and alt-rock) that has really developed into something singular.

Definition 3 (what is hard rock anyway):

Even though metal songs were not considered for this list, glam metal was treated as a subgenre of hard rock as it's not really metal anyway. Other than that, songs from the following genres were often allowed if they rocked hard enough: blues rock, AOR, arena rock, southern rock, boogie rock, progressive rock, glam rock, psychedelic rock.



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