For those about to hard rock, we salute you. And by you, we mean everyone tough enough to make a five-night commitment to VH1 the week of Dec. 29, when the list-loving network unveils a loud-and-proud countdown: 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs. (Do not confuse this with the network’s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock or 100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll.) Hosted by a man who wants nothin’ but a good time, Bret Michaels, the celebration will feature such eardrum-pummeling bands as Metallica, Motley Crue, Nirvana, the Who, Van Halen and Led Zeppelin. When I heard that VH1 was airing this special, I immediately rang up my good friend/EW’s own Dalton Ross, and the two of us started guessing which song would wind up at No. 1. Led Zep’s "Black Dog"? Sabbath’s "Paranoid"? Deep Purple’s "Smoke on the Water"? Nirvana’s "Smells Like Teen Spirit"? Pretty quickly, we agreed that AC/DC’s "Back in Black" will likely reign supreme. If there were a Mount Rushmore of Hard Rock Riffs, "Back in Black" would be carved into it.
Then we got into a less than harmonious discussion about which Who song would make the cut. I argued that "My Generation" is a logical choice, what with the dangerous lyric "I hope I die before I get old" and that brutal, chaotic finish. Dalton, meanwhile, insisted that "Baba O’Riley" would win out because it "rocks harder and longer" than "My Generation." With neither of us able to persuade the other to abandon his cause, we had no choice but to make a high-stakes bet about which song would chart higher. (Loser had to refer to the winner as the King of Rock for one full day.) Too impatient to wait for the verdict, I put the squeeze on the peeps at VH1, who gave up the following spoilers: “My Generation” anchors the No. 37 spot, while “Baba O’Riley” checks in at… No. 0! That’s right—it didn’t even make the list! In your face, Ross! (Now, one could argue that I didn’t win either, because they also told me that a different Who hit, “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” actually cracks the Top 10. Of course, I choose to ignore this tiny technicality, and will make Dalton respect my royal authority. (I also could say that it’s a regal matter, baby—you know, if I spent my time coming up with underwhelming Who puns.)
But enough about our predictions—which fist-jacking anthem do you think will be named the Greatest Hard Rock Song? Better yet, which one should be? Which hard rock staples must be included somewhere on the countdown? Which song by the Who most deserves to be on this list? And, of course, which Poison tune will make the cut (and you know that one will, given that Mr. Unskinny Bop is serving as emcee)?
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Not the biggest fan of hard rock but although i do like some of it. I always liked Hells Bells by AC/DC (even though I don’t like the way the guy sings/screams) the Who’s Teenage Wasteland had better be on that list. But #1? (For me anyway) Start Me Up by the Stones.
Peter Townshend of The Who (guitarist which wrote all the material for The Who) never wrote a song by the name of Teenage Wasteland, and The Who consisting of Peter, Daltry, John and Keith never performed a song called Teenage Wasteland, there is a song by the name of “Baba O’Riley” you may be refering to but never as long as Peter Townshend has been alive has he ever written a song by the name of Teenage Wasteland
Back in Black would easily come in at no. 1 or no. 2, it’s one of the prime examples of amazing hard rock.
My personal favorite would be War Pigs by Black Sabbath, though.
BTW – The name of that Who song is NOT Teenage Wasteland but IS Baba O’Riley.
thankyou I gave him a very brief history
“Back in Black”, definitely. I’m more partial to “Black Dog”, but as for Led Zep, I think “Rock and Roll” will rank higher for them. Nirvana and Ozzy should make the top 5 as well. There are so many obvious choices that will make the list, but what about the not so obvious ones? As for me, I’d love to see “Cult of Personality” somewhere in the top 50. And would “Bawitdaba” be considered hard rock or rap? Kind of rides the line between the two, no?
I have always considered the pinnacle of hard rock to be Guns n’ Roses’ “You Could Be Mine”. That song is a hard driving adrenalin rush from start to finish. Are there better songs? Yes. Are there songs that better exemplify hard rock? In my opinion, no.
guns n roses is no match compared to ac/dc slash is a great guitarist and all but no match for the emotion angus puts into his playing
Disgusted that Baba O’Riley didn’t make the cut.
Hope to God that “Hair of the Dog” by Nazareth is there somewhere!
I think the Foo Fighters need to be on this list, for well, anything they’ve ever done. I think they are the prime example of a modern hard rock band. Hopefully VH1 includes more than just the classics. I’ll be watching either way.
Meet the new Boss same as the old boss – Wont Get Fooled again is my favourite WHO song -’THE SCREAM’ alone kicks a$$.
I just hope some lame G-n-R song is not number one
Skip Stairway to Heaven – when the Levee Breaks is a FAR better song
My guess it will be Back in Black or Black Dog.
I think Barracuda should be on the list- the Wilson Sisters were last females that could totally rock
Baba O’Reilly is timeless and hasn’t lost an iota of energy in nearly 4 decades. I also think “Cult of Personality” by Living Color should be in the top five.
I like how the first paragraph calls VH1 the “the list-loving network”, like EW isnt a shadow of its former self, trading actual stories for list upon list of everything.
Because Brett “fishface” Michaels will be there, they have to give a nod to “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” unfortunately. As for thwe countdown, I would LOVE to see stuff by the Ramones, Bad Religion and Ozzy. I agree with the last poster about “Cult of Personality”- damn good call!
I think Stairway to Heaven WILL be named No. 1, because that’s lame and predictable.
AC/DC all the way!
#1 and #2 will be Stairway and Satisfaction; the only question is in what order.
If it were my personal list, Enter Sandman goes in at the top. If it doesn’t make the top 10, there’s no justice.
It seems some of you are listing ballads instead of rock songs…still, picking just one seems an impossible task. I would root for something Metallica – Enter Sandman perhaps? Or maybe something older like For whom the Bell Tolls?