Top 5 Rock Anthems
I don't often speak or write about music, but as I was listening to the radio the other day, I kind of realized that the true Rock Anthem is kind of a dying (dead?) art form. I'm not a concert goer, but doesn't everyone love the big sound, and easy repetitive celebratory lyrics of a good rock anthem? I mean, what the hell else are you going to sing as a celebratory mob after your team wins the big game?! (After the obligatory school song, of course...) Here are my top five:1) We Are the Champions (Queen): This one says it all -- we are the victors because we kept on fighting until the bitter end. To me, this is the epitome of 'celebratory' music, and an easy tune to get stuck in your head forever. Of course, Queen had a LOT of hits like that, but this one stands out as a true 'anthem.'
2) Eye of the Tiger (Survivor): Come on, who doesn't love this song?! It's about that driving spirit deep within us; that animal source we have to tap into for those last few strides at the end of the race. Am I the only one who, as a child, thought the name of the movie Rocky WAS Eye of the Tiger until he was ten?
3) Back in Black (AC/DC): It's a tough call for me as to whether or not AC/DC's Back in Black or Highway to Hell is the superior anthem, but I give this one the nudge for the underlying 'revenge' or 'survivor' theme to it -- I mean come on, he's out of the noose, on the loose, and he's rounded up the frickin' posse! That's a little more threatening than simply driving around without stop signs or speed limits.
4) Livin' on a Prayer (Bon Jovi): Bon Jovi, along with Springsteen, Seager and Mellencamp (among others) are the consummate rock story tellers. While this isn't a list about story telling music, I think this one still satisfies the criteria, and allows me to keep my ravenous childhood self from slapping me upside the head for not including Bon Jovi in this list in some way, shape, or form. While this song is a little more... desperate than some of the other choices, the message is still celebratory: we're going to make it because we're almost there and luck has already gotten us this far. A good driving beat with a great fun chorus.
5) Born to Be Wild (Steppenwolf): This is that classic, feel good, 'don't mind me, I'm just going to raise a little hell over here for a while' tune. Love it or hate it, you will NOT get this song out of your head once you've heard it. Probably a little over played and over used in advertisements over the years, it has knocked some of the wind out of the sails of this one, but I think it still works.
There are so many honorable mentions that I had to sort through to get to this top five that I couldn't possibly name them all, although I will give you a smattering of some that really wanted to beat the crap out of Steppenwolf for that final slot: Cum on Feel the Noize (Slade), We Will Rock You (Queen), We're Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister), Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple), Rock You Like a Hurricane (The Scorpions), Rock and Roll all Nite (KISS), Cherry Pie (Warrant), Best (Tina Turner), Once Bitten, Twice Shy (Great White), Enter Sandman (Metallica), Invincible (Pat Benatar), Dream On (Aerosmith), and so, so many more...
