Rock lyrics aren’t essentially meant to be carefully examined. After all, that is alleged to be enjoyable. Yet some strains stand out greater than others, whether or not due to their smarts, their hilarity, or their capability to problem perceptions. A couple of rise to the extent of poetry, whereas others are about extra base needs. To make our record of Top 40 Classic Rock Lyrics, a author needed to say one thing unforgettable. Some of those have even moved into on a regular basis language:
No. 40. Jimi Hendrix, “Purple Haze”
From: Are You Experienced (1967)
The lyric: “Excuse me, while I kiss the sky.”
Who is aware of what it means? But perhaps that is why this line is so unforgettable – or perhaps this.
No. 39. Led Zeppelin, “Stairway to Heaven”
From: Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
The lyric: “If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now – it’s just a spring clean for the May Queen.”
Actually, all of that is very alarming.
No. 38. Journey, “Don’t Stop Believin'”
From: Escape (1981)
The lyric: “Streetlight people, livin’ just to find emotion.”
We’re going to disregard the truth that this all occurs in a spot that does not exist.
No. 37. The Who, “Substitute”
From: Single (1966)
The lyric: “I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth.”
But have you ever ever eaten a ketchup-packet sandwich?
No. 36. Meat Loaf, “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”
From: Bat Out of Hell (1977)
The lyric: “Ain’t no doubt about it we were doubly blessed, ’cause we were barely 17 – and we were barely dressed.”
Soon, nonetheless, he is actually praying for the top of time. Love might be like that.
No. 35. The Beatles, “Old Brown Shoe”
From: Single (1969)
The lyric: “I want a love that’s right, but right is only half of what’s wrong.”
Taking inspiration from a collection of oppositional phrases, George Harrison stumbles on a second of genius.
No. 34. Billy Joel, “You May Be Right”
From: Glass Houses (1980)
The lyric: “You may be right, I may be crazy – but it just may be a lunatic you’re looking for.”
The finest instance amongst many the place Billy Joel admits he is an asshole whereas demanding that you simply love him anyway.
No. 33. The Beach Boys, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”
From: Pet Sounds (1966)
The lyric: “You know it seems the more we talk about it, it only makes it worse to live without it.”
Understandable.
No. 32. Eagles, “Take It Easy”
From: Eagles (1972)
The lyric: “Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.”
Great line, in fact, however Bernie Leadon’s double-time banjo is what makes it.
No. 31. Fleetwood Mac, “Go Your Own Way”
From: Rumours (1977)
The lyric: “Tell me why, everything turned around – packing up, shacking up is all you want to do.”
Stevie Nicks really sang backup on this. Brutal.
No. 30. Patti Smith, “Gloria”
From: Horses (1975)
The lyric: “Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine.”
This was probably the most punk rock factor that had ever occurred in America.
No. 29. Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Tuesday’s Gone”
From: (Pronounced ‘Leh-‘nerd ‘Skin-‘nerd) (1973)
The lyric: “I’d trade all my tomorrows for a single yesterday.”
All the sadder in gentle of the shared destiny that awaits this band.
No. 28. Jimi Hendrix, “All Along the Watchtower”
From: Electric Ladyland (1968)
The lyric: “There must be some kind of way outta here, said the joker to the thief.”
Jimi Hendrix stole this from Bob Dylan, and he by no means gave it again.
No. 27. Bruce Springsteen, “No Surrender”
From: Born in the usA. (1984)
The lyric: “We learned more from a three-minute record than we ever learned in school.”
Same.
No. 26. Neil Young, “The Needle and the Damage Done”
From: Harvest (1972)
The lyric: “I caught you knockin’ at my cellar door – ‘I love you, baby, can I have some more?‘”
This hit near dwelling, as his pal and bandmate Danny Whitten died the identical 12 months after a heroin overdose.
No. 25. Joni Mitchell, “Big Yellow Taxi”
From: Ladies of the Canyon (1970)
The lyric: “They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.”
No, this most actually shouldn’t be a Counting Crows track.
No. 24. Joe Walsh, “Life’s Been Good”
From: But Seriously, Folks … (1978)
The lyric: “I go parties sometimes until four – it’s hard to leave when you can’t find the door.”
This completely checked out with anybody who knew Joe Walsh again then.
No. 23. The Byrds, “My Back Pages”
From: Younger Than Yesterday (1967)
The lyric: “I was so much older then – I’m younger than that now.”
The Byrds stole this from Bob Dylan, they usually by no means gave it again.
No. 22. Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
From: A Night on the Opera (1975)
The lyric: “Mama, I don’t wanna die – I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all.”
A heartbreaking line from a track that, fairly frankly, is unnecessary in any respect.
No. 21. John Lennon, “Imagine”
From: Imagine (1971)
The lyric: “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”
He wasn’t. He was simply the one one singing about giving the whole lot away from inside a mansion.
No. 20. David Bowie, “Changes”
From: Hunky Dory (1971)
The lyric: “And these children that you spit on as they try to change their world, are immune to your consultations – they’re quite aware of what they’re going through.”
David Bowie admittedly takes the good distance round however principally, he is saying, “OK Boomer.”
No. 19. Rolling Stones, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
From: Let It Bleed (1969)
The lyric: “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes well you just might find you get what you need.”
The refrain singers virtually damage it.
No. 18. Simon and Garfunkel, “The Boxer”
From: Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
The lyric: “A man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest.”
A voice from the previous speaks on to our present political setting.
No. 17. Elton John, “Levon”
From: Madman Across the Water (1970)
The lyric: “He was born a pauper to a pawn on a Christmas day when ‘The New York Times’ said, ‘God is dead and the war’s begun.'”
The title was supposedly a nod to Levon Helm, however he wasn’t a fan: “Englishmen shouldn’t fuck with Americanisms.”
No. 16. Billy Joel, “Piano Man”
From: Piano Man (1973)
The lyric: “They’re sharing a drink called loneliness, but it’s better than drinking alone.”
A track based mostly on his real-life expertise as a lounge performer by no means acquired extra actual.
No. 15. Eagles, “Hotel California”
From: Hotel California (1976)
The lyric: “We are programmed to receive – you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”
All they wished was to get to California. Then they acquired to California.
No. 14. Rolling Stones, “Sympathy For the Devil”
From: Beggars Banquet (1968)
The lyric: “I shouted out, ‘Who killed the Kennedys?’ – when after all, it was you and me.”
And the CIA and the mafia. And the Umbrella Man and the Cubans. And perhaps Woody Harrelson’s dad?
No. 13. Bob Seger, “Against the Wind”
From: Against the Wind (1980)
The lyric: “I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.”
Same.
No. 12. Paul Simon, “Train in the Distance”
From: Hearts and Bones (1983)
The lyric: “Negotiations and love songs are often mistaken for one and the same.”
On a horrible album that features his worst track (“Cars are Cars”), skip proper to this one.
No. 11. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son”
From: Willy and the Poor Boys (1969)
The lyric: “Some folks are born made to wave the flag, oh they’re red, white and blue – and when the band plays ‘Hail to the Chief,’ they point the cannon at you.”
Rage actually impressed John Fogerty on a track the place he elsewhere brilliantly references “star-spangled eyes.”
No. 10. The Who, “My Generation”
From: My Generation (1965)
The lyric: “Hope I die before I get old.”
Docked a minimum of eight spots as a result of they stored going well past the purpose the place they have been, in reality, outdated.
No. 9. Simon and Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence”
From: Sounds of Silence (1966)
The lyric: “The words of the poets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls.”
Kudos to Rush for the good rewrite.
No. 8. Janis Joplin, “Me and Bobby McGee”
From: Pearl (1971)
The lyric: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”
Janis Joplin stole this from Kris Kristofferson and she or he by no means gave it again.
No. 7. The Beatles, “The End”
From: Abbey Road (1969)
The lyric: “And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
Unless you fall in love along with your finest pal’s spouse.
No. 6. Bob Dylan, “Subterranean Homesick Blues”
From: Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
The lyric: “You don’t need a weather man to know which way the wind blows.”
There’s an app for that now.
No. 5. Neil Young, “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)”
From: Rust Never Sleeps (1979)
The lyric: “It’s better to burn out than fade away.”
Unlike the Who, Neil Young actually meant it.
No. 4. Warren Zevon, “Lawyers, Guns and Money”
From: Excitable Boy (1978)
The lyric: “I went home with a waitress, the way I always do”
Written throughout a Hawaiian trip that he admitted included “improbable and grotesque mischief.” Warren Zevon really feared that he may want all three.
No. 3. Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here”
From: Wish You Were Here (1975)
The lyric: “Did you exchange a walk-on part in the war for a lead role in the cage?”
Back when Roger Waters was making sharp feedback about alienation, as an alternative of serving as its supply.
No. 2. John Lennon, “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”
From: Double Fantasy (1980)
The lyric: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
John Lennon knew what he had right here, pulling a variation on this line from an early demo known as “My Life” to incorporate it on a significantly better track.
No. 1. The Who, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
From: Who’s Next (1971)
The lyric: “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”
The Pete Townsend line that truly outlined his technology, whereas (sadly) defining each one that adopted.
(*40*)
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