Top 10 Most Important Rock Songs of All Time

The Top Ten
1 Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

Great song, super popular, probably the most popular in the rock era. Not nearly as important as some of the groundbreaking songs that came earlier. Interestingly it is back in the news, as the estate of Randy California [Spirit] sues LZ because the intro is a pure ripoff of Spirit's "Taurus". Supposedly Randy gave verbal permission, but there is no record of it. The lawyers will be the only ones who win in the end.

2 Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry

I think this song should be numbers one. Without Chucks licks that rest doesn't happen. Great guitarist and entertainer.

There is no way Stairway is more important than this song. Johnny B. Goode is the original rock and roll song

3 Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
4 Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

This song puts an end to hair rock and ushers the new way.

5 Smoke On the Water - Deep Purple
6 Back In Black - AC/DC

The best of the best is with AC/DC!

7 Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
8 Hotel California - The Eagles
9 Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
10 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones
The Contenders
11 Baba O'Riley - The Who
12 Respect - Aretha Franklin
13 Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd

It's just nice

14 Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley & His Comets
15 Hotel California - Eagles
16 She Loves You - The Beatles

The most prominent song when the Beatles debuted in American on the Ed Sullivan Show. Easily the single most important moment in rock history, as rock was fading away after its initial surge; Elvis was in the Army and then Hollywood, Buddy Holly died, and Little Richard & Chuck Berry were in big trouble with the law.
Music was moving away from rock, with surf music spinning away from it, and folk music the polar opposite. What we would call AC today, like Tony Bennett and Tom Jones were also prominent, with Frank Sinatra as the elder statesman.
Then suddenly, this musical Tsunami came in, so huge and powerful that it swept away everything that came before it, establishing rock as the dominant music format for the next 4 decades.
Over 50 years later now, and there is still nothing that comes remotely close to the musical importance of what the Fab Four did as they lead the British Invasion.

17 Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan

This song was kind of a landmark in music. Personally, it's one of my favorites.

18 Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley didn't write his own songs. But his vocal was one of the most unique vocals at that time.

19 All Along the Watchtower - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Jimi hendrix is the best

20 Rockin' In the Free World - Neil Young
21 Jump - Van Halen
22 We Will Rock You - Queen

It has got to be this one, surely!

23 Love is the Drug - Roxy Music

This is so good.

24 Rocket 88 - Ike Turner

If this was technically the first true rock and roll song, then it should be a lot higher. Good Vibrations is good, but it isn't rock

Generally considered to the be the very first rock-n-roll song.

25 Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley

First hit by the most important, most popular, and biggest selling solo act in the history of rock.

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