Top 10 Rock and Roll Songs With the Greatest Screams

We're talking about songs that have forever etched themselves into the annals of rock history, thanks to the raw power and emotion of their screams. Whether these vocal outbursts come during the intro, in the chorus, or somewhere else in the song, they never fail to send shivers down our spines and make our hearts race.

In this top ten list, you'll find an array of legendary bands and vocalists who have used their voices to create unforgettable moments in music.

And yes, I may be slightly biased toward The Doors and Led Zeppelin, but can you really blame me? Jim Morrison and Robert Plant possess some of the most honest and raw rock voices of all time, and their incredible screams are truly the stuff of legend.

The Top Ten

  1. Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who

    THE scream. Raw, powerful, emotional. You know it when you hear it. A lot of other good ones out there, but this one is the gold standard.

    This is truly the best scream in music history. I didn't believe it at first, but when I heard it, I was blown away by its power. It is raw and emotional. Roger Daltrey is truly one of the greatest singers the world has ever seen.

    Greatest rock band ever, often overlooked, but once introduced to The Who, you never look back.

  2. Child In Time - Deep Purple

    Ian Gillan can physically scream at a higher level and control his voice better than any other singer on the planet. This deserves to be number one!

    Ian Gillan screams for about two minutes towards the end (after 8:00). He is a master - his screams never disappoint. Maybe this anti-war song should be at number one.

    One of my favorite vocal performances ever! Nobody can imitate these screams.

  3. When the Music's Over - The Doors

    Obviously kicking in after a high-quality, trippy masterpiece. It builds up to the scream the seconds before, but still comes out of nowhere. Awesome!

    Jim's voice never sounded better.

  4. Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin

    So near-impossible to pull off that even Freddie Mercury botched it when Queen covered it in concerts.

  5. Revolution - The Beatles

    It's actually Paul screaming. I love it.

  6. Helter Skelter - The Beatles

  7. Piece of My Heart - Big Brother and the Holding Company

  8. Fiddler On the Green - Demons & Wizards

    One of the greatest and most emotional screams - it's in the second half of the song, just before the long guitar outro (go to 4:05). The scream is long, powerful, and breathtaking. Perfectly performed.

  9. Mysteria - Edguy

    The best intro scream I know (0:20). If you like screams, don't miss this one - it's long, beautiful, melodic, powerful, and perfectly performed.

  10. Careful With That Axe Eugene - Pink Floyd

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Hey Jude - The Beatles

  12. ?

    Good Morning Captain - Slint

    13. The Contenders

  13. Bird of Prey - Uriah Heep

    One of the best screams from the 70s (1971), comparable to Ian Gillan's screams. It's in the intro. David Byron did a great job.

  14. Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin

  15. Don't Bring Me Down - Northern Kings

    Awesome and powerful intro scream. This song is an ELO cover. ELO - Electric Light Orchestra, a 70s band.

  16. Hard Lovin' Man - Deep Purple

    Ian Gillan again - many times in this song, some of the screams are at the beginning (after 1:00). Very powerful, extremely well-controlled, and overall, amazing screams. He's really a master.

  17. Light My Fire - The Doors

  18. July Morning - Uriah Heep

  19. Black Dog - Led Zeppelin

  20. Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N' Roses

    Axl Rose has multiple screams, all of them proving that he should be in the top ten.

  21. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones

  22. Drain You - Nirvana

  23. Monkey Wrench - Foo Fighters

  24. The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden

    The most satisfying scream in rock.

  25. Since I've Been Loving You - Led Zeppelin

  26. Cochise - Audioslave

  27. Dream On - Aerosmith

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