3 Rock Songs From the 20th Century That Still Stop You in Your Tracks

Some songs are so powerful that they completely change a listener’s day. You might have had plans or other songs you wanted to hear, but once the three rock songs below come on, all bets are off.

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“Stairway To Heaven” — Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” hits the listener like a shock to the system every time it comes on. It’s so iconic that it’s impossible to ignore it when the opening guitar riff comes up. You can try to tune out this classic rock hit, but it will be a futile task. “Stairway To Heaven” has evolved into a scene-stealing ballad that can’t help but stop the listener in their tracks.

This song came to frontman Robert Plant in a flash of inspiration. Like any great piece of mythos, this song has mysterious origins, surprising even Plant with the outcome. “I was holding a pencil and paper, and for some reason I was in a very bad mood,” he once said. “Then all of a sudden my hand was writing out the words, ‘There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold/And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.‘ I just sat there and looked at the words, and then I almost leapt out of my seat.”

“Dreams” — Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” is like a gateway drug to classic rock music. Listeners of a younger generation used this endlessly appealing track to shift their attention from modern efforts to retro ones.

But even listeners who were around in the 70s, when this song was in its infancy, know its power. This is the type of rock hit that no one dares skip when it comes on. It might be a tad overplayed at this point, but there’s a reason for that. It’s an impossibly powerful song with endless crossover appeal.

“Hallelujah” — Jeff Buckley

Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” is one of the best covers of all time. It surpasses the original with ease, making an edgier offering out of Leonard Cohen’s ballad. This version of this song is a standard at this point. It feels like a building block for everything that came after it.

You have to be in the right mood to hear “Hallelujah” as it was intended to be taken, but this song rarely has trouble bending the listener to its will. Even if you weren’t in the mood to cry your heart out before this song came on, it’s easy to fall into that emotion once it gets going.

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