5 Underrated Songs by the World’s Biggest Rock Bands

Classic rock radio has kept some of the biggest rock bands’ biggest hits at the forefront of everyone’s mind for decades. And while this kind of musical recycling is great for revisiting old favorites, it also means that these bands’ deeper cuts are getting pushed further and further into the bottom of the rock ‘n’ roll zeitgeist.

Videos by American Songwriter

And frankly, these underrated songs by some of the world’s biggest, most influential rock bands are simply too good not to revisit.

“Ballad Of John And Yoko” by The Beatles

When we think of late-era Beatles tunes, tracks like “Get Back” and “Come Together” are often the first to come to mind. But this writer would argue that “Ballad Of John And Yoko” is often underrated and overlooked. (Thanks in no small part to the fact that some radio stations banned the song over the lines “Christ, you know it ain’t easy” and “they’re gonna crucify me,” yet another instance of Lennon ruffling Christians’ feathers.)

With an easygoing rock vibe reminiscent of bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival, the autobiographical song follows John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s tumultuous relationship with each other and the public.

“Saving Grace” by Tom Petty

Tom Petty just eked into the Billboard Hot 100 with their 2006 single, “Saving Grace”, peaking at the last spot, No. 100. The Highway Companion track isn’t nearly as ubiquitous as cuts like “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and “American Girl”. It’s a true gem hidden in Petty’s late-career album and one that sounds like it could have just as easily been put out on the band’s eponymous 1976 debut.

Petty named his third and final solo studio album Highway Companion because he wanted to make a collection of songs that were good to drive to, and this writer can attest that he did an excellent job.

“The Ghost Song” by The Doors

This particular track by The Doors deserves an asterisk, as the lineup looked much different than it did when the Los Angeles rock band was releasing songs like “Light My Fire” and “L.A. Woman”. Most glaringly, Jim Morrison wasn’t there, having died in his bathtub in Paris in the summer of 1971. After his death, his surviving bandmates took recordings of Morrison reciting poetry and set them to music.

“The Ghost Song” was one of these tracks, which The Doors released on their ninth and final studio album, An American Prayer. The song takes the listener through a psychedelic journey, from moonlit grooves to trance-like recollections of a formative car accident Morrison witnessed in his youth.

“Life’s A Gas” by T. Rex

When most people think of T. Rex—and, more specifically, the band’s second studio album, Electric Warrior—their minds likely settle on the track “Bang A Gong (Get It On)”. And rightfully so, seeing as this song was one of T. Rex’s biggest hits. The track topped the charts in the band’s native United Kingdom and peaked in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, leaving a more sentimental B-side in its shadow.

“Life’s A Gas” is undoubtedly a different vibe from the rest of T. Rex’s better-known tracks. But different doesn’t always mean bad, and there’s something infectiously catchy about this sardonic heartbreak tune.

“Planet Caravan” by Black Sabbath

Speaking of songs that have different vibes from the rest of the album, we’ll close our list of underrated songs by the world’s biggest rock bands with a mellow and contemplative tune from Black Sabbath, “Planet Caravan”. (Yes, it actually is mellow and contemplative.) The song appears in the middle of Paranoid, serving as a sonic palate cleanser between “Paranoid” and “Iron Man”. Featuring Ozzy Osbourne’s oscillating, droning vocals and a rather whimsical flute solo, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume this track was by another band altogether.

“Planet Caravan” definitely isn’t one of the more well-known Black Sabbath tracks, let alone one of the more well-known Paranoid tracks. But you know what? Maybe it should be.

Photo by Andrew Maclear/Hulton Archive/Getty Images