If you are in a band and your single plays relentlessly on the radio, life is pretty good. But for listeners, especially the fans, radio can ruin even the greatest songs by overplaying them. Many tunes fit this category of overexposure: “Stairway To Heaven”, “Hotel California”, and “Enter Sandman”, to name a few repeat offenders. Yet, classic rock songs become “classic” for good reason.
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Regardless of how many times you’ve heard these hits, you must admit they are great.
“Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Deep sigh. Okay, for most of my life, when I heard the opening notes to “Free Bird” on the radio, I immediately felt the life force being removed from my body. My legs weakened by the woozy slide guitar propelling the slow-as-molasses chords of this nine-minute epic. When the cacophonous guitar solo(s) arrived, to my ears, it sounded like the studio engineer had inadvertently left a bunch of tracks unmuted. However, over time, and with much self-reflection, I must admit this Lynyrd Skynyrd marathon is a Southern Rock bittersweet symphony.
“Livin’ On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi
One morning, I was driving my 14-year-old son to school when he dialed up this Bon Jovi classic on Spotify. I looked at him and he smiled back. I don’t come from the hair metal tradition and usually avoid bands like Bon Jovi. But found myself not entirely minding the sound of Richie Sambora’s voice box riff. I listened intently as Jon Bon Jovi told the working-class tale of Tommy and Gina. I hate that Tommy had to pawn his “six-string.” Still, once this track hit the key change, I nodded along. No wonder Bon Jovi blew his voice out singing this sky-high anthem for years.
“Glycerine” by Bush
Maybe I’m alone here, but have you ever disliked a song yet never turned the dial when it came on the radio? For me, that song is “Glycerine”. Modern rock DJs made an art of overplaying popular alt-rock tunes: See “Creep” by Radiohead or any mid-tempo number by Stone Temple Pilots. Even when Bush first arrived, grunge felt overcooked by the music industry. But Gavin Rossdale filled Bush’s debut, Sixteen Stone, with hit after hit. You couldn’t escape them, and none bigger than “Glycerine”. When the song appeared in Season 3 of Yellowjackets, it was undeniably perfect for the dine-and-dash kissing scene.
Also, if you don’t consider grunge to be classic rock, you don’t realize just how old you (we) are.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images
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