4 Soft Rock Classics That Actually Rock Hard

Soft rock songs can’t rock hard, can they? I mean, the name says they can’t. But if soft rock has taught us anything, it’s that you don’t always need volume to be impactful.

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Rock’s lighter side often gets a bad rap for comprising the playlists you hear while waiting for a doctor’s appointment. So I wanted to guide you toward a few soft rockers finding power in ways other than volume.

“Clocks” by Coldplay

The post-Britpop bands didn’t have the swagger of the scene they replaced. Coldplay’s first album is filled with acoustic guitar and piano ballads. But the band hit its creative stride on A Rush Of Blood To The Head, best known for its signature track, “Clocks”. Chris Martin may get the headlines, but Coldplay’s secret weapon is the drummer, Will Champion, who bashes through “Clocks” like he’s playing in Foo Fighters.

“Something” by The Beatles

George Harrison’s descending masterpiece finds its emotional weight in doubt. Though doubt usually brings about uncertainty, Harrison finds catharsis in singing, “I don’t know, I don’t know.” Admitting you don’t know something remains one of the most satisfying actions. Provided you can bring yourself to do it. Also, “Something” contains one of rock music’s finest bridges, which makes it rock all the harder.

“I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt’s timeless ballad also features Bruce Hornsby on piano, and Hornsby’s keys are so smooth, they rock. The song idea arrived via a news article about a Vietnam veteran’s divorce proceedings at a courthouse. He told the judge, “You can’t make a damn woman love you if she don’t.” There’s a heaviness to the thought when put against the veteran’s trauma. Meanwhile, “I Can’t Make You Love Me” became a blueprint for Bon Iver’s cabin folk rock. Another artist who discovered the power and drama of quiet music.

“Slow Dancing In A Burning Room” by John Mayer

I want to emphasize how hard it is to play blues on a Fender Stratocaster. You hear it all the time—one of the most ubiquitous combos in rock and roll. Yet doing it well remains far out of reach of most who try. And John Mayer’s tunes are deceptively complex because they sound so easy. Just like the blues. It’s only a few notes. How hard can it be? Then you hear “Slow Dancing In Burning Room” where Mayer echoes Stevie Ray Vaughan like it’s Austin City Limits in the 1980s, and realize becoming a virtuoso is extremely hard work.

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