Life can be hard, nasty, and unforgiving. Also, with the rise of global temperatures, very hot and fiery. Those words can also be used to describe a certain afterlife location.
Videos by American Songwriter
But hell isn’t always something shunned to the dark corners of the mind. It is a subject that the world’s best rock bands have highlighted in some of their most famous songs. So, when life is feeling infernal check out these five hell-themed songs to rock out to.
[RELATED: 5 Must-Listen Rock Songs About Witches]
1. “Highway to Hell,” AC/DC
Released on the 1979 album of the same name from the Australian rock band AC/DC, this track makes you think you might actually be headed for the great below. The record is the last to feature screeching vocalist Bon Scott, who died months after the album was released. Nevertheless, Scott left on a high note. This track makes you feel like Satan’s revving his engine, headed directly toward you. On it, Scott sings,
No stop signs
Speed limit
Nobody’s gonna slow me down
Like a wheel
Gonna spin it
Nobody’s gonna mess me around
Hey satan
Payin’ my dues
Playin’ in a rockin’ band
Hey mumma
Look at me
I’m on the way to the promised land
2. “Hells Bells,” AC/DC
AC/DC was so good at talking about hell in their riveting rock tracks that they appear twice on this classic rock list. This song, “Hells Bells,” was the opening song on the band’s 1980 album, Back in Black. It marked the Australian rockers’ reintroduction to their fans post-singer Bon Scott’s death. New singer Brian Johnson boasts a similar banshee voice and while this song is a bit slower than the above, it looms more. Making listeners fear what could be below, he sings:
Hell’s bells
Yeah, hell’s bells
You got me ringing
Hell’s bells
My temperature’s high
Hell’s bells
3. “Bat out of Hell,” Meat Loaf
Released on the 1977 album of the same name by Meat Loaf, this was one of the artist’s most famous songs. Operatic and piano-driven, this track was strangely inspired by the Peter Pan story. The song sounds something like the offspring of Queen and Bruce Springsteen. And on it, the emotive Meat Loaf (born Michael Lee Aday) sings,
Like a bat out of hell, I’ll be gone when the morning comes
Oh, when the night is over, like a bat out of hell I’ll be gone, gone, gone
Like a bat out of hell, I’ll be gone when the morning comes
But when the day is done and the sun goes down
And the moonlight’s shinin’ through
Then like a sinner before the gates of Heaven
I’ll come crawlin’ on back to you
4. “Heaven and Hell,” Black Sabbath
With the opening buzzing electric guitar riff, you know you’re in for it. Not to mention the fact that this is Black Sabbath we’re talking about. Released on the 1980 album of the same name, this song features singer Ronnie James Dio, who had replaced former Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne. On the brooding, pulsing heavy metal song, Dio sings,
Sing me a song, you’re a singer
Do me a wrong, you’re a bringer of evil
The Devil is never a maker
The less that you give, you’re a taker
So, it’s on and on and on
It’s Heaven and Hell
Oh, well, yeah
5. “Sympathy for the Devil,” The Rolling Stones
As the title suggests, this song, released on the 1968 album Beggars Banquet, tries to get its listeners to have affection and appreciation for the mythical worst entity in the universe. Only The Rolling Stones could attempt such beautiful blasphemy. But lead singer Mick Jagger pulls it off in such a way that we don’t even worry about the subject matter. We sympathize with him as he takes on the personality of the devil. What better for classic rock than cuddling up to hell? Jagger sings,
Please allow me to introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
I’ve been around for a long, long years
Stole million man’s soul an faith
And I was ’round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
