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Rock and roll music originated in the American South in the early 1950s and then quickly spread throughout the rest of the country and ultimately the world. By the late ’50s and early ’60s, rock and roll had become what many thought was the most popular genre of music in the western world. It has largely maintained a very high level of popularity since then, despite evolving over time into various sub-genres that are now lumped together under the generic term “rock”.

In the more than 60 years since rock and roll burst onto the national and international music scene, there have been literally thousands upon thousands of rock songs recorded (performed in English but also in many other languages) that we have loved, liked, were indifferent to, found pretty irritating, outright hated, or had a wide range of other responses to. The vast majority of these songs made absolutely no lasting impression on our musical psyches. But a small percentage did stand out in the crowd in a positive way, some so much that they were head and shoulders better than all the rest. And an even smaller percentage of those were so great that they have stood the test of time and entered the pantheon of greatest rock songs ever, depending on whom you ask, of course.

But of all the great songs, which one truly rises above all the rest to claim the title of “greatest rock song of all time”? The answer is part of what appears to be a never-ending debate and there’s certainly no shortage of people willing to offer up their candidate. No doubt you have your own personal choice but for now let’s consider what some other folks think.
If you like poll results, you’ll be interested to learn that The Rock and Roll Report said that in a 2004 poll conducted by Planet Rock, a digital radio station in Britain, Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven was voted by over 70% of respondents as the greatest rock song ever recorded. Not so fast, chimed in “Eric” when he saw the list with Stairway to Heaven sitting at the very top, saying that he has “for many years declared to all who would listen to me that the best rock ‘n’ roll song of all time is Louie Louie by the Kingsmen.” But the editors of DJ Zone Magazine agreed with the Planet Rock poll results and think Stairway to Heaven is the all-time best.

Not to be outdone, Rolling Stone Magazine compiled its own list in 2004, getting a lot of input from a lot of people, and Stairway to Heaven didn’t even make it into its Top 5 (in fact, it didn’t even make it into its Top 10). The number one spot went to Bob Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone. However, “Drifter” posted a comment in which he heartily disagreed with their choice of Dylan’s song, asking pointedly: “In what sense is Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylanworking in the folk-song modeeven a rock and roll song?” Good question.

John Lennon’s Imagine was number 1 in Virgin Radio’s list of All Time Top 500 Songs published in 2004. Imagine that? And in 2000 MTV’s music video sister cable TV station VH1 ranked (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones at the very top of its list of 100 Greatest Rock Songs. While two of “Todd M.’s” friends (“Chuck C.” and “Hank S.”) agreed with VH1’s choice of number 1, many of his other friends didn’t, with a range of choices for the top spot, including songs such as The Beatles’ Let It Be, Cinnamon Girl by Neil Diamond, Voodoo Chili by Jimi Hendrix, Purple Haze (also by Hendrix), Hound Dog by Elvis, and various other selections in what turned out to be a pretty eclectic list of choices for best rock song of all time.

Now what does all this prove? Well, not very much except that everybody has an opinion of what they think is the all-time greatest rock song, and these opinions are pretty darn subjective. Even different polls will come up with different songs at the top, proving that it’s very difficult to gain a consensus on this subject or practically anything else, for that matter. Nonetheless, these lists are fun to make and fun to read and ponder. If nothing else, they bring back fond or not so fond memories of the many songs that we have encountered along the way and which have become an indelible part of our life experience.

So what’s your own personal choice for the Greatest Rock Song of All Time?

Copyright © Terry Mansfield. All rights reserved. Anyone may publish this free reprint, free content article online or in print as long as the entire contents of the article and accompanying resource box are left unaltered, including any hyperlinks (which must be active and clickable), and the author’s byline is included.

About the Author: Terry Mansfield, Owner/President of First World Enterprises, www.firstworld.biz, has been a big rock fan his whole life (his own personal choice for Greatest Rock Song of All Time is Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen). Terry recommends that, if you want to find TONS OF FREE MUSIC (plus movies, video, software, games, etcover 1 BILLION CHOICES), to check out this really cool web site:
snipurl.com/Free_Downloads

Intellectual property’s tentacles are long and strong. Maybe the largest battlefield in IP is the music industry. Composer, producers, interpreters and license owners might get unexpectedly involved in legal battles regarding the misuse or abuse of a song of their property. Sometimes it is just something as little as a sample of the song but are legal frictions can deal with millions and millions of dollars.

Time is not an issue to underestimate when dealing with Intellectual Property. If by any chance, you use a song that was written forty years ago, and one of its owners is still alive, he/she can claim unfair use and suddenly, legal lawsuits can flood your desk. When working with someone else’s work, you should be extremely careful, no matter if you already got permission to use it.

In 1997, the British band The Verve sampled an orchestration in one of their songs, “Bittersweet Symphony”, from the Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time”. Prior the release of the album, the group did the proper negotiations concerning the license agreement with the Rolling Stones to utilize the sample. When the album came out, the song was a complete hit and reached number 23 on the Billboard Charts. After the sudden success of the song, the Rolling Stones argued that The Verve violated their license agreement because they use too much of the sample in their song. The Rolling Stones ended up collecting 100% of the loyalties of the song. Members of The Verve argued that the Stones got greedy when they noticed the sudden success of “Bittersweet Symphony”.

As a result, the Rolling Stones sold the rights over the “Bittersweet Symphony” and it became part of many commercials and publicities. Allen Klein, Rolling Stones’ manager licensed the song to Nike and to Vauxhall automobiles. Both brands utilize the melody for multi-million dollar television campaigns. Even worse, when the song was nominated for a Grammy, The Verve was not named as a nominee, but Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were. This is just a little example of moral rights dealing with intellectual property. The song hit top of the charts and not one members of The Verve enjoyed a cent of its success.

If these types of situations happen with amazing groups, who supposedly are not interested in more money, anything can happen to regular people who may get exposed to these inconveniences. Get acquainted with the respective regulations and laws so that no economical issues may come up in case you are planning to use someone else’s inspiration!

If you have been affected for an intellectual property abuse, please visit www.hugesettlements.com and submit your case.

Whether you’re a professional or an amateur singer, it’s important to stay fit and healthy. To maintain proper breathing ensuring that you have full use of your lungs, regular exercise should be part of your day. Walking and swimming are particularly good for performers because they don’t add unwanted stress to your muscles and this can help you learn how to sing. There is less chance of injury when you swim or walk, which is important if your aim is to perform professionally. Time out from singing could mean a loss of income. Maintaining a good, balanced diet will help to keep your body fit on the inside. Make sure you eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. Singers should try to avoid eating too much dairy food as it often builds up phlegm which can adversely affect your vocal chords and sinuses. A number of professional singers gargle with and swallow pineapple juice. It can be a natural way of cleaning the gunk off your vocal chords before a performance.

Choose a good singing teacher to help motivate you and keep you practicing on a regular basis. It’s very important that your singing teacher is qualified and experienced. Word-of-mouth is usually the best way to find the right teacher or you can contact the Music Teachers’ Association in your local area for some sound advice. A good singing teacher can help you to get rid of bad singing habits and give you individually tailored vocal and breathing exercises. I recommend that you book in for a half hour or one hour lesson once a week. Regular lessons and regular practice can do wonders. Many professional entertainers that I know continue to have singing lessons. Some even take their teacher with them on tour!

Always warm up before you start singing your songs. I recommend some relaxing breathing exercises then gentle humming first. Don’t sing too loudly at first. Give your muscles time to prepare. If you feel that something is too high then sing it an octave lower. You will need to have a set of exercises that develop different aspects of your voice and musicality – they should include major, minor and chromatic scales and arpeggios in a variety of pitches using different vowel and consonant sounds. Remember that the vowel sounds you use in singing can be quite different from the way you speak. They can also vary considerably from one music style to another, including Country, Rock, Jazz, Musicals and Classical. Keep in mind that the key you are singing in may be too high or low. If so, ask your teacher to transpose the music into a key that suits your individual voice. With the advent of computers and midi backings, it’s easy to change keys these days.