Top 10 Song titles that Rock from the 70s and 80s

Don’t so many of us dream of living that rock star life? Well this is the song to sing when you are in that state of mind. Released by Kiss in 1975 and played extensively on rock radio every year since, this energetic hard rocking party anthem gives you an adrenaline rush when hearing “so you wanna go for a spin, the party’s startin babe, I’ll let you in” This became one of the band’s signature songs to play live. It is timeless for me, and I will always wanna (pretend) to rock and roll all night in the spirit of the song.

This (mostly) acapella form classic with Freddie Mercury’s incredible voice and the signature stomping and clapping is one of the band’s best known anthems. Featured on their News of the World album, and as a single it is the B side of We are the Champions (what a moving combination!). Played for decades on the airwaves, I still enjoy this song. Am I always in the mood to hear it? Perhaps not… but this arena rock powerhouse will always rock and is an unforgettable classic.

Michael Jackson’s breakthrough album “Off the Wall” was released near the end of 1979, this sexy late disco era song will get you in a relaxed and groovy state of mind as he sings “close your eyes, let that rhythm get into you” in his silver sequined suit. One of my favorites from the king of pop. This track was stayed on the charts to be one of the top hits of 1980

This was a mega hit (#1 single for weeks), and not just one of the top songs that ‘rock’ but one of my favorite songs all of time. This cut across all ages and all types of music fans, everyone loved it back in the days of my elementary school recollection. Shouting this anthem’s lyrics “I love rock and roll so put another dime in the juke box baby” was fun, and seeing the video of Joan Jett in her bad ass leather jumpsuit was a cool visual to go along with the energy of the music.

This electro-synth composition by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock is cool, funky, and fun. The eye catching music video directed by Godley and Crème got lots of airplay and views by me. I always liked this instrumental track, unlike anything that was on the charts at the time. Every once in a while, it will still pop into my head and I will get lost in the rhythm of its electric drum beats.

This rock song will live on through the ages and has one of the most unique intros ever with the obscure words “Gunter glieben glauten globen”. This heavy metal track was released in 1983 on the mega hit album Pyromania. We want to “Rise up, gather round rock this place to the ground” Singer Joe Elliott and the bands energetic power continues to shine through as they shout the chorus “Rock of Ages, rock of ages, still a rollin, keep a rollin” Forever this track will live on as a powerhouse song of rock. I had the pleasure of seeing the band just a couple of months ago at their awesome show in Las Vegas! First time I saw them since a late 80s show as a teenager. It’s always amazing to be able to experience a band as a youth, then see they are still in top form so many years later and the audience enjoying it every bit as much.

While I would definitely say, the bands mega hit We’re not gonna take it is a better song, I wanna rock still motivates the rebellious spirit, in a simple hard rocking way. Just bang your head a bit and enjoy the beat these days. Or check out the theatrical video featuring actor Marc Metcalf yelling at a student “What do you want to do with your life” The student replies “I wanna rock” before he and his classmates turn into the members of Twisted Sister! Oh videos were fun in the 80s.

Give me an R! O! C! K! – watcha got rock, and watcha gonna do, Rock you! This 1984 hit was hard, raucous and a little over the top (especially the video filmed in a quarry), but a solid track from the popular Canadian 80s metal band. One that I may request at a party or bar.. “Don’t just sit there come on get up and move!” That lyric should get people up and energized.

This is my favorite Scorpions song. While not a mega fan in junior high when released, over the years (decades!) that followed it has stayed the course as one of my go to rock anthems to hear loud. This song is commonly played at sporting events present day as well, and was on an episode of the Netflix show Stranger Things, which often features songs that play on the nostalgic memories of those of us who grew up in the 80s. A heavy metal hurricane of a band, the Scorpions gave us some solid power hits, of which this was one of the best.

This song recorded mostly in German still became a #1 hit and was a lot of fun to listen to. It is about (surprise!) the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and tells a little bit of voiceover history to give us some knowledge into this master composer of the classical era. A very unique song, it was still popular amongst most music fans and the video had much visual flair to complement the music. I still need to go back and see the 1985 movie Amadeus that inspired it.

This concludes my road to 'rock', the song titles that inspired my journey gave me a fun trip down memory lane!