Listific: The Toplist Resource

n their early days, Coldplay used to be compared to Radiohead simply because of the slight similarity borne by their sound. Both acts generally have slow beats to their music and the lyrics of their songs are poetic and reflective. They also can be both depressing to listen to. But this is where the similarity ends. Compared to Radiohead, Coldplay is more upbeat and their delivery is somewhat softer.

Coldplay is an acquired taste. Their music is enjoyable to some and unpalatable to others. Some even find them downright annoying. What cannot be denied, however, is that through the quality of their music, the band’s social activism and their refusal to compromise their artistry by allowing their songs to be used by commercial groups, Coldplay has rightfully won its place in music history.

What do we consider to be the best songs that Coldplay came up with? Here is our list of nine.

• 9. “Green Eyes” (A Rush of Blood to the Head, 2002)

  A Rush of Blood to the Head, the sophomore album of Coldplay, is often argued to be one of the best compilation that the band has recorded so far. One of the prettiest songs in the album is “Green Eyes.” It is a love song delivered with the stirrings of traditional folk and country styles, reminiscent of Johnny Cash and maybe Gordon Lightfoot. The melody is simple and the lyrics straightforward, but the entire song is just trembling with longing and passion. It can haunt you as it plays through your head.

• 8. “Speed of Sound” (X&Y, 2005)

  “The Speed of Sound,” melodically speaking, is very pleasant to listen to. It is heavy on the piano and heavy on the synth, but it will definitely leave you with a lightness of feeling after listening to it. The lyrics of the song are another matter. You either love it or hate it, but rare would be the person who ever gets what it really means. It is so vague and metaphoric.

• 7. “Trouble” (Parachutes, 2000)

  “Trouble” can leave you in two minds when you listen to it. Either you hate it for going over the top in its sentimentality, or you love it for the depth and passion the song makes you feel in the pit of your gut. Or you can simply be bored to death with it. The beauty of the song, however, lies in the simplicity of the melody, with the rhythm more heavy on side of the piano and the drums than the guitar. If you do not care about the lyrics of the song, you will find yourself lulling peacefully to the instrumentals.

• 6. “Fix You” (X&Y, 2005)

  The song “Fix You” is an attempt by Coldplay to produce an inspirational and anthemic song. The lyrics revolve around the message “Lights will guide you home/And ignite your bones/And I will try to fix you.” The song was reported to be inspired by the London bombing incident in July 2005, but when he was asked about it, Chris Martin said he wrote the song as a pick-me-up for his wife, the actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

  “Fix You” can surprise you when you listen to it. It has a church-orchestra feel to it that goes quiet and slow at the first part, so slow that it can sound boring if you are just listening to the song casually. Then it starts to soar with all the sounds from the organ, the piano, the drums and the guitars all coming in.

• 5. ­“The Scientist” (A Rush of Blood to the Head, 2002)

  Again, like many of Coldplay’s songs, the melody of “The Scientist” is simple, a blending of piano and light drums and light guitar strumming. But this simplicity is more deceiving than what you may think as it tends to underscore the drama of the lyrics more than ever.

  And what are the lyrics of “The Scientist” about? You can read it in a number of ways, but it is most probably about a man deploring the loss of his love and his reflection of what he had done to make her go away. The song connects to you somehow and Chris Martin’s falsetto unfailingly brings up the image of someone crying to himself in the middle of the night.

• 4. “Violet Hill” (Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, 2008)

  “If you love me, won’t you let me know?” is the central question around which the song “Violet Hill is built. Chris Martin’s persona asks the woman he loves to be more honest about her feelings because he does not “want to be a soldier who the captain of some sinking ship would stow far below.”

  But this song is not just a simple love story. It is a protest against war, especially a war that no one really wants and where the soldiers are just forced to fight it for the sake of their leader’s twisted principles. “Violet Hill” is faster and angrier than many of Coldplay’s songs.

• 3. “Clocks” (A Rush of Blood to the Head, 2002)

  It is hard to describe “Clocks” in terms of melody. The piano riffs are simple and sparse when heard alone, but when the guitars and the drums join in, the overall sound becomes quite rich. It is quick in tempo, as if to underline the urgency conveyed in the song, but the slow parts seem to remind you of the irony of the lyrics where the persona of the singer is stuck in a place where he knows he must leave but does not have the desire to go.

• 2. “Yellow” (Parachutes, 2000)

  As it is with most of the songs in Coldplay’s debut album, “Yellow” has simple lyrics and simple melodies, but with the simplicity only underscoring the depth of the harmony of the song. What makes “Yellow” so loveable is that it is a straightforward song – the message is not confounded by metaphor. A man sings of whom he loves and how he would do anything for that person he loves.

• 1. “In My Place” (A Rush of Blood to the Head, 2002)

  If you listen to this song and you are in either a sentimental or nostalgic mood, you may find yourself crying to this song. It is not that “In My Place” is depressing to listen to; it is more like the simplicity of the melody and of the lyrics seem to underline the passion and the despair conveyed by the song.

  You can read through the lyrics anyway you please. You can be metaphorical about it and say that the song is about being lost in a society that harbors loneliness. Or you can take it down to a less complicated level and say that it is the story of a man singing his despair for a woman he loves but does not love him back.

When you think about Radiohead, what comes to mind? It could be the distinct poetry of their songs’ lyrics, or Thom Yorke’s high falsetto, or the versatility of Jonny Greenwood, Phil Selway, Ed O’Brien and Colin Greenwood in incorporating various kinds of instruments, not limiting themselves to the typical drums and guitars, into the band’s music.

Whatever image comes to your mind about Radiohead, one thing is clear. Despite the obscure beginning of the band, Radiohead rose up the charts to become one of Britain’s most influential alternative rock bands. They set trends that became standards for other bands to follow.

Which are Radiohead’s best songs of all time? Here is our list of nine.

• 9. “Optimistic” (Kid A, 2000)

  “Optimistic” is one of Radiohead’s commercial successes, as it is one of its three songs that reached the Top 10 on Billboard. It is also very eclectic in the way the band sampled many musical genres and combined it in one track. There is the grunge and electronic feel that you would expect from any Radiohead song, but it ends with bluesy-jazzy notes. The song is slow, though a bit more upbeat than most of Radiohead’s early work.
  

• 8. “2+2=5” (Hail to the Thief, 2003)

  “2+2=5” is a very odd song. It begins with a slow and steady melody, with vocals on how one tries to change the world. Then it suddenly changes tempo and jerks you around and around and around until you are dizzy with it. And then the song drops into silence and leaves you hanging.

• 7. “Pyramid Song” (Amnesiac, 2001)

  The “Pyramid Song” is another departure from Radiohead’s original sound – this one is more driven by piano and drums rather than guitars, and also includes an orchestral symphony. The song sounds very light and very surreal. The lyrics to the song are also very enigmatic. According to reports, Radiohead took references from the Divine Comedy written by Dante.

• 6. “Scatterbrain (As Dead as Leaves)”

  (Hail to the Thief, 2003). “Scatterbrain” sounds different from most Radiohead songs in that it makes less use of guitars and the focus is more on the experimental weavings they made with electronic. It is also reminiscent of John Lennon’s sound post-Beatles.

  Though lighter in beat and melody than many of Radiohead’s songs, “Scatterbrain” is probably one of their sadder and more sonorous tracks. The song is an elegy, a song about the death of society in general.

• 5. “Karma Police” (OK Computer, 1997)

  The song sounds reminiscently like The Beatles. This is not surprising, given that Radiohead was inspired to make the song by The Beatles’ “Sexy Sadie,” and the song even carries similar riffs.

  “Karma Police” is almost akin to classical rock but with a modern twist. It is somewhat easier to listen to compared to “Paranoid Android” or “My Iron Lung,” although it still retains the heavy beats that is signature to all Radiohead tracks. The slowness, though reminiscent of “Creep,” is not at all that mournful.

• 4. “Paranoid Android” (OK Computer, 1997)

  “Paranoid Android” is Radiohead’s highest charting track. Many music critics also believe that it is the most ambitious song that the band ever came up with. To say that it is complex is a huge understatement because the song combines four different sections in totally different tempos, the melodies rising and falling as they run along and then leaving the listener high and dry and wanting more.

  Despite the depressing lyrics and tone of the song, “Paranoid Android” is reputed to be a joke on the part of the band, probably to poke fun at the way their sound is somewhat perceived by the general public. It takes its name from Marvin the Paranoid Android in Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

• 3. “My Iron Lung” (The Bends, 1995)

  “My Iron Lung” is everything that “Creep” was not. It is abrupt, syncopated and rough compared to the slow and monotonic melody of Radiohead’s greatest hit. But this does not mean that “My Iron Lung” is not as cool as “Creep.” It is cool in a totally different way.

  What is great about “My Iron Lung” is that it marks a change in Radiohead’s musical style. Here is where they start incorporating an electronic edge into their sound, and it was done so smoothly in this song. The lyrics are also superb – an obvious expression of how Radiohead felt stifled by the success of “Creep.”

• 2. “High and Dry” (The Bends, 1995)

  Radiohead followed up their success with “Creep” with The Bends’ “High and Dry.” Though it was initially slated for the Pablo Honey album, the band decided not to put the song there because it did not fit with the rest of the songs in the album. Ironically, although “High and Dry” is one of the band’s most recognisable pop hits, the band is said to hate it and refuses to play it live.

  The attitude Radiohead has taken to this unwanted child of theirs is quite understandable. “High and Dry” is safe, comfortable and somewhat like bubblegum, but it cannot be denied that the drum-and-guitar melodies are still remarkable.

• 1. “Creep” (Pablo Honey, 1993)

  “Creep” is the song that made the band – it is Radiohead’s first single off their debut album. The song can be called a sleeper hit. It was a flop at first release in the United Kingdom because it was seen as too depressing to play, but it gained a surprise following abroad. “Creep” remains Radiohead’s most loved and biggest selling song of all time.

  The appeal of “Creep” is that it gave voice to the millions of young people out there who could not express their feelings to the ones they love out of fear and lack of self-confidence. The despair in that song, delivered in the almost monotone strumming of the guitar and rising in fevered pitches towards the chorus and the bridge of the song, is echoing and haunting.

How can anyone come up with a top list of the best Beatles songs? It is an impossible endeavor, akin to plucking stars straight from the sky and sorting them as to which ones are the brightest. Moreover, there are hundreds of songs in the Beatles discography – some more commercially successful than the others, some more profound, some pure nonsense, but definitely masterful, a showcase of the Beatles’ musicianship.

Without further ado, here is our paltry attempt at what we think are the best of the Beatles’ songs, based on their general appeal.

• 13. “Something” (Abbey Road, 1969)

  “Something,” the first song written by George Harrison to land on the A-side of a Beatles album, is very tender and very sentimental. The voice it uses is so common that it is almost like telling your friends over a few cans of beer that there is this girl you like and you do not know how to approach her. It is also one of the most covered songs of the band, right next to “Yesterday.”

• 12. “Here, There and Everywhere” (Revolver, 1966)

  “Here, There and Everywhere” is definitely one of the most beautiful love songs ever written. Paul McCartney both wrote and sang the song. It may be quite cheerful to listen to, but it underplays the bittersweet sentimentality of the lyrics. It is like listening to your best friend, one whom you have known since childhood, tell you that he/she has been in love with you for as long as he/she remembers.

• 11. “Here Comes the Sun” (Abbey Road, 1969)

  “Here Comes the Sun” is a somewhat bubblegum-like song written by George Harrison, sometimes read as an expression of Harrison’s relief from being able to come out alive and on top during the horrible times he had in 1969. In that year, Harrison had his tonsils taken out, was made to go on leave from the band and had to go into rehab for drug abuse. The relief can be felt in the optimism and upbeat tune of the song.

• 10. “Help!” (Help! 1965)

  John Lennon was reported to have said that “Help!” was one of the two songs he ever wrote for the band that he considered to be authentic Beatles. The song may sound cheerful at first, but you will actually come to feel the frantic and desperate cry underneath that layer of cheerfulness if you listen to the song closely.

• 9. “Eight Days a Week” (Beatles for Sale, 1964)

  “Eight Days a Week” is such a fun song to listen to, with the upbeat and danceable tempo accompanied by handclaps. Though it is a love song, it may be hard to take it seriously if one is a girl. It is a fun song, but it is too cheeky to be taken as a serious declaration of love.

• 8. “The Long and Winding Road” (Let It Be, 1969)

  A song written and sung by Paul McCartney, “The Long and Winding Road” is the last single to be released by the Beatles as a band. It also has an interesting history, given that the oversealous treatment that producer Phil Specter gave the song despite McCartney’s protests was cited as one of the reasons why the band broke up. Melodically, it is another melancholy song by the Beatles that leaves you both haunted and hoping.

• 7. “Yesterday” (Help!, 1965)

  Another sentimental and nostalgic song written by Paul McCartney, it is the one Beatles song that was most covered by other artists, including the likes of Frank Sinatra, Matt Monro, Ray Charles and Elvis Presley. It is so easy to fall in love with this song because it echoes the regret felt when letting someone go, an emotion that everyone feels every once in a while.

• 6. “In My Life” (Rubber Soul, 1965)

  For quite a nostalgic and sentimental song, “In My Life” is rather upbeat and cheerful. Its happy notes are catchy and the song itself makes you think of the good times that happened in the past and of the people you shared it with.

• 5. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (The Beatles, 1968)

  Despite the huge tensions that were ripping through the Beatles in their latter years, they managed to experiment with various genres and incorporated them in their own sound. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” is one of those songs, a trippy attempt by the Beatles at ska, and even though John Lennon hated it, he came up with that awesome piano section at the beginning of the song.

• 4. “Day Tripper” (Past Masters, Volume Two, 1965)

  You may not care about the lyrics of this song, although they are quite good, but you cannot deny that the Beatles were at the top of their game with this song. The guitar riffs were just amasing – pure rock and pure Beatles at their best.

• 3. “I Am the Walrus” (Magic Mystery Tour, 1967)

  John Lennon’s “I Am the Walrus” is a really trippy song, not just because of the fact that it was reputed to be written partially during a couple of acid trips that Lennon had. If people thought “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” was weird and nonsensical, one wonders what they thought about “I Am the Walrus.” In this song, the Beatles managed to merge a couple of different and seemingly syncopated melodies and made it work magically.

• 2. “Whilst My Guitar Gently Weeps” (The Beatles, 1968)

  If you do not weep at this song the first time you hear it, you may have to question where your heart really is. The guitar literally weeps a haunting melody here, and the profoundness of the lyrics written by George Harrison is just amasing. The guitar solo in this song is reputed to be written and played by Eric Clapton.

• 1. “Hey, Jude” (Past Masters, Volume Two, 1968)

  An uplifting melody with so many layers to it and with many different ways of reading into it – that is what the song “Hey, Jude” is. It is very comforting and if you listen to it on a gloomy day, you can actually see the grayness lifting off you. Paul McCartney truly achieved his purpose in this song, which is to comfort young Julian Lennon when his parents John and Cynthia Lennon divorced.

The Rolling Stones are definitely one of the most enduring rock and roll icons of all time. Formed in 1962, just shortly after the Beatles, the Rolling Stones have been the voice and the image of gritty and swaggering youth – arrogant, cocky and definitely sexy. And despite the fact that the members of the band – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts – are all well into their 60s, they are still the boys and they are still at the top of their game. It is like the Rolling Stones will just continue to roll on forever.

So, what are the best songs the Rolling Stones have been able to dish out to us so far? Here are our picks.

• 13. “Shine a Light” (Exile on Main St., 1972)

  It is probably a huge cosmic coincidence that Mick Jagger’s surname rhymes with “swagger,” but you would not hear his usual swagger and posturing in this song. This song, done in the blues-gospel style, is clean and straightforward. Jagger’s swagger would be so out of place in this song anyhow since it is about drug addiction, specifically about the erratic behavior of a former bandmate, Brian Jones.

• 12. “Ruby Tuesday” (Flowers, 1967)

  There are many theories as to who wrote “Ruby Tuesday” and who does the song refer to. But it is another nostalgic Rolling Stones song with a simple but haunting melody. It talks about a girl that the persona of the singer cannot hold down or make her stay simply because her spirit is so free and that she does not belong to anyone.

• 11. “Wild Horses” (Sticky Fingers, 1971)

  Some say that “Wild Horses” is the best rock ballad ever sung by the Rolling Stones, though many fans of “Angie” may beg to differ. The song is slow and very sad, with the underpinnings of country and folk rhythms. The lyrics capture the pain felt by a person asking the one he/she loves to hold on to the relationship in the light of hardships and fading dreams.

• 10. “Beast of Burden” (Some Girls, 1978)

  A mellow, bluesy-jazzy song, “Beast of Burden” has a slow tempo that is quite a contrast to the other fast tunes on Slow Girls. But Mick Jagger’s vocals here are impeccable and the guitar duet between Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood is truly hair-raising. The song is about a guy begging the woman he is wooing to stop being a teasing bitch and let him love her if that is what she really wanted.

• 9. “Sympathy for the Devil” (Beggars Banquet, 1968)

  “Sympathy for the Devil” is a very danceable samba tune, with the rhythms of the guitar and the percussions blending beautifully with Mick Jagger’s pitchy falsetto. The upbeat melody acts like a mask to the darkness of the lyrics, with the band taking on the point of view of the Devil in describing some of the tragic events of the world’s history.

• 8. “Angie” (Goats Head Soup, 1973)

  The end of a love affair is always a bad one, even though the parting was mutual and done in good terms. “Angie” talks about the pain and the sadness associated with that parting, but goes on to add that the parting may be the best thing to do at that point. The lyrics are poignant and Jagger’s vocals curl around the song so much that you can feel it curling around you too.

• 7. “I’m Free” (More Hot Rocks, 1972)

  This song is literally an anthem to freedom. Aside from blatantly declaring that “I’m free to do what I want,” the Rolling Stones are playing liberally with traditional country and blues. Mick Jagger’s voice is rough and edgy, exuding that aloof and you-can’t-have-me vibe.

• 6. “Happy” (Exile on Main St., 1972)

  The title says it all. “Happy” is a really happy tune, with the drums keeping the beat and the electric guitars and the trumpets piping in at the chorus. It is a very jumpy song and it belongs to Keith Richards, both vocally and in writing.

• 5. “Start Me Up” (Tattoo You, 1981)

  Even without the sexually suggestive lyrics, “Start Me Up” is a very sexy song. It starts up hot with Keith Richards’ signature riff and just soars way up from there. By the time Mick Jagger starts growling towards the end of the song, you would already be burning. “You can make a dead man come” indeed.

• 4. “Ventilator Blues” (Exile on Main St., 1972)

  “Ventilator Blues” must be one of the most complicated tracks ever produced by the Rolling Stones. The various instruments used in the song – piano, saxophone, trumpet, guitars – come together to produce a rhythm that feels a lot like tense wire just waiting to snap. Despite the complex melodies produced by the song, it comes up in true, albeit tightly closed up, harmony and brings the Rolling Stones back to its bluesy roots.

• 3. “Moonlight Mile” (Sticky Fingers, 1971)

  In “Moonlight Mile,” the Rolling Stones give us a glimpse of the loneliness of being a rock star always on the road. You are always surrounded by strangers and so far away from everything that is familiar to you. This is Mick Jagger singing really stripped down, with a pure and raw emotion that is just sad and nostalgic altogether.

• 2. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (Hot Rocks, 1972)

  “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” is easily the most recognisable Rolling Stones song. Most people who are not that familiar with the discography of the Rolling Stones are at least aware of this song. This is Mick Jagger at one of his sexiest, all swagger and rough vocals.

• 1. “Waiting on a Friend” (Tattoo You, 1981)

  The saxophone solo in this song is simply wonderful. It is kind of hard to imagine Mick Jagger singing wistfully of friendship when he is more known for his masculine prancing, but there he is, extolling the beauty of friendship over the pleasure of being with a woman. The song, with its lighthearted and jazzy notes, is so sweet and endearing.

When you think of enduring thrash metal acts, only a handful of bands come to mind. Leading that small pack, obviously, is none other than Metallica. Lead by Lars Ulrich on drums and with James Hetfield on rhythm and vocals, Kirk Hammett on the lead guitar and Robert Trujillo on bass, Metallica is both the most influential and the most commercially successful heavy metal band of the 80s.

What makes Metallica a truly phenomenal band is the fact that its music evolves and the people that make up the band are not afraid to explore the limits of their music. Metallica’s sound in its early years was fast, aggressive and loud, typical of the thrash metal genre. However, it has long since crossed borders, focusing not just on thrash metal but also blues and hard rock.

Which songs from Metallica’s compilation can be considered as their best seven songs of all time? Here is a list we compiled.

• 7. “…And Justice for All” (…And Justice for All, 1988)

  It was 1988 and it was two years after the tragic death of Cliff Burton in an accident, when the Metallica tour bus tipped over and pinned him. It was the first album that Metallica released since the tragedy and you can feel the anger in the nihilistic lyrics of the title song. Though unconfirmed, it was said that this anger and this negative view towards the justice system was a result of the needless death of the band’s resident bass genius.

  It is also a very long and very ambitious song. Clocking in at just a few seconds under ten minutes, “…And Justice for All” features shifting moods, alternating between clean rhythms and just angry beats – a true head-banger and heart-thumper.

• 6. “For Whom the Bell Tolls” (Ride the Lightning, 1985)

  The song, a work from the early days of Metallica when the band’s original bassist Cliff Burton was still alive, is a nod to Ernest Hemingway’s novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, but the storytelling in this song is nowhere near as refined as it is in the novel.

  But you would not listen to this song for its lyrics anyhow. You would listen to it for its mad, mad riffs both at the beginning and at the end of the song. Through this song, the late Cliff Burton showed the world through this song that he is a genius when it comes to the bass guitar. Never mind the nonsense of the lyrics, just listen to your heart thump wildly as you listen to the guitar-and-drum instrumentals that start and end the song.

• 5. “Sad But True” (Metallica, 1991)

  Reportedly inspired by Anthony Hopkins’ schizophrenic character in the 1978 movie Magic, “Sad But True” is a song about someone suffering from dissociative identity disorder. The story told in that song is narrated from the point of view of an evil personality; the tale conveyed is disturbing but eerily poetic.

  Aside from the eerie poetry of the song’s lyrics, the song is made more marvelous by the tight and angry riffs created by Kirk Hammett. You get to enjoy this even more in the minute-long guitar solo that neatly divides the song into two sections.

• 4. “Nothing Else Matters” (Metallica, 1991)

  Being in love and being separated from one’s beloved is not a typical subject for any song of any heavy metal band. And yet, here is Metallica with “Nothing Else Matters,” probably the only love song in their discography. The story goes that James Hetfield was supposed to have composed it for a girlfriend and did not really want to publish the song. Nonetheless, the track made it to the Metallica album.

  It is not a trippy-happy love song, however. “Nothing Else Matters” is a rather slow and mournful song, a departure from the fast and furious melodies that are staples with Metallica’s music. It is nonetheless very stirring and very creative, a true masterwork.

• 3. “The Unforgiven” (Metallica, 1991)

  “The Unforgiven” is the first song composed by Metallica that reveals the band’s versatility and capacity to cross boundaries in genres. The basic heavy metal rhythm that is uniquely Metallica’s is still there, but one cannot say that it is a strictly heavy metal song. It has a blues feel to it, and it has a slow and heavy tempo.

  The narrative of the story in the lyrics is also exquisite. There is angst and anger – two of the emotions that define heavy metal and thrash metal – but it is more subtle and less violent. It nonetheless underlies the intensity of the emotions carried through by the song.

• 2. “Enter Sandman” (Metallica, 1991)

  This is arguably one of the most recognisable songs of Metallica. It is the band’s first foray into the mainstream, and although the band retains its heavy metal roots in the song, it is almost pop enough to be palatable to non-fans of heavy metal.

  With most of the band’s early work more oriented towards really mad guitar riffs, “Enter Sandman” marks Metallica’s slight tweaking of their original sound. With this song, the band becomes more focused on the bass and on the drums. The lyrics are also simple enough to understand with one pass, and yet they do not lose their complexity of meaning – which is about nightmares and the fear they generate.

• 1. “One” (…And Justice for All, 1988)

  Based on the novel and the movie Johnny Got His Gun, “One” must be the Metallica song where the imagery is most vivid. It tells of a person imprisoned in his own body and with his own thoughts for company, having been injured horribly so that he lost all his limbs and his capacity to see, hear, speak or even smell. All he feels is pain and he cries out to God for death.

  The song is fast, aggressive and horrific in a positive way. Most of the members of Metallica’s fandom claim this song to be the one that sticks most closely to your memory. The song also marks a lot of firsts for the band; for this song, Metallica won its first Grammy Award and its first spot on the Billboard Top 40.

U2 is definitely the biggest rock band ever to hail from the Emerald Isles. Aside from being the greatest and most influential musical act to come from Ireland, the group – composed of Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton – is also known for its longevity, having been around and active for almost 30 years now. The group definitely has some very memorable songs that shaped the sound of future acts like Radiohead, Coldplay, Oasis, amongst many others.

Of all the songs that U2 released so far, which are the best? We believe we hit it with this list. It is quite noticeable that many of the songs in this list came from The Joshua Tree, but can you really be surprised with that? It is the greatest and most successful of all of U2’s albums.

• 12. “October” (October, 1981)

  U2 is a great band, but it was not all hits for them. October is one such album that remained in obscurity in their catalogue. But even plain boxes can hold gems, and the track “October” is one of them. It is a very short and almost instrumental melody, lasting only a little over two minutes and with heavy chords in piano as its intro.

• 11. “40” (War, 1983)

  Atheists may not care about the lyrics of this song, mainly because the lyrics of “40” are derived from the first three verses of Psalm 40 of the King James Bible. But there is a kind of freshness to the melody; it is a kind of beat that will uplift you with its soaring simplicity, regardless of the inclinations of the lyrics.

• 10. “All I Want Is You” (Rattle and Hum, 1988)

  “All I Want Is You” is a tender and stirring melody that U2 composed as a group but which Bono dedicated to his wife, the activist Ali Hewson. The sound is simple yet passionate; it begins quietly, with Bono’s vocals not shifting much, but towards the end it rises and closes with a soaring orchestral section.

• 9. “The Unforgettable Fire” (The Unforgettable Fire, 1989)

  “The Unforgettable Fire” is a good sample of the expansive style embraced by U2 for the album of the same name. It plays with varying melodies and has a symphonic sound that is almost visual in its richness. The song has a very surreal feel and it celebrates a sort of departure from the old sound that U2 had in the first couple of albums it had released.

• 8. “Walk On” (All That You Can’t Leave Behind, 2001)

  his song is another one of U2’s many political anthems, but the difference here is that it sounds more positive and encouraging rather than protesting. “Walk On” sings about Aung San Suu Kyi and it both admires and encourages her for her non-violent protests in Burma, for which she has been under house arrest for most of the last 20-odd years. The song is banned in Burma and anyone caught with it can face criminal charges and arrest.

• 7. “Stories for Boys” (Boy, 1980)

  From the band’s debut album Boy, “Stories for Boys” introduces the public to the original sound of U2. It is fast, heavy on drums, spiced up with a touch of guitar riffing and full of angst. It is a glimpse of how glorious U2 would be as one of the greatest bands of all time.

• 6. “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (The Joshua Tree, 1987)

  This U2 song is often referred to as a gospel song by both Bono and The Edge. The reason is very obvious; the song talks about having all the conventional stirrings and trimmings of faith but still having doubts on the veracity of that faith. It is like telling God that, yeah, I believe in You but leave me alone to sort it all out by myself for a while.

• 5. “Where the Streets Have No Name” (The Joshua Tree, 1987)

  This song is a simple plea for equality and recognition of identity without prejudice. It begins with a glorious synthesised intro that sounds a lot like a church hymn, and then followed by a “running” melody produced by guitars, drums and the bass. It evokes the image of a frantic escape from oppression.

• 4. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (War, 1983)

  “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is one of the angrier and less reconciling songs of U2. The beat produced by the drums and the guitars are fast, tight and rough, an expression of U2’s reflections on the Bloody Sunday incident of 1972 in Northern Ireland. It is one of the signature songs of U2, always present in the set list of the band’s live tours.

• 3. “Pride (In The Name of Love)” (The Unforgettable Fire, 1984)

  “Pride” is one of the most anthemic songs of U2, as well as one of its most recognisable. Aside from that, it is a commercial success and continues the trend of bankability for the band. But nowhere in the song does it sound commercial. The lyrics talk mostly about Martin Luther King, Jr., carried on a very strong bass line.

• 2. “With or Without You” (The Joshua Tree, 1987)

  U2 has some truly lovely love songs in the band’s catalogue, but the best amongst these is undoubtedly “With or Without You.” The song, which is the lead single of the album The Joshua Tree, is very emotional, very passionate and very profound lyrically. You can feel its drum beats thumping against your heart, and their wooing is echoed by the guitars blending in at the song’s end.

• 1. “One” (Achtung Baby, 1991)

  Without much debate, most music critics agree that “One” is one of the best songs that U2 ever produced. The song was created at a pivotal point of the band’s history, when the members were experiencing disagreements about the future direction of the band. “One” was the song that convinced them to hang around together much longer. But more than that, it is also the anthem that emphasised many of the socio-political advocacies espoused by Bono and U2 in general.

Led Zeppelin is, without a shred of doubt, the biggest band ever to hit the rock and roll scene.  The band is considered to be the king and progenitor of the heavy metal genre, mainly because of their guitar-driven sound and heavy beats.  Their music has influenced generations, and their songs remain popular even though thirty years have passed since their disbanding.

But the beauty of Led Zeppelin’s music lies in the fact that despite being labeled as a heavy metal band, the songs actually transcend the genre.  Many of Led Zeppelin’s songs have a lot of folksy and bluesy notes, and the band experimented with ska, soul, reggae, country, and even classical.  Versatility fails to describe what Led Zeppelin is; they are nothing other than just brilliant.

Everyone should be aware of the kind of music that Led Zeppelin played in the band’s heyday, and listed below are the eight best songs the band ever came up with during the stretch of their career.

• 8. “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” (Presence, 1975)

  “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” is a Led Zeppelin cover of a traditional blues/gospel song. The band was almost true to the original – “almost” being the keyword. Led Zeppelin made their song truly their own by adding in the syncopated rhythm at the beginning of the song and putting in additional lyrics. The guitar work by Jimmy Page, as always, is just amasing.

  The song became a staple of all Led Zeppelin concerts from 1977, until the band broke up because of the death of John Bonham in 1980. It remains a big favorite amongst the band’s fans.

• 7. “Houses of the Holy” (Physical Graffiti, 1975)

  “Houses of the Holy” is another Led Zeppelin song that shows how versatile the band is and how well they transcend genres. The song is not strictly a heavy metal song; it is more of a funk song, but with much heavier melodies. Again, it features the remarkable trademark riffs of Jimmy Page combined with the superb beats produced by John Bonham’s drums.

  We should note that Led Zeppelin had an album called Houses of the Holy that was released previously to Physical Graffiti. Why the title track of that album is included instead in Physical Graffiti has always been a mystery.

• 6. “Rock and Roll” (Led Zeppelin IV, 1971)

  If you think that Led Zeppelin songs are all standouts because of their unique spin on guitar riffs, you may be surprised with the song “Rock and Roll” if you have not yet heard it. Dare we say that it is the one Led Zeppelin song that closely follows the traditional rock and roll progression beat the most?

  The song sounds like a cover of a Chuck Berry song, but it is not. And the best thing about “Rock and Roll” is that although it used the same rhythm and melody, it is not as nauseating to listen to as some songs using the same endless repetition of rhythm.

• 5. “Kashmir” (Physical Graffiti, 1975)

  A list of best songs by Led Zeppelin will not be complete without “Kashmir.” The members of the band itself think that “Kashmir” is their best work, a combination of all the elements that made Led Zeppelin the remarkable band that it was.

  The song is not heavy metal per se, but one would say that it is an experiment in combining the rhythms of rock and roll with the more exotic melodies of music from the Middle East.

• 4. “Black Dog” (Led Zeppelin IV, 1971)

  “Black Dog” must be the most difficult of all of Led Zeppelin’s songs to replicate. The beat and the timing are so complicated that it is so easy to call the song syncopated. But despite the seeming irregularity in the song’s rhythm, the song is a true slayer, with Robert Plant’s breathy and high-pitched a cappella alternating with the complex melody created by John Bonham’s thumping on the drums and John Paul Jones’ intense riffing.

  But then again, the song was really meant to be hard to copy. It was said that when John Paul Jones composed the riff and the main melodies of the song, the intention was to create something that other bands would find difficult to cover.

• 3. “Stairway to Heaven” (Led Zeppelin IV, 1971)

  Amongst all the songs of Led Zeppelin, “Stairway to Heaven” is probably the most recognisable. It is also one of the most lauded, landing in the lists compiled by the Rolling Stone Magasine, VH1 and many others of the best rock tracks ever produced.

  What makes the song so great is the layer upon layer of rhythms created by the guitars so cleverly done by John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page, combined with the storytelling vocals of Robert Plant. If ever rock needed an anthem, it has got to be “Stairway to Heaven,” never mind the controversy the song generated because of allegedly containing backmasked satanic messages.

• 2. “Whole Lotta Love” (Led Zeppelin II, 1969)

  There is a reason why this Led Zeppelin song has been described as one of the best guitar tracks ever written by various sources like Rolling Stone Magasine and VH1. The riffs Jimmy Page composed for the song are simply mind-blowing. And then there is the so-called noise part, the part where Robert Plant just moans – that part raises goose bumps.

  This song is just a whole mix of a lot of things. It has the blues feel that makes the track sound so palatable, the distortion that makes it so clever, and then, of course, that evilly awesome riffing. The song is really a mind-trip.

• 1. “Immigrant Song” (Led Zeppelin III, 1970)

  It is hard to decide which element makes this song a big winner. It could be Robert Plant’s shrieking and somewhat eerie vocals, or it could be the evil staccato that John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page created with their guitars.

  Whichever it is, “Immigrant Song” is probably one of the most iconic of Led Zeppelin’s songs, pushing into our consciousness the archetype of rock bands in Viking-esque hairstyles conquering the music scene like warriors on their way to glory in Valhalla. The song certainly led to many people summing up the Led Zeppelin musical style as “Hammer of the Gods,” straight from a line of the song.