Rock 101

This list of songs is intended to give an overview of rock, with a focus on the parts that I personally know (60's, some 70's). The target audience is a present-day teenager (like my son Noah), and the goal is to have them find something that resonates, and get into it.

It's not intended to be a list of great songs, or to be comprehensive.

Lots of genres have a connection with rock (e.g. folk, reggae, rap etc.). I've included examples of these if there's a strong connection.

Please email me if a) any of the links here don't work, or b) you'd like to suggest new or different songs.

Early

bill haley and the comets
- rock around the clock
Little Richard
- tutti frutti
Chuck Berry
- roll over beethoven
- johnny b. goode
Elvis
- jailhouse rock
- heartbreak hotel
eddie cochran
- blue suede shoes
jerry lee lewis
- great balls of fire
everly brothers
- wake up little susie
ronettes
- be my baby
sam cooke
- another saturday night
ray charles
- what'd I say
the coasters
- yakety yak

60s

the beatles
- hold your hand
- eleanor rigby
- ticket to ride
- a day in the life
- within you without you
- revolution
- lucy in the sky with diamonds
- while my guitar gently weeps
john lennon
- imagine
the rolling stones
- jumpin jack flash
- satisfaction
- gimme shelter
- paint it black
- ruby tuesday
- sympathy for the devil
the monkees
- I'm a believer
the byrds
- turn turn turn
- eight miles high
the doors
- touch me
- light my fire
- the end
- riders on the storm
barry mcguire
- eve of destruction
the supremes
- can't hurry love
lovin spoonful
- do you believe in magic
- summer in the city
jimi hendrix
- purple haze
- star spangled banner (woodstock)
- dolly dagger
- all along the watchtower
them
- Gloria
aretha franklin
- Respect
beach Boys
- Good vibrations
- god only knows
- surfin' usa
- surfin' safari
cream
- sunshine of your love
- white room
- sittin' on top of the world
- badge
the who
- my generation
- I can see for miles
- behind blue eyes
- baba o'riley
bob dylan
- subterranearn homesick blues
- mr tambourine man
- time they are a changin
- like a rolling stone
steppenwolf
- born to be wild
- magic carpet ride
iron butterfly
- In a gadda da vida
the fifth dimension
- age of aquarius / let the sunshine in
the band
- chest fever
martha reeves and the vandellas
- dancin in the streets
mamas and papas
- california dreamin
- monday monday
bb king
- the thrill is gone
- blues man
zombies
- time of the season
james brown
- I feel good
tower of power
- what is hip?
- still a young man
kinks
- you really got me
- all day and all of the night
- lola
- a well respected man
santana
- evil ways
the turtles
- happy together
- she'd rather be with me
the electric prunes
- too much to dream last night
buffalo springfield
- for what it's worth
- sit down i think i love you
crosby/stills/nash/young
- suite: judy blue eyes
- ohio
chambers brothers
- time has come today
jefferson airplane
- somebody to love
- white rabbit
spencer davis group
- I'm a man
- gimme some lovin'
the troggs
- wild thing
the association
- along comes mary
pink floyd
- wish you were here
- money
- brick in the wall
grateful dead
- truckin
- friend of the devil
canned heat
- on the road again
procul harem
- a whiter shade of pale
- whiskey train
moody blues
- nights in white satin
Zappa and mothers of invention
- absolutely free
- plastic people
animals
- house of the rising sun
shocking blue
- venus
janis joplin
- piece of my heart
stevie wonder
- sunshine of my life
- superstition
gil scott-heron
- the revolution will not be televised
marvin gaye
- heard it through the grapevine
bill withers
- ain't no sunshine
sly and the family stone
- everyday people
carole king
- I feel the earth move
james taylor
- fire and rain
chicago
- saturday in the park
- 25 or 6 to 4
bobby fuller four
- I fought the law
curtis mayfield
- move on up
neil young
- old man
- southern man
steve winwood
- dear mr. fantasy
blind faith
- had to cry today
- can't find my way home
quicksilver messenger service
- who do you love
- the fool
donovan
- sunshine superman
petula clark
- i know a place
the yardbirds
- for your love
isaac hayes
- theme from shaft
creedence clearwater
- fortunate son
joni mitchell
- big yellow taxi

70s

queen
- bohemian rhapsody
- we will rock you
- another one bites the dust
zeppelin
- stairway to heaven
- the ocean
eagles
- hotel california
- life in the fast lane
Bowie
- suffragette city
- changes
- let's dance
- space oddity
- modern love
aerosmith
- dream on
- walk this way
AC/DC
- back in black
lynyrd skynyrd
- free bird
springsteen
- born to run
clapton
- layla
paul mccartney and wings
- jet
the cars
- just what I needed
jethro tull
- aqualung
- locomotive breath
black sabbath
- paranoid
blue oyster cult
- the reaper
dire straits
- sultans of swing
elton john
- rocket man
- bennie and the jets
- your song
yes
- roundabout
- your move
allman brothers
- in memory of elizabeth reed
- whippin' post
the knack
- my sharona
kansas
- carry on my wayward son
doobie brothers
- long train running
- listen to the music
- what a fool believes
supertramp
- the logical song
- goodbye stranger
- breakfast in america
steely dan
- deacon blues
- reelin in the years
- hey nineteen
- josie
- do it again
boston
- more than a feeling
billy joel
- piano man
- vienna
- my life
- I've loved these days
- we didn't start the fire
talking heads
- once in a lifetime
- burning down the house
- psycho killer
ZZ top
- la grange
king crimson
- in the court of crimson king
emerson, lake and palmer
- karn evil 9
bee gees
- new york mining disaster
- stayin' alive
- night fever
ABBA
- take a chance on me
renaissance
- trip to the fair
mountain
- mississippi queen
- yasgur's farm
lou reed
- take a walk on the wild side
fleetwood mac
- tell me all the things you do
- Rhiannon
blondie
- one way or another
heart
- crazy on you
average white band
- pick up the pieces
deep purple
- smoke on the water
ramones
- teenage lobotomy
sex pistols
- god save the queen
joy division
- transmission
the cure
- primary
earth wind and fire
- september
seals and crofts
- summer breeze
madonna
- like a virgin
x
- los angeles
rod stewart
- you're in my heart
don mcclean
- american pie
spinal tap
- big bottom
- stonehenge
- tonight I'm gonna rock you tonight
joe walsh
- life's been good
john mellencamp
- jack and diane
commodores
- brick house
cat stevens
- father and son
joan jett
- i love rock and roll
devo
- whip it
B52s
- rock lobster
golden earring
- radar love
bachman-turner overdrive
- you ain't seen nothing yet
free
- all right now
t. rex
- bang a gong (get it on)
faces
- stay with me
village people
- ymca
harry chapin
- cat's in the cradle

80s

the police
- roxanne
- message in a bottle
- don't stand so close to me
grandmaster flash
- the message
siouxsie and the banshees
- happy house
go-go's
- we got the beat
R.E.M
- man on the moon
joe jackson
- steppin' out
the clash
- should I stay or should I go
- rock the casbah
prince
- when doves cry
Michael Jackson
- billie jean
- bad
journey
- don't stop believing
men at work
- down under
men without hats
- safety dance
red hot chile peppers
- otherside
murray head
- one night in bangkok
madness
- our house
thomas dolby
- she blinded me with science
peter gabriel
- games without frontiers
- solsbury hill
dead kennedys
- i fought the law
- nazi punks fuck off
bow wow wow
- i want candy
elvis costello
- alison
u2
- I will follow
tom petty
- american girl
rush
- tom sawyer
beastie boys
- fight for your right
cindy lauper
- girls just want to have fun
husker du
- don't want to know if you are lonely
the vapors
- turning japanese
steve winwood
- higher love
soft cell
- tainted love
don't you want me
- the human league
the power of love
- huey lewis
hit me with your best shot
- pat benetar

90s

nirvana
- smells like teen spirit
green day
- american idiot
foo fighters
- the pretender
the cranberries
- zombie
pearl jam
- even flow
smashing pumpkins
- tonight tonight
radiohead
- creep
xtc
- sense working overtime

Intentional omissions:

Simon and Garfunkel
most folk (joan baez, woodie guthrie)
the carpenters
phil collins