Oh, the rock and metal ballad! It’s one of the corner stones of the hard rock and metal world. It can make or break an album. And it can also make and/or break a bands career. Depending on the band of course. Some groups can write them (Whitesnake, King’s X, Black Sabbath, Van Halen). Some can’t (Mr. Big, Winger, Extreme). Even though those three bands can write some amazingly mind-blowing non-ballad material. But this list is dedicated to the sensitivity, the feel and unique craftsmanship of the ballad. Here are my top ten ballads in no particular order.
Aerosmith – Amazing
In the 70’s Aerosmith was too busy with their angst and drug use to really sit down and write a ballad such as ‘Angel’. But obviously they changed their attitude and made a comeback in 1987 that hadn’t been seen before or since. And six years into that they released what may be their finest hour ‘Get a Grip’. A 14 song mammoth album with three ballad singles, a hard rocker and a cerebral rocker. The third and and finest of the ballads is ‘Amazing’. Which is one of the greatest ever written. Yes, better than ‘Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing’. The added cello, the lyrics and the entire mood of the song that’s created is sublime. Meaningful, emotional and beautifully written make this song a greatest ballad. Remember ‘Life’s a journey, not a destination’ – Steven Tyler.
King’s X – Goldilox
King’s X is often called the most overlooked band of all time. And one listen to their first ballad of their first album released in 1988 is a perfect example of why. Many claim the reason they never exploded beyond cult status is because they never really wrote radio friendly songs. That’s some real bull right there. There perhaps isn’t a better time for this song than 1988. It’s a perfect 80’s ballad that’s taken far above beyond the call of duty for a hit single at the time. The chord progression, the vocal melody and the amazing sing along, harmonized chorus. It just gets in your head in the best way. Shame on the record industry for not pushing them more.
Def Leppard – Bringing on the Heartbreak
For all intents and purposes, ‘Bringing on the Heartbreak’ is the first monster ballad. And I don’t think Def Leppard meant to do that. I think they were just trying to find a spot on MTV by way of band such as Journey. Well, as it turns out they started a huge trend. They basically invented the 80’s with this song. Motley Crue followed a few years later and the rest is history. Every hard rock and metal band with the exception of the thrash gods were writing ballads for radio and hit exposure. And it worked, until it didn’t. Fortunately Leppard were able to escape the 80’s ballad stereotype, despite writing a ton of ballads.
The Scorpions – Still Lovin’ You
I really had a hard time between choosing this track or ‘Winds of Change’. But I went with this one because it’s so recognizably and undeniably Scorpions. They were riding high in 1984 with ‘Love at First Sting’ and a major hit single ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’. But then they released what would also rival their many hits as their most recognizable song. The way the song builds raises hair on many arms. The picked out chord in the beginning, when it’s played live, the crowd goes fucking crazy. And the final big chorus where Kause Meine just lets his voice go so passionately. Just a perfect ballad.
Silent Lucidity – Queensryche
Ok, I’ll admit. When I first heard this song on the radio I didn’t know who Queensryche was and I thought it was Pink Floyd. Of course, I was 11 at the time. But as I got into Queensryche in high school and beyond I realized this was simply just one of the greatest ballads ever constructed. From a band that certainly had hit status, but deserved so much more. I love how Geoff Tate’s voice starts in a baritone range and then just builds and builds into this tenor amazingness. And when the final chorus comes it’s really a full circle experience. That mixed with world class musicianship and song writing skills makes this song a top ten greatest ballad.
Cheap Trick – The Flame
True, they didn’t write it themselves. True, they hate playing it but they do it for the audience. True, ‘The Flame’ is one of the greatest ballads ever done. And it got Cheap Trick back on top of the world (no pun intended) for the first time in nine years. You can just picture how 80’s it is. You can see the picture the music paints: Aviator sunglasses, leather clothing, Harley Davidson. Basically the fashion of Top Gun. What’s strange is how un-Cheap Trick the song is. Cheap Trick are a weird alternative hard rock band with quirks and small gimmicks. Not a monster ballad band by any means. But it was 1988 and they needed and hit and went through with ‘The Flame’. And it worked. Robin Zander’s voice just steals the show. It just soars.
Queen – Who Wants to Live Forever
In 1985 I believe, Freddie Mercury was diagnosed with HIV and given roughly four to seven years to live. The band, after their amazingly inspired Live Aid performance were ready to release one of their best albums ‘A Kind Of Magic’. The album would spur many classic singles such as the title track and ‘One Vision’. But the ballad released on the album was very prophetic, despite the public’s lack of knowledge. ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ is Queen at their most vulnerable. And that’s saying a lot. As the song builds so does Mercury’s emotion and by the end you’ve got a real tearjerker. Especially knowing now that it was the bands last tour. They would release two more albums but Mercury was not well enough to tour. An incredible moment in rock.
Van Halen – Why Can’t This Be Love
Say what you will about Sammy Hagar Van Halen, but they wrote some of the greatest songs of all time. Not just ballads. But for this list we’re going to focus that particular era of Van Halen’s specialty. And this track is the cream of the crop. And it’s a tough crop consisting of: ‘Love Walks In’, ‘Dreams’, ‘When It’s Love’ and ‘Can’t Stop Loving You’. But ‘Why Can’t This Be Love’ is just a pinch more elite. The keyboard riff, the bounce of the drums, the passionate music in the bridge. It all fits so well together it’s as if professionals did wrote the song, hahaha. Because pros Van Halen are. And here they wrote not only a perfect ballad, but a perfect pop song in general.
Whitesnake – Is This Love
Whitesnake’s 1987 number one hit ‘Is This Love’ is the ballad that rules them all. It wasn’t the first, it certainly wouldn’t be the last, but it’s the best. You can just picture the heat coming off of the speakers, mood wise of course. It’s such a sexy, steamy ballad. David Coverdale always says that Whitesnake is about one word, passion, and it’s shown time and time again. ‘Is This Love’ is no exception to that rule. The tempo, the production, the music, the voice. It’s all there. But what’s so cool about Whitesnake is Coverdale’s ability to be extremely sensitive one moment. And then pummeling on the hard music. They were a band that wrote ballads but could also really rock hard.
Black Sabbath – Changes
God this is a great ballad. And it was done really before they were particularly fashionable. Not only that, but it laid out the blue prints for all of Ozzy’s solo ballads such as ‘Road to Nowhere’, ‘Goodbye To Romance’, ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’ and ‘Lay Your World on Me’. But the first one was done with Black Sabbath. The band new they had to write something sensitive and third dimensional that wasn’t rooted in horror and gore. Particularly since they got a letter from The Church of Satan asking them to perform at a ritual ceremony. The band was just entertainment, they never believed what they were singing about. So they decided to change the public perception with the song ‘Changes’. Which feels more like an Elton John song than early Black Sabbath. It’s a very vulnerable moment for the band, particularly Ozzy, who sings with supreme confidence (I guess cocaine can do that). But cocaine or not, his voice is amazing. And we realize just how perfect it really is for ballads. Sharon saw it and put it to work in future years giving us some of the best ballads out there.
So that’s it folks. Those are MY top ten ballads. What do think? Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments.
