Your Most Rockin' & Rollinest Rock & Roll Song

1. You crank it every time you hear it

2. Subject matter can't be about anything depressing (war, suicide, etc.)

3. Gotta include or elude to hot girl in the lyrics

4. Guitar solo - check (can't stress this one enough)

5. Must be recognized as a fun time, drinking/smoking/etc. party song

6. We need to know the band and song

7. You can have "runners up", but only one "official" song per person, so choose wisely.....

My official pick:

Unchained - Van Halen

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xx86CxKYtg0

DLR & EVH at their most DLR & EVH-iest. Kicks off with classic DLR scream. You can't help but smile every time you hear that opening guitar riff.....

My 2 runners up:

Panama - Van Halen (just barely got beat out)

Sweet Child O' Mine - G&R (drags a little in the instrumental middle)

HIGHWAY STAR - DEEP PURPLE

Wow, Deep (pun intended) pull!

Back when musicians knew their instruments, and live they could jam and turn their 4 minute radio version into a 20 minute rock opera with each band member getting his own chance to shine.....

@Rush51 - much like your name - Rush, Yes, Pink Floyd, and Led Zep, all those kind of "prog rock" or "experimental" bands while I'm totally  to those rock Gods, they're so technical that they moved themselves out of this category. Don't get me wrong, great, great R&R, but, it's just not "instant ballsy" (if that's a thing) enough for me for this thread.....

@Hugh - great example! Anything Leslie West I'm down! Damn! Wish I would have thought of that one! Just looked it up and found Mountain on the friggin' short lived Dennis Miller show doing it live:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwql7NyQI4k

@Cashin - I believe you suffer the same fate as Rush51....

Great song, great band, I'm just not cranking it to 10 and ripping the knob off.....

But, my original thought was Bad Motor Scooter, by Montrose (with little Sammy Hagar on lead vocals)

Despite what you think about him personally, "The Nuge" rocks and always brings it.....

@ TheHawk - I'm one of those "in-betweeners" that grew up with "3 Lock Box" and "I can't drive 55" on MTV, and then Van Hagar taking over for my beloved Van Halen. But rock is rock. I give you a "thumbs up"!

Zep is my favorite rock band ever ... as you said so many great tunes to choose from ... but '10 Years Gone', while a great tune. does not fit the requirements that Gimme put forth to make any list in this thread.

Best bass line ever in a song, a must play at max audio level 

Key to the Highway--Eric Clapton/Duane Allman( Derek and the Dominos). When they take a Break and you think EC has run this thing up/down DA slides in and gives it another gear.

Eric Clapton  plays this song with Keith Richards(Rolling Stones) on his 2013 Guitar Tribute cd.

I've thought about it, and I'm willing to give you a "ZoSo" pass, if you change your selection to "Communication Breakdown" (just heard it on the way home from work).....

https://vimeo.com/186254772

Yes, I cranked it - not to 10 though, but to a strong 8.5. I didn't "rip the knob off", but it did get bruised a little.....

Pretty sure the song is about some chick, so -

"IRG" = "Instant Rock Gratification" -  - If you don't feel the opening guitar riff in your bones from:


"Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh - BAAAAH - BUH - BAAAAH!!!!!"

then you need to check your pulse.....

Guitar Solo? -  - C'mon, Page is a given, so is you playing  "Air Guitar".....

Everybody recognizes it at a party? -

We need to know the band/song - DUH!!!!

So, if you would like to enter "Communication Breakdown" as your official pick, then the rock court stenographer has it officially written down in the ledger.....

You're missing the "Golden Rules" of this whole experiment:

Nobody "cranks" the blues! You sit in a bar by yourself with massive amounts of alcohol after some skank dumps you and you then try to "enjoy" the blues..... Which means you broke another rule:

Breaking up with a chick is depressing, as is drinking alone and listening to the blues as you cry into your shot of Jack Daniels.....

and yet another rule:

NOT fun, NOT party..... More like the security guy needs to be called because you're bumming everyone out due to your depression......

Sorry, but you get a "D-"

The only reason you didn't receive an "F" is because of the guitar mastery.....

No, sorry.....

"Rockin' In The Free World" beats this by a country mile, and I wouldn't even give that song a pass in this category.....

That just shows how little you know about Neil's guitar & some of his best stuff done with Crazy Horse. A band that fit some of of his stuff better than anyone he ever played with.

Take a look at the top 5 criteria in post #1, and tell me you honestly believe this is a Neil Young type thread.

You covet noise.You have no understanding what RockandRoll is or was.You have the musical sense of AM radio.The Blues are the DNA of rockandroll ,where do you think the guitar solo originated and of course the Blues do not depress the listener they elevate him."I'm going to leave here running,walking is most too slow"-Key to Highway.

Muddy Waters.....there's a real downer. You argue between David Roth and Sam Hagar and which bubble-gum tunes are "rockenest"

probably because they were the soundtrack to your most memorable intoxification.

Phillistine!!!!! 

Whatever, Grandpa.....

Maybe you and the other octogenarians can quietly discuss the "true DNA of Rock & Roll" after nap time but before Jell-O in the old folks home.....

If you need me, I'll be over here cranking Ozzy's "Flying High Again" to eleven and playing a mean air guitar.

"If it's too loud, you're too old"

~Ted Nugent (who is 68, BTW)