10 Best Classic Rock Ballads
Raise Your Lighters High.
Rock music has always been a genre that has felt like a rollicking good time. Ever since Chuck Berry kicked off the rock formula in the 50's, the infectious groove always made you want to dance, headbang, or just throw up the devil horns. As time went on though, rock bands started writing material much softer than the three chord bangers.
It's certainly an adrenaline rush to play the heavy jams, but sometimes the lyrics of a tune don't necessarily suit such a brash production. To take it down a notch, bands just pick up an acoustic guitar or even a piano and lay their soul bare on the record. While the balladesque material got too processed by the time the late-80's hair bands swooped in, there was always something special behind these original songs.
Rather than making you want to dance, these songs had compelling characters, vivid lyrical images, and the type of emotion that could tug at your heartstrings. These songs were a different look for these groups in their heyday, but have since become musical marvels that are still influencing artists to this day.
For all the detractors who called rock and roll a bunch of noise, here are the tracks that showed the real songwriters behind the gruff exterior.
10. Beth - KISS
When KISS rocked the music world in the early 70's, there were no other band like them. In an era where bands were mildly experimenting with shock rock, here were 4 guys dressed up in horrifying makeup playing down and dirty rock and roll. Once they exploded with their live album Alive!, the music started to take a different approach once they returned to the studio.
With all the members contributing songs, drummer Peter Criss offered up a song he had written with a slower tempo, which the entire band loathed. After showing it to producer Bob Ezrin, the band polished it in the studio until it became a lush string ballad with Criss' soulful delivery. The single was originally the B-side to the band's heavyhitter "Detroit Rock City," but was catapulted into superstardom once DJ's started flipping over the single.
Given the band's rigorous schedule, the song is a beautiful portrait of what it's like to have a long distance relationship when in a popular rock band. Even though Criss' commitments to the band may be great, he always finds comfort in knowing Beth will be there to comfort him at home. For a band known for their take-no-prisoners attitude, "Beth" showed the heart KISS had beneath all the fire and explosions.