10 Perfect Songs That Started Hard Rock

10. Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones

The kind of excess that comes with rock and roll was starting to catch up with everyone by the late '60s. As much as the peace and love of the '60s may have seemed like a utopia, the aftermath of the Vietnam War was making things look that much more dismal, with carnage going on at every corner. The world seemed on fire half a world away, and one of rock and roll's most dangerous bands helped shine a little light on it.

Though the Rolling Stones have more than a few contenders for hard rock songs back in their '60s prime, there's a certain aura surrounding Gimme Shelter that's a lot different than the likes of Paint It Black, with Keith Richards's wall of guitars putting you right in the middle of an acid nightmare. Even with all major chords leading the charge, this is not a song to make you feel happy, as Mick Jagger talks about a storm coming to blow away everything and guest vocalist Merry Clayton sounding like she's on the verge of tears singing the bridge section of the track.

For all of the sinister edge that you got from something like Mother's Little Helper or even Let's Spend the Night Together, the sounds coming out of this one record signaled what the next phase of rock and roll was going to be like. The Summer of Love had had its time, and it was time to come back to reality where we were left to deal with the destruction.