10 Greatest Pre-Metal Metal Songs

Many rock fans tend to single out the Kinks' You Really Got Me as the first real hard rock song...and it's not hard to see why. With its demented riff and punishing sound, this was a much different beast than the kind of stuff you were hearing out of the rest of the British Invasion bands like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. What's even more surprising is this caustic rocker happened almost by accident.

For all of its tough-as-nails guitar work, guitarist Dave Davies stumbled upon the gritty tone by trying to fix his amp himself. While rehearsing the main riff of the song, Davies started to cut the speaker cabinet of his amplifier with a razorblade out of boredom. Once he plugged in again though, that throaty delivery became the tone that thousands of guitars players tried to emulate.

All of a sudden, Ray Davies' initial sketches for what he thought would be a really jazzy song turned into a call to arms for rock fans who wanted a little more attitude out of their rock acts. Over the years, You Really Got Me not only became a staple of the harder side of rock and roll, but also one of the foundational songs that most kids play when they first strap on a guitar. Though these guys might not get the same pedigree as someone like the Beatles, all it takes is boredom, a faulty speaker, and mountains of swagger to make your way into history.