10 Greatest Pre-Metal Metal Songs

As the Summer of Love started expanding beyond the San Francisco scene, it seemed like all forms of rock and roll were starting to get flower-tinged. From the folk rock scene to blues rock, there were many other acts trying to get in touch with the more drug-addled mindscapes that the Grateful Dead had started to hint at. There was a dark side to Flower Power though, and that was happening right in the middle of San Francisco itself.

After leaving her first outfit the Great Society, Grace Slick joined forces with Jefferson Airplane to give listeners one of the most snide dissections of the hippie movement. Instead of the "let's all live in harmony" message, Somebody to Love is oddly accusatory in its delivery, almost as if Grace is laughing at the protagonist of this tale as he faces losing one of the more important people in his life.

Though the lyrics are great on their own, what really makes this track come alive is the guitar performance, which is soaked in what sounds like 80 different layers of fuzz, which sounds absolutely gargantuan when playing off of Slick's booming alto voice. The '60s may have been a lot of fun while they lasted, but we sometimes need songs like this to show us that we can go down a dark path if we aren't careful. Definitely a cautionary tale...but not skimping out on any of the kickass.