10 Greatest Southern Rock Songs
Billy Gibbons of US rock band ZZ Top performs on stage during a concert in the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on June 24, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ANP / FERDY DAMMAN --NETHERLANDS OUT-- (Photo credit should read Ferdy Damman/AFP/Getty Images)
The greatest southern rock songs are merely proof that blues, country, and rock n’ roll could come together to create a genre that’s beloved by many. To try and differentiate them to their own roots is questioning its existence in the first place— and we’re not here to argue. Instead, we present you these 10 gems of southern rock, all piled up neatly for anyone’s pleasure. Let’s have a look.
“30 Days in the Hole” – Humble Pie
Inspired from Humphrey Bogart’s line in his 1938 film, Angels With Dirty Faces, the song spoke about everything drug and alcohol-related.
“Highway Song” – Blackfoot
If there’s a list of the best trucker song to exist, “Highway Song” will basically climb to the top. It will pump your adrenaline up, and will help you stay awake from long journeys; exactly what we need for a good southern rock record.
“Mississippi Queen” – Mountain
Upon hearing the song, Leslie West might’ve assumed that it’s a dance song with only one chord. It emerged great after polishing, thus cementing its position inside the 10 greatest southern rock songs.
“Flirtin’ With Disaster” – Molly Hatchet
If you’d ever come across this song, just give it up and dance to its syncopated beat. Anyone who likes southern rock could easily throw themselves to liking this one great Molly Hatchet track.
“Long Haired Country Boy” – The Charlie Daniels Band
Getting high in the morning and getting drunk in the afternoon, that’s what the song basically is. But “Long Haired Country Boy” is more than that; he’s more than the average joe in the bar—he’s got principles.
“La Grange” – ZZ Top
Lookin’ southern and singin’ southern, that’s what ZZ Top is in for. “La Grange” is easily the band’s best and altogether, it’s their breakthrough song that scored them their popularity mark.
“Can’t You See” – Marshall Tucker Band
There is something so fundamentally structured in this Marshall Tucker band gem that makes you want to sway your body. “Can’t You See” is a classic, it’s the apple pie of the 4th of July.
“Green Grass & High Tides” – The Outlaws
The Outlaws basically formed themselves on the templates of the Allman Brothers and Eagles so they know what they were doing. With “Green Grass & High Tides,” people would want to focus on the nearly 1-minute song. And we’re not blaming you if you’d pause your activity for a while just so you could internalize its greatness.
“Ramblin’ Man”- The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers set the standards so high in Southern rock; with “Ramblin’ Man,” pretty much everything that formed the song is honed in utmost perfection. Lyrics, arrangement, and the charisma it evokes, it’s all good.
“Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is southern rock, and to even begin dissecting the fundamentals of their songs is a tough one to do. Basically, they hit the jackpot with “Sweet Home Alabama,” the southern rock song of all southern rock songs. “Free Bird” is also a classic too.
