Let’s say you have kids. And let’s say they don’t listen to rock and roll. They’re more ambient music listeners or they like mumble rap or some other kind of music that doesn’t involve electric guitars and buzzy amplifiers.
Let’s also say that you want to show them some of your favorite songs but don’t quite know how to open the door to classic rock when it comes to your kids? Well, let this piece be your guide. Here below are three classic rock songs that make for a perfect entree for young people.
[RELATED: No Skips: 4 Classic Rock Albums You’ll Never Have to Fast-Forward]
“Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin from Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
This song has everything. Slow, meandering guitar. Flutes. Vocal prowess that builds and builds. And eventually, like all good classic rock songs, it crescendos to something epic, even volcanic. It also tells a story about stars, heaven, and gold. Written and performed by the British-born band Led Zeppelin, “Stairway to Heaven” may in fact be the most well-known classic rock. The signature track from the genre. So, why not start newbies here? Besides, who can resist Robert Plant’s musical charm? On the song, he sings,
There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold
And she’s buying a stairway to Heaven
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
Ooh, ooh, and she’s buying a stairway to Heaven
“All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix from Electric Ladyland (1968)
Written by the Bard, Bob Dylan, and covered a year later by the greatest electric guitar player ever Jimi Hendrix, this song has it all. Lyrical skill and mystery and performative thunder and lightning. The song sounds like a castle on fire in the mind of a madman. But it’s not too hot to handle. Hendrix offers a perfect balance between rambunctious and mainstream pop. It’s almost miraculous. And on the iconic offering, the Seattle-born artist sings,
“There must be some kind of way out of here”
Said the joker to the thief
“There’s too much confusion
I can’t get no relief
Businessmen, they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None will level on the line
Nobody offered his word
Hey!”
“Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd from Wish You Were Here (1975)
Not only is this song an excellent offering to get new music fans into classic rock, but it’s also one to help young guitar players get into their instrument. The opening riff is often one of the first that new acoustic guitar players learn. And the song itself is about reflection and love and remembrance. Three ideas anyone should bask in when it comes to their music of choice. From one of the most psychedelic bands and one of the most important in the genre, this Pink Floyd song opens,
So, so you think you can tell heaven from hell?
Blue skies from pain?
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
Did you exchange a walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?
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