Most of music‘s greatest classic rock albums of all time surely have a few things in common, but one of the most important is that they include, oftentimes as the final song on a rock album, at least one power ballad. There’s something about a hardcore rocker slowing things down and singing their hearts out about love and life that just makes their fans go crazy.
Where we may be used to songs about rebelling against the norm and authority or speaking out about social and political issues, a slowly sung ode is like a breath of fresh air that we may not have even known we needed. Some of the hardest rockers have been responsible for the sweetest, softest love songs in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. What’s more is that rock ‘n’ roll wouldn’t be the powerhouse genre of music that it is without the ballads – and these are the 11 greatest ever made.
11
In My Life By The Beatles
Rubber Soul (1965)
A good chunk of what John, Paul, George, and Ringo were known for were their borderline cheesy love songs. Few rock bands have mastered the ballad the way that The Beatles did. Perhaps their greatest ballad, however, isn’t a traditional ballad at all: a love song not to a lover, but to everyone and everything that they love. “In My Life” is one of the most beautiful tributes to life itself, a ballad subject that hasn’t been explored nearly enough.
The soft guitar riff at the start of the track is pure bliss in a sound, and the lyrics that follow are enough to bring anyone to tears. On top of the lyrics themselves, John, George, and Paul’s harmonies enhance the already poetic words, so much so that it’s difficult to listen to this song and not feel it all in the center of your chest. This is the kind of song that makes you want to hug your loved ones, and show some appreciation for the people and things around you, in the greatest possible way.
10
Purple Rain By Prince
Purple Rain (1984)
To the casual fan, Prince is not an artist who’s really known for his slow songs. While he certainly has some great ones, most of his biggest hits are upbeat dance and party anthems which just make you want to move. It’s ironic, then, that one of, if not the single most, iconic songs of Prince’s career is a ballad. “Purple Rain” is the kind of song that you can listen to, and then listen to the rest of Prince’s discography with an entirely different perspective. His voice just shines, his talent exploding through every note of this song.
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The lyrics are tragic, and the emotion is enhanced tenfold by the feeling in Prince’s voice as he sings the verses. As raw as the verses are, the true feeling really comes through in the chorus, when he devastatingly repeats the phrase “Purple Rain,” followed by some variation of the line, “I only want to see you in the purple rain.” It’s heartbreaking, and it’s made all the more powerful by the fact that it’s the last song on the album, leaving the listener in a pure state of awe.
9
Alison By Elvis Costello
My Aim Is True (1977)
Though it’s hardly even ten seconds long, the guitar leading into “Alison” is as incredible a riff as any, and it sets us up perfectly for the sheer beauty that is this song. I remember hearing this song for the first time and being completely hooked before Costello even takes his first breath. “Alison” follows a sort of balanced formula in its verses, a seesaw of sorts between vocals and brief guitar riffs, while the bass and drums remain consistent.
What makes this song so unique is that the vocals and the guitar hardly overlap, making the song feel almost like a duet between the two. At the risk of overanalyzing, that lack of overlap could also be seen as a metaphor for the meaning behind the lyrics; this song is about a lost love who is now forbidden, as the subject of the song is married now to another man. While the guitar and vocals (the speaker and subject) come close at times, they never quite meet. It’s a classic trope, done beautifully for a uniquely classic ballad.
8
Landslide By Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac (1975)
From the cast of the TV show Glee, to The Smashing Pumpkins, Fleetwood Mac’s most famous ballad has been covered far and wide by artists of any and all genres. “Landslide” is the ballad about growing up and growing old, something to which everyone who hears the song can relate. Stevie Nicks’ vocals are passionate as she sings some of the most poetic lyrics in music history. The words are pleading, fraught with raw, unbridled emotion:
Well, I’ve been ‘fraid of changin’
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I’m gettin’ older, too
The music that accompanies those words, too, is equally fraught; the song consists entirely of Stevie Nicks’ vocals and Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar, which, given the pair’s history, makes the meaning of the ballad’s lyrical composition all the more poignant. There have been many different interpretations of the lyrics to “Landslide” over the years, but the thing that remains consistent is the effect that this song can have on people. It is powerful, visceral, and there is really no other ballad quite like it.
7
Angie By The Rolling Stones
Goats Head Soup (1973)
No list of rock ballads would ever be complete without the inclusion of “Angie.” Mick Jagger’s crooked vocals coupled with Keith Richards’ acoustic guitar backing, this song is as sad as it is sweet. Detailing the end of a relationship, this song is about wanting to stay out of love, reminiscing on the good times, but ultimately recognizing that there is nothing left to be gained by continuing the relationship.
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The repetition of “Angie” really drives home the bittersweet nature of this track, along with a handful of truly impactful lyrics: “With no loving in our souls / And no money in our coats / You can’t say we’re satisfied.” There is no malice or resentment, no anger or ill will – just external factors causing the relationship’s inevitable demise. Mick Jagger ends the song with what might be the most heartbreaking line of the track, emphasizing that life happens the way it’s supposed to: “Angie, Angie / Ain’t it good to be alive? / Angie, Angie / They can’t say we never tried.”
6
I Want To Know What Love Is By Foreigner
Agent Provocateur (1984)
Though it’s been co-opted a bit by advertisements and cheesy film and TV scenes, “I Want to Know What Love Is” is as great a romantic rock ballad as any. The music and melody perfectly complement Lou Gramm’s high-pitched vocals as he lays bare the soul present in the lyrics. This song does not hold back, laying absolutely everything out on the line in the chorus: “I wanna know what love is / I want you to show me / I wanna feel what love is / I know you can show me.”
“I Want to Know What Love Is” is a romantic and hopeful ballad about letting go and allowing oneself to fall. The verses chronicle a life that, up until this point, has been lonely and full of adversity when it comes to love. The chorus is a metaphorical leap of faith; the speaker is ready to open that life up to the prospect of love. It is about hope for love and being ready to fall at its absolute purest. It’s no wonder this song has become a staple of romance in popular culture since its release four decades ago.
5
Faithfully By Journey
Frontiers (1983)
A romantic power ballad that has the characteristic layers of a Journey song, “Faithfully” is a timeless classic that is probably still being played at weddings across America. The song was written by keyboard player Johnathan Cain, so the song is driven heavily by the keyboard and vocals, and the rest of the instrumental ensemble subtly creeping in at various points throughout the first verse. The melody, however, is carefully crafted around the vocals, drawing attention to Steve Perry’s voice and the gorgeously romantic lyrics.
“Faithfully” is a timeless classic that is probably still being played at weddings across America.
The song starts out with an immediately recognizable chord progression on the keys and an equally recognizable line of poetry: “Highway run into the midnight sun.” Like many of Journey’s hits, however, the song nearly explodes with sound by the time the second chorus rolls around. The keys, drums, and guitar all essentially grow wings and take flight, dubbing an already powerful lyrical ballad as a true power ballad.
4
Little Wing By Jimi Hendrix
Axis: Bold As Love (1967)
The original master of making his guitar sing, Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” is a ballad with vocals from both him and his guitar. Though not exactly a typical ballad, “Little Wing” is a ballad with some Hendrix flair. Hendrix doesn’t start singing until about the 0:35 second mark, leaving the spotlight on the guitar for the first half minute of the song. There’s then a drum fill, followed by his rather ethereal and whimsical lyrics:
Well, she’s walking through the clouds
With a circus mind that’s running wild
Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams
And her fairy tales
That’s all she ever thinks about
Riding with the wind
This song was famously covered by both fellow guitar aficionado Eric Clapton with his band Derek & The Dominos and blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughn, each of whom made the song their own whilst still paying respectable tribute to Hendrix. The subject of the song is an unknown female entity, almost like a higher power, though she is more spiritual than religious. Coming in at only two minutes and 25 seconds long, “Little Wing” stakes its claim as one of Jimi Hendrix’s most beautiful tracks.
3
True Colors By Cyndi Lauper
True Colors (1986)
An extremely stark contrast to her biggest hit, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” the keyboard-driven “True Colors” is one of the more emotionally breathtaking songs of the 1980s. The raspiness in Cyndi Lauper’s vocals is one of the biggest factors in categorizing this song as a rock ballad, and it is also one of the largest contributing factors to the raw emotion present in this track.
Though Lauper didn’t write the song, it certainly resonated with her as well as the LGBTQ+ community during the height of the AIDS crisis. The ballad of love and acceptance quickly became a staple in the LGBTQ+ community and in the fight for equal rights. The keyboard progression paired with Lauper’s passionately loving vocals as well as the unique use of a box drum at the very beginning and the very end of the song make “True Colors” an epic power ballad that was very needed at the time of its release.
2
Beth By KISS
Destroyer (1976)
At the time of its release, “Beth” was really KISS’s only true ballad. On top of the totally new sound, “Beth” stood out even more as it was sandwiched between two KISS classics (“Shout It Out Loud” and “Do You Love Me”) on the album, and released as the B-side to another KISS classic, “Detroit Rock City.” KISS was my dad’s absolute favorite band when he was little, even as a mere first-grader when this album came out, and he recalls in detail how big of a deal “Beth” was as KISS’s first, and probably most successful still, ballad.
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Though all four of the original members of KISS sang vocals throughout their tenure, it was Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons who primarily sang lead vocals on Destroyer. “Beth” was the only song on the album where neither Paul nor Gene sang the lead, and instead it was drummer, Peter Criss, asking “Beth, what can I do?” As the band’s wildly successful first ballad, Criss’s emotion in the lyrics as his only vocal song on the album made the track even more special.