The perfect melodic rock song

[Glen]

Discuss.

 

I was listening to Crown Of Thorns - Dyin For Love today and was thinking this is just about as perfect as it gets.

 

Great intro leading to an instantly classic riff.....brilliant verse with a great tempo.......excellent sing a long chorus.....all topped off with some top notch guitar solos including a fade out solo which is always a bonus for me.

 

So is there a format for a perfect song and if so what's yours??

[hardrockhaven]

Straight forward verse, lead-up bridge, and the big chorus format works just fine for me. Plus I'm a stickler for huge backing vocals. I like either a huge stadium anthem or the obligatory power ballad. I'm also a sucker for sad songs. I like there to be tinge of emotion to my songs if that makes any sense. I like bands that sing about something real as compared to just singing about drinking all night long.

 

Examples of some of my perfect songs right now include:

 

SHINEDOWN "What A Shame"

NICKELBACK "Shakin' Hands"

STATE OF SHOCK "Money Honey"

SIXX A.M. "Life Is Beautiful"

[Geoff]

For me, the most perfect songs I can think of:

 

'Stranger than love' - Harem Scarem

'Still' - Steelhouse Lane

'Surrender' - Steelhouse Lane

'Four Letter Words' - Masquerade

'Love and a fiction' - Pretty Maids

 

To me, they are about the 5 best examples of a perfect melodic rock song that I can think of. I love a stunning opening riff, stunning mid-tempo verses, a pre-chorus so amazing you think it's the chorus, and then a chorus to top off the perfect pre-chorus. That's where it's at for me.

[Glen]

I love a stunning opening riff, stunning mid-tempo verses, a pre-chorus so amazing you think it's the chorus, and then a chorus to top off the perfect pre-chorus.

 

I get ya mate.

 

some others which hit the spot -

 

Alias - One Last Chance

Place Vendome - Cross The Line (probably one of the best pre-choruses ever!)

Bad Habit - Hunger

Millenium - Chasing Time

[RichieZ]

I agree with Lennie's Crown Of Thorns choice "Dying For Love" and Geoff's Steelhouse Lane's "Surrender" and Harem Scarem "Stranger Than Love" picks. Dead on the money

[JC_AOR]

Discuss.

 

I was listening to Crown Of Thorns - Dyin For Love today and was thinking this is just about as perfect as it gets.

 

Great intro leading to an instantly classic riff.....brilliant verse with a great tempo.......excellent sing a long chorus.....all topped off with some top notch guitar solos including a fade out solo which is always a bonus for me.

 

So is there a format for a perfect song and if so what's yours??

 

Agreed, I've always loved 'Dying For Love'

 

As already mentioned - Harem Scarem - 'Stranger Than Love' is a fav of mine and I could probably pick another few songs from them as well such as 'Hard To Love', 'With A Little Love', 'Honestly', 'Distant Memory', 'If There Was A Time'.

Another song which springs to mind is Bad English - 'Straight To Your Heart' from their Backlash album as well as Def Leppard -'Promises'. I'd have to say too that if Garrison ever released a CD, they would have a few near perfect melodic hard rock songs as well.

 

As far as a format goes, I like songs that start off really soft and have huge huge choruses, lots of backing vocals and as Lennie said, fading out with a guitar solo is pretty special as well.

 

Harem Scarem - 'If There Was A Time' has a fairly unique format. It's been a while since I've heard it but I seem to recall a very quiet intro followed by some stunning melodic vocals. I'll have to check that one out again. In fact it's probably not a contender for the perfect MR song as the intro is so bland but they surely make up for it later in the song.

[Geoff]

Discuss.

 

I was listening to Crown Of Thorns - Dyin For Love today and was thinking this is just about as perfect as it gets.

 

Great intro leading to an instantly classic riff.....brilliant verse with a great tempo.......excellent sing a long chorus.....all topped off with some top notch guitar solos including a fade out solo which is always a bonus for me.

 

So is there a format for a perfect song and if so what's yours??

 

Agreed, I've always loved 'Dying For Love'

 

As already mentioned - Harem Scarem - 'Stranger Than Love' is a fav of mine and I could probably pick another few songs from them as well such as 'Hard To Love', 'With A Little Love', 'Honestly', 'Distant Memory', 'If There Was A Time'.

Another song which springs to mind is Bad English - 'Straight To Your Heart' from their Backlash album as well as Def Leppard -'Promises'. I'd have to say too that if Garrison ever released a CD, they would have a few near perfect melodic hard rock songs as well.

Backed so many times I started to lose count.

 

'Seven Seas' from Steelhouse Lane is more pure perfection.

[TIM (2)]

Yeah "Dying For Love" is awesome, the best song CoT have ever produced. I'd name these as my idea of Melodic Rock perfection. If you don't like any of these than can you really call yourself an MHR fan?!

 

NIGHT RANGER - Restless Kind

HAREM SCAREM - Slowly Slipping Away

TREAT - Conspiracy

JIM JIDHED - I Will Never Leave You Now

OCHSENKNECHT - I Must Be Blind

GIANT - Hold Back the Night

EUROPE - Superstitious

[Glen]

JIM JIDHED - I Will Never Leave You Now

OCHSENKNECHT - I Must Be Blind

 

not heard either of them

 

Another almost perfect song (this time AOR) is Survivor - I See You In Everyone'.......talk about a song with 2 choruses.

[TIM (2)]

JIM JIDHED - I Will Never Leave You Now

OCHSENKNECHT - I Must Be Blind

 

not heard either of them

 

Another almost perfect song (this time AOR) is Survivor - I See You In Everyone'.......talk about a song with 2 choruses.

 

Agree about Survivor, might also make a mention for Pride of Lions' "Sound of Home"....

 

Mate, you need to have JIM JIDHED's "Full Circle" album - total classic. Better than anything ALIEN ever did, & both his solo discs are in the Top 10 Scandi AOR albums of all-time....

[Glen]

JIM JIDHED - I Will Never Leave You Now

OCHSENKNECHT - I Must Be Blind

 

not heard either of them

 

Another almost perfect song (this time AOR) is Survivor - I See You In Everyone'.......talk about a song with 2 choruses.

 

Agree about Survivor, might also make a mention for Pride of Lions' "Sound of Home"....

 

Mate, you need to have JIM JIDHED's "Full Circle" album - total classic. Better than anything ALIEN ever did, & both his solo discs are in the Top 10 Scandi AOR albums of all-time....

 

Yeah heard good things of it........will have to check them both out. Thanks for heads up

[TIM (2)]

JIM JIDHED - I Will Never Leave You Now

OCHSENKNECHT - I Must Be Blind

 

not heard either of them

 

Another almost perfect song (this time AOR) is Survivor - I See You In Everyone'.......talk about a song with 2 choruses.

 

Agree about Survivor, might also make a mention for Pride of Lions' "Sound of Home"....

 

Mate, you need to have JIM JIDHED's "Full Circle" album - total classic. Better than anything ALIEN ever did, & both his solo discs are in the Top 10 Scandi AOR albums of all-time....

 

Yeah heard good things of it........will have to check them both out. Thanks for heads up

 

You will love them for sure. There's even an old Steve Perry unreleased song (co-written with Clif Magness) on "Full Circle" called "Lost Angels", which will give any Journey fan goosebumps....

[Glen]

JIM JIDHED - I Will Never Leave You Now

OCHSENKNECHT - I Must Be Blind

 

not heard either of them

 

Another almost perfect song (this time AOR) is Survivor - I See You In Everyone'.......talk about a song with 2 choruses.

 

Agree about Survivor, might also make a mention for Pride of Lions' "Sound of Home"....

 

Mate, you need to have JIM JIDHED's "Full Circle" album - total classic. Better than anything ALIEN ever did, & both his solo discs are in the Top 10 Scandi AOR albums of all-time....

 

Yeah heard good things of it........will have to check them both out. Thanks for heads up

 

You will love them for sure. There's even an old Steve Perry unreleased song (co-written with Clif Magness) on "Full Circle" called "Lost Angels", which will give any Journey fan goosebumps....

 

oi, youre just teasin me now

[heaven&hell]

Everything - Hardline

Forever Young - Tyketto

Metallic Blue - House of Lords

In My Dreams - Dokken

Without Love - Black N Blue

Heart of Steel - Trixter

Beat the Bullet - Danger Danger

[embrock]

Survivor - Didn't know it was Love

[Geoff]

Everything - Hardline

Forever Young - Tyketto

Metallic Blue - House of Lords

In My Dreams - Dokken

Without Love - Black N Blue

Heart of Steel - Trixter

Beat the Bullet - Danger Danger

Nice list.

 

Tyketto's 'Forever Young' and 'Wings' both deserve a place in this thread.

 

Now that you mention Danger Danger, how about 'Goin goin' gone', 'Afraid of love' and as far as ballads go, 'Don't break my heart again' is as good as it gets.

[Geoff]

JIM JIDHED - I Will Never Leave You Now

OCHSENKNECHT - I Must Be Blind

 

not heard either of them

 

Another almost perfect song (this time AOR) is Survivor - I See You In Everyone'.......talk about a song with 2 choruses.

 

Agree about Survivor, might also make a mention for Pride of Lions' "Sound of Home"....

 

Mate, you need to have JIM JIDHED's "Full Circle" album - total classic. Better than anything ALIEN ever did, & both his solo discs are in the Top 10 Scandi AOR albums of all-time....

 

Yeah heard good things of it........will have to check them both out. Thanks for heads up

That band, Los Angeles from a few years ago did a cover of OCHSENKNECHT's 'I Must Be Blind'.

[Jez]

JIM JIDHED - I Will Never Leave You Now

OCHSENKNECHT - I Must Be Blind

 

not heard either of them

 

Another almost perfect song (this time AOR) is Survivor - I See You In Everyone'.......talk about a song with 2 choruses.

 

Agree about Survivor, might also make a mention for Pride of Lions' "Sound of Home"....

 

Mate, you need to have JIM JIDHED's "Full Circle" album - total classic. Better than anything ALIEN ever did, & both his solo discs are in the Top 10 Scandi AOR albums of all-time....

 

Yeah heard good things of it........will have to check them both out. Thanks for heads up

That band, Los Angeles from a few years ago did a cover of OCHSENKNECHT's 'I Must Be Blind'.

 

 

...And it came in a lowly second (as did most of the other cover tunes on that disc) in comparison to the excellent Ochsenknecht version.

[TIM (2)]

JIM JIDHED - I Will Never Leave You Now

OCHSENKNECHT - I Must Be Blind

 

not heard either of them

 

Another almost perfect song (this time AOR) is Survivor - I See You In Everyone'.......talk about a song with 2 choruses.

 

Agree about Survivor, might also make a mention for Pride of Lions' "Sound of Home"....

 

Mate, you need to have JIM JIDHED's "Full Circle" album - total classic. Better than anything ALIEN ever did, & both his solo discs are in the Top 10 Scandi AOR albums of all-time....

 

Yeah heard good things of it........will have to check them both out. Thanks for heads up

That band, Los Angeles from a few years ago did a cover of OCHSENKNECHT's 'I Must Be Blind'.

 

 

...And it came in a lowly second (as did most of the other cover tunes on that disc) in comparison to the excellent Ochsenknecht version.

 

Backed. The Ochsenknecht version is stunning. The Los Angeles version was poorly produced & is nowhere near as good, though it's still a great song....

[Glen]

Everything - Hardline

Forever Young - Tyketto

Metallic Blue - House of Lords

In My Dreams - Dokken

Without Love - Black N Blue

Heart of Steel - Trixter

Beat the Bullet - Danger Danger

Nice list.

 

Now that you mention Danger Danger, how about 'Goin goin' gone', 'Afraid of love' and as far as ballads go, 'Don't break my heart again' is as good as it gets.

 

I actually prefer 'Under The Gun' to all of them. Stunning song.

 

(PS Paul Laine singing this at FF V was total bliss, even if he was pissed LOL!).

[Glen]

& whilst we're at it.......

 

BJ - Born To Be My Baby

 

(BJ's finest moment?? esp the end of the song).

[TIM (2)]

& whilst we're at it.......

 

BJ - Born To Be My Baby

 

(BJ's finest moment?? esp the end of the song).

 

Decent choice, but I like "Living In Sin" more. And probably "In These Arms" too....

[Glen]

& whilst we're at it.......

 

BJ - Born To Be My Baby

 

(BJ's finest moment?? esp the end of the song).

 

Decent choice, but I like "Living In Sin" more. And probably "In These Arms" too....

 

'Living In Sin' is good, but too laid back.

 

'In These Arms' is way up there - def top 10 (BJ that is)....poss even top 5. Also there is 'Runaway' and one of my favs 'Come Back' (although quite a lot would probably disagree with this choice its always been one of my favourite songs).

[TIM (2)]

& whilst we're at it.......

 

BJ - Born To Be My Baby

 

(BJ's finest moment?? esp the end of the song).

 

Decent choice, but I like "Living In Sin" more. And probably "In These Arms" too....

 

'Living In Sin' is good, but too laid back.

 

'In These Arms' is way up there - def top 10 (BJ that is)....poss even top 5. Also there is 'Runaway' and one of my favs 'Come Back' (although quite a lot would probably disagree with this choice its always been one of my favourite songs).

 

"Living In Sin" has laid-back verses but an up-tempo chorus. "Wild is the Wind" is another one right up there, from that album. Actually the JAP bonus tune on "These Days" called "Starting All Over Again" (which was on the 10m fans collection) is also one of their best ever songs IMO....

[TIM (2)]

I'd add another....

 

TYKETTO - "Burning Down Inside"

 

(Anyone who says "Forever Young" or "Wings" are better is utterly wrong )