One of Led Zeppelin's most famous songs, "Stairway to Heaven" was released on the album simply titled Led Zeppelin IV in 1971. The song begins with just acoustic guitar, bass and vocals, then gradually gets faster, louder and harder over the next seven minutes.
Although the Eagles had several No. 1 hits in the 1970s, Hotel California is arguably the most popular. It was released in 1977 on their album with the same name. It's a ballad song, in the sense that it tells a story, and is ostensibly about a man who checks into a hotel and becomes trapped there, although there are many interpretations to what it's really about. It was ranked 49th in Rolling Stone magazine's "Top 500 Songs of All Time."
This classic rock song by Don McLean has been regarded by many as one of the greatest songs of all time. According to don-mclean.com, it was inspired by the death of Buddy Holly in a plane crash in 1959, although the song wasn't released until 1971.
This song from Black Sabbath's debut album with the same name, showcased the band's heavy style and pop sensibility. There's a long-standing argument over who invented heavy metal, with Black Sabbath often getting the credit. If this is true, as many believe, then "Paranoid" is where it all began.
In 1980, AC/DC lost its lead singer. Because his voice was so distinctive, many thought that the band would be unable to recuperate. But later that year, they released their first album with their new lead singer. The first single was also titled "Back in Black" and was wildly successful. The album went on to become one of the highest-selling albums of all time, being certified 22 times platinum by RIAA (The Recording Industry Association of America).
Although the 1980s began seeing a rush of new music styles, including new wave and hip-hop, it also saw a rise in rock bands. One of the most popular of these bands was Guns N' Roses. Part of their success was attributed to the incredibly skilled and stylish guitarist, Slash. Interestingly enough, Slash was actually not fond of the song when it first came out, saying, ""Sweet Child O' Mine" was a joke. It was a fluke." However, the song topped the Billboard charts and put Guns N' Roses on the map.
Bruce Springsteen, nicknamed "The Boss," had many successes, but none quite as big as his album "Born in the U.S.A." Its debut single, which went by the same name, had been both a commercial and critical success. Although the song was actually written as a protest song about the mistreatment of Vietnam War veterans, it's often thought of as a patriotic song, and was even used during Ronald Reagan's 1984 campaign.