Creating Top 10 lists can be tricky and nerve-wracking… mostly because you know that most people reading the list will have differing opinions and most of those people will be angry at you for not including their favourite Soundcloud artist with only 45 followers. Top 10 lists, especially of music, are inherently difficult due to the nature of their content being highly subjective, however, we still spend hours upon hours browsing WatchMojo content on YouTube.

For my first ever Top List, I will be ranking my personal favourite Top 10 Songs that are 6 minutes or longer. One of my favourite things about Rock/Metal (or any derivative of) bands is that they often love to ‘jam’ and include long instrumentals into songs or tell lengthy stories. This often results in a lengthier song that will seldom make it onto radio but yet we love to listen to them on our long road trips down to the coast or even on our morning commutes.

Before we begin, please take note that a band cannot feature twice or else this would be a Top 10 list of Iron Maiden songs- it will also mostly be ignoring live variations of songs (even if they were the ones linked). The length of the studio version is what qualifies the song for entry to the list. Also, no instrumental songs.

10: Pull Me Under – Dream Theater [08:13]

I must confess that I am not a huge follower of Dream Theater. However, despite not knowing much about them, I do know that they are a band made out of arguably some of (if not the best) musician’s in their respective field. The technical proficiency that they hold over their instruments has become somewhat of a trademark of the band. It is of no surprise that a band with such great musicians has long songs under their belt and Pull Me Under is no exception. What a shining example of progressive metal. It is the first single and track off of their 1992 Images and Words album. Due to its success to impress non-Dream Theater fans, it has since become what many would describe as their signature song. For this reason, it deserves a spot on this list (Also because the keyboard and guitar solos were the cause of my brother’s failure to finish the expert difficulty of this song on Guitar Hero*, unlike myself- of course). If you enjoy Progressive Metal, keyboard solos, some double bass and guitar tones that remind you of a haunted cathedral, then this song should be a dream come true for you.

9: I’m So Afraid – Fleetwood Mac [6:00]

I’m So Afraid just manages to make the list with the studio remastered version being 6 minutes on the dot in length. One day I will complete a Top 10 list of the most criminally underrated guitarists and *spoiler alert* Lindsay Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac will be number one the list; I’m So Afraid is a testament to that belief of mine.

I was 15 years old when I came home one Friday evening to find my father in the TV lounge testing out his new surround-system whilst listening to the Live in Boston DVD from Fleetwood Mac. The exact song I walked in on was I’m So Afraid and my dad simply sat on the couch with his eyes closed, admiring the powerfully over-driven tones of Buckingham’s guitar. I sat down with my dad, jaw dropped and in awe as well. How can a man of his age exude so much power, energy and emotion? It humbled me as I was playing guitar not a few hours prior. If you want to subject yourself to the power of emotional musicianship, click the link and be awed. I believe the song to be indescribable.

8: Venice Queen – Red Hot Chili Peppers [6:07]

There is an old adage that goes “Never trust a man who doesn’t like dogs”. Well there is also an equally old adage that says: “Never trust a man who doesn’t like The Red Hot Chili Peppers”. Venice Queen is the curtain-closer of RHCP’s eighth studio album By The Way. The 2002 album saw the band move slightly away from their usual rhythm focused music by allowing then-guitarist, John Frusciante, to take the reigns in the musical composure of the album. This resulted in a more layered-melodic sound from the L.A. based band. Venice Queen displays this new-found tone well. Starting off with gentle arpeggios making their way through ambient melodies, the song eventually builds up and breaks out into an upbeat acoustic-led second half of the song. Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of the band, wrote the song about Gloria Scott, a drug counsellor of his who lost the fight to cancer. Gloria herself was a recovered addict. She spent her recovered years helping drug addicts overcome their addictions through providing the necessary counselling. She lived in Venice, Las Angeles- earning her the title of Venice Queen from Anthony Kiedis.

7: Painkiller – Judas Priest [6:06]

This. Is. Heavy. Metal.

As a young-metalhead, fresh on my journey for search of the heralded gods of metal, I came across a wise-old hermit with eyes dark as Coal. The wise hermit guided me in my journey by pointing me in the direction of the leather-laden Judas Priest. Oh man, what a journey that was. Painkiller is the titular track of the band’s twelfth album released in 1990. In order to remain prevalent in the heavy metal scene, Priest released the titular track to show the new metal bands on the block just exactly who was the heaviest. The song itself is at 11/10 from the first note to the end with guitar solos too fast for BPM to account for (the scientists at CERN are currently hard at work trying to overcome this) and the classic dual-riffs of Tipton and Downing keep you coming back for more face-melting. If I could play guitar half as good as these guitarists, I wouldn’t need to write a blog for people to know that I love music. Rob Halford’s terrifyingly powerful vocals in this song matches the guitars perfectly. Overall- I love it. Any purebred metalhead will love it as well.

6: Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd [6:22]

This is simple- the song that contains the guitar solo that is most often heralded as the greatest in history? Of course it would feature in the list. The song is musical brilliance, featuring a key-change from the verse to the chorus. Roger Waters sings the verses and David Gilmour comes in to lead the chorus. It features two guitar solos, one in the middle and one at the end- both of them earning themselves the title of best guitar solo in history (up for debate – but the consensus usually lies with the David Gilmour solo being number 1). The song was inspired by Roger Waters’ experience of being injected with tranquilizers before a concert. Waters stated that when they had hit his system he had become Comfortably Numb.

5: Blood Brothers – Iron Maiden [7:14]

Iron Maiden… It was near impossible to pick a song from Iron Maiden to be in this list because honestly, Iron Maiden is amazing. To quote a semi-wise man: “It takes me 2 songs to travel to the gym, it takes me 2 Iron Maiden songs to drive from Johannesburg to Durban”- G.H, 2011. Even non-metal fans can find lots to enjoy from the music that this Heavy Metal pillar-of-a-band writes. I’ve embraced receiving criticism for not including The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Dance of Death, The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, For The Greater Good of God, Journeyman, Dream of Mirrors, Ghost of the Navigator… I think that you get the point. But Blood Brothers features everything that represents the Maiden: Grim lyrics describing the horrors of war, more than 2 guitar solos and a chorus to make the mute-sing. The song has my favourite metal-bridge of all time with my favourite metal guitar riffs that make me close eyes and drift away- take a listen if you want to experience Heavy Metal bliss.

4: I Appear Missing – Queens of the Stone Age [6:01]

“It is better to have loved and lost than to have never have loved at all” – a sentiment heavily disliked by those currently experiencing heartache and heartbreak. I Appear Missing is a hauntingly beautiful song that lyrically explores the feeling of heartbreak caused by falling in love. The link above is for the song’s music video which is short and sweet (Mom, you won’t agree on the sweet part) but I implore readers to listen to the full-song to experience the true haunting beauty that Josh Homme composes. Maybe it is a beautiful thing to have loved? But why does it haunt me so? These are the feelings that the song conveys. Listening to this track in the thick of heart-break consoled me, it was relatable, heartfelt and it quickly became an emotional anthem of mine. Even when taking a step back to look at the song from an objective standpoint, it still wholeheartedly deserves to be this high up on the list.

Enjoy

3: Right In Two – Tool [8:56]

Anyone who has ever found themselves disgusted, angry or disappointed in humanity will love the premise of this song and the story that it tells. Themed around how humans simply refuse to get along because of pride and greed, Right In Two performed by the enigmatic progressive metal band, Tool, comes in at number 3 on the list. It would be wrong to state that Right In Two is a standout song on Tool’s 2006 masterpiece album 10,000 Days (if you follow this blog further, you will quickly learn how much praise I deservedly give this album) purely because the entire album is compiled with absolute masterpieces. Right In Two was chosen because of its’ strong lyrical content, interesting use of harmonics and slow progression into heavy metal. Lyrically the song is applicable to our times where conflict with anyone who believes differently to you is inevitable and despite hating it, we often contribute to it. The song itself contains many “tattoo-worthy” quotes and a drum interlude that makes no sense. It’s great. Adam Jones knows how to make even a slow song sound heavy metal with his unparalleled guitar tone and Right In Two is his signature.

In my ignorant youth I once said that Tool was average… then I discovered 10,000 Days and my opinion was smitten to the ground. I am sorry.

2: I Will Possess Your Heart – Death Cab for Cutie [8:26]

Something completely different from the previously listed songs but perhaps the (second) most beautiful song on this list. I Will Possess Your Heart is the longest song in Death Cab For Cutie’s arsenal and my favourite. A song about a feeling that we, especially engineers, have all felt at some point- unrequited love. Ben Gibbard sings of how, if just given a chance, he will possess the heart of a beautiful girl whom he pines after. Their potential for love is “like a book elegantly bound but in a language that she just can’t read yet”. The chorus: “You gotta spend some time with me and I know that you will find love” was the anthem to my younger teen years, pining after every girl who smiled at me in the corridors between classes. The song possesses a repetitive bass-line that is so perfectly performed that I believe it should be compiled into a short-course given to every DJ about how to incorporate good repetition into a song. Featuring a 4 minute and 40 second intro of the softest, most beautiful melodies that could only be compared to the eyes of your loved one, it deserves the runner-up position to the obvious winner.

The song is of extreme important to myself because it is the core of my favourite musical memory; When I was granted the opportunity to play it live with 2 other friends. A simple instrumental version with only bass, drums and a guitar that played all the piano bits. That moment changed my life and made me realise how powerfully moving music is – enjoy.

Honourable Mentions

Before we move on to reveal the very obvious number 1 pick, lets go over the songs that made me angry just for leaving them out, or were disqualified due to technicality. The songs that, depending on the reader, could be hated or the number 1 spot on the list:

M4 (Part II) – Faunts

Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley

A Rush of Blood to the Head (Live Europe) – Coldplay

Sir Psycho Sexy – Red Hot Chili Peppers

Parisienne Walkways – Gary Moore

Every other song that Tool and Iron Maiden released.

1. Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin

Does this song even need an introduction or description? We’ve all heard it and we all knew that it would be number 1, after all, only one other song could even dare to compete for the legendary title of Best Song Ever and that song is 5 seconds short of being on this list (We all know what it is). Stairway to Heaven is a masterpiece, it is THE song that all guitarists try learning way to soon and end up ruining. That is because almost every guitarist ever was inspired to learn the guitar after hearing the song. I wish I could tell you about the meaning behind the lyrics but I am truly not sure, I am also too proud to ask for directions and google the meaning. Although, I feel that no one truly really knows. I was in grade 5 when my old man showed this song to me and even before truly understanding music I knew that I had just heard something very special… A feeling I only felt once before then, when I heard Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Stairway to Heaven is the epitome of music. If aliens came to the world demanding to ask why humanity should be allowed to live any further, I will show them Stairway to Heaven, proudly displaying this masterpiece of the human race. The song itself starts off slow and increases in pace on its way to a climax of a guitar solo- the song is literally a stairway to musical heaven. Not a Highway to Musical Hell like the new Coldplay. Sell-outs.

*Completely false, I was never able to beat my brother at Guitar Hero and to this day it frustrates me to no end.

Be sure to stick around for me Top 10 lists, album reviews and general musical discussion!