These three Southern rock songs from the 1980s all pack a serious punch. Even today, though they are decades old, they manage to hit the listener like a bolt of lightning. These country-rock crossover tracks remain essential, no matter how much time passes.
[RELATED: 3 Southern Rock Songs From the 1970s That Sound Like a Bar Fight at Closing Time]
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“Sharp Dressed Man” — ZZ Top
Whether you want to call them Texas blues or southern rock, ZZ Top has long cornered the market on that type of sound. The bearded legends have plenty of songs that could be on a list of southern rock essentials, but we have to pick a mainstay: “Sharp Dressed Man”.
“Gold watch, diamond ring / I ain’t missin’ not a single thing / Cufflinks, stick pin / When I step out, I’m gonna do you in,” they sing in this iconic 1980s southern rock track. Though they are singing about cleaning up, there is something dingy and gritty about this song that makes it all the more enticing.
“In America” – The Charlie Daniels Band
“Well, speaking just for me / And some people from Tennessee / We’ve got a thing or two to tell you all / This lady may have stumbled / But she ain’t never fell,” Charlie Daniels sings in this 1980s staple. “In America” was a response to the tensions of the time. He tempered frustrations with this gritty, southerly staple.
“And we may have done a little bit / Of fighting among ourselves / But you outside people best leave us alone / ‘Cause we’ll all stick together,” he sings later on in this timeless track. This is the kind of flag-waving sentiment that southern rockers arguably do better than anyone.
“I’m No Angel” — The Gregg Allman Band
“No, I’m no angel / No, I’m no stranger to the streets / I’ve got my labels / So I won’t crumble at your feet,” the lyrics to Gregg Allman’s “I’m No Angel” read. The Southern rock icon embraces his reputation in this 1987 release. It’s the perfect, attitude-filled track we want out of our rootsy rock stars.
“And I know, baby / So I got scars upon my cheek / And I’m half crazy / Come on and love me, baby,” he sings later on in the track. Despite being decades old, this song hasn’t lost its strength. It still feels like a powerful sentiment in today’s rock landscape.
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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