Growing up with a mother who loves classic rock radio means I have essentially been listening to the same 100 songs from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s since I was in the womb. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the music taste my mother passed down to me. Moreover, I think it’s pretty sick that I was singing along to “Crazy Train” in elementary school.
Still, listening to classic rock radio for a lifetime has its downsides. Most notably, I am painfully—perhaps excruciatingly—aware of which songs have been played into the dirt. These cuts were hits when they first came out, and nostalgia has kept them around ever since. They’re the songs you groan when you hear their intro, despite knowing every word.
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I feel you, and I groan with you. But frankly, some of these overplayed classic rock songs are just too good not to get another chance from tired ears.
“Carry On My Wayward Son” by Kansas
Kansas’ 1976 track, “Carry On My Wayward Son”, is synonymous both with the band’s individual legacy and with classic rock radio as a whole. You’ve heard it a million times. It is undoubtedly overplayed. But have you tried listening again and focusing on the lyrics of the verses, not just the harmony-filled chorus? “Masquerading as a man with a reason, my charade is the event of the season / and if I claim to be a wise man, well, it surely means that I don’t know.” That’s some powerful self-awareness on such a pop-centric radio hit.
“Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s signature track is practically inescapable in the southern United States. And frankly, it’s easy to see how classic rock stations overplayed it. “Sweet Home Alabama” is a groove, no matter which way you slice it, albeit one that we’ve heard ad nauseam. Still, I highly recommend revisiting the song and focusing on the background vocalists. If they sound at all familiar, you’re likely picking out the voice of Merry Clayton. She sings backup on this Lynyrd Skynyrd track as well as the featured female part on The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”.
“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac has a plethora of hits that stay on classic rock radio rotations. But “Dreams” is probably their most ubiquitous now that it got new life as a mid-lockdown meme in 2020. But before you switch the dial on this admittedly overplayed tune, try focusing on the instrumental arrangement. Stevie Nicks brought the song to the band with only two chords. Focus on how Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood manage to slice the song into three distinct sections with clever but subtle changes to the rhythm and melody.
“Money” by Pink Floyd
“Money” appears on Pink Floyd’s most commercially successful album, Dark Side Of The Moon. So, it’s unsurprising that this track would be the one most overplayed by classic rock radio stations. However, if you haven’t tried listening to this song with your musician’s cap on, I’d highly recommend it. This song is a great introduction to the 7/4 time signature, which has seven beats per measure. Count along to seven to Roger Waters’ bassline and see for yourself. Then, see if you can pinpoint the exact moment it switches to 4/4.
“Barracuda” by Heart
Heart has a handful of overplayed rock hits, and “Barracuda” is certainly one of them. Sure, you’ve heard Ann Wilson wail and moan about a barracuda lying in wait to ambush her. But when’s the last time you listened to the song knowing the full context of why they wrote it? According to Ann and her sister, Nancy Wilson, “Barracuda” stemmed from the slimy men they encountered in the music industry. It’s basically a massive “f*** you” to creeps everywhere, and that type of attitude never gets old, no matter how many times you play it.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
I know this song might be the hardest to defend, but I’m willing to try. Yes, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen is overplayed on almost every single classic rock radio station across the country. Yes, it’s also overdone at karaoke and basically any large gathering of humans. But if you can get past the sound of a crowd of people singing along to Freddie Mercury off-key—better yet, if you can listen through headphones at home—you would be reminded that the song really is a beautiful piece of music. Overdone? Sure. But there’s a reason so many people have loved it for so long, right?
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