Top 30 Rock Songs of 2024

In
December
2024,

Gene
Simmons
opined,
quite
matter-of-factly,

that
rock
was
dead.
The
artists
comprising
our
Top
30
Rock
Songs
of
2024
would
like
a
word.

As
the
year
draws
to
a
close,
UCR
looks
back
fondly
on
another
12
months
of heavyweight
rock songs
that
reaffirmed
our
faith
in the
genre.
This
year
saw
thundering
releases
from
heavy
metal juggernauts
like
Judas
Priest
and
Bruce
Dickinson;
punchy
blues-rock
anthems
from
Jack
White
and
Black
Keys;
heartfelt musings
from
Billy
Joel
and
Stevie
Nicks;
and age-defying
reunions
from
the
Black
Crowes
and
the
Cure.
And
that’s
just
scratching
the
surface.

Read
on
to
see
our
full
list
of
the
Top
30
Rock
Songs
of
2024.

30.
James
McCartney, “Primrose
Hill”

From: Beautiful
Nothing

James
McCartney made
waves
when
he
revealed
that he’d
co-written “Primrose
Hill”
with
Sean
Ono
Lennon
—
and
indeed,
the song’s
wistful
melancholy
evokes
the
work
of
their
fathers. The
folk-tinged acoustic
ballad tells
a
simple
but poignant story
of
fond
remembrance
and
heartsick
longing. “You
disappear
forever
/
forever’s
a
long
word
/
but
never’s
not
long
enough
/
to
be
loving
you,”
McCartney sings. It’s a
turn
of
phrase
most
songwriters
would
kill
to
write
—
he
learned
from
the
best,
after
all.

 

29.

Mike
Campbell
&
the
Dirty
Knobs
feat.

Graham
Nash, “Dare
to
Dream”

From: Vagabonds,
Virgins
&
Misfits

After
decades
of
serving
as

Tom
Petty‘s
right-hand
man,
former
Heartbreakers
guitarist
Mike
Campbell
has
spent
his
past
three
solo
albums
finding
his
own
voice
as
a
singer
and
bandleader.
He
sounds
confident
in
his
new
role
on “Dare
to
Dream,” a
languid,
quasi-psychedelic
rocker
full
of
droning
guitar
licks
and
Campbell’s
nasally sneer,
which
sounds
more
than
a
little
bit
like
his
late
partner’s.
A
guest
vocal
from

Graham
Nash further solidifies
the
song’s ’60s
pop-rock
bonafides.

 

28.

The
Darkness, “The
Longest
Kiss”

From: Dreams
on
Toast

The
cheeky
lead
single
off
the
Darkness’
2025
album
leans heavily
on the
band’s

Queen
affinity,
full
of
crunchy
guitar
harmonies
and
rhythmic keys
that give it a
uniquely
British
pomp
and
stomp. Lead
singer
Justin
Hawkins
gives
a
relatively
subdued
vocal
performance,
showing
off
his
well-rounded
mid
range
while building
anticipation
for
the
head-voice
histrionics
that
characterize
the
Darkness’
most
iconic
songs.

 

27.

Joe
Satriani
and

Steve
Vai, “Sea
of
Emotion,
Pt.
1”

It
seems unbelievable that
Joe
Satriani
and
Steve
Vai
had
never
previously
collaborated
in
the
studio,
but
they
make
up
for
lost
time
on
the
sprawling “Sea
of
Emotion,
Pt.
1.”
Both
guitar
heroes
keep
the
emphasis
on
melody
and
song
structure,
delivering
a
funky
jam
that’s
crammed
with
mini-hooks
at
every
turn. It
makes
the
payoff
even
greater
when
they
both
cut
loose
with
their characteristically
dizzying
and
esoteric
solos.

 

26.

Little
Feat
and

Bonnie
Raitt, “Long
Distance
Call”

From: Long
Distance
Call

Little
Feat’s
swampy
rendition
of
Muddy
Waters’
blues staple
is
a
combination
of
the
familiar
and
the
novel.
The
band
extends
its
decades-long
history
of
collaborations
with
Bonnie
Raitt,
who
duets
evocatively
with
classic-era
percussionist
Sam
Clayton
in
his
first-ever
vocal
turn.
You’d
never
know
it
from
his
confident,
gravelly,
talk-sung
performance
—
which,
when
combined
with Scott
Sharrard’s
sizzling
slide
guitar,
makes
for
a
modern
blues
masterclass.

 

25.

Melvins, “Working
the
Ditch”

From: Tarantula
Heart

“Working
the
Ditch,”
the
lead
single
off
Melvins’
27th
studio
album Tarantula
Heart,
finds
the
group
working
in
a
mode
that’s
familiar
if
not
exactly
accessible.
The
band’s
sludge-metal
cacophony reaches
new
long-form,
experimental
heights across
the
LP, and “Ditch”
is
anchored
by
grinding, hypnotic
riffs
and
Buzz
Osborne’s
gruff,
repetitive
chants. The
dual-drum assault
of
Dale
Crover
and
Roy
Mayorga
simultaneously
adds
density
and
looseness
to
their
gurgling
sonic
stew.

 

24.

Ozzy
Osbourne,
Billy
Morrison
and

Steve
Stevens, “Crack
Cocaine”

From: The
Morrison
Project

Sure,
you can
take
Billy
Morrison
at
his
word
and
read
the
lyrics
to “Crack
Cocaine”
as
a
metaphor
for
a
toxic
love
affair
—
but
only
if
you
can
divorce
the
track
from
Ozzy
Osbourne’s
legendarily
debauched
history.
However
you
interpret
it,
the
song
is
a
classic
Ozzman
stomper,
full
of
chugging,

Zakk
Wylde-approved
riffs
and
a
furious
solo
from
Morrison’s
Billy
Idol
bandmate
Steve
Stevens.
Osbourne
sounds
fierce
and
lucid
as
he
bellows
about
a
pastime
that
often
made
him
behave in
a
less-than-dignified
manner.

 

23.

Billy
Idol, “Best
Way
Out
of
Here”

From: Rebel
Yell
(Expanded
Edition)

“Sounds
like
Steve
[Stevens]
was
very
influenced
by Prince,”
Billy
Idol
said when
he unveiled “Best
Way
Out
of
Here,”
a
previously
unreleased
track
from
the Rebel
Yell
sessions. “It’s
almost
like
a
Prince
backing
track
with
Billy
Idol
singing.”
Indeed,
Stevens’ funky
guitar licks
and
the
song’s
heavy
synths
evoke
the
Purple
One
and
other
new
wave
contemporaries,
while
Idol’s scat-sung
vocals
feel
indebted
to
reggae
—
proof
that
the
punk
pinup
was
at
his
best
when
he
embraced
his
pop
instincts.

 

22.

Dream
Theater, “Night
Terror”

From: Parasomnia

Dream
Theater
thrilled
fans
when
they
announced
cofounding drummer
Mike
Portnoy’s
return
in
2023,
and
they assuaged
any
lingering
doubts
about
rekindling
their
old
spark
with “Night
Terror.”
The
10-minute
behemoth
that
previews
2025’s Parasomnia
twists
and
turns
with
blistering
precision,
full
of
head-spinning
guitar
solos
and
time
signatures
that change
on
a
dime.
Portnoy lends
to
the
prog-metal
mayhem,
but
his punishing
fills
and
slick
grooves
remind
listeners
that
he’s
a
rocker
at
heart.
It’s
good
to
have
him
back.

 

21.

Slash
feat.

Brian
Johnson and

Steven
Tyler, “Killing
Floor”

From: Orgy
of
the
Damned

Twenty-five
years after retiring Slash’s
Blues
Ball, the
guitarist
finally
committed
his
love
of
the
genre
to
record
with
his
all-star
covers
album Orgy
of
the
Damned.
He’s
squarely in
his
comfort
zone
on
this
cover
of
Howlin’
Wolf’s
electric
blues
staple,
ripping
fast-and-loose
solos
and
locking
into
an
effortless
groove
with
his
bandmates. Brian
Johnson delights
with
a
soulful
vocal
showcasing
his husky
low
register,
and
a
guest
harmonica performance
from
Steven
Tyler
adds
extra
grit
and
gravitas.

 

20.

Sheryl
Crow feat.

Tom
Morello, “Evolution”

From: Evolution

Sheryl
Crow
is
still
capable
of
the
same
effortless
cool
that
shot
her
to
stardom
in
the ’90s,
but she
tackles
headier
subject
matter
on “Evolution,”
a
moody
rocker
about
the
dangers
of
artificial
intelligence
left
unchecked.
As
a
30-year
music
industry
veteran,
Crow’s
confusion and
dismay over
hearing “a
song
that
sounded
like
something
I
wrote”
on
the
radio ring
especially
poignant.
A
futuristic solo
from
Tom
Morello
drives
home
the
point
that
some
eccentricities
can’t
be
manufactured.

 

19.

Eddie
Vedder, “Room
at
the
Top”

From: Bad
Monkey

soundtrack

Eddie
Vedder
had
been
covering

Tom
Petty
and
the
Heartbreakers’ “Room
at
the
Top”
for
years
before
releasing
a
studio
version
for
Apple
TV+’s Bad
Monkey
soundtrack.
His
affection
for
the
late
rocker
is clear
in
his
plaintive
vocal, and
Andrew
Watt’s
punchy production
gives
the
track
a
more
anthemic
feel.
This
blend
of
melancholy
and
muscle is
second nature
to
Vedder.
With
mentors
like
Petty,
it’s
easy
to
see
why.

 

18. Ace
Frehley, “Walkin’
on
the
Moon”

From: 10,000
Volts

On 10,000
Volts,
Ace
Frehley sticks
largely
to
what
he
knows
best:
catchy,
three-chord
hard
rock
with
a
chewy
pop
center. “Walkin’
on
the
Moon”
exemplifies
this
formula
with
its
swaggering
cowbell
groove,
gigantic
power
chords
and
a
confident
vocal
performance
from
the
Spaceman.
Is this
part
of
Frehley’s

personal
UFO testimony,
or
just
a
love
letter
to
old-fashioned
rock ‘n’
roll?
Either
way,
it
soars.

 

17.

MC5
feat.

Tom
Morello, “Heavy
Lifting”

From: Heavy
Lifting

MC5
posthumously
released Heavy
Lifting
a whopping
53 years
after
their
sophomore
album,
1971’s High
Time.
That
massive
gap
explains
why
Wayne
Kramer’s
latest
star-studded
endeavor
often
bears
little
resemblance
to
the
band’s
glory
days.
Nevertheless,
the
late
bandleader
sounds
invigorated
across
the
project,
especially
the
Tom
Morello-assisted
title
track,
a raucous
slab
of
metallic
funk
that evokes
the
sound
and
fury
of
both
collaborators’
heydays.
A
fitting
farewell
to one
of
rock’s
undisputed
heavyweights.

 

16.

Bruce
Dickinson, “Rain
on
the
Graves”

From: The
Mandrake
Project

Far
be
it
from
Bruce
Dickinson
to
take
the
path
of
least
resistance.
The

Iron
Maiden
frontman’s first
solo
album
in
19
years, The
Mandrake

Project,
is
another
high-concept
epic
about
abuse,
identity,
power
struggles
and
the
occult.
Pre-release
single “Rain
on
the
Graves”
combines
Dickinson’s
operatic
vocals
and tongue-in-cheek theatrics
with
muscular
riffs
and propulsive
grooves.
After
all
this
time,
he
still
sounds
out
for
blood.

 

15.
The

Smashing
Pumpkins, “Sighommi”

From: Aghori
Mhori
Mei

The
Smashing
Pumpkins’
catalog
is
a
study
in
duality,
alternating
between
explosive,
metallic
hard
rock
and
shimmering,
experimental
art-pop. “Sighommi,”
the
lead
single
off Aghori
Mhori
Mei,
lands
in
the
former
category,
full
of
lithe
grooves
and
bone-crunching
guitar
chugs.

Billy
Corgan‘s
melodic
sneer
is
the
cherry
on
top, giving “Sighommi”
an
intangible
sense
of
longing
even
as
its
guitars
crash
like
waves
against
the
rocky
shore.

 

14.

Mark
Knopfler, “Ahead
of
the
Game”

From: One
Deep
River

Mark
Knopfler
conquered
the globe
decades
ago
with

Dire
Straits,
but
on “Ahead
of
the
Game,”
he
makes
playing
in
the
noisy
back
room
of
the
neighborhood
pub
sound
like
the
most
glorious
endeavor
in
the
world. The
singer
and
guitarist delivers his
tried-and-true
strand
of laidback
pop-rock,
slick
but far
from
sterile,
as
he
sprinkles
in
blues
and
country
licks
with
effortless
panache. “We’re
worn
out
and
weary,
all
of
us
/
But
we
know
why
we
came,”
Knopfler
croons,
sounding
like
a
man who
knows
some
cosmic
secret
the
rest
of
us
are
still
trying
to
figure
out.

 

13.

Billy
Joel, “Turn
the
Lights
Back
On”

Non-album
single

Billy
Joel
abandoned
pop
music
after
1993’s River
of
Dreams,
convinced
he
had
nothing
left
to
say.
Thirty-one years
later,
he
returned
with “Turn
the
Lights
Back
On,”
a
reflective
piano
ballad on
which
he
openly
wonders
if
he’s
missed
his
window
of
opportunity.
The
song
captures
Joel in
classic ’70s
balladeering
mode, his
voice
weathered
but
still
robust.
The
rapturous
reception
to
the
song’s

live
debut at
the
2024
Grammys squashed
any
doubts
whether
the
public
would
still
embrace
him.

 

12.

Stevie
Nicks, “The
Lighthouse”

Non-album
single

Stevie
Nicks
wrote “The
Lighthouse”
shortly
after
Roe
v.
Wade
was
overturned,
feeling
compelled “to
stand
up
for
the
women
of
the
United
States
and
their
daughters
and
granddaughters
—
and
the
men
that
love
them.”
It’s
a
rally
call
from
the
jump,
with
Nicks
exhorting
women
to
embrace
their
scars
and
never
let
the
villains
of
the
world
strip
them
of
their
power. She
sounds
warm
and
inviting
in
the
verses,
a
kindred
spirit
and
nurturer.
But
when
the
chorus
kicks
in,
a
switch
flips:
She
becomes
a
warrior
and
protector,
imploring
listeners
to “see
the
future
and
get
mad.”
Hell
hath
no
fury
like
a
rock
goddess
scorned.

 

11.

Sebastian
Bach, “Everybody
Bleeds”

From: Child
Within
the
Man

The
titles
of “Everybody
Bleeds”
and
accompanying
album Child
Within
the
Man
suggest
that
Sebastian
Bach
has gained
some
hard-earned
wisdom
and
a
fresh
perspective.
But don’t
think
for
a
second
that
the
former

Skid
Row
frontman has softened
with
age. “Everybody
Bleeds”
is
a
bludgeoning
metal
anthem,
packed
with
catchy
riffs,
titanic
drums
and
Bach’s
full-throttle
screams.
If
everybody
bleeds,
burns
and
drowns
in
the
end,
Bach
sounds
determined
to
go
down
swinging.

 

10.
The

Smile, “Friend
of
a
Friend”

From: Wall
of
Eyes

Is
it
a
copout
to
say “Friend
of
a
Friend” sounds positively Beatlesque?
The Radiohead offshoot did record
its
sophomore
album
at
Abbey
Road
Studios,
and
the
album’s
third
single
is
a
twisting
art-rock
odyssey,
anchored
by
Tom
Skinner’s
lithe
drumming and Thom
Yorke’s
lilting
vocals.
The
lyrics
were
inspired
by
footage
of
Italian
people
singing
on
their
balconies
during
the
COVID-19
lockdowns;
the
climactic
string
swells
offer
a
cathartic
rebuke
to
the fear
and
isolation
wrought
by
the
pandemic. Yet “Friend
of
a
Friend” ends
on
a
note
of
uncertainty
—
a
warning
against
complacency
and
an
interrogation
of
who
benefits in
times
of global
crisis.

 

9.

Pearl
Jam, “Dark
Matter”

From: Dark
Matter

The
title
track
to
Pearl
Jam’s
12th
album
goes
straight
for
the
jugular
with martial
percussion,
fist-pumping
riffs
and
savage
call-and-response
vocals
from

Eddie
Vedder.
It’s
a
sweaty,
breathless
performance
that
harks
back
to
the
band’s
mid-’90s
heyday.
Producer
Andrew
Watt
gives
the
song
a
modern,
gut-punching sheen,
and
Mike
McCready’s
scorching
guitar
solo
proves
the
alt-rock giants have
lost
none
of
their
bite.

 

8.
The

Black
Keys, “Beautiful
People
(Stay
High)”

From:


Ohio
Players

The
Black
Keys’
Dan
Auerbach
and
Patrick
Carney
long
ago dropped the
pretense of
operating
as
a duo,
and “Beautiful
People
(Stay
High)” sounds like
a
big-budget
alt-rock
anthem
befitting
its
seven
credited
co-writers,
most
notably

Beck.
That’s
not
necessarily
a
bad
thing:
The “na
na
na”
backing
vocals
and
auxiliary brass
and
keyboard
contributions
elevate
the
song’s
funky
blues-rock
strut.
It

may
not
be
a
literal
arena-sized
banger,
but
it’s
the
work
of
a
band
that
proudly
busted
out
of
the
garage
a
long
time
ago.

 

7.

Robert
Plant
and

Alison
Krauss, “When
the
Levee
Breaks”

Non-album
single

Few
classic
rock
titans
have
figured
out
how
to
reinvent
their
old
songs
as
effectively
as
Robert
Plant.
Together
with
Alison
Krauss,
the
former

Led
Zeppelin frontman
offers
another
take
on
the
Memphis
Minnie
blues
tune,
reimagining
it
as
an
exotic,
elemental dirge.
Plant’s
husky
vocals
lend
an
air
of
desperation
to
the
performance,
while
Krauss’ evocative
violin
work
nods briefly to
Zeppelin’s “Friends”
before
propelling
the
song
to a
climactic
rootsy
stomp.

 

6.

Green
Day, “1981”

From: Saviors

Ever
since
2004’s American
Idiot revitalized
their
career, Green
Day
has
fought
(and
often
succumbed
to)
the
temptation
to
turn
every
project into
a
massively
ambitious
undertaking.
Even Saviors was touted
as
their
long-awaited
reunion
with
longtime
producer
Rob
Cavallo,
and
the
third
installment
in
a
spiritual
trilogy
also
comprising Dookie
and American
Idiot.
Thankfully,
Green
Day
tamps
down
these
outsize
urges
on
the
brash “1981,”
a
back-to-basics
punk
anthem
full
of
blunt-force
power
chords
and
singalong
choruses.
It’s
Green
Day
just
like
you
remember
them
—
one
version,
at
least.

 

5.

David
Gilmour, “The
Piper’s
Call”

From: Luck
and
Strange

“The
Piper’s
Call”
is
a
cautionary
tale
about
the
perils
of
fame
from
somebody
who’s spent
more
than
half
a
century
keeping
the
hounds
at
bay.
The
contemplative track
begins
with
delicate
acoustic
guitar
strums
and
a
hushed
vocal
from
David
Gilmour,
who
warns
that
you “can’t
undo
the
voodoo
that
you
do”
and
implores
listeners
to “steer
clear
of
snakes.” The
song
builds
gradually
and
climaxes
with
a
smoldering
guitar
solo
—
the
proverbial
North
Star
that’s
always
righted
Gilmour
when
the
industry threatened
to
lead
him
astray.

 

4.

Judas
Priest, “The
Serpent
and
the
King”

From: Invincible
Shield

If
you
want
progressive
grandeur
or
epic
balladry,
there
are
plenty
of
songs
in
Judas
Priest’s
catalog
to
satiate
your
appetite. “The
Serpent
and
the
King”
is
not
one
of
them.
The
Metal
Gods serve
four-and-a-half
minutes
of
unadulterated,
ass-kicking
heavy
metal, anchored
by
rapid-fire riffs,
double-kick
drum
commotion
and

Rob
Halford‘s siren-like
wail.
It’s
an
epic
story
of
good
versus
evil,
delivered
with
the venom
of
the
serpent
and
the
authority
of
the
king.

 

3.

Jack
White, “That’s
How
I’m
Feeling”

From: No
Name

Jack
White
soared
to
stardom
as
a
blues-rock
revivalist,
but
his
real
superpower has
always
been
his
ability
to
imbue
these
garage-rock
rave-ups
with
unabashed
pop
hooks.
Case
in
point: “That’s
How
I’m
Feeling,”
the
lead
single
off
his
guerilla-released No
Name. White’s
feral yelp
cuts
through
the
jagged guitars,
but
the
loud-soft
dynamics
and
dance
floor-ready
beat
give
it
an
irresistible
earworm
quality.
White
has
no
business
sounding
this vital
25
years
after
the
White
Stripes
released
their
debut
album.
But
we’re not
complaining.

 

2.
The

Black
Crowes, “Wanting
and
Waiting”

From: Happiness
Bastards

There’s
something exhilarating
about
a
couple
of
seasoned
professionals
picking
up
right
where
they
left
off
and
sounding
no worse
for
wear.
That’s
the
case
on “Wanting
and
Waiting,” the
lead
single
off Happiness
Bastards,
the
Black
Crowes’
first
studio
album
in
15
years. Brothers

Chris
and

Rich
Robinson
serve
up
their
patented blues-rock
boogie with
soul
and
swagger,
combining sassy
vocals
and
sizzling
riffs
with
smoky
keyboard
flourishes
and
poppy
hand
claps.
Fellas,
we
beg
you:
Don’t
leave
us
wanting
and
waiting
for
another
15
years.

 

1.
The

Cure, “Alone”

From: Songs
of
a
Lost
World

The
Cure’s
first
album
in
16
years
takes
its
time
getting
started. “This
is
the
end
of
every
song
that
we
sing,”

Robert
Smith
croons
three
and
a
half
minutes
into
opening
track
and
lead
single “Alone.”
It’s
a
majestic
and
introspective
slow
burn,
teeing
up
an
album
that
simultaneously
sums
up the
band’s
career
while
also pushing
them
into
uncharted
territory.
Smith
summons
a “broken-voiced
lament
to
call
us
home,”
but
at
65,
he
sounds
as
yearning
and
powerful
as
ever.