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The Best Rock Song of All Time?

• 11th Jan 2011

What is the best rock song of all time?

That’s a big question, and one that causes endless debates among music lovers. So when Rock Radio compiled its top 500 songs based on the views of 10,000 listeners the results were always going to be interesting.

Every one of the 500 songs was played over the New Year period, in the traditional reverse order, of course. All of the big names from rock’s history were represented and many of the obvious tracks were up there.

But when the marathon reached its climax there was to be a surprise ending.

I had a pretty good idea what two of the top three were going to be. But when Freebird in all of its magnificence was revealed at number three, to be followed by the timeless classic that is Stairway To Heaven at two, I have to confess I was stumped.

The number one rock song of all time, in this poll at least, is Enter Sandman by Metallica.

Now Metallica are a great band and Sandman is perhaps their best known song. But is it really the best of them all? Better than Freebird and Stairway? Or Bat Out of Hell, Comfortably Numb and Smoke on the Water, just to name a few?

Admittedly the whole thing is at least partially subjective, as any poll must be. Enter Sandman simply wouldn’t be my choice, and I can’t remember it even making the top ten in any of the many similar polls there have been over the years.

Maybe all this result really proves is that a lot of Metallica fans listen to Rock Radio.