While the 7-inch single is synonymous with pop and soul, rock’s vinyl format of choice has always been the LP. The album provides rock acts with a more substantial canvas to show off their grandiose themes, sonic excesses and 10-minute drum solos, something the puny 45 can only dream of.
Yet, having said that, there are many glorious occasions which we are about to reveal when rock has adopted the smaller format, revved up the revolutions per minute, and produced two thunderously glorious sides of 7-inch vinyl.
Here’s our list of 45 of rock’s greatest 45s.
Rock's 45 greatest 45s
45. Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats – 'Rocket 88' (1951)
It may say Jackie Brenston on the record label but this proto-rocker was actually by Ike Turner and his band. In 1991, after a great deal of debate, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame proclaimed it as the first rock and roll song ever recorded.
Bad boy Turner was in jail at the time for cocaine possession, so his daughter dutifully accepted the award. This is the 45 that started it all.
44. Motörhead – 'Ace Of Spades' (1980)
After exiting Hawkwind, Lemmy Kilmister formed one of rock’s most influential power trios. His new outfit’s frenetic heavy metal style would have a profound effect on any number of thrash metal bands waiting in the wings, including Metallica and Slayer.
Motörhead’s greatest moment on 45 is a nihilistic anthem to both gambling and living your life any which way you please.
43. Roxy Music – 'Virginia Plain' (1972)
Beforethe sophisticated lounge pop of the mid-80s, Roxy Music were once the new experimental art rock kids on the block. Their debut 45 'Virginia Plain’ was glamorous, clever, futuristic and otherworldly in all in the right proportions.
The original Virginia Plain was a painting by Ferry from his art-school days. The 45 charted at number 4 in the UK in the autumn of 1972, but failed to register in the US.
42. Canned Heat – 'Going Up The Country' (1968)
This inspired reworking of ‘Bull Doze Blues’, a traditional blues song dating back to the 1920s, gave Canned Heat a number 11 hit on the Billboard chart.
An impressive placing for a counterculture anthem, the track was adopted by rural hippies as a calling to leave the cities and return to the land. The band memorably performed the track at Woodstock.
41. The Strokes – 'The Modern Age' (2001)
On their debut 45, New York rich kids The Strokes gave indie rock a much-needed shot in the arm with a return to straight-up basics. Sure it was retro but the band’s reference points, specifically The Velvet Underground and early new wave, were cool.
‘The Modern Age’ is not only responsible for spawning any number of wannabe imitators, but also a spike in the sales of skinny jeans.
40. Chuck Berry – 'Maybellene' (1955)
Troubled showman Chuck Berry started playing his own idiosyncratic brand of country music for black audiences and, in doing so, ended up inventing rock’n’roll. Obviously the story is not quite as simple as that, but Berry’s groundbreaking debut single for Chess Records, a song, fittingly enough, about cars and girls, is a portentous slice of everything to come.
39. Bikini Kill – 'Rebel Girl' (1993)
Bikini Kill, led by Kathleen Hanna, were radical feminist pioneers of the Riot Grrrl movement in the 1990s, and a socially-charged punk rock force to be reckoned with. ‘Rebel Girl’ is the scene’s most emblematic and catchiest 45. Former Runaway Joan Jett produced the track and contributed backing vocals and guitar.
38. The Byrds – 'Mr Tambourine Man' (1965)
The Byrds upped the jingle-jangle factor on their electric cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ and helped establish the genre of folk rock while they were at it. The 45s chiming guitar and Beatlesque harmonies so impressed Dylan he was forced to comment: “Wow, man, you can even dance to that!” High praise indeed.
37. R.E.M – 'Radio Free Europe' (1983)
First issued in 1981 on a small indie label, this early R.E.M 45 features the band’s trademark mixture of jangly guitar, arty pretension and mumbled lyrics. Re-released a couple year’s later, ‘Radio Free Europe’ charted on the Billboard chart at 78. Despite its lowly placement its relative success signified a new of dawning of college-adjacent indie rock.
36. Judas Priest – 'Breaking The Law' (1980)
Mainstream adoration was a long time coming for Judas Priest, one of the leading lights of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). 'Breaking The Law’ was the band’s breakthrough hit and showcased not only the bands new, streamlined sound, but also one of the most memorable riffs in rock history. Clocking in at a radio-friendly 2:35 it proved that rock embrace brevity after all.
35. The Damned – 'New Rose' (1976)
In terms of UK punk profile, TheDamned skulked about in the shadows of the Sex Pistols and The Clash. Yet, this ragged foursome cannily stole a march on their more celebrated counterparts by releasing the genre’s first ever 45. And it was a banger. Hitting the shops in October 1976, ‘New Rose’ remains an inspired slice of raw, manic energy. The track was produced by the ever-genial Nick Lowe.
34. The Kinks – 'You Really Got Me' (1964)
On the Kinks’ breakthrough hit it was mad axeman Dave Davies who stole his elder brother’s limelight to lay down one of rock’s most influential guitar riffs. His distorted solo, aided by a recently slashed amp, was the heaviest yet witnessed on a UK 45. It lays claim to be a forerunner of the heavy metal scene that was lurking round the corner.
33. The Beatles – 'I Feel Fine' (1964)
The Beatles’ eighth single saw the band continue their steady transition away from mop-top pop towards a rockier sensibility. A number one on both sides of the Atlantic, the track is notable for being one of the first examples, if not the first, of guitar feedback on a record.
Distorted sounds and heavy effects were to become a rock staple over the years to come, and it was John Lennon’s guitar leaning his on an amp in the studio that kicked it all off.
32. The Clash – 'London Calling' (1979)
Punk rock in 1970s UK may have been a blast of fresh air, but it had its limitations. With the lead single and title track of the band’s third album The Clash shrugged off the movement’s over-reliance on three-chord conventionality and expanded the genre’s lyrical and musical horizons. In the US the track was released as the B-side of breakthrough 45 ‘Train In Vain’.
31. Blue Oyster Cult – '(Don't Fear) The Reaper' (1976)
Blue Oyster Cult’s imperious 45 is a meditation on eternal love and the inevitably of death. The track was written by Donald Roeser, the band’s lead guitarist, who was going through a serious health scare at the time and was clearly feeling close to his own mortality.
A classic rock masterpiece it possesses killer harmonies, a drop-dead riff and cowbell to die for. It was fittingly used as the opening track to John Carpenter horror movie ‘Halloween’.
30. Jerry Lee Lewis – 'Great Balls Of Fire' (1957)
The Killer proved you don’t need a barrage of guitars to rock out, just a beaten up piano and a barrel load of attitude. Lewis’s wild vocal delivery was full of the rebel spirit of early rockabilly, and the single sold over a million copies on the first 10 days of release in the US. He would have made a sensational lead singer in a punk band had he been born later.
29. Deep Purple – 'Smoke On The Water' (1973)
The opening riff to ‘Smoke On The Water’ is iconic as it gets, a transcendent guitar part imprinted into the DNA of every wanna-be guitarist that ever placed a pick on a string.
All of which makes Deep Purple’s 1973 classic single a hugely significant pop-cultural artifact. The track chronicles the true events at Montreux Casino, where “some stupid with a flare gun, burned the place to the ground.”
28. Bruce Springsteen – 'Born To Run' (1975)
Released as a single in August 1975, the ambitious scope of the title track of his third studio album finally brought the Boss the rock icon status he craved. His signature song was a masterpiece of storytelling and conveyed the struggles of the working class to achieve their dreams, set against the backdrop of an epic soundtrack. Naturally, cars and girls were involved.
27. Led Zeppelin – 'Whole Lotta Love' (1969)
Although Led Zep were strictly an albums band with a strong aversion to releasing 45s, especially in the UK, Led Zeppelin can boast a number four hit on the Billboard chart. Not that they knew much about this one, as the record company, desperate for airplay, edited the track down for size and released it behind their backs. One of hard rock’s defining anthems.
26. Boston – 'More Than a Feeling' (1976)
With its ultra-hooky guitar and chord progressions, Boston’s totemic track is not only a stadium rock anthem for the ages but also an unlikely influence on a new wave of power pop that followed its release. Kurt Cobain was a fan and openly acknowledged the sonic similarities between it and his band’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’.
25. Tom Petty – 'American Girl' (1977)
It’s beyond belief that such a pitch perfect 45 as Tom Petty’s ‘American Girl’ couldn’t get arrested when it came to chart success (it peaked at number 40 in the UK). Incorporating elements of classic rock, power pop and new wave along with a strong hint of The Byrds, Petty delivered an all-time classic. It was the last song he performed with Heartbreakers before his untimely death.
24. Cream – 'White Room' (1968)
Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and angry drummer Ginger Baker formed one of rock’s first supergroups in London in 1966. Serious about the band’s virtuosic quality of musicianship the trio were an unlikely chart act (‘Sunshine Of Your Love’, ‘I Feel Free’), but counter-intuitively managed to rack up a number of hits both in the UK and the US.
The most successful of which was ‘White Room’ a complex, progressive, psych-blues track that ought never have charted, but nevertheless did.
23. Metallica – 'Enter Sandman' (1991)
The lead single from Metallica’s eponymous fifth album dealt with the slightly terrifying subject of a child’s nightmares, despite the queasy subject matter the track become a global cultural smash. Almost overnight the underground trash metal scene had supplanted itself into the mainstream with Metallica as its primary custodians.
22. Thin Lizzy – 'The Boys Are Back In Town' (1976)
Phil Lynott’s outfit first hit the UK charts in 1973 with 'Whiskey In The Jar’, an updated treatment of a traditional Irish song. The band’s next significant success came with ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’, which charted on both sides of the Atlantic.
It was particularly sweet to make it Stateside as the band’s US label were on the verge of dropping them. The track featured Lizzy’s trademark ‘twin-guitar’ lead, a sound that was to heavily influence rock’s future generations.
21. The Stooges – 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' (1969)
More akin to jackboots than open-toed sandals, Detroit proto-punks The Stooges, with Iggy Pop pulling the strings out front, willfully stomped on the all-pervading psychedelic vibes of the moment and delivered a raw, aggressive, edgy slice of back to basics rock. It didn’t chart, not even close, but the song’s sonic influence and lawless leanings are too large to measure.
20. Elvis Presley – 'That's Alright' (1954)
The King’s first single hit the record shops in Memphis on 19 July 1954 and its iconic aftershock is still being felt today. Elvis’ rockin’ version of the Arthur Crudup song was fresh, exciting, sexy and above all was exactly the music the planet’s post-war youth had been waiting for.
Elvis was still a teenager when he first got behind the mic at Sun Studios and unknowingly he was about to repaint the entire landscape of youth popular culture.
19. Green Day – 'Basket Case' (1994)
The Bay Area punk scene had been bubbling away for a number of years before the release of ‘Dookie’. Green Day’s third album (and major label debut), transformed it from a largely underground concern into a fully blown global phenomenon.
With a nod to Buzzcocks and The Ramones, ’Basket Case’ was the second single from the album and duly set fire to the alternative charts.
18. The Who – 'Won't Get Fooled Again' (1971)
A hit on both sides of the Atlantic, The Who’s early 1970s masterpiece stood out from the crowd as one of the first rock songs to successfully integrate a synthesizer (EMS VCS 3). It’s closing line “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss” is one of those rare instances of a lyric entering into common usage. The track also features one of rock’s greatest screams. And all this in 1971, perhaps rock's greatest year.
17. Lynyrd Skynyrd – 'Free Bird' (1974)
It’s rare when one track provides the blueprint for an entire movement, but that’s just what ‘Free Bird’ does for Southern Rock. The second single lifted from the band’s debut album, the radio edit somehow took the 45 version down to 4.41 from the LP’s 9.08.
While the 7-inch is missing a large chunk of the epic multi-guitar solo it still packs a powerful punch. The cut-down version secured the airplay the band needed to break big and acted as the perfect gateway to the album’s extended pleasures.
16. Van Halen – 'Jump' (1983)
‘Jump’ is one of those seminal 45s that played its part in reshaping the music industry. Before its release, Van Halen were guitar-driven, hard-rocking outfit, but the introduction of an upfront, pop-adjacent synth riff shifted the band’s sound and trajectory.
The mainstream beckoned and many other rock bands trailed behind in the wake of 'Jump’s' chart fame. It’s said Dave Lee Roth wrote the lyrics in the backseat of a Mercury convertible.
15. Derek And The Dominoes – 'Layla' (1972)
Firstly, let’s introduce the cast. Eric Clapton is Derek, one of the Dominoes is Duane Allman and Layla, to all intents and purposes, is George Harrison’s wife, Patti Boyd.
Eric is obsessed with Patti, and the 45 is awash with the emotional vulnerability brought on by the unrequited love of your best friend’s Mrs. Yet, even more powerful is the interplay between two guitar geniuses with Allman and Clapton at the soaring peak of their powers.
14. Beastie Boys – 'Sabotage' (1994)
The Beastie’s were able to encapsulate a solid devotion to punk and old school rap in the first single from their fourth album, Ill Communication.
With a fuzzed-out bass riff and shouty vocals the monster track paved the way for the nu-metal and rap-rock movements to come. The accompanying Spike Jonze video is a comedy classic in its own right.
13. Mott The Hoople – 'All The Young Dudes' (1972)
Much-loved UK rockers Mott The Hoople were on the verge of breaking up until glam king David Bowie intervened. Bowie was riding a huge wave of fame and as fan of the band offered them a couple of his songs.
They wisely chose the anthemic ‘All The Young Dudes’ and Mott’s fortunes were revived. The classic 45 went Top Three in the UK and gave the band a vital foothold in the US.
12. White Stripes – 'Seven Nation Army' (2003)
Originally written by Jack White as a potential James Bond theme, the lead single from Elephant, the duo’s fourth studio album, only made it to number 76 on the Billboard chart. However, thanks to the track’s distinctive bass line (actually played on a guitar through an effects pedal) ‘Seven Nation Army’ curiously transformed itself from garage rock 45 into a terrace chant for sports fans across the globe.
11. Jefferson Airplane – 'White Rabbit' (1967)
One of the trippiest anthems of 1960s counterculture in the US, ‘White Rabbit’ is a cool example of how subversive the 7-inch single can be. Written by Grace Slick, its one of the first songs to slip drug references into its seemingly radio-friendly lyrical content. A psychedelic trailblazer, it’s musical content was heavily influenced by Miles Davis’s glorious Sketches Of Spain.
10. Beach Boys – 'Good Vibrations' (1966)
It may have cost a stash of cash to record but Brian Wilson’s teenage symphony was responsible for ushering in a new wave of musical experimentation and triggered the onset of both psychedelic pop and, by association, progressive rock.
This hugely influential 45 also created the reputation of the studio as the place where creative heights could be climbed outside of the live arena.
9. Guns N' Roses – 'Sweet Child Of Mine' (1987)
In an era when hard rock was struggling for airplay, the second single from the band’s debut album, Appetite For Destruction, stormed to the top of the Billboard chart. With Lynyrd Skynyrd a self-confessed influence, the track’s opening riff sealed the deal and the door to mainstream success was kicked open. The “Where Do We Go? Where Do We Go Now” lyric was originally a studio ad-lib that was worked up and made the final cut.
8. The Rolling Stones – 'I Can't Get No Satisfaction' (1965)
This supercharged 45 was the Stones’ first number one hit in both the UK and the US. The combination of Keith Richards’ blistering distorted guitar riff, inadvertently composed as he slept, and Mick Jagger’s lyrical assault on the consumer society elevated the band to new heights of sonic sophistication and cultural rebellion.
7. Steppenwolf – 'Born To Be Wild' (1968)
The Canadian-American rockers got their motors running and while looking for adventure managed to release the first 45 ever to use the words ‘heavy metal’ in its lyrics. A year later director Dennis Hopper used the track in his biker movie Easy Rider, and the counterculture connection between music and movies was established.
6. Nirvana – 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' (1990)
With this earth-shattering release, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ transformed 80s outsider rock into the mainstream music of the 90s. Seemingly overnight rock had a new messiah in the tousled shape of Kurt Cobain with swinging Seattle its new capital. The track owed a lot to the quiet-loud-quiet dynamic of the Pixies and Boston’s ‘More Than A Feeling’.
5. Black Sabbath – 'Paranoid' (1970)
The pioneering Black Sabbath all but enough invented the heavy metal genre with their self-titled first album and, just four months later in the summer of 1970, were back working on the follow-up. ‘Paranoid’, the lead single, was written last minute in the studio as the band didn’t have enough tracks to complete the album.
It is still one of the heaviest 45s ever to reach the upper echelons of the UK charts, peaking at number four. It only rocked the US Billboard charts at a modest number 61, but, nonetheless, Black Sabbath and heavy metal had arrived.
4. The Doors – 'Light My Fire' (1967)
The Doors’ signature tune spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard chart in 1967 and brought psychedelic rock to the attention of the masses. The track first appeared on the Doors’ self-titled debut album and clocked in at 7.06, while the single version was savagely trimmed down to a mere 2.52.
The “girl, we couldn’t get much higher” lyric caused a storm of controversy on the Ed Sullivan Show when Jim Morrison reneged on a deal to change the words during a live performance.
3. The Ramones – 'Blitzkrieg Bop' (1976)
Few band fully embodied the ‘DIY' punk ethos than the Ramones. They may have only had one song, but, luckily, it was a really good one. The raw simplicity of debut single ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ inspired punks on both sides of the Atlantic to pick up a guitar and have a go.
For many, the band’s singular, no-frills three-chord style was the perfect antidote to the excesses of the hoary old rock stars that had come before. Some bands are simply made for the 7-inch format, the Ramones were one of them.
2. Bob Dylan – 'Like A Rolling Stone' (1965)
Clocking in at an unheard-of six minutes Bob Dylan’s monumental 45 was like no other that had come before it. With its densely expressionistic lyrics and bluesy bar-room groove, it was irrefutably a work of high art and the antithesis of the ephemeral pop that occupied the chart positions around it.
As Bruce Springsteen fondly commented: “It sounded like somebody had kicked open the door to your mind.” It was a top five hit on both sides of the pond.
1. Jimi Hendrix Experience – 'Purple Haze' (1967)
Music was getting heavier and heavier as the 1960s progressed, and an artist that put the metaphoric pedal to the equally metaphoric metal was former US serviceman Jimi Hendrix.
‘Purple Haze’ is an explosive 45 that thrust forward the sonic potential of the electric guitar like never before. A top three hit in the UK it barely dented the Billboard chart, but, importantly, bridged the gap between psychedelic rock and heavy metal.
All photos Getty Images / Album sleeves Discogs
Top image Jimi Hendrix with a copy of his new 7" release with Curtis Knight - 'Hush Now' / 'Flashing' on London Records. 16th December 1967
