10 Classic Rock Songs That Turn Bad Days Around

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10 Classic Rock Songs That Turn Bad Days Around is a collection of songs many of us turn to when we need a total mood change. We all have bad days, and some of us seem to have them every day, so sometimes we just need a cranking tune that makes things better for at least a few minutes. It does not have to be a song with an uplifting message; sometimes a straight-ahead rocker with a great groove and melody is enough to put a smile on your face and some movement back in your rock and roll shoes. There are hundreds, probably thousands, of songs that can do the trick, but these are ten of our favorites.

# 10 – Kashmir – Led Zeppelin

We had to start this list with a Led Zeppelin song, and “Kashmir” is one of the most powerful songs in the band’s catalog. This one always gets me pumped no matter what kind of day I am having. The song appeared on Led Zeppelin’s 1975 album Physical Graffiti and was written by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Bonham. Recorded in 1974 with Jimmy Page producing, the track combines Page’s massive guitar figure, Bonham’s drums, Plant’s vocal, and John Paul Jones’ Mellotron and orchestral arrangement. When “Kashmir” comes through the speakers at the right volume, whatever was bothering you can disappear for eight minutes.

# 9 – One Way Or Another – Blondie

I don’t know what it is about this song, but that opening guitar riff always lights my fire. Debbie Harry sounds angry and sexy at the same time, making you almost want her to find you just like she says she is going to. “One Way or Another” appeared on Blondie’s 1978 album Parallel Lines, was written by Harry and Nigel Harrison, and was produced by Mike Chapman. Chris Stein, Clem Burke, Jimmy Destri, Harrison, and the rest of the band give the track exactly the hard edge it needs beneath Harry’s vocal. This is one of those records that can change the temperature in the room within seconds.

# 8 – Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) – Bruce Springsteen

The Wild, The Innocent And The E Street Shuffle

This song reminds me of growing up in the Bronx and hanging out in the streets with my friends. No one can escape the infectious rock and roll groove of “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” which appeared on Bruce Springsteen’s 1973 album The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. The track was recorded at 914 Sound Studios in New York and produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos. Bruce, Clarence Clemons, Garry Tallent, Danny Federici, David Sancious, and Vini Lopez sound like they are trying to fit an entire summer night into seven minutes. If this song does not pull you out of a bad mood, you may need to turn it up louder.

# 7 – Junior’s Farm – Paul McCartney and Wings

Paul McCartney and Wings’ 1974 stand-alone single “Junior’s Farm” comes in at number seven because we could probably write a top 100 McCartney list of songs that can change your mood. The band recorded the track in Nashville during the summer of 1974 while staying at the Tennessee farm of songwriter Curly Putman Jr., which gave the song its title. Paul McCartney produced the recording, with Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Jimmy McCulloch, and Geoff Britton forming the Wings lineup around him. McCulloch’s lead guitar helped make the single his first major appearance with Wings, and the whole track has the loose, joyful feeling of a band having fun. Sometimes all you need is Paul shouting “take me down, Jimmy” and a guitar kicking the door open.

# 6 – Moonlight Feels Right – Starbuck

This song will not only put you in a good mood, it will also make you feel cool. That little laugh at the end of the verse gets me every time, and then Bo Wagner’s marimba solo takes the record somewhere completely different. “Moonlight Feels Right” became Starbuck’s breakout hit in 1976 and was written and produced by lead singer and keyboardist Bruce Blackman. The song’s mix of keyboards, marimba, soft-rock melody, and that warm summer-night feeling gave Starbuck a sound that belonged completely to them. This is one of those records that can make an ordinary drive feel a lot better than it did three minutes earlier.

# 5 – Spread Your Wings – Queen

News Of The World [2011 Remastered Version] By Queen (2011-06-27)

Queen’s News of the World is remembered first for “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions,” but the album was filled with underrated gems, including the uplifting “Spread Your Wings.” Queen fans have my back on this one. Written by John Deacon, the song tells the story of Sammy, a young man stuck cleaning up at the Emerald Bar while dreaming about a better life. Freddie Mercury sings it with just enough empathy to make the message feel personal, while Brian May, Roger Taylor, and Deacon build the track underneath him. When Freddie tells Sammy to spread his wings and fly away, it is hard not to feel like he is talking directly to anybody who needs to get moving again.

# 4 – I Just Want To Have Something To Do – Ramones

Road To Ruin (40Th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)(3Cd/1Lp)

Just about any Ramones album can put me in a good mood, but Road to Ruin has always been one of my favorites. “I Just Want to Have Something to Do” opens that 1978 album and later gave the band’s movie Rock ‘n’ Roll High School one of those perfect Ramones moments. Joey Ramone’s voice, Johnny’s guitar, Dee Dee’s bass, and Marky Ramone’s drums make boredom sound like the most exciting thing in the world. Road to Ruin was the first Ramones studio album with Marky on drums and was produced by Tommy Ramone and Ed Stasium. It is simple, loud, funny, and exactly the kind of record that can pull a day back in the right direction.

Read More: 11 Essential Ramones Songs

# 3 – We Gotta Get You A Woman – Todd Rundgren

This song always gave me hope because it felt like Todd Rundgren understood my teenage depression, which girls always fueled—or, more accurately, the issue of not being able to get a girlfriend. For at least three minutes, I felt like I had a chance. “We Gotta Get You a Woman” appeared on Rundgren’s 1970 debut album Runt, which he wrote and produced while handling much of the music himself with help from Tony and Hunt Sales. The single became his first major hit and reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. A song does not have to solve your problems to change your mood; sometimes it only has to convince you for a few minutes that things might work out.

# 2 – Wild Heart – Stevie Nicks

Stevie Nicks’ spellbinding title track from her 1983 album The Wild Heart is one of those songs that speaks about love and longing in a way that feels completely personal. There is something about Stevie Nicks’ voice that makes you fall in love with her. It is soothing, spiritual, and just a little dangerous, which is exactly the combination that can wake you up when a bad day has taken everything out of you. The song was written by Nicks, and the recording credits list Jimmy Iovine and Gordon Perry as producers, with the album surrounding her voice in the rich sound that defined her early solo career. “Wild Heart” makes you curious again, makes you want to keep going, and sometimes that is all a song needs to do.

# 1 – Tiny Dancer – Elton John

I don’t know about you, but “Tiny Dancer” is my ultimate go-to song to change my mood and bring me back from utter despair. A song does not have to be fast or heavy to lift your spirits, and this is Elton John’s most magical song. Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, it opens the 1971 album Madman Across the Water, was recorded at Trident Studios in London, produced by Gus Dudgeon, and given its beautiful orchestral arrangement by Paul Buckmaster. This song can save anybody if it catches them at the right moment. Look what it did for Stillwater.