How do you generally feel about BALLADS in rock/metal?

[Lowdz]

Bed Of Roses?   Without Love.


I don't think it'd be a stretch to argue that Dead or Alive is a country-tinged ballad and that was massive.

I'll Be There For You, This Ain't A Love Song,

[twosuitsluke]

Grindcore bands don't write ballads but they are a subgenre of rock. What do you think?

[HOF]

A random and partial list of great ballads that aren’t overly cheesy (not that cheesy ballads can’t be great):

Queensryche - Silent Lucidity, Somewhere Else
Journey - Still They Ride
U2 - With Or Without You, One
Marillion - Sugar Mice, Beyond You, Fantastic Place
Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes, Wallflower, Here Comes the Flood
Kip Winger - Here, Resurrection
King’s X - Goldilocks, The Burning Down, Dream in My Life, Flies and Blue Skies, Life Going By
Jelly Jam - Reliving
Temple of the Dog - Say Hello 2 Heaven, Hunger Strike
Smashing Pumpkins - Mayonnaise, Disarm, Tonight Tonight
Pearl Jam - Release, Nothing Man
Genesis - Alone Tonight, Please Don’t Ask
Phil Collins - You Know What I Mean, Why Can’t It Wait Til Morning
Rush - Resist (it’s kind of hard to pin Rush songs as ballads)
Spock’s Beard - June, Carrie, She Is Everything
Transatlantic - We All Need Some Light, Bridge Across Forever
Tears for Fears - Woman In Chains, Me And My Big Ideas
The Blue Nile - Over The Hillside, Happiness
Big Big Train - Swan Hunter, Curator of Butterflies, Summer’s Lease
King Crimson - Islands
Fernando Perdomo - Amicable, Summer is Gone

[Stadler]

Out of the biggest rock bands AC/DC barely have any ballads in their catalog. 

But when they do, they do it right:   "Ride On"

[King Postwhore]

Out of the biggest rock bands AC/DC barely have any ballads in their catalog. 

But when they do, they do it right:   "Ride On"

And I only listen to AC/DC when I'm drunk at a party. 

Ballads got me laid.

Ballads>AC/DC

[hefdaddy42]

Out of the biggest rock bands AC/DC barely have any ballads in their catalog. 

That's because they just write the same song over and over.  They don't know how to write ballads.

[Stadler]

Agree with all that has been said. A good song is a good song. Some ballads are just plain cheesy and you can tell they were trying too hard.

It seems the 80's-90's hard rock & metal bands had to do ballads because that's what the norm of the industry was. It was expected. Record companies knew it would sell singles and be played at 8th grade dances.

Some good ballads...
Home Sweet Home - Motley Crue
Without You - Motley Crue
I Remember You - Skid Row
November Rain - Guns N Roses
Patience - Guns N Roses
Nothing Else Matters - Metallica
Sister Christian - Night Ranger
Silent Lucidity - Queensryche
Fly to the Angels - Slaughter
Fall to Pieces - Velvet Revolver
Mama I'm Coming Home - Ozzy

Some really cheesy ones...
Is This Love - Whitesnake
Don't Know What You've Got Til It's Gone - Cinderella
When I see You Smile - Bad English
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
Heaven - Warrant
Carrie - Europe
I Don't Want To Miss A Thing - Aerosmith

That's a good list right there, both of them (I'd only put Cinderella in the "good" column; the song is good.  It was the big white piano center stage in concert that made it cheesy).

We also forgot:
Cinderella - Nobody's Fool
Scorpions - Still Loving You
Twisted Sister - You're Not Alone
Aerosmith - You See Me Crying
Enuff Z'nuff - Fly High, Michelle
Def Leppard - Bringin' On The Heartbreak
Judas Priest - Last Rose Of Summer (I LOVE that song)

[pg1067]

Since no one else is apparently going to mention it...

Queensryche - Anybody Listening?

MILES better than the more well-known ballad on Empire.

[hefdaddy42]

Since no one else is apparently going to mention it...

Queensryche - Anybody Listening?

MILES better than the more well-known ballad on Empire.

I haven't listened in a long time, but I don't remember that song being a ballad.

[HOF]

Since no one else is apparently going to mention it...

Queensryche - Anybody Listening?

MILES better than the more well-known ballad on Empire.

I haven't listened in a long time, but I don't remember that song being a ballad.

I was kind of debating that myself.

[pg1067]

Since no one else is apparently going to mention it...

Queensryche - Anybody Listening?

MILES better than the more well-known ballad on Empire.

I haven't listened in a long time, but I don't remember that song being a ballad.

Well...I'm not sure there's an agreed definition of "ballad" in this context.  We're obviously not talking about traditional ballads ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballad ).  Wikipedia has an article titled "Sentimental Ballad," which has a "Power ballads" sub-section ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentimental_ballad#Power_ballads ), but it doesn't define the term.  Regardless, if One and Nothing Else Matters and What About Love and November Rain are ballads, then so too is Anybody Listening?

[hefdaddy42]

Regardless, if One and Nothing Else Matters and What About Love and November Rain are ballads, then so too is Anybody Listening?

I wouldn't characterize any of those as ballads, either.

[King Postwhore]

I wouldn't as well.

[kirksnosehair]

Regardless, if One and Nothing Else Matters and What About Love and November Rain are ballads, then so too is Anybody Listening?

I wouldn't characterize any of those as ballads, either.

Same.  I think there is a definite difference between a ballad and a slow song.

[kirksnosehair]

Actually, not to turn this into a debate about word definitions but the WiKi article on the word "Ballad" does offer some good insight for this discussion:

In the later 19th century, the term took on the meaning of a slow form of popular love song and is often used for any love song, particularly the sentimental ballad of pop or rock music, although the term is also associated with the concept of a stylized storytelling song or poem, particularly when used as a title for other media such as a film.

I think most people these days think of the bolded description of what a ballad is, but if you read the Wiki it's actually much more than that.  Interesting.  I never knew this stuff.  I always just thought of a ballad as what's bolded above and that's it.

[Kotowboy]

Out of the biggest rock bands AC/DC barely have any ballads in their catalog. 

But when they do, they do it right:   "Ride On"

They call them BALL-ads

[Kotowboy]

Other good ones :

Noel Gallagher : If I Had A Gun, The Dying Of The Light.

U2 : Ordinary Love. Electrical Storm. Song For Someone. Every Breaking Wave.

[Lowdz]

Regardless, if One and Nothing Else Matters and What About Love and November Rain are ballads, then so too is Anybody Listening?

I wouldn't characterize any of those as ballads, either.

I wouldn’t count one but the others all qualify for me. Mainly acoustic/clean verses, kicking it up a notch for the chorus, stirring guitar solo, chicks, lighters aloft.

[Anguyen92]

On that topic of what songs were played at middle/high school dances.  I recall Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed interviewing Mark Tremonti on Jasta's podcast and they were talking about that one song that can define a band's career and that it could be a ballad and I recall Jasta coining the phrase, "Promcore."  I think one modern example that was brought up was All That Remains' What if I was Nothing.

Tremonti: "One massive song and you've got your foot in the door... Both Alter Bridge and Tremonti, we haven't had that one song. We've had all the songs that our fans love and all albums that our fans love, but we don't have a big hit song.

"So when you're getting your haircut it's like, 'So what do you do for a living?' 'I'm a musician.' 'Really? What song?' 'Ah, you wouldn't know it.' [Laughs]

"I get worried nowadays releasing the song that's too ballad-y or something that might be the 'With Arms Wide Open' kind of song. If you have a nice song, you think it's a nice emotional track to put on the record for dynamics, just keep it on the record, don't put it out there."

Jasta: We call that prom-core. Because you know the kids will be dancing to it at the prom.

As for the topic, I like ballads in rock/metal, but bands have to find that timing in a show or an album on when to do a ballad and when not to do it.  Otherwise, the audience will just groan if they get oversaturated with ballads in short periods of time.

[Peter Mc]

Is no one going to mention Alone by Heart, now that is a proper 80’s power ballad.

Whilst I am a bit of a sucker for a good power ballad, I could happily see a rock band do a show with no ballads (except Journey maybe) but I wouldn’t be happy if it was all ballads.  For example if I saw Bon Jovi in their pomp and they did a show where they just pulled out all of their ballads one after the next, I wouldn’t be happy.  Whereas, if they did all big rock anthems with no ballads, it wouldn’t bother me at all.  And I’m not classing Wanted Dead Or Alive as a ballad, I’m talking love songs.  A ballad or two is fine though especially in the Richie Sambora days when he used to really go for some epic extended solos in the likes of Always when they did it live.

[pg1067]

Is no one going to mention Alone by Heart, now that is a proper 80’s power ballad.

Maybe...

Could've predicted this was coming.

I haven't read a single prior response that I don't agree with.

Dream On?  Great song.
I Dont' Want to Miss a Thing?  Dreck.
Lady Starlight?  Love it.
I Want to Know What Love Is?  Bleh.
These Dreams and Alone?  Great songs.
Every Rose Has Its Thorn?  Crap.
Nothing Else Matters?  Really good, although not what I want from Metallica.

I think the only generalization I'm willing to make is that I'm statistically less likely to like a ballad than I am to like a heavier, more up-tempo song.

I'll also add that, even in the rock/metal context, the definition of "ballad" is all over the map.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentimental_ballad#Power_ballads

Alone is also mentioned in the Wiki article I linked earlier today.

[crazy climber dude]

Rush - Resist (it’s kind of hard to pin Rush songs as ballads)

Tears on 2112 is a definite ballad. Other good ballads (within that somewhat looser, subjective framework) by bands we might not typically equate or know they did them:

DGM - Repay (one of my favorite ballads)
Vanden Plas - I Don't Miss You, Crown of Thorns, Can You Hear Me
Redemption - The Origins of Ruin (incredibly profound)
Fates Warning - Chasing Time (brilliant)
Dio - This is Your Life (so raw and visceral)
Black Sabbath - Dying for Love
Pagan's Mind - Search for Life (beautiful guitar solo)



 

[darkshade]

I never thought of Dream On as a ballad, just a great (overplayed) rock song.

[MirrorMask]

Is no one going to mention Alone by Heart, now that is a proper 80’s power ballad.

Floor Jansen did a wonderful piano rendition of that. Actually it's After Forever (her previous  band) that covered the song, she recently did another version on her YT channel very similar, but I'd suggest to go looking for the After Forever version first.

[TheCountOfNYC]

Since no one else is apparently going to mention it...

Queensryche - Anybody Listening?

MILES better than the more well-known ballad on Empire.

Silent Lucidity is my go-to song when I'm feeling anxious and need to calm down. It takes me from being on the verge of an anxiety attack to fully relaxed every time. It's such an extremely important song to me. My struggles with anxiety have been ongoing for a very long time, and this song has been a life-saver for me on many occasions.

[Stadler]

Almost Paradise - Ann Wilson and Mike Reno

By the way, it's worth searching out some of the live versions of "Alone" that Heart have done over the years.  Ann Wilson is a monster vocalist, and that's one of her better showcases.  There's a version around with an orchestra somewhere that just SLAYS.   Even just THINKING about the "Till now I always got by on my own; I never really cared until I met you, and now it chills me to the bone!" part gives me, well, chills.

[hefdaddy42]

By the way, it's worth searching out some of the live versions of "Alone" that Heart have done over the years.  Ann Wilson is a monster vocalist, and that's one of her better showcases.  There's a version around with an orchestra somewhere that just SLAYS.   Even just THINKING about the "Till now I always got by on my own; I never really cared until I met you, and now it chills me to the bone!" part gives me, well, chills.

The version on The Road Home, where she is accompanied by classical guitar, is breathtaking.

[kirksnosehair]

A few more from my favorite era of metal:


Dokken - "Alone Again"

Skid Row - "I Remember You"

April Wine - "Just Between You and Me"

Warrant - "Heaven Isn't Too Far Away"

Winger - "Miles Away"

Judas Priest - "Before The Dawn"

Def Leppard - "Bringing On The Heartache"

Scorpions - "Still Loving You"

[HOF]

A few more from my favorite era of metal:


Dokken - "Alone Again"

Skid Row - "I Remember You"

April Wine - "Just Between You and Me"

Warrant - "Heaven Isn't Too Far Away"

Winger - "Miles Away"

Judas Priest - "Before The Dawn"

Def Leppard - "Bringing On The Heartache"

Scorpions - "Still Loving You"

Because I’m sappy, my favorite Def Leppard ballad is Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad (the guitar tone on that is magnificent). Assuming Hysteria doesn’t count as a ballad. I also really like Two Steps Behind.

[kirksnosehair]

I have no use for Def Leppard after the first three albums. 

[HOF]

I have no use for Def Leppard after the first three albums.

Truthfully, I don’t have much use for Def Leppard before Hysteria really, except for Photograph.

[Kotowboy]

I have no use for Def Leppard .

+1


As I said before - i think Bryan Adams Waking Up The Neighbours is a similar vibe but done WAY better and FAR less cheesy. Plus way better songs.

[Elite]

And you, WildRanger? What do you think?

[HOF]

I have no use for Def Leppard .

+1


As I said before - i think Bryan Adams Waking Up The Neighbours is a similar vibe but done WAY better and FAR less cheesy. Plus way better songs.

Also a Mutt Lange production, right?

[Kotowboy]

Correct and I didn't know for decades that the drums were programmed. They sound pretty realistic for 1991.

But I think WUTN on the whole sounds way less robotic and synthesized than Def Leppard.