Man oh man, if there’s one thing White People love more than these 10 rap songs it’s taking jokes way too seriously and throwing the word "racist" around like they do Frisbees. I’m sorry my silly little list got some of you so heated – I only hope that while furiously typing out your angry comments you didn’t accidentally spill Jamba Juice on your MacBook.
Anyway, a common response to my Rap Songs White People Love article was to demand a Rock Songs Black People Love companion piece. And guess what: just this once, White People are going to get their way.
Submitted by a reader, this is the first guest columnist-penned piece in site history. It’s funny and it serves not only as a great follow-up, but also to give me another day to finish the article I’m writing that will shut down the Internet (which means that if you have any important online banking or social networking to do, consider this your 24-hour warning).
Without further ado, catsandbeer.com (and a Black Person) proudly present:
The Top 10 Rock Songs Black People Love, A Post Written By A Black Person
1. Smoke On The Water – Deep Purple
Every black person secretly knows, headbangs and plays air guitar to the opening riffs of this one, as soon as white people aren’t watching.
"Got to admit, yo that opening part is DEF. Ya got to admit. Give it up."
2. Schoolboy Crush – Average White Band
We like it so much we sampled it for rap about 2,887,745 times in about six thousand raps.
"Yo yo yo, naw, them white boys in this one tore this one up. Got to admit." "Word."
3. Play That Funky Music – Wild Cherry
See #2.
4. Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard
Fill a room with black folks, start this video on the TV, and by the end of the second bar of that guitar intro every black person has turned around watching the screen. If whites are in the room, we will smirk, nod, then resume talking and drinking with you.
If no whites are in the room, one wannabe-hardcore-looking black guy will move in to switch the TV off, saying, "What y’all watching this crazy— white s–t for?" Other black folk in the room will move in and block him from the TV.
"Whoa whoa whoa. Calm down. No." Pause. "I like this."
Guaranteed.
Black folk, admit you have been in a room where this happened.
6a. I Don’t Want Your Love or 6b. Notorious – Duran Duran
In fact, anything recorded by Duran Duran before the Liberty album. Duran Duran is the only white group ALL black people mysteriously like.
Go ask your favorite black person today.
6. I Don’t Want To Fall In Love – Jane Childs
All black women consider Jane Childs the most authentically black-sounding white woman who has ever sung a note in public. Jane tore up that song. Give it up y’all.
However, the white female rock song ALL black women secretly sing along to with no brothers or white folk sitting around watching, is…
7. (Damn) I Wish I Was Your Lover – Sophie B. Hawkins
All of us like this song and sing along with it. We have all been there, and this white woman nailed it respectably.
Another white female rock song black people (especially black women) like is:
8. Tell It To My Heart or anything else by Taylor Dayne
Admit it, sistas: we have all whispered to each other that Ms. Dayne looks or must be part-black, because otherwise "there is no way on earth she could sing that well if she wasn’t at least part black" … right?
9. Anything by Sinatra
Now I know Frank Sinatra doesn’t qualify to many fools as a rock star, but according to the teenage girls of the 1940’s he was, and every black man in the recording industry wishes he were Frank and will give instant big props to Ol’ Blue Eyes.
Black people are kind of like Italians. We ALL worship Frank Sinatra. We also wish Frank had been black because he was that cool.
And finally:
10. Anything by Steely Dan or the solo Donald Fagen
All black people like Steely Dan. Any black folk who claims he doesn’t hasn’t heard them yet.
Want to get black folks in a comfortable mood at a party with the lights all low, and get them nice and friendly with the white people also at the party? Throw on some Steely Dan and see how the colors mingle and black folk start waxing rhapsodic on how many white musicians are quite gifted.
Once again: all black people like and will listen to Steely Dan. The Doobie Brothers come close on this black respect meter, but nobody touches the Dan.
However, bear in mind that most people know rock music was created by black people, so this top 10 comparison might be actually kind of moot. Did I miss any?
Signed, a black woman named …
Oh yeah and all black folks love
11. KC & The Sunshine Band (Bonus!)
We will not switch that off if it comes on the radio. We listen to it. Period. But we generally like the rest of the album more than we do the singles.
"I’m Your Boogieman" is one of those.
Peace.
Signed,
Yvette
Whoops – one more – my sister just chimed in with
12. Led Zeppelin (Double Bonus!)
"All black people have at least a little respect for Led Zeppelin songs."
I agree, she is right.
OK, that’s all from me.
Postscript
So there you have it. And what’s interesting to note is that, just like on the White People list, NONE of these songs are less than a decade old. In fact, most of them are considerably older than their White People counterparts. Hey, I guess White People and Black People aren’t that different after all …
It’s at this point that I would like to put up a poll asking "What Black People-beloved rock song most deserved to make the list?," but unfortunately (and I do mean unfortunately) I am neither
- black, nor
- knowledgeable about rock music.
So I leave it to you, the Catsandbeer.com community, to tell me which hits gotsa make the list. My one request is that only Black People or Not-Black People Who Know Black People In Real Life submit suggestions. This is, after all, for science.
Thanks for understanding.
Update
Wow, I’m impressed by the variety/extent of the discussion still going on in the comments section of the page – thanks to everyone that’s taken time to chime in.
I finally sat down to go through the suggestions posted and quickly realized there was no way I could create a poll asking what specific songs should have made the list. So instead, I’m going to go with asking which artists should have been included.
As everyone has correctly pointed out, the original list wasn’t just rock songs, so with that in mind I’ve tried to be very precise with the phrasing of this poll question.
Vote!
Let your voices be heard and please tell me …
Loading ...
From my experience the actual ‘rock’ songs black people went batshit over were, by decade:
70’s-"Benny and the Jets" by Elton John-This song had Black America by the balls for quite a while, being the only rock song to actually hit #1 on the urban charts.
70’s Honorable Mention-"Roxanne" by The Police
80’s-"Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen-Black stations had this on heavy rotation.
80’s Honorable Mention-"Addicted To Love" by Robert Palmer-Even my at-the time 52 year old black father loved this song.
As for your list:
#1-I’ve never experienced the synchronistic coming-together of this song and a black person, but my intuition says it would draw laughs and mocking.
#2-There are scores of songs like this that could have made the list, featuring a riff that was lifted in its entirety. Rap has moved increasingly away from this practice over the last decade, so only someone old enough to recognize "Microphone Fiend" would get it. A more interesting choice would have been the song "A Love of Your Own" by AWB. I actually got into a heated argument while listening to that song with my ex-girlfriend because she was convinced they were black.
#3-70’s funk, popular with Black People from that time.
#4-I never had this experience. It sounds like a bad dream.
#6a-You’re definitely right about Duran Duran. All black people who grew up during the early to mid 80’s like a lot of the New Wave Pop. Think Human League, Pet Shop Boys, Flock of Seagulls, Tears For Fears, etc., but NOT Devo or Talking Heads. In addition, not an hour goes by without some adult contemporary R&b station in this country playing "True" by Spandau Ballet.
#6-This song I believe hit #1 on the R&B charts.
#7-We’re in the beginning of the 90’s, when the music is becoming darker. I would have put Lisa Stansfield here. Every black woman between age 30 to 45 owns a copy of her debut album.
#8-Black people do love Taylor Dayne, but isn’t this Miami freestyle?
#9-This ties in to Black America’s odd fetish for all things Italian.
#10-Older blacks like Steely Dan, but they do not bump the Doobies from the list. Steely Dan is jazzy, and therefore more accessible. The Doobie Brothers actually had black people listening to Black Water, a goddamn hillbilly song about smoking joints while catfishing in Mississippi. They were so damn popular with black people they were on 2 episodes of What’s Happening! Also, Michael Mcdonald has always done very well on the black radio stations and charts.
You could have listed "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins, "Careless Whisper" or "One More Try" by George Michael. Or to bring this list more in line with the spirit of Brian’s White list, add "Please Don’t Go Girl" or "I’ll Be Loving You Forever" by New Kids on The Block, because believe it or not they were immensely popular with black females of all ages back then. I still remember watching them performing to an all black crowd on Showtime at the Apollo and every girl in the audience was yelling "go whiteboy, go whiteboy" when they were doing "Right Stuff." They were screaming as loud as white audiences did. Simply Red and Rick Astley also did very well with black people.As far as rock from the 80’s…maybe The Police, Pat Benetar, Steve Winwood, Foreigner, Journey, etc.
Here’s an idea: 10 White People Black People Have Adopted. #1-Bill Clinton, #2-Teena Marie…
Your choices are good though half of them aren’t rock. An interesting thing is how all of these songs skew toward an older demographic. My explanation would be that blacks up until the late 80’s were forced to watch MTV and all of those late night video shows that came on Fridays and Saturdays if they wanted to see music videos. You had no other choice or options with so few channels. Therefore they were exposed to many white musicians they might otherwise not have listened to. But with BET people could start self-segregating. Still, in the late 80’s and early 90’s you could still see white artists on BET because the channel was aimed at adults. The turning point came around 95-96′ when BET’s programming format changed to get better ratings. The channel got rid of the adult contemporary format and almost every show was aimed at the teenage demographic. Adult R&B, Underground Hip-Hop, and any faces over 30 virtually disappeared within a few years. Now homogeneity rules, and whites hear far, far more black musicians then blacks hear white musicians.
I think Yvette needs to have a regular column on catsandbeer.com
[...] Once you’re done here, be sure to check out The Top 10 Rock Songs Black People Love, A Post Written By A Black Person. [...]
This is a crap post pop rock are al all based on black music!! So why should blacks secretly listen to it know your history.
But most important music is not black or white its just music so you either like it or you don’t
Im black
i like Metallica Black album
Rolling Stonnes
Wolfmother
Nirvana
Linkin Park
Alice cooper Pioson
Black Sabbath
AC/DC
KISS
Silverchair
SLIPKNOT
Marylin Manson (the earlier stuff)
Queens of the stone ager
RadioHead
Coldplay
The Artic Monkees
THe Hyves
amd much much more
I am also a "Black" rock fan and I don’t think you guys know the difference between Rock, Disco and Pop, seeing anyone any color would only consider four of those songs "Rock"…..
Most of this list kicks ass, no matter what color you are. Anyway, cool selection, and to everyone who apparently has a huge problem with the music choice, remember, YOU are the exception that proves the rule.
"Bennie and the Jets" was on Soul Train as was "Philadelphia Freedom" – both Elton John Tunes. Also "Golden Years" by David Bowie was also on ST – giving it considerable blackness. These were rockers that did black music at one point. While Duran Duran, Def Leppard, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple are rock bands, everything else is Funk, Soul or RnB Music. I wouldn’t mention Robin Thicke or Lisa Stansfield or Hall and Oates in this list, nor would I mention Taylor Dayne or Sophie B. Hawkins because they did not do rock tunes. (Well, H+O did "Rock and Soul") "White" doesn’t necessarily equal "Rock". But, as one white boy who loves black music – thank you for your insight!
[...] response to the Top 10 Rap Songs White People Love, here we have the Top 10 Rock Songs Black People Love (Written by a black person) which just goes to show you that crappy music knows no racial boundries. ADD THIS POST TO: Posted [...]
FUCKING BLACK-WHITE PEOPLE.
i would have to say that in my lifetime the song that a lot of black people liked by a true rock band was queen’s " another one bites the dust " it came out my senior year in high school and a lot of my friends didn’t even know that the song was by white british dudes – we had a really good football team that year, and i can remember car stereos and boom boxes blasting " another one bites the dust " as we walked from the locker room to the field – great memory about that
Everybody listens to rock now whether your white or black. I grew up around parties and yes i am black and half the songs on your list would be tossed out. Here are some songs that i remember and personally listen to myself that didnt even make the list. These are also songs constantly played at my family and friends places. These are not in any particular order:
Thunderstruck & Shook me all night long – AC\DC
Sandman – Metallica
In the air tonight – Phil Collins
Another one bites the dust – Queen
Teenage Spirit – Nirvana
Anything by Linkin Park
Pour some sugar on me – Def Leppard
Anything by Eric Clapton (mainly Tears in Heaven, Wonderful tonight and Leila – so i dont know if it counts.)
Anything by Robert Cray (Is he black or white? Dont know if he counts – but he’s popular.)
That lists kinda sucks! There is a difference between pop and rock.
Anyway, you know black folks like the belters, so why isn’t Journey on the list? Steve Perry’s gotten dap from nearly every respectable black crooner in the R&B world over the last 15 years. You know you squeeze your boo a little tighter when “Open Arms” come on the radio–admit it!
While “Pour Some Sugar On Me” is a great song, I think it only gets “love” because it’s a stripper anthem and dudes like anything that gets a naked girl whipping around a pole. You might have also put “Girls Girls Girls” by Motley Crue on the list.
Also, for pete sakes, you left off Bob Seger. Show a Detroit boy some love.
Peaches
Hi I’m a 56 old white guy and I loved your list. Shame on anyone that took offense. Really want to help? How about giving me a list of the top 10 rap/hip-hop songs that white women would love to make love to! Thx!
ehhhhrrrr, anything by lynyrd skynyrd??? didn’t see anything by the doors yet….
and also i remember the bad brains saying they love skrewdriver!!!
There is no difference between rock and pop because all rock is pop. It’s s sub-genre, people.
I’m pretty sure you have that backwards. The tag “pop”ular is a sub-genre of MANY music genres.
Im black….and all I listen to is rock music because i think rap and hiphop sucks balls xDD
I love
Panic! At the Disco – i know all of their songs not just i write sins not tragidies……
i was going to rant about what bands i listen to but I hate it when ppl take my mp3 player and happen to listen to one of P!ATD’s songs… and then they say how the love panic at the disco if they only listen to i write sins not tragidies (sp?….fuck it xD) they don’t even know what the song is called!!! I would say what’s your favorite song by them and they would say ” idk what it’s called but it’s when they are in a church and a..a … guy he’s wearing red and black with a tall hat that looks like abraham lincoln…” and so on >.> ….. <.< but anyways so like pshyeah (I would rant more but I have to go to my next class and these niggers are looking at my computer) damn nosy ppl xD (( I am not rascist))
What are you fucking crazy?!
You forgot the end all be all of white/black musical connection…
Michael Mcdonald!!!!
All the brothas and sistas love Mikey Mcd. That guy is so pimp he may as well be black. Most black people can’t even sing that black.
My brother works in a record store and tells me black people come in all the time to buy some McD.
I don’t even think that half of them even know that he’s white. seriously yo, thats a bad bad doo.
I am the person who posted the Duran Duran “Notorious” video on to YouTube and I am black so go figure. But I think you should have had some Robert Palmer on there , and some Hall and Oates. Its true about those of us who grew up in the 80’s. I like a lot New Wave 80’s pop. Especially Duran Duran, Human League and ABC (the boys from England not the Rap boys from Atlanta).
Listen up all you people who are soooooo light weight you couldn’t tickle a scale of cool with a sledge hammer.
Steely Dan was a dildo.
Rock is ok butt, Jazz is coooooooooooool—-est!!
Steely Dan is not a person. Idiot.
I second what Zentraedi posted, and add that AWB, KC, Steely Dan, and the Doobie Bros were probably not considered rock bands in the 70’s. Pop music if anything. Besides, quite a few rock artist, like Led Zeppelin were heavily influeced by the blues, and soul music while growing up. It’s a fusion of styles most of the time for artist in general.
EddieBoy:
Had to laugh at your posting suggestion. I’d be curious myself after a discussion on mood setting and seductive music came up between a few female students while we were waiting for a (college) class to start. I was a bit surprised that more than a few whose musical taste weren’t much for the genere all mentioned R&B or hip hop songs as music that got them in the mood. Found it intriguing!
I’m pretty sure Duran Duran’s “Notorius” was produced by Nile Rodgers of Chic and Sister Sledge fame (the funkiest brother on the planet!)- so was Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”. Human League’s “Human” was produced and written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. And how funky is “Cruel Summer” by Bananarama?!?
BDUB – I like your analogy. No famous Rock band, as far as I know was not influenced by Black music – from Elvis to Maroon 5 – soul, blues, jazz, RnB, etc., and no Black artist has trancended styles without some pop sensibilities. Hey, it’s all good music! It’s a damn shame radio stations are so divided stylisitcally – it’s all good music!
i’m interracial (my father is white and my mother is black). my father plays jazz and blues guitar, and met my mother when she was lead singer in a punk band – blue mohawk and everything. i’ve always listened to rock music… i just love it, from both a musical and cultural perspective. i’ve got piercings, tattoos, tattered old sweaters, and i think i might even have a pair of plaid pants hiding in the closet somewhere. i guess what i’m trying to say is that i don’t understand the divide on the music scene. all of my “black” friends (and half of my white friends, for that matter) think that i listen to music for crazy people. if you call grindcore/post-punk/new-wave crazy, then i guess i must be. it doesn’t make sense to me, knowing that all of the chord progressions/musical concepts featured in ANY genre are interchangeable. who gives a shit if somebody plays it with an electric guitar and a good bit of distortion? it’s all the same music. admittedly, i have a difficult time tolerating the arrangements of most hip-hop/r&b songs, mostly because of the complete lack of originality, but i have the exact same problem trying to listen to a song by so-called punk band “simple plan.”
there’s good music, and there’s bad music – not white music and black music. anybody who wants to argue with that can suck it.
<3
raven
Finally, someone with a brain. You go girl (?)!!! People who insist that ANY music is better, worse, blacker, whiter….WHATEVER, are missing the point entirely. All human beings have an emotional response to music, based on complex sociological circumstances. There is no such thing objectivity when it comes to music. That is the point of the original post – people, regardless of race, like all kinds of music. To pass judgement on personal choice is ignorant, obnoxious, and sometimes, pretty funny.
Here’s one that KTSU, the Texas Southern University radio mixes in to their funky oldies sets often, that big Buffalo Springfield song with the lyrics “stop, children, look around, everybody see what’s going down…” I think it’s titled “For What it’s Worth.”
Hey, there Brian! You and Keith have quite the site going on here! I love it. I wonder if you might be available for an interview related to comedy and humo(u)r. I’m a stand-up comedienne out of NYC blogging about all things comedy related. I would love to get a perspective of humo(u)r from your end of the spectrum.
Please feel free to email me when you get a chance:
Standup101 at Gmail dot com
Thanks much
Lucy
[...] are the world” by the end of this post. Actually for best reference I need to refer you to this post which sums up the truth about black people and Rock music, and its sister post cover white people [...]
Hi, you all should check out Mothers Finest and Eric Gales. Yes they are black and they Rock. But I never looked at them being black, they are artist’s.
Yes I am a white man who loves the Stones, Led Zep, Deep Purple…etc. But I also love Soul, Funk and the Blues.The 60’s and the 70’s Soul and Funk are the best.
It’s always good to open your eyes and ears. Mark
That list is beyond offensive to me. No Band Of Gypsies, Ozzy, Bad Brains, 24-7 Spyz, Jesse Johnson, Mother’s Finest etc…
Steely Dan? give me a f%^&* break.
Your list sucks! I like the first posters much better (Zentradei). And yes, I’m Black.
i heard elton jon is really a black woman disguised as a gay white man. what about phil collins. that little english panzy can sing.
Music is music!! Not meant to be defined by color, race, sex, etc. It’s a getaway and a source of communication, display of talent; about life, love, and anything you want it to be about for and by ANYBODY! I LOVE rock music. It’s of music’s best and greatest true “story tellers” on life,people,love,etc. Rock On!!
hey I do find it strange that no one mentioned Buffalo Springfield’s “For What it’s Worth”… One of the best ones out there.
and indeed, how about Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust”, Primal Scream’s “Loaded” and “Rocks”,
Bowie songs like “Sound & Vision”, “Young Americans”, “Let’s Dance”? What About AC/DC’s “You Shook Me (all night long)”?
What About INXS “I Need You Tonight”? That was one FUNKY tune!
Gunn’s version of Cameo’s “Word Up” owned the original.
No one mentioned The Rolling Stones with “Honky Tonk Women”, “Sympathy For The Devil”, and “Gimme Shelter” (those insane female vocals, on fire!)…
btw, did you know that the backing vocals on Robert Palmer’s “Addicted To Love” were done by Chaka Khan?
Pink Floyd’s “Young Lust” from The Wall was the mother of all down and dirty rock songs, before Def Leppard asked ” how do you take your sugar? one lump or two?”.
U2 did some funky things like “The Fly”, and “When Love Comes To Town”.
I’ve worked in record stores for 10 years, and you’ve missed 2 very obvious ones.
Careless Whispers by George Michael/Wham!
Anything by Daryl Hall and John Oates. (And you must say their full names.)
this list was a little iffy esp the “smoke on the water” listing. american woman or some jimi hendrix prob would’ve made sense for the category.
as for the poster who requested the top 10 songs women want to make love to: all over that! Get yourself some d’angelo, jodeci, 112, and boyz to men cd’s. slow r&b jams for sure. Had the pleasure of seeing boys to men perform live in vegas for my friends wedding–they’re all pushing 34 with kids, were never really good looking but vocals totally on point and i don’t doubt i would give it up if one of them got down on bended knee. from a 30-yr old 100% greek white chick orig from Boston. Although I think these posts are funny, music is so colorless. Hip hop has permeated nearly every european country–french hip hop is hot, and i have quite the selection of greek hip hop tracks too.
Greek people are from Greece. Duh.
Thanks for your kind words at my blog, Brian. If you don’t mind, I ganked this article for my blog as well. Yeah, I’m lazy like that. Anyways, thanks again – blog is great!
http://historylessonpt2.blogsp.....-love.html
Finding this post was like finding the Holy Grail for me. I’ve been curious about this for years, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had a close black friend so I haven’t been able to ask. All the white people I know listen to black music, but I’ve never encountered a black person who listens to, or admits to listening to, ANY white music. So GOD this is fascinating! Seriously, I’m so glad this discussion is out there on the web now. I’d love to hear more.
P.S. Actually, I do recall one black guy a long time ago (circa 1992) telling me that black people like Red Hot Chili Peppers. So there you go, one more to add to the list.
Oh yeah…no “we will rock you” ??? This song was legendary in the days of old school turntable battles in the parks of Harlem.
I wish I could respond with clever comments to the suggestions being left here but I know nothing about rock music – perhaps Keith can parse this some – I know he owns guitars (plural)
Lucy wanted to interview me until she found out I’m not black – I wish she hadn’t gotten my hopes up like that and had just read the part of the article where I wrote that I am not black – that could have been clue #1 (of 1)
Matt – thanks for dropping by, although we do our best not to use the b-word because we feel it trivializes our craft – we are very wary of craft trivialization around here
I’m a white guy born and raised on the east coast, boston-nyc area. I grew up on Mighty Diamonds, Bob Dylan,Peter Tosh, Freddie Fox, Ritchie Valens, Big L, WuTang, I think you need to make a tribute of some sort to bring the real era back to life. And anyone who hasent seen Eastern Promises yet needs to go cop that!!
Both of these lists are awesome. Good job.
I would go with Back In Black. I think that’s more popular than you think.
Props to whoever said Hall and Oates and George Michael.
Yes, Nile Rodgers DID produce a lot of Duran Duran’s material in the 80’s.
This really isnt a comment to the post but i saw some talking about how pop and rock and everything comes from other music. THE BEST BOOK on music history is called “last night a DJ saved my life”. this book links Disco to house to hip hop. Everyone who loves music should read this book
I’m white… Disppointing and weird fact that you made this list and you’re not black! pretty much disqualifies it. But good to get discussion going. plus, more than half of these songs are not “rock” at all, but funk, jazz and r n’b. taylor dane, rock?? LOL And are you like 50 or something? all of these songs are 20+ y.o.!!
criticism aside, a hilarious idea. celebrate and respect difference, it makes life fun.
ha ha. Hilarious! love it!
gotta go listen to some D2 now….
wow. can’t believe no one has mentioned the awl-time jam:
OWNER OF A LONELY HEART
by YES.
YES.
YES.
The Eurythmics are missing. Annie Lenox had this amazing voice and she got a lot of respect for it. I remember her singing with Aretha on something.
I’ve danced many times in a black/white crowd to “sweet dreams are made of this”.
- a white guy
I have no idea if you guys are right or wrong about any of this – as mentioned, I am not black and know nothing about rock n’ roll – thank you (those of you that are black) for bringing peer review to this site
Oddly enough, it was black guys that got me into Duran Duran in the ’80s…but seriously, how could you miss “She Blinded Me With Science”? (You know, since we’re calling anything sung by white people rock…)
[...] I think most of the songs listed are cheesy but I love Positive K.) and the companion piece, “The Top 10 Rock Songs Black People Love, A Post Written By A Black Person.” (via Cats and [...]
Every Black person i knew loved Smells Like Teen Spirirt by Nirvana. That song transcends race.
i am mixed and listen to any music that sounds great and says something (and sometimes, nothing). Music is universal- or it would be if we freakin allow it.
Anyway, i enjoyed this list and ‘Rap songs white people love’.
but in all honesty, that list is rather weak. i’m a black male, and i can tell that most of those songs are 70’s funk and disco,
and some others were 80’s pop. you are right though about duran duran – i know a black girl who loves duran duran to death. also, i
think you’re right with the def lepard song – it’s got some solid beats.
anyway, i’ve made a list of songs where i’ve actually seen random black people start singing for whatever reason. i’m going to
assume that this list could include modern rock music created by black people (seeing how original rock and roll was created by
black people) rock music. the other list included white rappers, so i think including at least michael jackson (and yes, black
people love them some michael jackson) to the list.
BETTER LIST:
michael jackson – beat it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqxo1SKB0z8
basically anything michael jackson, which white people may consider as pop is called rock by most black folk, at least the ones i
know.
michael jackson – smooth criminal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WjOn5TNjBM
again, it’s michael jackson. c’mon, he made thriller!
queen – another one bites the dust
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNQRfBAzSzo
i think it’s the bassline and the beat. and while i’m at it, i think queen is one of those groups where it’s okay groups to listen
to in the ‘black community’
queen – we will rock you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iikKzQwgBJc
again, it’s gotta be the beat
kiss – rock n roll all night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWLpbcgc814
another song that’s constantly played in mainstream stuff (commercials and movie trailers). yeah, i’ve seen black people sing to
this, too.
rem – end of the world as we know it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGqroT1FZ5Y
i’ve known niggas who can actually know the lyrics to this…
whoo-hoo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiUo7lOuznI
i don’t remember who sang this song, but this is one of the few songs i see black people bobbing their heads and getting into for
whatever reason.
lynyrd skynyrd – sweet home alabama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwWUOmk7wO0
one of those wtf songs, but i have seen black people sing to this.
ozzy osbourne – ironman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uz4biivOTQ
another song on guitar hero most frequently chosen black people.
nirvana – smells like teen spirit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPQR-OsH0RQ
not as much, but i have seen it. possibly because it’s so mainstream.
alice cooper – school’s out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib84GZVz2g4
another song that i see black folk randomly singing. again, it’s a rather mainstream song.
[...] Top 10 Rock Songs Black People Love: “#4 Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard. Fill a room with black folks, start this video on the TV, and by the end of the second bar of that guitar intro every black person has turned around watching the screen. If whites are in the room, we will smirk, nod, then resume talking and drinking with you. If no whites are in the room, one wannabe-hardcore-looking black guy will move in to switch the TV off, saying, “What y’all watching this crazy— white s–t for?” Other black folk in the room will move in and block him from the TV. “Whoa whoa whoa. Calm down. No.” Pause. “I like this.” Guaranteed. Black folk, admit you have been in a room where this happened.” [...]
This list is…inaccurate for the most part. I knew before getting to the end that it wasn’t written by a real black person.
What you got correct:
Yes to Duran Duran.
HELL YES to ANYTHING by KC & the Sunshine Band (should have been more than an honorable mention. Blacks don’t even consider this a white band.)
Yes to Taylor Dayne (but shouldn’t have made the list since Taylor is considered more of a Pop/R&B artist than rock. Ditto Jane Childs.)
What you missed:
ANYTHING by Sting/Police…ESPECIALLY “Roxanne” and “Every Breathe You Take”
Nine Inch Nails (very popular rock band with the blacks)
Nirvana
Elton John (Zentra knows his black people!!), especially Benny & the Jets
Queen, especially “We Will Rock You” and “Another One Bites the Dust”
Yes to owning Lisa Stansfield’s debut album (Zentra!!)
Doobie Brothers are WAY more accepted in blacks’ album collections and parties (the true nod of music approval)
Rolling Stones
U2 (Bono’s got an honorary black card)
Metallica
Last but not least, AEROSMITH!! (Hello, they get love forever for teaming up with Run DMC)
What should’ve missed this list:
No to Led Zeppelin
Hell No to Frank Sinatra (we do NOT play this EVER. We respect his gangsta, not the music..exception: Marvin Gaye was obsessed with Frank Sinatra..and blacks are obsessed with Marvin Gaye..so A=B=C)
No to Steely Dan (who?)
i don’t know if this got mentioned; trans europe express by kraftwerk.
This is a joke, right? I think the Zeppelin comment is right, but the rest of the songs are either not rock music, not particularly popular, or not liked by black or white people in general. Your mileage may vary.
This list is ass. And I am quite black.
I don’t know about back then, but I’m from the Bay Area (Hyphy capital of the world!).
If there was any rock song that has crossed over to the black community recently, it was Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Dani California.”
Case in point: One of the DJ’s over here was mixing tons of songs together. “Dani” was one of few rock songs to make the mix.
I may be wrong, but why exactly is it that there are no black artists on this list?
Are you honestly telling me that great bands like Living Colour, Parliament Funkadelic, Jimi Hendrix (and any of the many bands he played with), Bad Brains, get no love from the black community?
Additionally, I have to side with the people who state the obvious, there is so little rock music on this list its not really fair to call it a rock list.
Whether or not black people like the artists above, most of it isn’t rock, and no, I don’t buy into rock being a subgenre of pop, not anymore. At one point all rock was pop, but times have changed.
I have to comment on the posting by “blahblah”. As an over-30(way over)black woman I must make one major correction to your post: Blacks DO, in fact, love Ol Blue Eyes. Certainly, we are all obsessed with Marvin Gaye but our love for Sinatra has nothing to do with that association. Black folks believe in giving credit where it is due, and we will give props to anyone who has a phenominal voice — which Frank Sinatra indisputablty had. So ‘HELL YES’ to him. I play him. And oh yeah, we respect his gangsta too.
As fucked up as this might sound, TWO of my black MALE friends love Bryan Adams, specifically “Summer of ‘69.” While that is by no means scientific, it’s worth mentioning that they’re not gay and they don’t know each other.
Purplecoffee, maybe you’re representing the way-over-30 generation then with your love for Frank Sinatra…I’m of the almost-but-not-yet-quite-30 generation X and we don’t give a damn about Frank Sinatra. He’s got nothing on Sammy Davis, jr. (the real star of the Rat Pack). Ask 5 random under-30 black people on the street to name 3 songs by Frank Sinatra and see what happens.
Oh and Frank doesn’t have an “indisputable” voice because I dispute that he has talent. I don’t like his voice. Any black comedian who’s doing that “deep movie announcer white dude voice” can do a fair imitation of Frank Sinatra’s “singing”. I’m not impressed and no other black person I know has any of Frank’s albums.
Yet another reason why Frank shouldn’t be on this list? No way in hell is Frank Sinatra classified as “ROCK”. Easy Listening or Adult Contemporary at best, but not Rock.
R, what’s up my fellow Yay Arean!!! Do YOU like Frank Sinatra?
Oh, I have another artist/band to add to this list:
Santana (that guitar!)…”Black Magic Woman” = popular rock song with blacks…and most recently => “Smooth”
No black person is going to front on “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks, “Der Komissar” by Falco, or– this is WAY the hell under the radar, but it’s true– not one single black person would front on “Dance Hall Days” by Wang Chung. I don’t know why. Wow,I’m old. Anyway, your list is completely psychic. Also, shout outs to Hall & Oates, though they are not Rock n’Roll.
Can w e get a new list from the posters ideas? I think there should have been anything by Bon Jvi, Guns and Roses, more hair metal stuff in general….. As far as crap pop rock, you would probably do better with Fall Out Boy, Limp Bizkit etc
Oh yeah I am also Black and like was previously said I will listen to anything good. Just prefer some genres more than others because I think they are more original. I hate when some HipHop artist rips something and I have to explain to my friends that Daft Punk wrote Technologic before that idiot Buster Rhymes made a mockery of it…I mena I guess it is okay dance music but nothing for the history books. Sorry to go on a rant fest.
I will try to assemble a poll in which to vote for the REAL rock song(s) Black People love – however, I will ask that only Black People vote in it – thanks in advance for your understanding
make sure to get in any suggestions that haven’t yet been suggested since I still don’t know anything about rock music
I know a lot about elections and voting, so I have a few suggestions for your poll of “real” rock music which “real” black people listen to.
First, you have to make sure that only real black people vote. I suggest requiring potential voters be required to submit copies of their genetic profiles. Before that, you should do research on genetic profiling so you can come up with some solid criteria for exactly how black a person has to be to be included in the vote. Some people who say they are black are really just lying so that they are allowed to be involved in an election.
After you get rid of all the fake black people who are going to try to skew the data, you should make sure only people who know a lot about rock music can stay in the group. Is there such a thing as a PhD in Rock Music? There should be.
Also, you have to make sure that no fake rock music is voted on. This includes anything that has been influenced by black music, jazz, r&b, rap, latin music (yes, even Santana), “pop”ular music, Christian music, classical and opera – or anything by Weird Al.
This shouldn’t be too hard to do.
Good idea. But how will you ensure only black people vote in the poll?
Maybe a poll asking “blacks-only” questions?
Another thing….how black do you have to be to be allowed to vote?
I can tell ya now that (only 20 over here) if you play some Hall & Oates (come on there performed with The Temptations at the Apollo) or Queen, black will most likely know the song
Jane Childs was white? LOLOL! Love this post, as well as its predecessor.
Also, I agree with the comments above that the post is not completely accurate on what “rock” music black people really like. It just isn’t accurate, whereas this lists proposed in the above comments do a much, much better job. For instance, Queen and Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Linkin Park, and even some Eagles and Beetles…. Actually, music is for black people what money is for white folks. So, it would be very difficult to come up with any list, but the post could have been a little better with the “rock” selections. Just my humble opinion.
Come on, you missed Blondie? Debbie Harry was the first white artist to rap, wasn’t she?
I agree with the AC who mentioned Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Saw lotsa head boppin’ on that one.
Steely Dan? Really? wow.
.. and does it count as rock if it was really R&B? Or was that just what the Billboard charts called it if the group was black?
don’t forget “IF THIS IS IT” by HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS
I scrolled down, so maybe I missed it, but no one has mentioned guns n roses. “Sweet Child of Mine” has the sickest guitar lick ever! And Robert Palmer should definitely have been on the list. I loved watching his videos growing up. Taylor Dayne was definitely a great pick…the woman can sing!
i’m actually a half-white / half-black dj, so this list is of particular interest to both of me.
note: i wouldn’t call all of the songs in my addendum “rock,” and i am not absolutely sure they were all done by white folks (ie. is bobby caldwell white??), but here are a few notables oversights:
1. boz scaggs: lowdown
2. toto: georgie porgie (sp?)
3. bobby caldwell: what you won’t do
4. awb: pick up the pieces
5. kraftwerk (is it possible to be whiter than these teutons?): anything by them, particularly “trans-europe express,” or “tour de france” (especially if you were into early hiphop music). same thing for early art of noise like “close (to the edit)” “moments in love” or “beatbox.”
6. dire straights: “sultans of swing”
7. paul hardcastle: the rainforest (an instrumental that you may not recognise the name of, but guaranteed you’ve heard it on smooth jazz / adult contemporary stations)
8. ub40: red red wine
9. the clash: not all black people are very familiar with their body of work, but put on “this is radio clash” or “rock the casbah” or “guns of brixton” or even “should i stay or should i go” and i’ll bet you see heads bopping.
10. queen / bowie: under pressure
Bobby Caldwell is white. Actually, I think you have the closest top 10 that I would have said. Hall and Oates is too obvious for me. However, I would remove Toto, Paul Hardcastle, and sadly (for me) The Clash. Then again, I am 34, so I think that they should be replaced (in terms of being known) by:
YES-”Owner of a Lonely Heart”: Most of us don’t know the song, but the bassline get even old people moving.
Anything from George Michael or Culture Club: Sure CC had one black guy, but Boy George was why Blacks loved them.
And sadly, UK pop music has more soul than US pop music.
While this post was moderately humorous, I felt it marginally accurate. Maybe it’s geared to an older black demographic than myself? As a black 21-yr-old, I’m a fan of Zentraedi’s discourse. Both hilarious and insightful. Especially “#4-I never had this experience. It sounds like a bad dream.”
Love these lists!
Great fun. But I think you had more fun with the White people lists than with this one.
So, by “Rock” I’m assuming you mean popular White music since the 60s because, as we know, Black people created Rock & Roll.
But I’ll go along with what I think your definition is. I’ve been Black for almost all my life and here’s what I’d suggest as valuable additions:
AC/DC – Back in Black
Billy Idol – Rebel Yell or White Wedding
Ozzy Osborne – Crazy Train
I Love Rock & Roll – Joan Jett
Wanted Dead or Alive – Bon Jovi
Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns & Roses
Purple Haze – Jimi Hedrix (the fly in the buttermilk)
You’ve Got Another Thing Coming – Judas Priest
Sister Christian – Night Ranger (How did this NOT make the list?)
Another Brick In The Wall – Pink Floyd
Dragon Attack / Another One Bites the Dust / Crazy Little Thing Called Love / We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions – Queen
Cum On Feel The Noize – Quiet Riot
Brown Sugar – Rolling Stones
Black Magic Woman / Oye Como Va – Carlos Santana
Rock You Like A Hurricane – Scorpions
We’re Not Gonna Take It – Twisted Sister
Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top
You want to see Black folks lose what little sense we have? Put on those.
Straight up… when I want to ‘git some’ from my woman (who’s actually Blacker than me on the attitude scale), I put on some Bon Jovi and the panties are guaranteed to drop.
I’m not sure if half of these would even be considered “rock.” I did know a black guy that LOVED Steely Dan.
I know that at least amongst black NFL players, Phil Collins “in the air tonight” is very popular. NFL films once dedicated a segment to players listening to it in the stadium before games and air drumming along.
I’m black and I would say the vast majority of this list does NOT represent the rock songs I love, nor those beloved by my brothers, cousins, and other black relatives. I do agree with Black people lovin’ Taylor Dane and insisting she’s black, but she ain’t rock so she shouldn’t be here. My top 10 list of rock songs would be:
1. I can’t go for that – Hall & Oates (anything by Hall & Oates in fact… we love them white cats)
2. Another One Bites the Dust – Queen
3. November Rain – Guns & Roses (Slash IS black afterall)
4. Cult of Personality – Living Colour (they are the only black rock group of the 90’s I believe)
5. Dream On – Aerosmith (Steven Tyler’s “nigger lips” as he’d say gives him a honorable black person pass… like Taylor Dane)
6. Love Is A Battle Field – Pat Benetar (are you kidding… how could this be left off the list… Pat repped it for all the chickenhead ho’s of the 80s)
7. Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix (don’t have many black rockers but you best believe we love the ones we got)
8. Uptown Girl – Billy Joel (Joel’s worst song ever, but hey, it was the supermodel era and every lil’ girl, black or white, wanted to be Christie Brinkley… she put Billy Joel on the map for Black folks)
9. You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon (come one, who could forget how Paul Simon was all over the airwaves and video channels, and Saturday Night Live, never without his African Boys Choir… Simon was the shit!)
10. Vasoline – Stone Temple Pilots (as much as we USE vasoline, how could black people NOT love a song about it???)
Honorable mentions, Chris Robinson is the most soulful white boy in rock… gotta love the Black Crowes. And maybe it’s cause I’m from the Chi, but how can you really love anything rock and not love Smashing Pumpkins pre-breakup… Crush, Tonight, Disarm, Landslide remake… come one, Black people love Billy Corrigan too. And anything by Oasis, cause they’re f*ckin’ crazy! Oh yeah, “I’m Just A Girl” by No Doubt… cause if Gwen Stefani thinks she’s looked at as “just a girl” imagine how you’re viewed if you’re “just a BLACK girl”… I love that song!
It should be noted that a big reason black people like ANY rock song is because they ACTUALLY loved the video – Blind Melon’s “No Rain” is a classic cause of the lil’ white girl in the bumblebee costume, Faith No More’s “Epic” with the dying fish, and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” which made every high schooler wanna revolt and whose “Nevermind” album was the soundtrack to our protests against the Gulf War.
Rock is indeed radical… what makes people think us Black folks don’t love it too!??!
blackjoy is 100% right. Pat Benatar’s “Love Is A Battlefield” should absolutely be included!
Everyone forgot the best Queen song ever…. Bohemian Rhapsody. As a Black child of the 80’s, I love ‘white-folks’ music. I’ll listen to anything as long as it sounds good and I can understand what the artist is saying.
Black People Love ZZ Top and ZZ Top Loves Black People
OK…
So to whomever said that U2 gets a pass, you are SO WRONG. Just because BB King was on “When Love Comes To Town” does not make U2 funky.
Kraftwerk is a BIG Black folks club staple, especially in Chicago, Detroit, and NYC. TransEurope Express will have the old folks on the floor in a second.
The Doobies! I totally forgot they were on What’s Happening!
And Pink Floyd… The Wall is another dancefloor jam.
Depeche Mode and Duran Duran are staples for this lady right here. Human League, too.
Hall & Oates get a LIFETIME ghetto pass, along with my brothas Phil Collins and George Michael.
And before anyone says it, Amy Winehouse DOES NOT. Maybe she gets a few praises at church because of her crackishness, but no, Black folks are not claiming her.
I agree that Bohemian is a better Queen, but what, no Peter Framption?
I’m white but I’m going to respond anyway. I grew up with mostly African American friends. To me most of them just liked good rebellion music which is ultimately rock music if you study the roots of rock. Therefore, blacks have been running rock since day one and haven’t stopped.
(60s-70s) Chuck Berry, Lil Richard, James Brown, etc.
(70s-80s)Sly & Family Stone, Whole Funkadelice movement,etc
(80s-90s) Prince, Jacko, NWA, Public Enemy (Rap),
(2000s) New movement where hip hop crosses over to it’s roots of rock like Shop Boyz, Crunk Rock, Lil John, and new artist Kissimistry who mixes them both perfectly. She just left underground to sign to a major to prove my point. You can check her out a little here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZH8dvBhOks
I agree with Rick. Blacks created it and maintained Rock Music. How are you going to kick out 10 songs? What you should have said was Rock songs that white acts performed that blacks liked. This would have made more sense with your list. I also just checked out the new artist Kissimistry. It’s not really a video but it let’s you get a sneak peak of where she’s headed. You were right again here too Rick.
in response to rick with the new “artist” kissimitry promotion.. i swear i dont mean any offense to you, but -i checked it out. and what i heard on the youtube clip reminded me of some over 40’s suburbanite, musically undeucated white males sitting behind a big corporate table passing this off as a concept song for a fast food chain or a phone company trying to expand its marketability to “urban audiences”. just because you throw a black person and some music that isnt made entirely by a live band together doesnt make them some kind of groundbreaking genius, a paragon, and hopefully not an indication where a sub-genre of music that has the potential for allowing creative greatness (such as crunk-rock, rapcore) is headed. kissimistrys music sounds like a delusional idea of a mass marketing scheme to make money in the bubblegum-pop music market with the watered down/made for network television “beat”. its almost as if the producers of this song are going for “black effect”.. or “just urban enough- but not TOO much, so that white parents will still let their little girls buy the album. i have been a dj and worked in the music indusrty (PR and marketing) for 12 years.- no i do not think this qualifies me as an expert on music of any genre, but i do know i would be EMBARASSED for anyone promoting this song as any type of representation of “hip hop”. crunk, or otherwise. just my opinion. not an attack.
I’m white, and know blacks who definitely enjoy The Doobie Bros,Queen and Hall and Oats (who dosen’t though?)If Hendrix comes on, they’ll rock out to him too. Whoever posted the comment about the Red Hot Chilli Peppers was right on too. I knew dudes that were strictly rap fans, except for their love of RHCP. Steely Dan kinda surprised me (if it’s true). The 80’s new wave bands were a mixture of several different elements, so it’s no surprise that they are loved.
You forgot ICP, yo.
This is okay, but there are some serious ommisions (though I will say you halfway redeemed yourself with the late Taylor Dane entry). Younger Black folks LOVE them some “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith, (and “Cryin,” though, seriously, anything they did with Alicia Silverstone in the video is a lock for this list) as well as Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” And how could you forget anything/everything by Hall & Oates?!
I’m black and I listen to lots of rock. Impressive amounts, in fact (at least my white and black friends are impressed), although I am terrible at remembering song and band names in many cases. First off: The original post was wack. All the posters are awesome, and the real list should be taken from the posts. The best thing about reading all this was going and finding all the songs on the net that I was unfamiliar with, playing them, and then recognizing EVERY SINGLE ONE within a few bars, and then rocking out! Kudos to all the real music know-it-alls who posted.
In response to Sharon- This post was about something completely different. I used Kissimistry because she has been underground and overseas promoting for a long time. Her decision to come back to the US was due to blacks finally being able to digest her style of music. I was just one of those white guys who noticed her a long time ago and knew that her time hadn’t arrived in the states yet. You also mentioned sub genre-Crunk Rock in your post. Did you know that Lil John is the creator of Crunk Rock and Kissimistry has been working with him since back in the 90’s when he was working as an A&R for So So Def? I will agree with you about the song “IF I Really” on youtube. This is not one that I like in particular because of the pop push. Yet, I know she may need it to get heard in this country because of post like this. Again, in my opinion blacks started rock. Yet, we are questioning which rock songs they like the most. This is stupid. However, because blacks have been confused to believe that whites created rock you can have a post like this. If they created it, how can you have a top 10 list of all white artists? I’ll give you another band to judge if it makes you feel any different. Check out Whole Wheat Bread http://www.myspace.com/wholewheatbread
Just to educate-not debate!
Well, I’m black, and I’ve never heard of half the things on that list, BUT I will wholeheartedly second “Benny and Jets” as a song that needs to be on this list (and I know my mom would too)…even if it’s not so much rock. And the Average White Band is the shit, they should be number 1. These articles are hilarious.
Interesting trivia note, because I was a huge-ass Def Leppard fan back in the day and now I just have the huge ass: “Pour Some Sugar On Me” was actually inspired by rap music. Joe (the singer, who wrote most of their song lyrics) wanted to see if he could do something in a similar vein, so he came up with this. I am not saying you have to like rap music if you are black, don’t mistake me, but as a lot of black people DO like rap music, I could see where this song might set well with some of them.
re: the Zeppelin song you posted here, it was featured on Beavis and Butt-Head in a hilarious take–the song starts out slow, and Beavis is going batshit for Butt-Head to change the channel and Butt-Head keeps telling him, “no wait dude, it gets cool!” and then the drums kick in and they both start headbanging. Which is what every damn body who hears this song and likes it wants to do.
“None of these songs are under 10 years old…” SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP. “Sugar” was #1 on MTV’s Top 20 Countdown for 88 days straight the summer I was 14. IT CANNOT HAVE BEEN TWENTY YEARS AGO NOW. NOOOOOO.
Will vouch for black girls having liked New Kids On The Block back then, too. Knew quite a few of them in school. Thought, “Oh well, more for them.”
This black girl has to agree with most of the list, especially Jane Child! Also want to add:
Under the Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Black Hole Sun- Soundgarden
Bohemian Rhapsody- Queen
I’m a transracially adopted Dominican, so I like to think that I’m a cultural attache between the races. I’m also really late to this party. Anyway, I’m shocked no one’s mentioned Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way?”. I know most real rock fans won’t admit to liking him, but I’ve heard this song dropped in the middle of hip hop sets and seen the crowd go wild- no white people around.
Does “Purple Rain” count?
What about Joe Jackson’s “Steppin’ Out”? It’s not one of those songs that anyone under, say, age 35 will know by name, but should it be played in a store or in an elevator, heads will bob.
How was Linkin Park left off of this list? I have yet to meet a black person who does not worship them.
“In The Air Tonight” Phil Collins. Shit, everyone loves that song…at least for the drum break alone.
My one and only black friend is solely responsible for forcing me to love death metal. He played it all the time. The funny thing is he had a huge sound system in his car, but instead of rap he was playing Morbid Angel. It made for lots of awkward moments sitting at red lights.
Don’t black people love “Honkey Cat” by Elton John? He totally sounds black on that.
Fiona apple- Criminal.
Alanis Morrisette – Jagged Little Pill
I’m black and I like all kinds of music so this list doesn’t affect me in the least. Since I was a child I’ve been exposed to all different types of music – yes, including country!
P.S. Johnny Cash is the Tupac of Country Music!!!!
Seriously, no love for Living Colour? THEY WERE A BLACK METAL BAND FOR GOD’S SAKE!
One of my favorite high school memories was Phil, the bus driver in my sophomore year. Looked like every white man’s nightmare, but loved his metal. He had a cassette player (sorry, it was the early eighties) installed in the bus and we’d ride to school rocking out to Iron Maiden or AC/DC. Every time I hear “Run To The Hills” I think of him.
ok maybe im young but…..3 doors down kryptonite, kid rock cowboy, kid rock only God knows why, Sheryl Crow soak up the sun, sheryl crow and kid rock picture, nickelback rockstar, papa roach last resort, korn freak on a leash, offspring getta job, and everything i have heard from aerosmith……..all i can think of off the bat
how can i forget fiona apple?!?!?!
All i learn from this list is that some songs transcend race. Good songs are good songs. Period. Also, sometimes, race is not even an issue. Most of my black friends back in the uni, 10 yrs later email me to profess their love for Amy Winehouse once they see my signatures. As an Asian, I’ve never been to a party where I felt out of place once the music starts.
Also I have to add that EVERYONE loves Ben Folds Five & Rage Against The Machine.
I’m black and I haven’t heard of a lot of the songs on the list. Some songs that me and my friends like that should have been included:
Any song from Nirvana’s 1st album.
“Personal Jesus”-Depeche Mode
“Feel like making love”-???
“Shout”-Tears for Fears
For old school urban memories:
http://30sumthin.blogspot.com/
Well, it goes without saying that Hall and Oates and George Michael are on the list. I’m 29 and I used to rock some George Michael and NKOTB buttons on my jean jacket. I was young, I thought I looked cute.
The English New Wave stuff gets much love from Black women my age. I love the English Beat, ABC, The Police, Billy Idol, Culture Club . Boy George even had a song produced by Teddy Riley. Duran Duran were produced by Nile Rodgers and John Taylor is one of the finest White boys ever. British artists openly talk about their love for Black music. I guess that’s why they get the love in return. David Bowie has the most cred because he married a Black woman.
[...] they have thrown in some music to give black people a chance?? I mean, honestly. Perhaps one of these songs (I only know #3)? Maybe some Lenny Kravitz? They better come out with an “urban” [...]
How could you leave out Ram Jam’s rendition of “Black Betty” ?
Hello im black man I was born in England but grew up in los angeles, an love rock music, new and classic I even have hundreds of softrock music on mp3 player I like Coldplay, Boston, the eagles, 80’s heavy metal I wish i had the money to see “the police live, I wish I had the time to see more live shows but I have to many bill to pay I have an 80 Gig Ipod and about 90% of the music and videos is rock, to classic rock, punkrock I guess my fav bands is aerosmith, led zeplin, “Nirvana” I wish I was old enough back then to see them, but I was 8 when kurt died Queen, the roling stones “green day, “incubus”-I saw them live at the great western fourm, I want to see matallica and U2, even Elton john but its too expensive I also love “RATM” Love RATM” NIN, SLIPKNOT, ACDC, The hives the Strokes, The white stripes, KISS, “Linkin Park-saw them live at the long beach area, right not im listening to the best of iron maden and 100 greatest guitar solos I download from the piratebay, and playing alot of guitar hero 2 and 3 the hardest part about being a young black man who like rock music is, your always the only black person in line to get into the arena to see the show, it can be quite embarrassing and funny because everyone talks to me, to see what kind of music im interested in, and its almost impossible to find a black girlfrend who like the same kind of music.
If anyone know any kind of fourm or site for people like me, email me
Jason, try afropunk.com
Okay, I’m not being a bitchy whiny finger-pointer. I just simply want to say that I do feel that it is a stereotype to say “be careful not to spill your jamba juice on your macbook” Not ALL white people drink jamba juice, I, personally have never stepped foot into one, niether do I own a macbook. I was raised in various parts of the country, mostly the south, where black culture was very prominent.
Though I consider myself a well-educated white young woman, I attended a mostly black school, had alot of black freinds, down to being raised sowing weave and gluing tracks.
So, by saying things in that way, you are generalizing white people in a way that could be construde as “racist” or offensive, though I do not believe that is your purpose. Just think about if someone in the same place as you to say “Don’t spill your kool-aid, or get fried chicken grease on your def jam dvd” rude, well, so was the aforementioned comment.
Otherwise, I did enjoy your list, I found it quite surprising, although I had a few takebacks when a few of my more cultured black friends came to my house and started singing to my beatles album.
Take care, and take care of eachother
I am a 19 year old black male and like many others who posted I pretty much love all music. Whoever left the comment about Linkin Park was absolutely right. That’s my favorite band and most of my friends love them as well. My second favorite band is probably System of a Down (Gotta love “Chop Suey”). Here are a few other bands worth that are worth mention:
Metallica
Queens of the Stone age
The White Stripes
Audioslave
Staind
Queen
Led Zeppelin
Alien Ant Farm
AFI
My Chemical Romance
……(I’ll just stop there…)
whatever..imblack..i listen to nothing BUT striaght up metal..death,blac,metalcore..and i go to shows too..
I agree with some of the songs on the first list as songs that Black people like they are not rock song but cross over songs (were played on Black radio)
Sophie Hawkins – Wish I was your Lover
Wild Cherry _ Play that funkie music
Average White Band
Steely Dan
Some others
Queen – Another One Bites the Dust, We will rock you
Devo – Whip It
Elton John- Bennie and the Jets, The Police
If white people are calling your list of rap songs that white people love “racist,” they really need to calm down.
I thought it was hilarious, although I only really like about half of the songs in the actual top ten. I loved almost ALL of the songs in the Honorable Mentions section.
Thank you, on behalf of Science.
Seriously…the work you are doing here is exemplary.
I am 30 year old black woman and I absolutely love anything from Billy Idol. From Generation X to Devil’s Playground he never made a bad song ,not ever!! The Killers are good and I like Queens Of The Stoneage, a little AC/DC and throw in some Black Sabbath. There are to many more to mention. Rock is awesome.
All of my black friends (4 of them) like System of a Down and Linken park. They say Linken park sounds like rap…but I dont know *shrug*
The Rolling Stones!!!! (Have all their hits)!! Michael MacDonald (still listening)
Important one you left out. The Big Beat by Billy Squire. That opening is sampled by everyone.
Actually, rock music is the product of White AND black roots. Specifically early rock music is the convergence of the country music of poor Southern whites and the gospel/R&B of poor Southern blacks. Hank Williams Sr. is every bit a part of the formation of rock and roll as Little Richard and Chuck Berry are. (And Ike Turner…since he was part of Jackie Brenston’s Delta Cats and “Rocket ‘88″ might very well be the first rock record.)
Wow. I looked at this list, and maybe a couple of songs were what I liked.
I love Guns’N Roses: Welcome to the Jungle
Sweet Child O’ Mine
Paradise City
You could be mine
November Rain (LOVE this one)
Don’t Cry
Aerosmith:
Livin’ on the Edge
Crazy
Don’t want to miss a thing
Walk this way
So many more from Aerosmith but I’d be here forever typing
Metallica:
Enter the Sandman
One
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Under the Bridge
Suck my Kiss
Californication
Pearl Jam
Jeremy
Black Sabbath
Paranoid
In Living Colour
Cult of Personality
Twisted Sister
We’re not gonna take it
I wanna rock
There are more, but This is what I have in my rotation right now. I was definitely an MTV kid. People look at me like I’m crazy when I rock my. I mean I liked what was mentioned. But there is a whole lot that is missing off this list.
black women love creed.
Frank Sinatra? please…. No comparison to Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstein, Arthur Prysock, Johnny Hartman, all of whom could out sing Sinatra.. Come on man… be real.
Hey, where the love for Rick Springfield? I know for a FACT sistas loved seeing him as Dr. Noah Drake on GH, and more than a few black women have thrown themselves at him at concerts, too….and as for brothas? Well, they wish they had Jesse’s girl too even if they won’t admit it to each other lol
Benny Mardones “Into the Night”!!!! Best rock song ever. Maroon 5 “This Love”! 2nd best!!!!
This is a really hot list. I have one for ya..
Ambrosia
Biggest Part Of Me
How much I Feel
Your The Only Woman
Hey there this is pretty funny stuff! As a professional dancer and one who has been labeled “only white on the outside” and when checking the BOX ON RACE-I do a write in [off-white]my hubbie is black all the way.
Do the point–I can say that most of the stuff you put up here while ‘tongue in cheek’ sort of sucks…my people like a little funk, and funkize almost everything…give us some blues and southern fried rock and maybe a bit of zydeco and cajun, afro-cuban…
This was good for a laugh–great idea…can’t wait to see what you come up with as a follow-up. Perhaps an off-white chart might be in order????
[...] also see the authors list Top Ten Rock Songs Black Peolple Love @ castsandbeer.com/a-post-written-by-a-black-person [...]
ABSOLUTLY THE CURE & DEPECHE MODE&The BEATLES & QUEEN …Maybe Pet Shop Boys or Duran Duran ,but others groups are unnecessary..
As was said earlier. Rock n Roll wasn’t created by black or white people. Just like Jazz and most American Art forms it was the convergence of many cultural influences that created rock n roll. You can trace the influences as muck back to Ireland as you can to West Africa. The early rock n’ roll cats were hugely influenced by country which is why I don’t understand why black people forgot their contribution to the American songbook other then hip hop and R&B. All American music is pretty much related. You have to include U2 since the the Irish were pretty much Europe’s black people
and The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum are basically them trying to do American roots music. “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” is a gospel song in disguise. You think you get strange looks for being black and liking popular rock try being black and liking some of the so called sub genres like indie or alt country. I love me some Neko Case, Ryan Adams, or Gillian Welch. To me this music has much more soul, sentiment and passion then what passes for R&B these days and I can see the influence that goes back before rock and into the music of black American folk artists like Leadbelly.
To the poster above, black people havent forgotten their roots in music, actually alot of them know it. In many cases throughout history it’s been white business people who have kept black people from spreading their Rock culture, if anything it was black people who were progenitors of Rock music, and the others followed by . Blues is the root of rock and roll that has been forgotten by the popular media, thats why you have all these people screaming and playing souless rock. It stinks seriously these days. Look on afropunk.com, alot of people there are are black and know the contribution to music. Through the classic rock days there was also soul and funk, and many times those artists expressed their rock culture, like Funkadelic, the Barkays, Mandrill, Curtis Mayfield, Betty Davi, but never did they get much pay for it. When white people copied soul and funk or r and b it was called rock . Bands like fishbone, 24-7 spyz , eric gales, Cody Chestnutt, to name a few, in these times still haven’t gotten their respect as great artists cause of their colour of skin , or what seems to be their colour of skin lol. Either way, part of that has been caused by white people themselves, who practiced black music throughout the times, but kept black rockers out of it through the 90s and racist 80s. You have a bunch of artists in the 90s copying black music, and then calling it alternative rock. While black artists were kept out from the money but were producing albums anyways. Here are a few links:
http://www.blackrockcoalition.org
afropunk.com
electricpurgatory.com – A movie that speaks on the bands that were kept out.
Hilarious post andre. I love your example of “Fishbone, 24-7 Spyz, Eric Gales and Cody Chestnutt” not getting any respect because they’re black – haha, it’s because they fucking suck. How can you say black rockers don’t get respect when Chuck Berry is considered the father of rock ‘n roll, Jimi Hendrix is considered the best rock guitarist ever, Funkadelic are considered the best funk-rock band ever, Bad Brains are considered the best hardcore punk band ever, etc. And if you hadn’t noticed, one of THE hottest “alternative rock” groups out there right now is TV on the Radio, who’s last two albums were widely voted album of the year in 2006 and 2008. I have all of these respected black rock artists in my collection and many more – you can keep your crappy 24-7 Spyz.
yalll racist bout black people like wow maybe it was ablack man who made it but yall just tripping to non death like really u need to think twice before u get jumped and if it was a black person who wrote it wooooooooooooow thats dumb and very stupid to like yall make no darn sense really
Really great post denellie. Very well said.
… I think.
Actually, what the fuck did you just say? Can I get a translator?
I’m not sure what denellie just said…
To the people who said, “rock is black music.” Not really, not anymore. Things have changed enough since the 1940s and 50s to safely say, it’s white music. Even then, it was largely influenced by country music, which is strictly white. What it really comes down to, it’s all western music. Stuff middle-easterners wouldn’t make. Color has pretty much nothing to do with it.
Hiya. I’m 17, NY apple n_n, just surfin when I came across this list(title pretty much sparked my curiosity)Hey, just an opinion, don’t lump all black people and all white people into a whole category that likes a certain type of music because they’re a certain type of colour. I’m black and not only will I tell the jerk to move from in front of the tv when Def Leppard comes on, but I will stand up and sing the whole freakin’ song, because they happen to be my favourite band of all time(know every lyric to their songs). I am a major classic rock fan (40s,50s,60s,80s, definitely 80s…seventies are too discoey<—not a word but it worx)and I happen to be black. I don’t care who started rock really (well, I do, but I don’t). All I know is, rock roxx. Music today is okay,but I like the stuff that was around before I was born more…gosh, feel like I missed so much not being around and all…anyways, my point being, kewl list. You forgot to mention Guns N’Roses, Journey, Europe, INXS, Simple Minds, Springsteen, Pat Benatar, Billy Joel, Elton John, Coheed & Cambria, Emery, heck, how’d you forget The Beatles XD, and lots more. then again, you were only going for ten, so…nevermind. So, yea, to whom it applies, what’s so shocking about black people liking rock? Or about white people liking rap? Hmm? that’s all ^_^
P.S. – Danielle…huh? lol
P.P.S. – No offense taken. I thought this stuff was pretty darn funny. Now, that’s all ^_^
Hey man, funny stuff. But essentially Taylor Dayne is not rock – it’s a freestyle/latin hip hop influenced tune. These are predominantly “black” genres. This would explain the secret attraction for black people – if you believe in that sort of stuff.
No Beatles music?
every one love the Beatles, the Beatles influences was always jazz music.
im 100% black and i have to say that every single song on here sucks massive throbbing cock. i dont know where you got the notion that black people love these songs. your a retard.
I am a long time black female rocker. I am 27 now and have been listening to all genres of rock since the age of 12 (though i literally listen to everything), and I must say that this is the shittiest most god awful list I have ever seen.
I think you’re missing the quintessential difference between “Rockin’ songs that black people love” and “Rock songs that black people love”. Plus, who made you the president of of black people? Not only that, show me a black person nowadays, and I’ll point out that they’re not half as black as they think they are. Colour and culture nowadays is just another label in a world that’s far more homogenous than ethnic seperatists would like to believe.
Hello…..How did you forget THE EAGLES?????
I can’t believe no one mentioned David Bowie’s “Fame”….
wat d fuck is all d arguing about here, it doesnt matter what color u are to like a song it all depends on what genre of music the person is in to?
I know before I even post that I’m in a minority. I am a black male who loves folk music. I grew up in the 60’s, 70’s (I’m 53 now) and my album collection included Joan Baez, Janis Ian, Richie Havens (a black dude who sings folk music), Joan Armatrading (not exactly folk, but close to it).
Come on now, nobody can’t tell me that “City of New Orleans” by Arlo Guthrie is not a great song.
Sarah, I remember when I used to work at Six flags. I was only 18, and I remember this white guy used to sing “Take it Easy” all the time. That’s how I got into the Eagles.
omfg im am 13 and i will be 14 i am black and i love all types of music. music is music there is no black or white music. just like there is no black or white way to talk people say i talk like a white girl because i pronounce the ends of my words and i dont say aint or is you or sumthing like that but there is no black or white way of anything its people’s personalities and their accents there is no black or white music or black or white ways to talk
Black people love Metallica. Especially Enter Sandman. They think Metallica is just the ultimate metal band. When I was in high school some of them liked Rage Against the Machine and Red Hot Chillie Peppers.
A good test of this is to ask what rock music do you have on your iPod? As a white English chap I really do not understand anyone who would only listen to one type or genre of music anyway, if the music is good who cares who made it? I understand idenifying with certain music genres is always going to happen to kids, but as you get older listening to all sorts of music opens the mind. And by the way under A on my iPod are artists Andre 3000, Antonin Dvorak, Arctic Monkeys, Aretha Franklin.
Matt you dummy, you’ve got a D and an F in your A’s. Can’t you alphabetize? You’re supposed to sort by last name, else face my ridicule on the interwebs.
And are we supposed to think you’re Abraham Lincoln 2009 because you have at least two black artists on your iPod?
Anyways, I’ll play along. My A’s are: Acid Bath, Adam & the Ants, Add N to (X), Adult., Aesop Rock, Air, Air Miami, Alexkid, Alien Sex Fiend, Ellen Allien, Tori Amos, … And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Android Lust, Animal Collective, The Animals, Aphex Twin, The Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Atari Teenage Riot, Juan Atkins, Atlas Sound, Attrition and Autechre.
Oh wait, no black artists in my “A” section!? Guess that means my redneck ass will be joinin’ the KKK, hyuck hyuck!
Who ever compiled the list above is very ignorant and stupid of music genre’s AWB ,K.C.& the sunshine band,taylor dayne ,jane child ,steely dan.or not ROCK artist’s their White artist’s that sing R & B,Soul ,Disco, Jazz & oh yea Led Zeppelin is electric Blue’s.I’m posting this because people should really do research before they make false assumption’s such as the one posted.This guy should listern to Fish bone,Bad brain’s,tracy chapman Lenny Kravitz,the eric gale’s band,jon butcher,Tony macalpine,the bus boy’s .then he would understand music cannot be classified by a narrow black -n- white pespective but by style,also check out dfunkdt.please learn before you speak… All popular form’s of music in AMERICA come from Black people anyway (moron)…
Well back in the 70s, we (Blacks in Baltimore) first started grooving off of the Doobie Brothers. Every respectable band could play “Long Train Running”. Three Dog Night got much play. Elton’s Bennie and the Jet’s turned the tide completely, after that one we were game for any White Artist who could groove us. The Osmonds had a huge hit w/One Bad Apple, although we thought they were poor Jackson 5 imitators. Of course AWB was in there. As for recently, you left out Eminem who in Vibe Mag just last year, won best rapper of all time in a landslide readers vote. And Justin Timberlake gets mad respect for singing and dancing! Britney made us sit up and take notice! And yes, Older Black People loved some Frank Sinatra. I grew up listening to his music because my grandmother raised me! Fly Me to the Moon? And let’s not forget Tony Bennett, all my older relatives loved him, along w/Judy Garland. I even have Sinatra’s “Young at Heart” on my MP3. Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody is still a favorite in my family. We all get together and act out the song during Holidays.
A huge hit in Urban Baltimore a while back, of all things, was “Cotton Eyed Joe”. Go figure!
There’s a common thread in the comments here and in the previous post about rap. It goes something like this:
“I’m [insert race here] and I don’t like and do every single thing that you say [insert race here] people do. Therefore you are racist and you suck. I clearly don’t get that not everything in this world is meant to be taken absolutely seriously.”
As a black person who likes rock, I was surprise that most of the songs were way older. but i know alot of black people that enjoy listening to atleast 1 song by the red hot chilli peppers
halla yooo im black and i like rock hahahaha yoo
I’ve been a head-banger since AC/DC’s “High Voltage” album in ‘75.As with other blacks,I grew up listening to-and loving(still do)Motown and Stax-Volt(Memphis,think Booker T. and the MG,Sam and Dave,Johnnie Taylor,Mr. Rufus Thomas and his daughter Carla),but the
Aussie lads’ kick-ass metal turned me onto my true dude,i.e.,rather than begging some ar-
rogant,b***hy broad for a moment of her time,as a classically handsome black lad,I can(and
at a still-handsome 56,do,BELIEVE ME!!!!)get FAR hotter broads than go to R&B/soul,jazz
and-YYEEEEECCCCHHHHHH!!!!!(C)RAP concerts.
Okay, I’m not black (I’m a mixed race Australian) but I have an African American brother in law so I consulted him.
His response was that, as a rule, most black people enjoy rock music that was big when they were growing up along with “black” music. For instance, he grew up in the early 1990s and he’s a huge Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Black Crowes fan. His dad, on the other hand, loves him some Queen and Zeppelin.
U2! Bono has an amazing voice for a rocker…
This post may be old as hell but you are one racist P.O.S. If a white person made something like this your kind would seriously ape out like crazy. You are a hypocrite.
their is a list like this for white people so shut up damn it…
I used to be black, and I have 2 words for you. Pay Ola.
I’ve lived around black people my whole life and extremely few of them so much as give any acknowledgment to white rock music. More often, I’ve seen ridicule occur at the sight someone playing it, both toward the music and the person. As a teen (I’m hispanic/mixed) I found this stigma around rock so bad that I almost become convinced I couldn’t listen to it and be “accepted”. So you can imagine, given my experience, how these posts could strike me as astonishingly confusing to say the least…and possibly misleading to say the most. Now, I can see exceptions in blacks raised around whites or whom befriended significant amounts of them, or in older people from the pre hip-hop era (this is the music that really seems to have served as the ultimate racial dividing line for “what you must like”) but overall, I’m not going to revisit my consensus on blacks and rock music. Most have little time for it. They have a few guilty pleasure tunes which they don’t admit to, or allow themselves to enjoy only in a “ironic” manner…but are you likely to find many in the rock section of a cd store or at rock concerts? Hell fucking no. I, and many people (blacks included) i know are pretty sure about what we see, and it isn’t this.
*Mind you, I’m talking strictly in terms of true rock music here, in the hard rock/metal/punk/alternative/ etc vein…not the white disco, pop, dance and funk pap that took up half the top 10 (and one Duran Duran song that was clearly embraced for it’s FUNK influence).
Btw, I won’t even delve deeply into this ‘da blackz kreated da rock muisic” too much other than to say, turn off your Afro-centric brainwashing and get the the fuck over yourself. Rock and roll has just a significant an influence from country and folk music as from blues, and even blues itself was a black interpretation of folk music, played with instruments created by whites. Further, I love how people who play up the “blacks who were there at the beginning of rock!” ignore that whites were there too. There were white rockers before Elvis! Just stop with this foolish fucking “claim” game and admit that while both races did their part in contributing to the beginning of the modern American Rock and Pop landscape, rock has since then, for better or worse, become predominantly white. It can still be played and enjoyed by anyone, of course, but by and large, blacks are in either instance are no longer involved. They’ve turned to rap and r & b.
And you can piss off if you think I’m wrong or am trying to “divide”. I don’t think music should have a “race rule” attached to it, but I’m not the one who made things as they are. I’m not responsible for the existence of “urban(black)” music radio vs” “rock (mostly white bands, djs and listeners)” music radio. I’m not responsible for the lack of black rock concert goers, or the DECIDED lack of music-blasting cars driven by this so-called race of Metallica, Nirvana and New Wave fans that you’ll NEVER hear this type of music out of.
Btw, Chuck Berry, who’s known as a Rock n Roll godfather (and a common namedrop in support of the case of the “black stake” on rock music invention) was known for claiming of his music, that he originally was trying to play his own brand of get this…COUNTRY music. So Rock and roll was only an evolution of white blues, huh? What I also find interesting is how the majority of the fanbases of black rock artists, both past and present, consist of WHITES. Whites are more prone to owning records by these artists than blacks are…and YET, according to posters on this page, black fans of white hard rock/metal/alternative artists are supposedly not at all hard to find? Get this, your “i don’t know one black person who doesn’t like _____” isn’t really saying much if you haven’t known more than 5 black people your entire life. It also doesn’t mean much if by “I like” they’re talking one popular song from the band (which they only admit to liking around you, not other blacks) but would never actually listen to an entire cd.
“an evolution of white blues”
Sorry, in the above I meant to type “of blues”, or “of black blues”.
That’s a HILARIOUS story you fabricated whocares. i know tons of black people who like rock. Stfu racist idiot.
Dumb fucking racist article.
whocare’s,you are really in denial ROCK-N-ROLL was created by Black’s period.the white’s you speak of doing rock before elvis were simply copying Black’s,weak hillbillie swing sucker’s like Bill Haley in the comets were copying BIG JOE TURNER,and so was any other white so called Rock artist at that time.Country music for your information has root’s in AFRICA and theONLY WHITE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO COUNTRY are Irish white people and some German’s.(that’s it).the root’s of Country were tied into the African’s doing slavery(watch ROOT’S) bitch.who and hell you think played the fucking music why the White folk’s were dancing in the deep south. you may also want to watch gone with the wind it’s shown in this american classic.
Black people have also alway’s had their own type of folk music in case you did’nt know listern to LEADBELLY,ODETTA,TRACY CHAPMAN,our folk music influenced your’s bitch whoin hell you think inspired Pete Seager,Bob Dylan,and other white freedom singer’s.who cares you are truly an example of a weak in denial person,just so you know the Banjo was originally called the KO and came from west Africa,the guitar came from Africa too.The Drum was also developed there in case you did’nt know.The instrument’s that Black’s used here in America had never been played like that before.NO one played the trumpet like Louis Armstrong,No one had ever played a Guitar like ROBERT JOHNSON(exception maybe Jimi Hendrix)Drum’s had never been played the way Max Roache played them.and No one had ever played the sax like Jhon Coltrane & Charlie parker.just about any great white artist you can name I can show you how they borrowed ,stole or copied from some BLACK person who may have never recieved credit.The Beatles were skiffle band (that music came from BLACK’S),THE Rolling stones even took their name from a MUDDY WATERS record not just their sound.most WHITE people are in so much denial when it come’s to giving PEOPLE credit for anything,not just Black’s any group the first cowboy’s were Mexican’s ,The original land owner’s in America are native American’s,Chinese people along with Black’s laid down the railroad.I can go into science ,math ,invention’s of any kind and show you how Whitep have historcally distorted everything in the U.S.A.including ROCK-N-ROLL which is truly a BLACK ART FORM just like HIP HOP,BLUES,COUNTRY,SOUL,FUNK ,REGGAE,SKA,even Punk rock has root’s in Reggae.read the book hammer of god about the group LED ZEPPLIN perhap’s it will break your chain’s of denial …if you have anything else to say get at me bitchhhhhhhhhhhh…
This thread started out positive and interesting, then self-important assholes like tewdrowos and whocares come in and turn it into their own private race war. Can’t people just talk about the Top 10 Rock Songs Black People Love without a couple of idiots pulling out the same old tired arguments we’ve all heard a million times before? It WAS a fun and enlightening discussion, but if the thread continues in this brain-dead, boring and racist fashion, I’m unsubscribing. Catsandbeer, please consider adding an IQ test that one has to pass before posting.
jason you need to acknowledge the fact’s whocares started the whole thing I just responded with the fact’s not racist intent as you stated.I would past any of your IQ test
I’m with MENSA for your information.you should never make a statment before the fact’s are known.I’m sorry you were offended by obvious truth.
fact’s? past? Mensa is some mysterious shit
Youd prolly past any, IQ test for monkey’s you, ignoramu’s
whocares has an error-filled understanding of American musical history and appears to have a hostile stance towards the African American contribution to the same.
It’s fine to object to the style of retort used by tewdrowos, but the fact of the matter is that tewdrowos is right.
whocares incorrectly asserts “Rock and roll has just a significant an influence from country and folk music as from blues, and even blues itself was a black interpretation of folk music, played with instruments created by whites.”
Right there is the core problem.
African American music originated with drums, ground harp (later called the washtub bass), and the Banjo (orig. Akonting).
All are instruments that originated in Africa and were re-created in the US.
They were NOT “created by white”, but it’s very telling that today the Banjo (African) is a core instrument in white American Country music, particularly Bluegrass. Ouch!
It’s a fallacy to suggest that European (or even Euro-American) sensibilities shaped Rock & Roll. It’s an odd reality that there’s not a single form of popular American music that white Americans can claim as their own. Even the Texas Country ballads borrowed quite heavily from Mexican Rancheros.
Ever heard of a lute? Many things invented in Africa had been invented elsewhere as well – there is no single source for string instruments, many cultures have “invented” and used them throughout history. If you follow these arguments to their logical conclusions, you may as well just claim all invention throughout history for Africa, since homo sapiens originated there. That means ALL invention – even the stuff no one wants to claim (like Olivia Newton John).
In fact, American country music, and bluegrass in particular, are derived in large part from Celtic music. No musician exists in a bubble, they are all influenced by what came before them – what they have been exposed to.
[...] the most Jewish albums while I'm at it. Go ahead. Other people are doing it….and its fine. The Top 10 Rock Songs Black People Love, A Post Written By A Black Person: Catsandbeer.com __________________ When my earthly stay is over, Sink my dead body in the sea; Just tell my [...]
Wow…where do I even start?
First, let me start by saying…Mad props to you Brian for starting this enlightening post. I found this site last night while searching for movies that portrayed interracial couples with black females and white males. Needless to say, I’ve been glued to my laptop going back and forth between this post and it’s sibling. It amazes me, how quickly people turned such a simple post into such a controversial issue. Any good debate, which I seem to have stumbled upon (from Google, I might add) always has to have two sides. I first noticed that this began over 2 years ago and was bummed to think that I wasn’t going to be able to be a part of this heated debate…So I was excited to see the more recent entries…Now I don’t feel like I’m gonna throw my 2 cents out there, 2 late.
Second, I do have to make some recommendations for your Top 10
1) Rumpshaker – Wreckx-n-Effect …All I wanna do is a zoom zoom zoom… and
2) Tootsie Roll – 69 Boyz
I am a 32 yr old, black female married to a white guy with a mixed son. So I feel like I have the best of both worlds. I’ve lived on both the East and West Coast and now smack dab in the Heartland of the good old USA in Nebraska. So I think that qualifies me to share my thoughts from past experiences. Everyone knows that racism is still very much a part of our lives, regardless of how society tries to sugarcoat it. And personally, I think that racism is just envy and jealousy taken to the extreme by both Blacks and Whites. It’s almost 2010, and you would think that we would have learned by now to appreciate the so many wonderful differences that we share living in this “melting pot” of a society. And for those of us who don’t read…as implied by “b” in his post…
“i’m gonna make a list about the “best books that black people secretly love to read”…oh wait…nevermind”
Melting pot – n. an environment in which many ideas and races are socially assimilated
Brian, I feel that because you made such a broad generalization, some people found it offensive. But what I saw and read, was a bunch of youngsters who were offended because you said that they listen to old school rap, that wasn’t all about screaming n*gga this and n*gga that. Another important factor is wide range of the age spectrum of the people posting. As cheesy as your Top 10 is, White or Black, you gotta love em’ just for the simple fact that yes…they are over 2 decades old and there are “PEOPLE”… young and old…White and Black that act like they lost their damn minds cause their “jam” came on. Basically what it boils down to…Is any song that has some form of direction in it, it’s automatically going down as a “oldie” but “goodie” that we will repeatedly be forced to endure for many years to come.
It’s hilarious to see post like paulhansonhatesyou’s :
“dude, what the fuck, im white, i like jump around, all the rest i fuckin hate, you racist fuckin nigger, go die, im gonna hang your family in my backyard, porch monkey, heres a list for you:”
I think Paul Hanson is just angry inside cause he found out his mother is one of the possible thousands of White people “hand jiving” on the dance floor to 2Legit2Quit…Hey Hey…lol
I noticed that a few of the other post were from people that were DJ’s so they can appreciate knowing that by playing any one of your Top 10, they are guaranteed to have people (mostly white) out on the dance floor. I’ll admit it, Rob Base comes on, and I get to bobbin’…It Takes Me about 2 seconds…Baby Got Back…You’d catch me out on the floor, for sure… I was at a Karaoke bar just last week being a back up dancer for the white guy who was singing Sir Mix A Lot. I consider myself to be cultured so I enjoy all types of music, old and new. And yes, I even enjoy some country. As long as it has good meaningful lyrics, a bad ass hooks, or a killer guitar/drum solo…I can appreciate it for being good entertainment, as it was meant to be. I find music to be very therapeutic and I know plenty of “Rock” songs that have gotten me through tough times.
And to be fair, I will give you my personal Top 20 Rock/Country That Black People Love…whether they wanna admit it or not…lol…And here is some added perspective…Age plays more of a role in these debates than race does…
Top 20 Rock/Country Songs Black People Love – (I’m gonna let out our secret…)
1. Welcome To The Jungle – Guns N Roses (Not to be stereotypical but most all Black people have seen “Lean On Me” and I guarantee they did the Axl Rose dance)
2. Jack and Diane – John Mellencamp (Hands down this is my “ditty”)
3. Enter Sandman – Metallica (EXIT LIGHT…ENTER NIGHT…TAKE MY HAND…WE’RE OFF TO NEVER NEVER LAND)
4. Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd (It gets your toes tappin’)
5. Black Velvet – Alannah Myles (She just has that sultry voice…gotta love it)
6. Paradise City – Guns N Roses
7. Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin
8. Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard (sex sells…)
9. Closer (I Wanna F*ck You Like An Animal) – NIN (Nine Inch Nails)
10. The Joker – The Steve Miller band (I admit to being a midnight toker)
11. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana (I definitely “moshed” around my room to this one more than one occasion)
12. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen (We liked it so much, we had The Braids remake it)
13. One Way Or Another – Blondie (I’m gonna getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha)
14. Cocaine – Eric Clapton (Not really Rock or Country, but universally accepted)
15. The Devil Went Down To Georgia – Charlie Daniels Band (And I liked this before Coyote Ugly hyped it up)
16. Old Time Rock & Roll – Bob Seger
17. Sweet Dreams – Eurythmics
18. You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet – Bachman-Turner Overdrive (had to look that one up and still had no clue they sang it) B,b,b baby
19. Shook Me All Night Long / Dirty Deeds – AC/DC (dirty deeds and they’re done dirt cheap)
20. Anything by Linkin’ Park – Hands Down…
That’s enough for now…That got kinda long…lol
You certainly are one of the few people I’ve seen who are qualified to suggest rock songs that black people like. White people like Brian should be ashamed of themselves for making lists like this one. He should stick to satire and keep his dirty white hands off black issues!
Hey Sho’Nuff, take a look at this ancient Egyptian wall painting of lute players.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wi.....layers.jpg
Those look like lutes to you? As I said, string instruments evolved everywhere, as did music. It’s not unique to Africa. Is it politically incorrect to say this or something?
Yes, they do look like lutes to me. Further, the image is titled, “Egyptianluteplayers.jpg.” Facts is facts.
And….you are assuming EGYPTIANS wrote that? Have you ever even read a book in your life?
Uh… no. I don’t think Egyptians titled the jpeg, you nut. The image suggests that the lute (or it’s predecessor or, at least, something very similar) was present in ancient Egypt. Feel free to continue to skate on past the obvious.
sho nuff what is the problem ?AFRICA is the craddle of civilization everyone should know that,however the problem is how some white people like (yourself) have a tendency to distort fact’s and history.The most influential music in the world is music created by AFRICAN descent people period.stop making it a big deal it’s just a fact.African american music be it Blue’s ,hip hop,rock,jazz,funk ,etc is the only music that travel’s from country to country.Europe as white as it is has a whole British invasion based on the influence of Black music,even Arab’s in the middle east rock hip hop.white folk’s in Australia rock funk check out wa ne ne & midnight oil,you fool get over your racist denial.White people created the problem of race not Black’s so face the fact,as a matter of fact check out TIM WISE who is white and honest unlike you, or check out a Mick Jagger or David Bowie’s interview,or even a Jhon Lennon interview you dumb ass….
Let me see if I understand… “good” and “bad” are objective values, and “everyone” knows how to correctly identify what is “good” and what is “bad?” Damn! You ought to teach a class!
OK Tewdrowos…. we get the picture. All life came from Africa and blacks invented or were responsible for all inventions on earth. Are you satisfied? Now…….. Lets get back to the beginning of this. This is entertaining and I’m learning something here. Let’s discuss true rock that blacks like to listen to. Enough said by me. Later.
Twodrowos: “African music is the ONLY music that’s travelled from country to country?” I just peed myself laughing! Maybe you can explain to all of us ignorant white folks how classical music developed from its African roots. Also, I’d like to know exactly how I distorted history? What IS the problem, Twodrowos? I think I might know.
RAP BLOWS,DEF LEPPARD(and rick Allen,their one-armed drummer)RULE!!!!
Always a goddess,are you a babe?
shonuff you are truly a dumb white person ,every racial group has it’s own classical music
asian’s,african’s ,indian’s,classical music would be the music of a particular culture held as it’s highest form of music.the european music you refer to a classical is chamber musicand one of the most outstanding musician’s to ever play this music in Europe was George Polgreen Bridgetower I suggest you and some of your peep’s go look him up.There are other Black chamber music artist’s I will Identify later.oh yea F.Y.I Beethoven was a MOOR!
I guess I just be exact Black Popular Music is the only music created in the U.S.A. that travel’s from country to country no other’s .Black people had to have something of it’s own white people stole everything else.ask your king ELVIS who he was copying asshole.
hahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahhaahhahahahahahahahahaahhaahahahahahh……………..wait….wait……hahahahahahahahahahhahaahahhahahahahahahhahhhahahahahhahahahahhahahahhaahhahahahhahahahahhahhahahaha! Thanks
Dear Tewdrwos:
Well I guess you proved me wrong with your anomalous examples that fail to disprove the rule. Sure, all art has a classical phase, but when you go down to the music store and look under “CLASSICAL,” everyone knows what’s going to be there. Ludwig Von Beethoven will, the one who was born in Germany and studied in Vienna, and whose family tree is documented back for centuries. This kind of insane history (in which Beethoven is claimed to be a Moor) doesn’t impress educated people, sorry. You’ll have to find some other ignorant folks to peddle it to. By the way, did you know that Cleopatra was black? And Napoleon, and several American presidents (before Obama). It kind of explains why Africa is such a mess of disease-ridden, uneducated, violent children who expect Bwana to bail them out at every turn. They sent all their geniuses to entertain us white folks!
You have a very limited knowledge and understanding of both the history of music, as well as the breadth of contemporary music outside the popular music you listen to.
My husband and his brother travel the world with their Scottish Highland Band, playing concerts and competing with other bagpipe bands from all over the world. I have a friend from college who plays Celtic piano, violin, and flute, and she travels all over California with her children, who she also taught to play, playing concerts as well.
That imported African music influenced early American Jazz, which then influenced Rock and Roll and all that followed is undeniable. I think the problem comes from the fact that you seem to be so angry about all of this. It’s a debate you cannot win, because there is NO SINGLE SOURCE OF THE WORLD’S MUSIC. It is part of the human condition. It would be like saying that Africans invented sex, and that people all over the world have Africa to thank for this ingenious invention. As if they wouldn’t have come to it on their own. This is naive and ignorant.
I might, however, be interested in a thesis that posits how, after the African diaspora, different groups might have taken the rhythms and sounds they knew from their homeland, and elaborated on them over time. Identify the basic African elements in the music of a specific place and show how it evolved over time, using which resources that may not have been present in Africa. It would be interesting to see how these things evolved over time. People get PhDs for stuff like this all the time.
What makes your argument specious, is that you seem to be asserting that music did not occur anywhere in the world at any time in history without that first African influence. You may as well claim all painting, sculpture, and architecture by the same reasoning. But all of these human cultural artifacts evolve throughout history. They gain things each time they arrive at a new place and are subjected to new materials and influences, and they also lose something in this process. That’s how culture works.
By the way, if you do plan of pursuing a Phd, you might want to figure out the proper use of the apostrophe in grammar (hint: apostrophe is not used before the “s” to make a work a plural – just put that s in there, and nothing else).
Well, this page has officially devolved into bad vibes, pointless bickering and stupidity at its lowest level. Thanks for ruining a great and interesting conversation, shonuff and tewrowos.
I have been subscribed to this conversation thread for over two years. It was fun while it lasted, but obviously you can’t keep out idiots on the internet.
I am officially unsubscribing. Good luck everyone else.
Mrs. Barack Obama wrote: “…Identify the basic African elements in the music of a specific place and show how it evolved over time… It would be interesting to see how these things evolved over time…”
That’s precisely what I study.
First let me say I don’t care what comment’s you make in reference to grammar I ‘m not writting an essay or trying to impress you and I could care less what you say I have 2 degree’s from lilly white univerities however if that stoke’s your white supremacy ego.English is not my 1st language this is another I could care less of what you think.I hate that you twist my word’s (typical) I never said allevery form of music came from Africa .the fact I pointed out was about popular music in America in how all the form’s derive from african descent people in the u.s.a. you have the nerve to call yourself Mrs.Barack Obama what a conflict of ideal’s.Europe invaded Africa and destroyed it with the help of sale out Black’s this is why Africa is in the shape it’s in. it’s not because your kind is superior in anyway. I have close white friend’s that would also say you are a closet racist in denial but that’s your problem.I think you and sho-nuff are the basis of why the u.s.a. can’t progress.To everyone else that read’s this understand I don’t mean every white person only the racist one’s like Mrs.? ? and sho-nuff which is also a Black slang term in inner city’s used in the 70’s what a nerve.I really detest these kind’s of peopl.