10 Best Power Ballads

Bad boys get broken hearts, too, and In the 80's all our favorite heavy rockers entered the softer side of rock with the power ballad. These 10 best power ballads were chosen based off of the highest rated rock ballads by AOL Radio listeners. Enjoy reading the list while listening to AOL Radio's Power Ballads station! If your favorite monster ballad is not on the list, let us know about it in the comments!

10) Aerosmith: Dream On

Did you know? Steven Tyler, lead singer, plays the piano part live in concerts and it has become a trademark of the band. He has even been known to play the song with orchestral accompaniment, such as on MTV's 10th Anniversary in 1991.

Appeared in: In the movie Be Cool the character Edie Athens, played by Uma Thurman, says on the way to an Aerosmith concert, "Tell me 'Dream On' is not the greatest rock and roll song you've ever heard!"


9) Bon Jovi: I'll Be There For You

Did you know? While on the track both Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora sing, Sambora usually sings the song live. The song came out during the pinnacle of Bon Jovi's popularity and instantly became number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Featured in: In the movie A Lot Like Love, with Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet, Kutcher's character, who is not that great of a singer, serenades Peet with "I'll Be There for You".


8) Poison: Every Rose Has Its Thorn

Did you know? Brett Michaels wrote this song in a Texas Laundromat one night after learning that his stripper girlfriend had been cheating on him. This is the only Poison song to reach number 1 in the U.S.

Featured in: The main chorus of this song is played in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey by the main characters to show that they are worthy of entrance into Heaven.


7) Metallica: Nothing Else Matters

Did you know? James Hetfield, singer and guitarist, wrote the ultra personal song while he was on the phone with his former girlfriend, and composed it one-handed. Hetfield never wanted to release the song, but after drummer Lars Ulrich heard the song he convinced Hetfield to put it on the album.

Featured in: Guitar Hero: Metallica not only includes Metallica songs but also bands like Judas Priest and The Foo Fighters. They, among others, were hand-picked by the band for fans to play.


6) Def Leppard: Love Bites

Did you know? At the very end of the song you can hear producer Mutt Lange mumbling into a synthesizer, "Yes it does, bloody Hell". Fans mistook this mumbling for "Jesus of Nazareth, go to Hell," but the band corrected this on the documentary for the Hysteria album.

Covered: The song has a techno remake by the band QED and also a Portuguese cover by the Brazilian rock band Yahoo.


5) Cinderella: Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)

Did you know? This was the most successful single from the Glam Rock band, reaching number 12 on Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 on Mainstream Rock Tracks.

Appeared in: The 2003 South Park episode "Raisins".


4) Aerosmith: I Don't Want to Miss a Thing

Did You Know? This hit song was written by Diane Warren who had originally intended for Celine Dion to sing it.

Appeared in: American Idol has had contestants cover the song multiple times in its 8 seasons, which includes David Cook, season 7 winner. Diane Warren was on the stage that night and gave Cook a standing ovation. American Idol judge, Simon Cowell, has dubbed the song "one of the great songs of all time."


3) Skid Row: I Remember You

Did you know? 'I Remember You' was the prom song of 1990, and was the typical high school dance song. Girls swooned at Sebastian Bach's smooth voice, and guys took the opportunity to remember their favorite girl.

Covered: In 2000 the rock band The Ataris covered Skid Row for the album 'Punk Goes Metal.' In 2003 Skid Row recorded a new version of the song entitled 'I Remember You Two' with new lead singer Johnny Solinger.


2) Guns N' Roses: November Rain

Did you know? Clocking in at almost 9 minutes, it is the longest song to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Referenced In: 'On the Radio' by Regina Spektor - "On the radio / We heard November Rain / The solo's real long / But it's a pretty song."


1) Journey: Faithfully

Did you know? The song is often mistakenly named 'Forever Yours', as these lyrics are used prominently in the song. This is Journey's first song to be accompanied by a music video, its theme was a man out on tour away from his family. The idea was an original, and the same theme has since been used for other bands such as Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses.

Appeared in: Bar scene in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and Elecman's stage in the NES game 'Mega Man' uses the same keynotes.




Share & Bookmark :

Recent Posts

Reader Comments

(Page 1)

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New Users

Current Users