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Paul Simon, and Bob Dylan that are particularly strong in this area. This is why popular songs like "Stairway to Heaven" or "Once in a Lifetime", however technically or musically "tight", fail to deliver on a certain level. Although they are clearly excellent in their own right, the meanings behind the lyrics are too heavily veiled to illicit the gut level reaction from a listener that ultimately propels a song to the top.

It is, however, the third and last element that begins to help us establish a short list of songs from which to consider. Rock and roll, from its roots in blues such as Robert Johnson or rockabilly acts such as Carl Perkins, has at its best always maintained a certain subversive quality. Good rock and roll challenges the popular conventions of its times, from Elvis Presley's pelvic gyrations to Alice Cooper's stage antics, to even more recent examples such as Eminem's confrontational lyrics or Christina Aguilera's raw sexuality. It is within this tension between the norm and nonconformity that good rock and roll has always operated in. Generally, every popular rock act in the last six decades shares this common bond. Confrontation, in my opinion, is the very essence of rock and roll and what sets it apart from other musical styles. Having said all this, I think one could make a case for a handful of songs which could be definitively labeled as the "best rock song ever".

1. Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
The familiar opening measure of this catchy tune followed by the arrival of Elvis' raspy, yet soulful howl, quickly establishes that we are indeed in a good rock song. Elvis's ability to sustain a certain mood and tone throughout a song is what sets him apart from many of his contemporaries. In this particular song, Elvis uses the familiar angst of incarceration, albeit in a very tongue and cheek way, as a backdrop that mirrors the angst of rock and roll itself.

2. Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
Dylan turns the traditional folk aesthetic on its head with one of the truly great kiss-off records ever. Layered over a fairly upbeat and innocuous folk music track is a scathing indictment on the perils of privilege and wealth delivered with a wry sensibility by Dylan. This song rewrites the traditional folk music template of love, peace, and harmony, adding to it a dark, almost menacing element that did not previously exist.

3. Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
Rock music has always embraced such universal concepts as life, love, freedom, and death. Much

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