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like Hemingway does for the literary world, Springsteen's music has always dealt with the bigger issues of life while still maintaining a very personal tone. His stirring anthem of life, love, freedom, and death on the open road remains his best work to date. When Bruce utters the classic line "I want to die with you Wendy on the streets tonight in an everlasting kiss," we are reminded that one of rock and roll's grandest sentiments is its quest for immortality.

4. Pride (in the Name of Love) - U2
Sometimes a good rock and roll song reminds us of our past in the hopes that history might not repeat itself. This homage to civil rights leader Martin Luther King, set to a snarling bass line and a ferocious guitar riff, brings the poignancy of Dr. King's message to a new generation and delivers it with Bono's trademark passion and sensibility.

5. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones
Rock music has always glorified sex and celebrated the danger the two institutions share. Set to what is arguably the most recognizable and addicting guitar riff of all time, this classic Stones track more accurately taps into the vein of the male's psyche than any other before or after it. Good rock is always deceptively simple in its presentation and nobody understands that better than the Rolling Stones.

I suppose there are some others that should be included in the debate such as "Take it Easy" by The Eagles, "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks, or even "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath. There's no clear cut winner, but perhaps you will apply this criteria the next time you ponder this question and come to the conclusion that maybe musical taste isn't quite as subjective as we think it to be.

Learn more about this author, Jeff Marion.
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