Loudwire Picks 10 'Power Ballads That Don't Suck'

Happy Friday - this has been a super long week for me.

This is an interesting list and mix of songs. I don't consider Alice In Chains "Down In A Hole" (#5) a power ballad. ButI do agree with the number one choice, which is "Dream On" by Aerosmith! I also would have never made a list where Pantera and Cinderella both appear. Intriguing. What do you think?

Top 10 Power Ballads That Don't Suck https://t.co/BhMYo2ndcW

— Loudwire (@Loudwire) April 13, 2018

Comments

[Spolier Alert]

10) Alice Cooper - Poison
9) Metallica - Nothing Else Matters
8) Skid Row - Quicksand Jesus
7) Cinderella - Nobody's Fool
6) Pantera - Cemetery Gates
5) Alice in Chains - Down In a Hole
4) Scorpions - Winds of Change
3) Guns N Roses - November Rain
2) Judas Priest - Beyond the Realms of Death
1) Aerosmith - Dream On

[Dj]

Suprised they didn't pick Home Sweet Home. In my opinion that's number one and Nobodys Fool would be number two. The only ones I don't agree with here are Quicksand Jesus which I'd replace with I Remember You, and as much as I love Alice In Chains I wouldn't consider Down In A Hole a power ballad.

[Mike]

I think the people at Loudwire are confused as to what constitutes a power ballad.

...and "November Rain" would actually be on the "suck" list.

[Metalboy!]

1) “Home Sweet Home”, Motlëy Crüe
2) “Living On A Prayer”, Bon Jovi
3) “Poison”, Alice Cooper
4) “Cry Tough”, Poison
5) “Burnin’ Like A Flame”, Dokken
6) “Fly High Michelle”, Enuff Z’ Nuff
7) “Heaven”, Warrant
8) “Don’t Know What You Got”, Cinderella
9) “I Got You”, Sweet Cheater
10) “I Hate Kissin’ You Goodbye”, TUFF
11) “Red Rose”, Roxx Gang

Of course, there are probably some songs I’ve listed here people wouldn’t consider Power ballads as well as songs out there people would claim are better than many of these but this is pretty much my Top 11 Greatest Powerballads of All Time! list.

I could potentially spend hours refining it as I culled it from one of my iTunes lists called, “Love Roxx”, which contains 715 songs and is 2.2 days long.

[Gogmagog]

I've always thought Estranged was far better than November Rain.

Just curious why people think Down In A Hole isn't a power ballad, but Cemetery Gates and Beyond The Realms Of Death are. I would say Poison and Burning Like A Flame aren't, not because they're not great -- they are -- but because their higher tempo makes them not ballads by definition.

[Him]

I would go with GnR's "Don't Cry" before either "NR" or "E" (both good songs though). With Alice in Chains I would go with the more recent "Black Gives Way To Blue." Cinderella? "Heartbreak Station" by a yard. Judas Priest? "Night Comes Down" as mentioned a week or so ago on this site or their cover of "Diamonds & Rust." Crue? "You're All I Need" (with a bit of a giggle at the content).

I think the definition of power ballad is rather elastic, though the ne plus ultra of defs--Urban Dictionary--is fairly close to what I was thinking: "An emotional hard rock/heavy metal song, often with a slow tempo, dramatic sung vocals, and many instruments, including acoustic ones and synthesizers. Power ballads usually start soft, then heaviness builds up with drums and heavy electric guitars." Obviously, that is subject to some variation.

Good topic though. Interesting input all around.

[Gary]

I’d toss Sometimes She Cries from Warrant, Mama I’m Comin’Home from Ozzy, G&R’s version of Knockin On Heavens Door, and Standing Alone from Tyketto into the mix. But Home Sweet Home has to be 1st. To me at least, it kind of wrote the book/set the blueprint for the whole power ballad thing.

[Allyson]

Estranged is better than November Rain, hands down. It's also my favorite GnR track. That said, November Rain has the better video. - Allyson

[Badland]

AllYour Love - Steel Heart
Walkin Away - Kix
Calm Before The Storm - Keel
Never Said It Was Gonna Be Easy - Valentine
You Are All I Need - The Scream
Hands Off - Junkyard
I Believe In You - Blackfish
Standing Alone - Tyketto @ Gary
Open Your Heart - Sister Whiskey
Hand Me Down - Cry Of Love
Living Witout You - Shotgun Messiah

Idk just off the top

[GNR]

Its a weird list because what do you choose the best ballad on side b or one that an article can connect to ?

Such as Badland pointing out Steelheart's lyrically sound song of All Your Love - but to the majority it would be easily hands down be "I'll Never Let You Go" - you all can name that song in a few notes and sing every lyric without even thinking. To make a true top 10 you need songs that most can identify besides true genre fans.

A power ballad has to be just that... "POWER". Apologies to Every Rose, Patience, To Be With You etc.. But then you have tweeners like Close My Eyes Forever, Silent Lucidity, etc...
And to say Poison by Alice is a power ballad ? Isn't that like saying Wait by White Lion is a power ballad :)

But then again is Love Song by Tesal ? or is that just a pretty rock song ? I will take Paradise over Love Song any day as far a pretty rock songs are concerned. Nevermind... I'm confused and enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts here and some songs I have not heard in years... off to find them on the ipod. Hold on... I need to sit through Burning Heart by Vandenberg.

Sweet Cheater Metalboy! ? Made me shift gears and think of Ratt's song - Sweet Cheater

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebOn2bchgaA

My brain hurts from actually thinking about all these great songs... here's to a Lazy Sunday.

[TheCheapSeats]

I don't know what Loudwire thinks a power ballad is, but from what I think a power ballad is, they only have one on their list and it may not even be in the top 3 power ballads from that band.

I can't really agree or disagree with the list unless I know what they actually consider a power ballad. Andy Staples is a college football sportswriter who does a weekly column in which he has a random ranking, anything from Saturday morning cartoons to Thanksgiving sides to music/TV stuff. Random. So I asked him earlier this week if he's ever done one power ballads from 1988-1992. It will be in his column tomorrow.

He took to Twitter and the general consensus pretty much aligned with the definition Him layed out earlier. Why 1988-1992? Because that was the heyday of the power ballad and also power ballad hell, right before grunge finally swept it away from public consciousness.

I'll post his list sometime tomorrow after it comes out. I'll also try to come up with one of my own. Good discussion topic anyway.