The 40 Most-Played Songs on Classic Rock Radio in 2025 (So Far)

Do you miss the ’80s? Well, just tune into your local classic rock station, problem solved!

According to Mediabase, a music industry service that monitors airplay in over 180 markets, 25 of the 40 most-played songs on classic rock radio so far in 2025 were released in the ’80s, compared to 14 from the ’70s and just one from the ’90s.

You can see the 40 most-played songs on classic rock radio so far in 2025 below, and find out where other songs from these artists appear on the full 500-song list:

40. The Black Crowes, “Hard to Handle”
From: Shake Your Money Maker (1990)

The Black Crowes are the youngest band on this list in terms of recording careers, having released their debut album in 1990. This Otis Redding cover was the second single and became their first and only Top 20 U.S. chart hit. You have to go all the way down to No. 222 on this list to get to their next most played song, “She Talks to Angles.”

 

39. Steve Miller Band, “The Joker”
From: The Joker (1973)

Steve Miller‘s first-ever chart-topping single still has a strong hold on rock radio 52 years after its release – which may because people are still trying to figure out what the pompatus of love means.

Miller has seven other songs in the Top 500 of this list: “Rock’n Me” at No. 123, “Take the Money and Run” at 202, “Fly Like an Eagle” at 242, “Jet Airliner” at 287, “Jungle Love” at 410, “Swingtown” at 475 and “Threshold” (known as the instrumental intro to “Jet Airliner”) at 490.

 

38. Blue Oyster Cult, “Don’t Fear the Reaper”
From: Agents of Fortune (1976)

Nobody can quite agree on exactly who played the famous cowbell part on “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” but there’s no denying the impact the song has had on society. It was Blue Oyster Cult’s biggest hit long before a 2000 Saturday Night Live skit entitled “More Cowbell” gave it a whole new life.

 

37. Blue Oyster Cult, “Burnin’ For You”
From: Fire of Unknown Origin (1981)

Well, look who’s back already! Blue Oyster Cult have two songs in the Top 500, and wouldn’t you know they’re stacked right on top of each other? Although Eric Bloom sang most of the band’s songs, guitarist Buck Dharma took lead vocals on both “Burnin’ For You” and “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”

 

36. Tom Petty, “I Won’t Back Down”
From: Full Moon Fever (1989)

The record label folks who told Tom Petty they didn’t hear any hits on his first solo album must be feeling rather silly right about now. Solo or with the Heartbreakers, Petty’s got 15 songs in the Top 500 for 2025 radio airplay. The three highest – “I Won’t Back Down,” “Runnin’ Down a Dream” and “Free Fallin’ – all come from Full Moon Fever.

 

35. Eagles, “Hotel California”
From: Hotel California (1976)

The Eagles have seven songs on the 2025 chart, with the epic title track to their 1976 masterpiece Hotel California coming scoring the most airplay. Joe Walsh is also represented by “Rocky Mountain Way” at 395 and “Life’s Been Good” at 400, while Don Henley turns up with “The Boys of Summer” at 66 and “Dirty Laundry” at 425, giving the Eagles family 11 songs altogether.

 

34. Journey, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”
From: Frontiers (1983)

Neal Schon and company have eight songs in the Top 500, including one in the Top 20, which we’ll discuss in a minute. Their tally also includes “Any Way You Want It” at No. 50, “Wheel in the Sky” at 120, “Lights” at 157, “Faithfully” at 307, “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin'” at 379 and “Stone in Love” at 445. No Bad English or “Oh Sherrie” to be found.

 

33. Rush, “Tom Sawyer”
From: Moving Pictures (1981)

“Tom Sawyer” plants its mean, mean stride high on this year’s list of radio’s most played classic rock songs, coming in at No. 33, ahead of fellow Rush favorites such as “Limelight” at No. 89, “The Spirit of Radio” at 284, “Freewill” at 330, “Fly By Night” at 455 and “Closer to the Heart” at 468.

 

32. AC/DC, ‘Back in Black”
From: Back in Black (1980)

This is the first of three times you’ll find AC/DC on this chart, with the title track to their 1980 masterpiece Back in Black, which was dedicated to their recently departed singer Bon Scott. Looking backwards, “T.N.T.” placed at No. 56, “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” right behind that at No. 57, “Thunderstruck” at No. 82, “Hells Bells” at 148, “Shoot to Thrill” at 152, “Moneytalks” at 159, “For Those About to Rock” at 261, “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)” at 413 and “Have a Drink on Me” at 452.

 

31. Led Zeppelin, “Black Dog”
From: Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

Led Zeppelin have 15 songs in the Top 500, but rather surprisingly just one in the Top 40. And no, “Stairway to Heaven” isn’t their second most popular song. It comes in at No. 168, behind “Immigrant Song” at No. 63, “Rock and Roll” at No. 73, “Over the Hills and Far Away” at 107, “Ramble On” at 150, and “Whole Lotta Love” at 158.

 

30. Def Leppard, “Photograph”
From: Pyromania (1983)

Def Leppard are the proud authors of 10 songs in the Top 500, and two in the Top 40. The band’s first-ever U.S. chart-topping hit “Photograph” comes in at No. 30, ahead of “Animal” at No. 90, “Rock of Ages” at 111, “Love Bites” at 161, “Rocket” at 181, “Armageddon It” at 215, “Foolin'” at 232 and “Hysteria” at 321.

 

29. ZZ Top, “Sharp Dressed Man”
From: Eliminator (1983)

ZZ Top‘s got six songs in the Top 500, and it won’t shock you to learn that half of them are from 1983’s 11-million selling Eliminator. In addition to “Sharp Dressed Man” here at No. 29, that album is also represented by “Gimme All Your Lovin'” at 62 and “Legs” at 101. The band’s more organic earlier works turns up later, with “La Grange” at 180, “Tush” at 262 and “Cheap Sunglasses” at 440.

 

28. AC/DC, “Highway to Hell”
From: Highway to Hell (1979)

Just four of the 12 songs AC/DC placed on this chart come from the Bon Scott era, with the title track to the singer’s final album with the band coming in at No. 28.

 

27. Scorpions, “No One Like You”
From: Blackout (1982)

German rock legends the Scorpions, currently celebrating their 60th anniversary, make their first (but not last) arrival in the Top 40 with the lead single from 1982’s Blackout. Their epic 1991 ballad “Wind of Change” whistled its way into the Top 200, landing at 191.

 

26. Billy Idol, “Rebel Yell”
From: Rebel Yell (1983)

Four of the songs Billy Idol‘s currently playing at his It’s a Nice Day to… Tour Again! shows will be very familiar to classic rock radio listeners. The title track to his best-selling Rebel Yell album turns up here, ahead of “Mony Mony” at 130 and “Dancing With Myself” at 264. And there’s still more (more more) to come…

 

25. Guns N’ Roses, “Paradise City”
From: Appetite for Destruction (1987)

Axl Rose and company have eight songs in the Top 500, half of them from their genre-shaking 1987 debut album. “Mr. Brownstone” checks in at 386, “November Rain” at 206, “Patience” at 184, their covers of “Live and Let Die” and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” at 97 and 72 respectively, and “Paradise City.” Spoiler alert: There’s still two more on the way.

(If you’re curious: Paul McCartney‘s version of “Live and Let Die” only hit 313, and Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” is nowhere to be found on the chart.)

 

24. Bryan Adams, “Summer of ’69”
From: Reckless (1984)

Nobody asked us, but it would seem classic rock radio could stand to play a bit more Bryan Adams. He’s only got two songs on the Top 500, both from 1984’s Reckless. In addition to “Summer of ’69” at 24, “Run to You” reached 275. But where’s “Cuts Like a Knife” or “Somebody?”

 

23. Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
From: A Night at the Opera (1975)

Queen‘s daring, groundbreaking and eternally relevant “Bohemian Rhapsody” lights up the charts at No. 23. We’ll be seeing more of Freddie Mercury and his bandmates higher up on the charts, but here’s a quick look backwards: “You’re My Best Friend” hit 383, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” follows at 334, with “Killer Queen” at 179, “Fat Bottomed Girls” at 96, “Somebody to Love” at 91, and their David Bowie collaboration “Under Pressure” at 44.

 

22. Bon Jovi, “Wanted Dead or Alive”
From: Slippery When Wet (1986)

Bon Jovi ride their steel horses into the Top 500 six times. First up at 301 was Jon Bon Jovi’s solo hit “Blaze of Glory,” followed by the band’s “Runaway” at 249, “Bad Medicine” at 109 and “Wanted Dead or Alive” right here at 25. Stay tuned, we’re just about halfway there….

21. Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”
From: The Game (1980)

Here’s Queen again – and not for the last time, with their disco-inspired “Another One Bites the Dust.” Despite the song’s morbid title, it turns out “Dust” is one of the best songs to follow in order to hit the right rate of chest compressions when performing CPR.

 

20. Billy Idol, “White Wedding”
From: Billy Idol (1982)

Billy Idol turns up on our chart for the fourth and final time – not bad for a song that took him just 20 minutes to write!

 

19. Journey, “Don’t Stop Believin'”
From: Escape (1981)

Although it was “only” the third-highest charting single from their 1981 album Escape, behind “Who’s Crying Now” and “Open Arms,” “Don’t Stop Believin'” has become Journey’s unquestioned signature song, with over two and a half billion streams on Spotify as of August 2025.

 

18. Scorpions, “Rock You Like a Hurricane”
From: Love at First Sting (1984)

You know, it’s very doubtful this song would have charted this high if the band had stuck with their original “Fuck You Like a Hurricane” title. “The record company looked at me and said, ‘You’re completely out of your mind!,” recalled drummer Herman Rarebell. “Which I was.”

 

17. AC/DC, “You Shook Me All Night Long”
From: Back in Black (1980)

If you need another measure of just how massively successful Back in Black is, here’s one: This is the fifth song song from the album to turn up on this chart, following “Have a Drink on Me,” the title track, “Hells Bells” and “Have a Drink on Me.”

 

16. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n Roll”
From: I Love Rock ‘n Roll (1981)

Three Joan Jett ’80s classics hit the Top 500: “Bad Reputation” at 174, “I Hate Myself for Loving You” at 133 and her cover of the Arrows’ “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” which spent seven weeks at the top of the pop charts in 1982.

 

15. Pink Floyd, “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)”
From: The Wall (1979)

Despite being about a disinterested in singles as any band in rock history, Pink Floyd place 13 songs in the 2025 classic rock radio Top 500 airplay charts. Here we go (deep breath): “Have a Cigar” at 391, “Run Like Hell” at 342, “Learning to Fly” at 329, “Eclipse” at 269, “Brain Damage” at 265, “Time’ at 263, “Young Lust” at 252, “Money” at 117, “Hey You” at 99, “Comfortably Numb” at 80, “Wish You Were Here” at 71, “The Happiest Days of Our Loves” at 46 and “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) at 15, with the last two songs often being paired together.

 

14. Aerosmith, “Dream On”
From: Aerosmith (1973)

Aerosmith are tied with Led Zeppelin for the most songs on this chart, with 15 apiece. Let’s get this train a rollin’: “Back in the Saddle” starts us off at No. 42, followed by “Livin’ on the Edge” at 350, “Crazy” at 336, “Angel” at 293, “The Other Side” at 291, “Cryin'” at 225, “What it Takes” at 213, “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” at 144, “Janie’s Got a Gun” at 116, “Love in An Elevator” at 115, their cover of “Come Together” at 83, “Rag Doll” at 58, “Walk This Way” at 53 and “Dream On” at 13. Still got one to go, get your talk boxes ready…

 

13. Def Leppard, “Pour Some Sugar on Me”
From: Hysteria (1987)

It’s hard to remember it as anything but a smashing success now, but Def Leppard’s Hysteria didn’t really catch on in the United States until seven months after its initial release, thanks to this single and some very unlikely saviors.

“The song became a hit because strippers in Florida started requesting it on the local radio station,” guitarist Phil Collen explained in 2016. “It had a second lease of life. Hysteria was all over bar the shouting, and then all of a sudden this song just got popular, and then the album went to Number One. It’s really funny how it suddenly became cool because it was a stripping song.”

 

12. Kansas, “Carry On Wayward Son”
From: Leftoverture (1976)

The rest of Kansas wasn’t exactly thrilled when Kerry Livgren brought in a new song just before they headed into the studio to record Leftoverture.

“[We went] ‘Oh, crap!’ We really didn’t want to learn anything else,” guitarist Rich Williams told UCR. “So he starts playing. ‘Whoa! This has got some promise to it!’ So we learned – just barely learned – it and then we went on to the studio.” It was a smart move, as the song gave the band their second biggest chart hit and their most enduring radio staple. (“Dust in the Wind” came in at No. 431.)

 

11. Aerosmith, “Sweet Emotion”
From: Toys in the Attic (1975)

After years of working intermittently on the track, Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton brought “Sweet Emotion” to his bandmates when the band suddenly had a free moment. “We had gotten to the point where we finished all of our basic tracks,” he told UCR. “We had an extra day left over, and our producer Jack Douglas asked if anybody had any extra riffs lying around. I started to show it to everybody, and by the end of the afternoon, I kinda showed everybody the parts, we were jamming on it, and refined it into the arrangement that became ‘Sweet Emotion.'”

 

10. Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Sweet Home Alabama”
From: Second Helping (1974)

Lynyrd Skynyrd opened up a six-pack on our chart, starting with “Call Me the Breeze” at No. 458, “Gimme Three Steps” at 273, “What’s Your Name” at 208, “Free Bird” at 145 (seems kind of low, right?), “Simple Man” at 87 and “Sweet Home Alabama” at No. 10.

The latter song famously name-checks Neil Young, who had recently written a pair of songs about racism in the South. “Ronnie just took offense at that, so he just said that as kind of a fun little thing,” Gary Rossington later explained. “But we loved [Neil], always have and still do, a lot.”

 

9. Boston, “More Than a Feeling”
From: Boston (1976)

Boston’s debut album one-ups Back in Black by placing six songs on our chart. Admittedly, “Foreplay” and “Long Time” are listed separately but even if you count them as one that’s a tie. “Smokin'” starts us off at No. 421, followed by “Foreplay” at 365, “Long Time” at 360, “Rock & Roll Band” at 345, “Peace of Mind” at 173 and of course “More Than a Feeling” at No. 9.  The title track to their follow-up album, Don’t Look Back, also turns up at No. 381.

 

8. Queen, “We Are the Champions”
7. Queen, “We Will Rock You”
From: News of the World (1977)

Rock’s most famously paired songs give Queen two entries in our top 10. Interestingly, according to this chart “We Will Rock You” has been played 66 more times than “We Are the Champions,” suggesting that one or more DJs out there like to leave their listeners hanging.

 

6. Ozzy Osbourne, “Crazy Train”
From: Blizzard of Ozz (1980)

Easy prediction: When we revisit this list at the end of the year this song is going to be much higher on this chart, as the rock world continues to mourn the death and celebrate the career of Ozzy Osbourne. He’s already got seven other songs on the chart: “Bark at the Moon” at No. 390, “Over the Mountain” at 347, “Mr. Crowley” at 341, “Shot in the Dark” at 315, “No More Tears” at 236, “Flying High Again” at 233 and “Mama, I’m Coming Home” at 79.

Black Sabbath also turns up three times, with “War Pigs” at No. 251, “Iron Man” at 172 and “Paranoid” at 70.

 

5. Bon Jovi, “You Give Love a Bad Name”
From: Slippery When Wet (1986)

Bon Jovi aimed for superstardom with their third album, hiring hit songwriter Desmond Child and market-testing 30 songs for young fans before deciding on Slippery When Wet‘s running order. With 15 million copies sold and three top 10 hits, it’s safe to say the strategy worked, ushering in the hair metal era and making Bon Jovi a household name.

Interestingly, Child re-wrote the chorus of a song he had previously given to Bonnie Tyler, “If You Were A Woman (And I Was a Man),” for the album’s first single, “You Give Love a Bad Name.”

 

4. Whitesnake, “Here I Go Again”
From: Whitesnake (1987)

Five years after releasing the original “Here I Go Again” on Whitesnake‘s 1982 Saints and Sinners album, David Coverdale re-recorded a more polished version for the band’s self-titled album. Funny enough, he agreed to do it so the label would let him take another shot at a different song from that same album, “Crying in the Rain.”

Thanks in no small part to a video featuring his future wife Tawny Kitaen, the new “Here I Go Again” became the band’s biggest hit. “Still of the Night” is also on this chart, at No. 453, with “Is This Love” clocking in at 292.

 

3. Guns N’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
From: Appetite for Destruction (1987)

Guns N’ Roses first and so far only No. 1 hit came from humble beginnings. “I was fucking around with this stupid little riff,” Slash recalled in a 2005 Q interview. “Axl [Rose] said ‘hold the fucking phones! That’s amazing.” The other band members began filling in their parts. “Within an hour, my guitar exercise had become something else,” the guitarist recalled in his 2007 autobiography.

That’s an understatement. Released as a single nearly a year after Appetite for Destruction began its long slow climb to the top of the charts, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” made Guns N’ Roses the biggest band in the world.

 

2. Guns N’ Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
From: Appetite for Destruction (1987)

As impossible as this is to believe now, “Welcome to the Jungle” was met with a rather tepid response when it was first released in September of 1987. It wasn’t until after the chart-topping success of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” that a re-released “Jungle” roared into the Top 10 and became one of the most popular and ubiquitous hard rock songs of all time.

Once again, Slash said there’s no big back story to the song’s creation. “[It was] just a riff I made sitting in my bedroom on an acoustic guitar, and Axl just happened to be there,” he told Spin in 1999. “Where he got the lyrics I really have no idea, but when we actually put the song together, it took maybe an hour.”

 

1. Bon Jovi, “Livin’ On a Prayer”
From: Slippery When Wet (1986)

Ready for a shocker? Bon Jovi almost didn’t include “Livin’ On a Prayer,” the most popular song on classic rock radio so far in 2025, on Slippery When Wet. “The song was so unique,” Jon Bon Jovi told fans during a 2019 Q&A session. “[It] didn’t sound like anything, so I was kind of indifferent. I thought, ‘Well, it’s different, but is it a rock song? Is it us?”

Luckily, he or somebody in his camp thought it would be wise to keep the song on the album. To date, “Livin’ On a Prayer” has earned over two billion streams on Spotify and has sold over 10,000,000 copies in the United States alone.