\n<\/p>\n
On Nov. 8, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame<\/a> will induct its 2025 class. The list of honorees is impressive, featuring Bad Company<\/a>, Soundgarden<\/a>, Cyndi Lauper<\/a>, the White Stripes<\/a>, Warren Zevon<\/a>, Chubby Checker<\/a> and Joe Cocker<\/a>.<\/p>\n Each of these acts contributed mightily to the sound of popular music during their career. They boast platinum albums, Grammy awards and legions of passionate fans.<\/p>\n Below, we\u2019ve made our choice for best, worst and most underrated songs from each of the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. While some of the choices were easy, many others left us debating for far too long.<\/p>\n Best:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cBad Company\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Worst:<\/strong> \u201cThis Could Be the One\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Underrated:<\/strong> “Silver, Blue and Gold” Best:<\/strong> \u201cFell on Black Days\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Worst:<\/strong> \u201c665\u201d and \u201c667\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Underrated:<\/strong> \u201cRusty Cage\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Best:<\/strong> \u201cWith a Little Help From My Friends\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Worst:<\/strong> \u201cUp Where We Belong\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Underrated:<\/strong> \u201cDon\u2019t Let Me Be Misunderstood\u201d Best:<\/strong> \u201cGirls Just Want to Have Fun\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Worst:<\/strong> \u201cLike a Cat” \u00a0<\/p>\n Underrated:<\/strong> \u201cBoy Blue\u201d Best:<\/strong> \u201cSeven Nation Army\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Worst: <\/strong>“A Boy’s Best Friend” \u00a0<\/p>\n Underrated:<\/strong> \u201cHotel Yorba\u201d Best:<\/strong> “Werewolves of London” \u00a0<\/p>\n Worst:<\/strong> “Gorilla, You’re a Desperado” \u00a0<\/p>\n Underrated:<\/strong> “Splendid Isolation” \u00a0<\/p>\n Best:<\/strong> \u201cThe Twist\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Worst:<\/strong> \u201cLa Paloma Twist\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Underrated:<\/strong> \u201cLimbo Rock\u201d These exclusions are particularly egregious.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
We were this close<\/em> to picking \u201cFeel Like Makin\u2019 Love,\u201d but it\u2019s just too difficult to keep Bad Company\u2019s namesake tune out of this spot. There\u2019s a dark, bluesy element to the track, along with a an overarching theme that Paul Rodgers<\/a> once described as \u201clawless.\u201d The opening piano part is legendary, part of a slow burn that eventually takes listeners to an emphatic climax, spearheaded by Rodgers’ distinctive croon.<\/p>\n
The \u201890s were difficult for many bands that had come to prominence in the \u201870s and \u201880s. Some artists attempted (and largely failed) to embrace grunge. Bad Company \u2013 now with Brian Howe as singer, having replaced Rodgers in 1986 \u2013 opted for a different direction, leaning into a sleek pop sound. \u201cThis Could Be the One\u201d from 1992\u2019s Here Comes Trouble<\/em> was a Bryan Adams<\/a>-style ballad (minus Adams\u2019 penchant for catchy choruses). Toothless and derivative, the track briefly earned some minor radio airplay before fading away.<\/p>\n
An album cut from 1976\u2019s Run With the Pack<\/a><\/em>, “Silver, Blue and Gold” gradually became a fan favorite despite never being released as an official single. There\u2019s something captivating and instantly relatable about the track \u2013 an earnest lament about heartache and the difficulties in overcoming it.<\/p>\n
Most people would put \u201cBlack Hole Sun\u201d in the space \u2013 and honestly, we can\u2019t argue against that choice. Still, our pick is \u201cFell on Black Days,\u201d the hauntingly powerful single from 1994\u2019s Superunknown<\/a><\/em>. Frontman Chris Cornell<\/a> is at his dynamic best here, his voice emanating a mix of sorrow and aggression. Meanwhile, guitarist Kim Thayil provides a subtle foundation throughout the early part of the track before exploding for one of his greatest solos deeper in the piece.<\/p>\n
Occasionally, Soundgarden liked to show a little humor, as with these related tracks from 1988\u2019s Ultramega OK<\/em>. Showing range is good! Having fun is wonderful! But \u201c665\u201d and \u201c667\u201d are neither of those things. Instead, Soundgarden try to make fun of metal\u2019s obsession with the number 666 by playing distorted and, frankly, unlistenable noise.<\/p>\n
There is unbridled energy pulsing through every second of \u201cRusty Cage.\u201d In the beginning, its channeled via Thayil\u2019s frenetic riff and Cornell\u2019s punchy delivery. On the latter half, the mood shifts but the intensity remains, as the band drops into a foreboding doom groove. It\u2019s one of Soundgarden\u2019s all-time great songs and deserves to be mentioned alongside \u201cBlack Hole Sun,\u201d \u201cOutshined,\u201d \u201cSpoonman,\u201d etc.<\/p>\n
Cocker\u2019s version of the Beatles<\/a>‘ \u201cWith a Little Help From My Friends\u201d remains his most enduring work. Soulful and engaging, the rendition was a far cry from the poppy original found on Sgt. Pepper\u2019s Lonely Hearts Club Band<\/a><\/em>. Even Paul McCartney<\/a> recognized the genius of Cocker\u2019s interpretation. “It was just mind blowing,\u201d the Beatle once noted, recalling the first time he heard Cocker\u2019s version. \u201c[He] totally turned the song into a soul anthem and I was forever grateful for him for doing that.”<\/p>\n
We get it \u2013 some people are going to be outraged that we chose \u201cUp Where We Belong\u201d as Cocker\u2019s worst song. Commercially, it was his biggest hit, earning platinum sales, a Grammy nomination and landing its songwriters an Oscar win. But the schmaltzy love song is far too saccharine for Cocker’s gravelly-voiced skills.<\/p>\n
There have been so many versions of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” \u2013 most notably Nina Simone’s original recording, and the Animals<\/a>‘ 1965 hit \u2013 that Cocker\u2019s rendition is regularly overlooked. That is a mistake. The singer’s version is a slow burn — mournful, bluesy, but still packed with intensity.<\/p>\n
Cyndi Lauper\u2019s bubbly 1983 anthem was more than just a hit, it was a seismic shift in pop music. The colorful singer proved that a feminist declaration of empowerment could still be upbeat and fun, and her distinctive charisma shone through every note. \u201cGirls Just Want to Have Fun\u201d wasn\u2019t just the defining hit of Lauper\u2019s career, it was a defining track of the entire decade.<\/p>\n
After her first two albums were critical and commercial successes, Lauper stumbled for the first time with 1989\u2019s A Night to Remember<\/em>. The uneven LP failed to deliver the kind of punchy, captivating pop tunes fans had come to expect from the singer. Perhaps the most forgettable of the bunch was \u201cLike a Cat,\u201d which featured a strange synthesizer backing part and some of Lauper\u2019s least inspired lyrics.<\/p>\n
Like the more celebrated \u201cTrue Colors,\u201d Lauper\u2019s \u201cBoy Blue\u201d was inspired by Gregory Natal, a close friend of the singer who died of AIDS. Lauper poured her heart into the track, cleverly hiding grief within a shimmering pop package. The result was something poignant, vulnerable and relatable.<\/p>\n
The most difficult decision of this whole exercise was picking which White Stripes song to place in this slot. We could easily make the argument for the driving \u201cThe Hardest Button to Button\u201d or the fuzzed-out \u201cDead Leaves on the Dirty Ground,\u201d but there’s no way we can deny the global appeal of “Seven Nation Army.” The track’s iconic guitar riff has\u00a0evolved into a chant heard around the world — making “Seven Nation Army” arguably the most ubiquitous song of the 21st century.<\/p>\n
The White Stripes could be loud and raucous, quiet and sentimental, and even fun and quirky. What they rarely were was boring — except on this album cut from 2000’s De Stijl<\/em>. “A Boy’s Best Friend” seems to go on forever without actually going anywhere at all. Meandering and directionless, it’s one of the few missteps in an otherwise superb catalog.<\/p>\n
Memorable and simple, like a TV jingle that you can\u2019t get out of your head, \u201cHotel Yorba\u201d is one of the White Stripes\u2019 finest tunes (Side note: The song actually was used in TV commercials after its release). The country-tinged track has a frenzied energy, and its chorus provides one of the duo\u2019s best singalong moments.<\/p>\n
Zevon\u2019s signature song and only Top 40 hit boasts one of the most memorable hooks in rock history. Released on 1978\u2019s Excitable Boy<\/a><\/em>, \u201cWerewolves of London\u201d was never supposed to be a single \u2013 Zevon himself fought his record label over the decision. The track was penned as an inside joke for the singer and his friends, intended to be nothing more than a fun jaunt. Of course, \u201cWerewolves of London\u201d became much more than that, as its quirky lyrics and catchy melody resonated with generations of music lovers. Ah-hoo!<\/em><\/p>\n
Zevon\u2019s brand of songwriting was not for everyone — and it wasn\u2019t intended to be. While that may have prevented the singer from massive mainstream success, it also allowed him the artistic freedom to generally write whatever he wanted. One of the misfires along the way was this track off of 1980\u2019s Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School<\/em>. Across a simplistic synthesizer line and a strangely reggae-esque beat, Zevon sings about a gorilla that escapes the Los Angeles zoo, only to live a mundane suburban life.<\/p>\n
Zevon made notable comebacks at a couple of different points in his career, most\u00a0memorably with 1987\u2019s Sentimental Hygiene<\/em>. He returned two years later with the sci-fi concept album Transverse City<\/em>. While some listeners were immediately put off by its synth-heavy nature, there were several gems within the LP. Among them, \u201cSplendid Isolation,\u201d a buoyant rock tune that structurally sounded like Zevon doing his best Tom Petty<\/a> impression.<\/p>\n
Chubby Checker has put out\u00a019 studio albums and more than 50 singles across his career, yet his signature song will always remain \u201cThe Twist.\u201d Released in 1960, the track is not a Checker original \u2013 that honor goes to Hank Ballard and the Midnighters who released the tune in \u201858. Still, Checker\u2019s is unquestionably the definitive version, a beloved rendition that remains one of the most important early songs in rock history.<\/p>\n
Checker was never afraid to revisit the dance that made him famous \u2013 no less than 10 of his songs feature the word \u201ctwist\u201d in its title. Still, he returned to the well one too many times with \u201cLa Paloma Twist,\u201d a slightly Latin number that feels more like parody than authentic.<\/p>\n
Everything about Chubby Checker goes back to \u201cThe Twist.\u201d But people forget he was also integral to another dance phenomenon, the limbo! Released in 1962, \u201cLimbo Rock\u201d peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and brought the Trinidadian game\/dance to mainstream America. More than 60 years later, it\u2019s still done at birthday parties across the country.<\/p>\n10 Worst Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Snubs<\/h2>\n