The 10 Best Billy Squier Songs of All-Time
Billy Squier is a rock musician and singer who was at the height of his fame during the early 1980s when he released a string of arena rock and crossover hits. His 1981 album ‘Don’t Say No’ was considered a landmark for the arena rock genre, as the music bridged the gap between hard rock and power pop. During his career, Billy Squier released nine studio albums, seven compilation albums, two live albums, and 22 singles. Here are the 10 best Billy Squier songs of all time.
10. She Goes Down (1991)
‘She Goes Down’ was a track that featured in the 1991 LP ‘Creatures of Habit.’ Although the LP was a commercial failure, ‘She Goes Down’ was a standout track that remains one of Squier’s best songs. The song peaked at number four on the Mainstream Rock chart, although it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100.
9. Love Is the Hero (1986)
‘Love Is the Hero’ was the second song that was a collaboration between Billy Squier Freddie Mercury from Queen, with Mercury providing backing vocals. The song is the second single Squier released from his fifth studio album, ‘ Enough Is Enough.’ The B-side to the single was ‘Learn How to Live.’
8. Emotions in Motion (1982)
‘Emotions in Motion’ is the title track from the 1982 album of the same name, which was Billy Squier’s third studio album. The song peaked at number 20 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although the song only achieved mediocre success in the United States, it peaked at number 13 in Canada. A notable feature of this song was Queen members Roger Taylor and Freddie Mercury featuring on backing vocals.
7. The Big Beat (1980)
‘The Big Beat’ was one of Billy Squier’s earliest successes, and it was released in 1980 before he had become a household name. It was a song from his debut studio album, ‘The Tale of the Tape.’ Although the song never charted, it has since been sampled in more than 300 recordings. When Billy Squier recorded this song, the big beat in the background was provided by drummer Bobby Chouinard, and Squier added to the beat by banging his hands against a snare case.
6. Lonely Is the Night (1981)
The third single released from the 1981 album ‘Don’t Say No’ was ‘Lonely Is the Night,’ and the song was written by Billy Squier. It is widely considered one of the best Billy Squier songs by both fans and critics. The song is on the soundtrack for video games, including ‘Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80’s,’ ‘Guitar Hero 5,’ and ‘Grand Theft Auto V.’On the US Mainstream Rock chart, the song peaked at number 28.
5. My Kinda Lover (1981)
‘My Kinda Lover’ was the third and final song that Billy Squier released from his 1981 album ‘Don’t Say No.’ It peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100. When it was released as a single, the B-side track was the Christmas song, ‘Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You.’ This song featured in the 2019 biographical comedy film ‘The Dirt’, which was about the Motley Crue. It was also sampled in the 2014 Eminem single ‘Shady XV.’
4. In the Dark (1981)
‘In the Dark’ was the opening track from the Triple Platinum 1981 album ‘Don’t Say No,’ and it was released as the second single from the album. The song has been ranked by the Village Voice at number six on their list of the 20 Best Arena Rock Songs of All Time. This song peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Rock Tracks chart and at 35 on the Billboard Hot 100.
3. The Stroke (1981)
Classic Rock History ranks ‘The Stroke’ as one of the best Billy Squier songs of all time. It is considered a song that defines the early 1980s, as it was used in multiple commercials, video games, television series, and movies. One of the movies in which it appears is the 1995 film ‘Billy Madison.’ It was the first of Squier’s singles to chart, reaching number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. It did better elsewhere, reaching number three in Austria, number five in Australia, and number seven in Canada.
2. Everybody Wants You (1982)
‘Everybody Wants You’ was the lead single from the 1982 multi-platinum album ‘Emotions in Motion.’ It was one of Billy Squier’s most successful singles, as it remained in the top spot on the Mainstream Rock chart for six weeks. The song was also a hit on MTV, as the music channel heavily rotated the music video for this song for many months. ‘Everybody Wants You’ was used in the 2012 movie ‘Battleship’ and in the first two seasons of the television series ‘Burn Notice.’ It was also used in a single episode of the drama series ‘The Closer.’
1. Rock Me Tonite (1984)
‘Rock Me Tonite’ is Billy Squier’s most commercially successful song, and it was his second song to top the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It also peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was the lead single from the platinum-plus album ‘Signs of Life.’ Despite the song being one of the major successes of Billy Squier’s career, the music video has been described as one of the worst ever made. It featured Squier dancing around on a bed with pastel-colored sheets. The music video was blamed for the decline of Squier’s popularity following this single.
