Ranking All the Songs from the Dazed and Confused Soundtrack
There have been countless movies made about high school, but few quite as good as Dazed and Confused. It didn’t do much at the box office, but in the years since its release, it’s become a cult classic. It was the movie that launched the careers of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, gave us Matthew McConaughey’s immortal catchphrase, “all right, all right, all right,” and delivered one of the best soundtracks of the ’90s. Here’s how we rank all the songs from the Dazed and Confused soundtrack from worst to best.
14. Slow Ride – Foghat
English rock and rollers Foghat first recorded Slow Ride in 1975 for their fifth studio album, Fool for the City. Released as the album’s lead single, it reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. A rock radio staple for years, it’s known as one of the band’s signature songs. In addition to appearing on the Dazed and Confused soundtrack, it’s also found its way onto numerous other TV shows and movies, including Family Guy, Seinfield, Dexter, and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run.
13. Jim Dandy – Black Oak Arkansas
Two decades after LaVern Baker scored a top 20 hit with Jim Dandy, southern rockers Black Oak Arkansas revisited it for their 1973 album High on the Hog. Although it was LaVern’s version that got named as one of “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll,” it was Black Oak Arkansas’ cover that made it onto the Dazed and Confused soundtrack.
12. Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo – Rick Derringer
Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo was written by Rick Derringer and first recorded in 1970 by Johnny Winter, whose band, Johnny Winter And, Derringer was then a member. Speaking about the song, Derringer explained: “The first song I wrote for Johnny was ‘Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo’. ‘Rock and Roll’ to satisfy the rock ‘n’ roll that I was supposed to be bringing into the picture, and ‘Hoochie Koo’ to satisfy the king of blues sensibility that Johnny was supposed to maintain. And it worked out great,” Three years later, Derringer recorded his own cut, which became a fixture on classic rock radio and the only top 40 US hit of his solo career.
11. Fox on the Run – Sweet
Hard rock meets bubblegum pop on this irresistible slice of glam rock from British band Sweet, which reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and spent six weeks at number one in Australia on its release in early 1975.
10. Stranglehold – Ted Nugent
If we’ve got any song to thank (or blame, depending on your perspective) for Ted Nugent’s career, it’s Stranglehold, which set the stage for the Motor City Madman’s rise to the top on its release as the debut single from his self-titled debut 1975 album.
9. Cherry Bomb – The Runaways
The song that launched the career of Joan Jett and the rest of the Runaways was released in 1976, proclaiming the arrival of one of the most exciting girl bands to emerge in decades. It’s since been voted as one of VH1’s 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs.
8. Rock and Roll All Nite – Kiss
In 1975, Kiss strutted their way into the charts with Rock and Roll All Nite, which became their first top 20 hit of the decade when it landed at number 12 on the Billboard 100. They’ve since used it as the final song in almost every concert they’ve given since 1976.
7. Tush – ZZ Top
Described by Cashbox as “super summer dance rock and roll,” this typically (and gloriously) lewd and crude offering from ZZ Top took the band to the US top 20 on its release as the lead single from their 1975 album, Fandango!.
6. Love Hurts – Nazareth
Written and composed by the songwriter Boudleaux Bryant and first recorded by the Everly Brothers, Love Hurts became one of the biggest hits of Scottish hard rock band Nazareth’s career when they covered it for their 1975 album, Hair of the Dog.
5. Highway Star – Deep Purple
Dream Theater, Point Blank, Stryper, Cory Todd, Metal Church, Buckcherry, Type O Negative, Faith No More, the Gwar… at some point or another, they’ve all tried their hand at Deep Purple’s majestic, career-defining hit from 1972, Highway Star. So far, none have come even close to bettering the original.
4. Tuesday’s Gone – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Everyone from Metallica to Hank Williams Jr. has covered Tuesday’s Gone over the years, but there’s no beating Lynyrd Skynyrd’s original from their seminal debut album, (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd). For an alternative take, check out the live version from their 1976 album, One More from the Road.
3. School’s Out – Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper released School’s Out in April 26, 1972, whereupon it became a top ten hit in the US, UK, Ireland, and Canada. Arguably one of the very greatest glam rock anthems ever recorded, who placed it at number 3 on its list of “The 20 best glam-rock songs of all time”), it’s been used in countless films and TV shows over the years, including Scream, I Love You, Beth Cooper, Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, and, of course, Dazed and Confused.
2. Low Rider – War
The irrepressibly funky Low Rider took War to number one on the Billboard R&B singles chart and number seven on the Hot 100 singles chart on its release in 1975, becoming one of the band’s biggest ever hits and one of the most memorable tunes of the decade to boot.
1. Paranoid – Black Sabbath
In at number one is Black Sabbath’s first-ever single and, in a lot of people’s eyes, their greatest. One of the most blistering pieces of heavy metal ever committed to tape, Paranoid took the band to number 4 on the UK charts and has since been named as one of “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.”
