Ranking All the Songs from The Rock of Ages Soundtrack
Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical for the movie screen that came out in 2012, which was based on a jukebox musical for the theater stage that came out in 2005. As such, it featured well-known songs chosen from the best of 1980s rock. However, the nature of Rock of Ages means that those songs were done in their own particular way, thus enabling them to stand out from the soundtrack.
20. Undercover Love – Diego Boneta
This song featured Diego Boneta and only Diego Boneta. It is far from being the worst song ever recorded. In fact, “Undercover Love” is quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, it is overshadowed by everything on this list.
19. Waiting for a Girl Like You – Diego Boneta, Julianne Hough
Given the name, interested individuals should have no problem guessing that this song was sung by both Diego Boneta and Julianne Hough. The original is best remembered for being one of Foreigner’s most successful songs ever.
18. Harden My Heart – Julianne Hough, Mary J. Blige
“Harden My Heart” comes at a painful moment in the movie. It has a fair amount of emotional punch to it. However, its very nature means that it isn’t as pleasant as the rest of the songs on the soundtrack.
17. Pour Some Sugar on Me – Tom Cruise
“Pour Some Sugar on Me” is one of the most notable moments of Tom Cruise’s character Stacee Jaxx. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t capable of matching the Def Leppard original, which to be fair, has a very strong claim to being that band’s most iconic song.
16. Paradise City – Tom Cruise
Speaking of which, “Paradise City” was covered by Tom Cruise as well. It is notable in that it was sung for the opening credits. Thanks to that, it loses some of the emotional weight possessed by the other songs. This isn’t because the opening credits. Instead, this is more because the other songs benefited from a longer setup.
15. Can’t Fight This Feeling – Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin
Russell and Alec Baldwin didn’t have the most dignified characters in Rock of Ages. Even so, they made some excellent contributions to the soundtrack as a whole. “Can’t Fight This Feeling” is the one song where they took center stage. However, that isn’t a knock on their singing abilities because the others are some of the most notable songs on the entire soundtrack.
14. Every Rose Has Its Thorn – Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Mary J. Blige
“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” would be a classic from Poison. A total of four cast members contributed to this one. To their credit, the result is a credible cover, which is strengthened by the narrative context in which it exists.
13. Shadows of the Night/Harden My Heart – Mary J. Blige, Julianne Hough
This is an excellent example of how Rock of Ages can combine multiple songs to create something that is distinct from the source material. It wouldn’t work so well without the skill of both Julianne Hoch and Mary J. Blige, who had to sing the songs while selling the scene.
12. Any Way You Want It – Mary J. Blige, Constantine Maroulis, Julianne Hough
Of course, “Any Way You Want It” would be one of Journey’s greatest hits. This version of the song is a worthwhile cover. In considerable part, this is because of the contribution of Constantine Maroulis, who played Drew in the original Broadway production.
11. Juke Box Hero/I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll – Diego Boneta, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Julianne Hough
This is another example of something that combines multiple songs, with one being a Foreigner hit and the other being an Arrows hit. On the whole, it is very much middle of the pack, being better than some but worse than others.
10. I Wanna Rock – Diego Boneta
“I Wanna Rock” can be considered one of the most fundamental songs on the soundtrack because it expresses pretty much everything one needs to know about the movie. It isn’t quite capable of competing with the better songs on the soundtrack.
9. Wanted Dead or Alive – Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough
Generally speaking, Tom Cruise is considered to be one of the highlights of the movie. “Wanted Dead or Alive” does a fair amount to cement the positive impression that he managed to make.
8. More Than Words/Heaven – Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta
These songs aren’t quite as well-known as some of the other mega-hits included on the soundtrack. Still, they were sung well enough for them to secure this position on this list.
7. We Built This City/We’re Not Gonna Take It – Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones’s character is one of the more entertaining bits of the movie. Unsurprisingly, this means that her songs get higher positions than most, with this one being no exception to that rule.
6. Sister Christian/Just Like Paradise/Nothin’ but a Good Time – Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin
This particular song had to do a lot of work. It didn’t quite ace everything with flying colors. However, it was sung well enough that it merits a high position, particularly in recognition of what it was meant to do.
5. Rock You Like a Hurricane – Julianne Hough, Tom Cruise
“Rock You Like a Hurricane” is a song by the Scorpions. Said band is still around in the present time. However, the Scorpions tend to be best-known for the period when West Germany and East Germany were still separate countries. Once again, Tom Cruise does a surprisingly good job of selling himself as a rock star with this song, thus resulting in its high position here.
4. I Want to Know What Love Is – Tom Cruise, Malin Akerman
Rock of Ages is filled with cliches. Still, this one managed to work relatively well, which was no mean feat considering what it had to work with. Thanks to that, it has more than earned this spot.
3. Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Catherine Zeta-Jones
As mentioned earlier, Catherine Zeta-Jones’s character is one of the more entertaining characters in the whole thing. This song does a lot to establish who she is as well as what she is out for, making for a decently strong start to her narrative.
2. Here I Go Again – Diego Boneta, Paul Giamatti, Julianne Hough, Mary J. Blige, Tom Cruise
“Here I Go Again” is a Whitesnake song. Said band started out as a backing band for David Coverdale, who has remained the one constant band member throughout the entirety of its existence. In any case, this version of the song is one of the more memorable tracks, not least because of how it had five people contribute to it.
1. Don’t Stop Believin’ – Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Mary J. Blige
This was the song chosen to sum up the whole thing. Fortunately, it proved to be capable of serving its intended purpose, thus enabling it to claim the number one position on this list.
