Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Stealing a fun idea from one of my friends on Instagram, I made a list of my favorite song from each of the last 55 years, from 1970 to 2024. I didn't spend a ton of time on this, and just went with the ones that came to mind, so am sure I am just not thinking of some. Play along at home, and give me your picks, as this was difficult to choose, but also a lot of fun to try.
For reference, or if you just want to read the list rather than watch the video, here are my picks by year:
1970: Black Sabbath - Fairies Wear Boots (from the album Paranoid)
1971: Black Sabbath - Into the Void (from the album Master of Reality)
1972: Uriah Heep - Rainbow Demon (from the album Demons and Wizards)
1973: Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (from the album Sabbath Bloody Sabbath)
1974: Deep Purple - Burn (from the album Burn)
1975: Rainbow - Man on the Silver Mountain (from the album Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow)
1976: Judas Priest - Victim of Changes (from the album Sad Wings of Destiny)
1977: Scorpions - Sails of Charon (from the album Taken by Force)
1978: Van Halen - Ain't Talkin 'Bout Love (from the album Van Halen)
1979: Legend - The Destroyer (from the album From the Fjords)
1980: Iron Maiden - Phantom of the Opera (from the album Iron Maiden)
1981: Cirith Ungol - I'm Alive (from the album Frost and Fire)
1982: Heavy Load - The Guitar is My Sword (from the album Death or Glory)
1983: Manilla Road - Dreams of Eschaton (from the album Crystal Logic)
1984: Iron Maiden - Rime of the Ancient Mariner (from the album Powerslave)
1985: Helloween - Victim of Fate (from the EP Helloween or the extended version of Walls of Jericho)
1986: Manilla Road - Hammer of the Witches (from the album The Deluge)
1987: King Diamond - The 7th Day of July 1777 (from the album Abigail)
1988: Bathory - Blood Fire Death (from the album Blood Fire Death)
1989: Blind Guardian - Banished from Sanctuary (from the album Follow the Blind)
1990: Megadeth - Tornado of Souls (from the album Rust in Peace)
1991: Death - Flattening of Emotions (from the album Human)
1992: Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond (from the album Somewhere Far Beyond)
1993: Dissection - The Somberlain (from the album The Somberlain)
1994: Emperor - I Am the Black Wizards (from the album In The Nightside Eclipse)
1995: Summoning - Marching Homewards (from the album Minas Morgul)
1996: Opeth - To Bid You Farewell (from the album Morningrise)
1997: Enslaved - For Lenge Siden (from the album Eld)
1998: Opeth - When (from the album My Arms, Your Hearse)
1999: Windir - Svartesmeden og Lundamyrstrollet (from the album Arntor)
2000: Quo Vadis - On the Shores of Ithaka (from the album Day Into Night)
2001: Absu - Stone of Destiny (from the album Tara)
2002: Agalloch - You Were But A Ghost in my Arms (from the album The Mantle)
2003: Moonsorrow - Jumalten kaupunki including Tuhatvuotinen perintö (from the album Kivenkantaja)
2004: Wintersun - Battle Against Time (from the album Wintersun)
2005: Hate Eternal - The Victorious Reign (from the album I, Monarch)
2006: Drudkh - Solitude (from the album Blood in our Wells)
2007: Ensiferum - Victory Song (from the album Victory Songs)
2008: Ereb Altor - By Honour (from the album By Honour)
2009: Nargaroth - Sommer (from the album Jahreszeiten)
2010: Blind Guardian - Wheel of Time (from the album At the Edge of Time)
2011: Evilfeast - Summoning the Splendour Once Fallen (from the album Wintermoon Enchantment)
2012: Wodensthrone - The Name of the Wind (from the album Curse)
2013: Caladan Brood - Book of the Fallen (from the album Echoes of Battle)
2014: Saor - Farewell (from the album Aura)
2015: Visigoth - From the Arcane Mists of Prophecy (from the album The Revenant King)
2016: Thrawsunblat - In Mist We Walk (from the album Metachthonia)
2017: Horn - Die mitt dem Bogen auf dem Kreuz (from the album Turm am Hang)
2018: Altars of Grief - Isolation (from the album Iris)
2019: Véhémence - La sorcière du bois lunerive (from the album Par le sang versé)
2020: Seven Spires - Every Crest (from the album Emerald Seas)
2021: Helloween - Skyfall (from the album Helloween)
2022: Horn - Alpenrekorder (from the album Verzet)
2023: Sacred Outcry - Towers of Gold (from the album Towers of Gold)
2024: Iotunn - Mistland (from the album Kinship)
Stealing a fun idea from one of my friends on Instagram, I made a list of my favorite song from each of the last 55 years, from 1970 to 2024. I didn't spend a ton of time on this, and just went with the ones that came to mind, so am sure I am just not thinking of some. Play along at home, and give me your picks, as this was difficult to choose, but also a lot of fun to try.
For reference, or if you just want to read the list rather than watch the video, here are my picks by year:
1970: Black Sabbath - Fairies Wear Boots (from the album Paranoid)
1971: Black Sabbath - Into the Void (from the album Master of Reality)
1972: Uriah Heep - Rainbow Demon (from the album Demons and Wizards)
1973: Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (from the album Sabbath Bloody Sabbath)
1974: Deep Purple - Burn (from the album Burn)
1975: Rainbow - Man on the Silver Mountain (from the album Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow)
1976: Judas Priest - Victim of Changes (from the album Sad Wings of Destiny)
1977: Scorpions - Sails of Charon (from the album Taken by Force)
1978: Van Halen - Ain't Talkin 'Bout Love (from the album Van Halen)
1979: Legend - The Destroyer (from the album From the Fjords)
1980: Iron Maiden - Phantom of the Opera (from the album Iron Maiden)
1981: Cirith Ungol - I'm Alive (from the album Frost and Fire)
1982: Heavy Load - The Guitar is My Sword (from the album Death or Glory)
1983: Manilla Road - Dreams of Eschaton (from the album Crystal Logic)
1984: Iron Maiden - Rime of the Ancient Mariner (from the album Powerslave)
1985: Helloween - Victim of Fate (from the EP Helloween or the extended version of Walls of Jericho)
1986: Manilla Road - Hammer of the Witches (from the album The Deluge)
1987: King Diamond - The 7th Day of July 1777 (from the album Abigail)
1988: Bathory - Blood Fire Death (from the album Blood Fire Death)
1989: Blind Guardian - Banished from Sanctuary (from the album Follow the Blind)
1990: Megadeth - Tornado of Souls (from the album Rust in Peace)
1991: Death - Flattening of Emotions (from the album Human)
1992: Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond (from the album Somewhere Far Beyond)
1993: Dissection - The Somberlain (from the album The Somberlain)
1994: Emperor - I Am the Black Wizards (from the album In The Nightside Eclipse)
1995: Summoning - Marching Homewards (from the album Minas Morgul)
1996: Opeth - To Bid You Farewell (from the album Morningrise)
1997: Enslaved - For Lenge Siden (from the album Eld)
1998: Opeth - When (from the album My Arms, Your Hearse)
1999: Windir - Svartesmeden og Lundamyrstrollet (from the album Arntor)
2000: Quo Vadis - On the Shores of Ithaka (from the album Day Into Night)
2001: Absu - Stone of Destiny (from the album Tara)
2002: Agalloch - You Were But A Ghost in my Arms (from the album The Mantle)
2003: Moonsorrow - Jumalten kaupunki including Tuhatvuotinen perintö (from the album Kivenkantaja)
2004: Wintersun - Battle Against Time (from the album Wintersun)
2005: Hate Eternal - The Victorious Reign (from the album I, Monarch)
2006: Drudkh - Solitude (from the album Blood in our Wells)
2007: Ensiferum - Victory Song (from the album Victory Songs)
2008: Ereb Altor - By Honour (from the album By Honour)
2009: Nargaroth - Sommer (from the album Jahreszeiten)
2010: Blind Guardian - Wheel of Time (from the album At the Edge of Time)
2011: Evilfeast - Summoning the Splendour Once Fallen (from the album Wintermoon Enchantment)
2012: Wodensthrone - The Name of the Wind (from the album Curse)
2013: Caladan Brood - Book of the Fallen (from the album Echoes of Battle)
2014: Saor - Farewell (from the album Aura)
2015: Visigoth - From the Arcane Mists of Prophecy (from the album The Revenant King)
2016: Thrawsunblat - In Mist We Walk (from the album Metachthonia)
2017: Horn - Die mitt dem Bogen auf dem Kreuz (from the album Turm am Hang)
2018: Altars of Grief - Isolation (from the album Iris)
2019: Véhémence - La sorcière du bois lunerive (from the album Par le sang versé)
2020: Seven Spires - Every Crest (from the album Emerald Seas)
2021: Helloween - Skyfall (from the album Helloween)
2022: Horn - Alpenrekorder (from the album Verzet)
2023: Sacred Outcry - Towers of Gold (from the album Towers of Gold)
2024: Iotunn - Mistland (from the album Kinship)
