A selection of Top 10 brutally tender compositions

The world's music bank is full of delightful things, whose serene riffs involuntarily transport us to an intergalactic dimension. It may come as a surprise to some, but the most touching and melodic compositions that have won not only the world's top charts, but also the hearts of fans are the work of rock musicians! Yes, yes, rebels are also subject to tender feelings, which give a powerful creative impulse to create musical masterpieces. These songs are impressive, right up to the goosebumps... Well, let's not delay! Today we have ten incomparable rock ballads created by the brutal half of mankind!

Sting - Fields Of Gold

This piece, whose title translates as "Fields of Gold", is one of the few whose motifs take you to deep and warm memories. The unobtrusive accompaniment combined with Sting's vocals is a perfect hit for lovers! It is interesting that the composition is based on the fact of the biography of the performer. If you go deeper into the history of writing the track, then listening to it will be supplemented with new content! In 1992, Sting married Trudy. Having played a wedding, the newlyweds settled in a cosy country house, near which stretched picturesque barley fields. Anyone who has ever had the chance to contemplate the dance of the ears in the wind in the rays of the setting summer sun knows how beautiful this sight is. Such a landscape, apparently, did not leave the singer indifferent, and he caught a wave of inspiration. Sting expressed his devotion to his beloved Trudy, vowing to stay hand in hand with his beloved until their last breath. All in all, everything was a success: it was a beautiful confession, and the singer became world famous. The track reached number two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart, which is not bad for a ballad.

Europe - Carrie

Next in our top ten were the members of the Swedish rock band Europe, in particular, vocalist Joey Tempest and keyboardist Mick Michaeli. For the first time the world appreciated the melody of this really beautiful piece in the mid-80s, during the band's tour in Sweden. But at that time the song was sustained in a strict keyboard part and vocal acoustics. Music lovers must have searched the Internet a thousand times, trying to find the backstory of such a heartfelt ballad. Indeed, the song has a strong echo of Tempest's own deep feelings and perhaps frustration. Even in the video, the musician doesn't seem to be playing, but really venting his emotions! He obviously didn't write such an eloquent ballad out of boredom. The plot of the song is as follows: Joey sings for Carrie, with whom they seem to have a far from friendly relationship, despite the fact that the word "Friend" slips through in places.

Thirty years after the birth of everyone's favourite romantic hit, in one of the interviews the musician opened the veil of secrecy and said to whom the song is actually dedicated:

"I was young and stupid at the time. We broke up with her, and it really tore me apart. But now I reckon there was no tragedy. It's just that this kind of cycle - meeting, breaking up, meeting someone else again - is quite natural at that age...".

Whether there was tragedy or not, the song became a mega-hit, gaining, by the way, the third position on the Billboard Hot 100.

Nazareth - Love Hurts

This band is known to many music lovers for their driving compositions, but they also have in their arsenal such a romantic piece as "Love Hurts". And to be honest, in the beginning, at the dawn of the 60s, this song belonged to another musical ensemble - Everly Brothers. However, the public paid attention to it only 15 years later, after the release of Nazareth's soul version. The essence of the song is clear without any explanation: it talks about love, which burns, hurts, but still remains the most important meaning of life. In general, the thing is really worthwhile. It is interesting that even today, when a lot of loud, fresh, well-known rock ballads have been released, "Love Hurts" remains the favourite romantic single of music lovers of different generations. This particular ballad is rightly considered one of the most sensual masterpieces of all time!

https://youtu.be/G_1LP3Z6pW4

Rainbow - Catch the Rainbow

A delightful ballad that makes you realise that Blackmore has "caught the rainbow" after all. The relaxed accompaniment takes us to a ship sailing towards the winds. The composition is not characterised by a large vocabulary, relaxing guitar riffs prevail, but its essence is clear without unnecessary words:

"...Reach for the rainbow, ride the wind, but life is not a helm, but chain and metal... So the hell with it!"

It is "Catch the Rainbow" that is considered the diamond of the early repertoire of Rainbow and the Dio/Blackmore duo in particular. The creative union of the latter seems to have been made in heaven, say not in offence to Candice Knight. By the way, not quite to the topic, but the cover of the album "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow" itself is very similar in motive to this magical composition: just as fantastic and fairy-tale!

Bryan Adams - Please Forgive Me

"Please Forgive Me" is one of the most stunning slow love songs written by brothers Bryan Adams and Robert Lange. The composition begins with elegant guitar riffs, after which the listener is struck by Bryan Adams' gorgeous vocal accompaniment, with his trademark huskiness. Speech is delivered in the first person. Adams confesses his strong feelings to his beloved and asks her to forgive him and not to leave... The most impressive thing is the chorus. It turned out to be so emotional and explosive that, listening to the track, the listener can't resist the temptation to shout "Please Forgive Me!". Adams has long been known for his romantic style, but this particular composition became a mega-hit that is still frequently played on the radio. Equally interesting and touching is the music video. What's so special about it, you ask? Well, there are at least two important aspects in the clip: firstly - the singer's emotionality, and secondly - a funny dog running around the studio! Yes, yes, the shooting of the clip was held in the recording studio, the owner of which decided to glorify his pet together with the band. By the way, whether it was the dog's cuteness or Adams' own charm that worked, but this video became the most successful in the musician's career, and the hit song sold three million copies all over the world!

Aerosmith - I Don't Want to Miss a Thing

Although the famous ballad "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" was made famous by the sound of Steven Tyler, lead singer of the hard rock band Aerosmith, it owes its origin to the American poet Diane Warren. She created this romantic masterpiece under the influence of an interview with James Brolin, Barbra Streisand's husband. In particular, the poetess was impressed by the following words:

"I missed her even in my dreams when she was away...".

The hit was originally created for the film Armageddon, and U2 were chosen as the performers. However, for better or worse, the song eventually went to Aerosmith. Steven Tyler should be given credit: he managed to perform the song masterfully. Later on, the track became a part of the band's repertoire and often became a "romantic break" during their live shows. It is a magical sight when Steven performs "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" live.

The Rolling Stones - Angie

The acoustic rock ballad by the Rolling Stones became the jewel not only of the album "Goats Head Soup", but also of the whole work of the famous British band. For forty years Rolling Stones fans have been puzzling over to whom such a heartfelt and touching composition about lost love is dedicated. There are a lot of assumptions: from Keith Richards' daughter to heroin, which among Englishmen is often called by this tender female name - Angie... There is also an opinion that Jagger dedicated the single to David Bowie's wife Angie Dickinson, who caught her scandalous husband in bed with the Rolling Stones' lead singer. So, according to some, Mick tried to placate the lady stunned by what she saw and to protect himself from unnecessary rumours. But, however unfortunate it may sound, most likely, the prototype of the track's heroine never existed. Well, or this person is persistently hiding under the veil of secrecy. But is it really important? The song turned out to be amazing, and the share of mystery hasn't prevented any hit song yet. The ballad topped the Billboard Hot 100 immediately after its release. In the video Jagger is very emotional, so it is possible that the person who inspired him to write the track did exist. However, nobody rules out the possibility of a great acting, so let's enjoy the ballad and continue to be tormented by doubts! It's even more interesting that way...

Chris Isaak - Wicked Game

Although it is not pure rock'n'roll, but an early rockabilly, the ballad about "wicked games of love" cannot go unnoticed. It is worth to admit that it is unlikely that "Wicked Game" would have been able to reach millions of music lovers' hearts from all continents, if David Lynch had not included it in the soundtrack to his film "Wild at Heart". The story behind the creation of this piece itself is quite interesting. Here are the details Chris Isaak shared in one of his interviews:

"This song I wrote late at night, and it took me very little time. I remember before that my girlfriend rang me and said: "I want to come over and talk to you." And I said to her: "Yeah, no problem." But as soon as I hung up, I realised, "Shit, there's going to be a lot of trouble now...". She's just always been nothing but trouble... By the time she came round, I'd already finished Wicked Game. Apparently that upset her, because that night I was more impressed with the new composition than she was. I was like, "You're amazing, baby, but listen to this song!"

In general, the essence of the song is clear from the title. In it, the hero sings about unrequited love and its evil games, but, unlike other singers, the unrequited feeling does not gnaw at him, but, on the contrary, attracts him like a magnet!

Scorpions - Send Me An Angel

Another ballad released by the German rock band Scorpions. In general, the band has such things in their repertoire, just remember their legendary "Wind of Change". But let's return to the "angelic creation". The ballad created by Schenker and Manet tells us about a man wandering in search of his angel. The composition turned out to be so sensual and heartfelt that it became the band's signature track in the album "Crazy World". During live performances "Send Me An Angel" was one of the audience's favourite hits. Yes, this track really transports you to distant dimensions and mentally wanders there in search of a longed-for miracle!

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Probably no one will mind the first place. The legendary "Bohemian Rhapsody" is the immortal masterpiece of the iconic band Queen, which became the crown jewel of their fourth studio work "A Night At The Opera". Whether Queen counted on it or not, the composition is immortalised behind them as their loudest and most significant hit. One can only imagine how many ovations there were at the concert when Freddie performed this penetrating ballad. And what a magnificent spectacle was Mercury's performance in the company of Elton John! Later, a music video was made for "Bohemian Rhapsody", which later became, as they say, a bombshell in the history of music videos! The song is interesting not only because of Freddie's signature sound, but also because of its structure: the band managed to combine a ballad with opera, acappella and heavy metal in one whole. The result is a masterpiece! Which will definitely live forever!