Stephen King Reveals His Top Three Rock Anthems
Stephen King shares his unexpected picks for the greatest rock and roll songs, spotlighting tracks from Slobberbone, Count Five, and Elvis Costello.
When he isn’t penning his next bestseller or seeing his stories adapted for the screen, Stephen King is most likely enjoying a bit of rock and roll. The genre has long been his preferred soundtrack, though he’s not entirely averse to the odd exception. One particular tune, however, has been strictly banned from his home. King’s fondness for Lou Bega’s ‘Mambo No 5’ once led to a domestic ultimatum: his wife threatened to leave if she ever heard it again, so strong was his attachment to the catchy number.
King’s musical tastes are well documented. He’s always counted AC/DC as his favourite group, even persuading them to provide the soundtrack for his ill-fated directorial outing, Maximum Overdrive. Their involvement, he admits, is about the only redeeming feature of that particular film. He’s also on friendly terms with Bruce Springsteen, and his list of essential artists includes Metallica, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Ozzy Osbourne, among others.
King’s Unlikely Choices
Despite his admiration for these legendary acts, none of them feature in his personal selection of the finest rock and roll tracks ever recorded. King’s opinions on popular music can be rather forthright, especially when it comes to what he considers ‘ear candy’. In his own words,
“What I’m not interested in is ear candy. There’s a place where you can put that, and it’s not in your ear. I think that stuff should crawl right out of the radio speaker and get in your face.”
He’s made it clear that Celine Dion’s music holds no appeal for him, and he’s not shy about expressing his views on her fans either.
“If you like Celine Dion, you should write or email the editors of this magazine and tell them that on no account should they hire Steve King to write commentaries, because Steve King thinks ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ is better than all the songs Ms Dion has recorded, put together.”
The Three-Way Tie
So, which tracks does King place at the very top? He’s not one for easy answers.
“Ask me to name the greatest rock and roll song of all time, and I have to say it’s a three-way tie,”
he once confessed. His choices are as eclectic as they are unexpected: Slobberbone’s ‘Gimme Back my Dog’, Count Five’s ‘Psychotic Reaction’, and Elvis Costello’s rendition of ‘(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love, and Understanding.’
Slobberbone’s 2000 release, from a band that would soon step back from full-time touring, sits alongside Count Five’s influential 1966 garage rock debut and Costello’s 1978 cover of Nick Lowe’s original, which first appeared as a B-side. There’s little to connect these songs on the surface, but for King, they represent the pinnacle of the genre.