10 Underrated Songs From Bands I Like

This is a follow-up to my previous post titled, 10 Overplayed Songs From Bands I Like, so if you haven’t already, go check it out! Instead of talking about the overrated songs, this post will focus on the underrated songs from bands I like. As a warning, not all of the bands from the previous post will be featured because I had to be honest about which bands I’m a fan of, versus the ones I’m more of a casual fan of. Stay tuned for a surprise at the end; without further or do, let’s get on with the music!

10. “Cheap an’ Nasty” (1989) by Whitesnake

As mentioned in the previous post, it took me a while to get into Whitesnake because “Here We Go Again” bugged the heck out of me. And although I’m not a huge fan of Whitesnake still, I really dig their Slip of the Tongue (1989) album and lead singer David Coverdale sounds amazing on the vocals. “Cheap an’ Nasty” is a standout for me because the track begins with a cowbell and as a former percussionist, I really adore songs with cowbells. It’s a fun hard-rocking tune that’s loud and aggressive, and has a playful guitar solo. Sounds like a hit to me!

9. “Private Property” (1986) by Judas Priest

People talk sh*t about Turbo (1986) and I can see where they’re coming from with the synthesizers, but if they move past that, there are actually some catchy tunes on that album. Maybe it’s because I’m a fan of the commercial hair metal/80s music, but I enjoy Turbo for what it is. “Private Property,” in particular, is an interesting one because the lyrics deal with Halford telling his ex-lover off (or however you want to interpret it). Besides the 80s production, I’m down for songs with angry messages where people tell each other off because what’s the point of rock music if you can’t let your anger out?

8. “On with the Show” (1981) by Mötley Crüe

For the life of me, I can’t remember why I took “On with the Show” off my rock playlist because it’s a cool track; very melodic and poppy too. When Mike Ladano reviewed Too Fast For Love (1981) on his site in late November last year, he pointed out that the boy in the song, “Frankie,” is actually Frank Feranna, the birth name of bass player Nikki Sixx. Frankie was his past and Nikki Sixx was his future. Frankie died, but Nikki Sixx carried “on with the show” and searched for a better life. 

7. “The Loser in the End” (1974) by Queen

I will never stop promoting Roger Taylor’s songs because they are indeed underrated! One of my WordPress friends, who runs a blog called 2loud2oldmusic, gave a review for his Queen + Adam Lambert concert in Charlotte, North Carolina, that took place on August 23, 2019. In his review, he brought up when Taylor performed “I’m in Love with My Car,” most of the audience took a bathroom break. When I read that, I was like, “How dare they disrespect Roger Taylor!” His songs are amazing, in fact, my favorite Queen songs are all sung by Taylor. “The Loser in the End” is one of my favorites because first of all, the title is bada** and it’s a fun, slow, headbanging tune. 

6. “If I Was Your Mother” (1992) by Bon Jovi

Keep the Faith (1992) is my favorite Bon Jovi album because unlike their earlier glam metal albums, that one is more heavy, hard-rocking, and it features a more mature sound from the band. No joke, when I first heard “If I Was Your Mother,” I was like, “Woah, where did this come from?” To go from “Bed of Roses” to that track is nuts because what a mood change! The drums are kicking, Richie Sambora squeals on the guitar, and Jon Bon Jovi’s vocals are great (which is a compliment, compared to what he sounds like now).

5. “The Thin Line Between Love and Hate” (2000) by Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden is a heavy metal band, but their compositions are very melodic and beautiful, in my eyes. Part of the melodic aspect comes from the operatic vocal style of Bruce Dickinson, and his performance in “The Thin Line Between Love and Hate” proves my point. He hits the low and high notes so beautifully and that track overall is my favorite on Brave New World (2000) because everything is so well put together from the drum parts, to the melodic guitars, to the bass riff.

4. “Thorn Within” (1996) by Metallica

Sea of Tranquility, a music youtube channel, has made it perfectly clear that they hate Load (1996) because Metallica moved away from their thrash metal roots completely and they cut off their hair. Maybe I can understand the bad haircuts, but come on, Load is a heavy album. Partly because all of the songs were tuned in E-flat; the lower key gave a darker tone to them. Everything about the album was dark because the songs dealt with dark meanings from depression, death, drugs and alcohol addiction. The “Thorn Within” is about James Hetfield’s struggle with depression, and it’s got an aggressive guitar riff, pounding drums, a killer opening bass riff, and Hetfield pours out his heart in that track vocally.

3. “Inject the Venom” (1981) by AC/DC

Two words: Phil Rudd! His drum fills give “Inject the Venom” life, what else can I say? Oh yeah, Brain Johnson is screaming away, the Young brothers deliver another fine riff, and Angus Young’s guitar solo compliments Rudd’s playing real nicely; even the song title is bada**! Oh how I wish I was alive to see the boys play “Inject the Venom” in concert. In fact, I’d pay big bucks just to see Rudd smack those drums because his playing on this track is much more flavorful compared to “Let There Be Rock.” 

2. “Unbelievable” (2002) by Def Leppard

Ah, the infamous X (2002) album by Def Leppard. I’ve said it many times before, but I have no problems with the X album, mainly because I grew up listening to pop music and it takes me back to my childhood. Some of Def Leppard’s stuff is very poppy, especially on their Euphoria (1999) album, so the X album wasn’t too much of a surprise in my eyes. “Unbelievable” is my third favorite track on the album because of the big backing vocals and it would be a perfect track to play in the background of a romantic comedy (where the couple is broken up). Def Leppard writes fine ballads too, which is another reason why I admire them.

1. “Another World” (2011) by One Direction

It’s time to unleash my inner fangirl once again! For some strange reason, One Direction’s label decided not to release “Another World” on the Up All Night (2011) album, instead it’s on the Italian special edition of the album; what the heck! This song is a banger and should’ve been a hit for the boys. Their earlier songs are really good, especially “Another World,” which not many people know about; I discovered it on youtube about 10 years ago. It’s very nostalgic for me, the chorus gives me superhero vibes, Zayn Malik delivers stellar high notes, and Louis Tomlinson has a solo in the bridge, which I appreciate very much. 

There you have it! Those are 10 underrated songs from bands I like (sorry Kiss). Let me know in the comments below what are some underrated songs from bands you like!

Take care and see ya real soon!

Lana