My Top 10 Black Crowes Songs

This post was inspired by two things. One, The Black Crowes recently announced their ninth studio album of original material titled, Happiness Bastards, which will be released on March 15, 2024. Two, Sea of Tranquility posted a video last week titled, “The UK Connection-Turn That S*#t Off!,” where Pete talked about how he tried numerous times to get his wife into The Allman Brothers Band, only to fail miserably. My mom doesn’t really care for The Black Crowes because she thinks that all of their songs sound the same, which is further from the truth. While Pardo failed to get his wife into one of his favorite bands, maybe things will be different for me and I can somehow convince my mom that The Black Crowes are an awesome rock band with great songs. 

Each of their albums sound different from one another because they never cared about what was popular on the charts. They stuck to their guns and took risks with their music, no matter what the outcome was in the end. Their classic rock ‘n’ roll sound incorporated different genres such as blues rock, folk rock, funk rock, bluegrass, soul, Americana, and southern rock. The Black Crowes’ catalog is varied, so it was difficult to pick my top 10 songs by them. With all that said, let’s get on with the music!

10. “Sting Me” from The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992)

Most Black Crowes fans praise Marc Ford for his killer lead guitar playing, but Rich Robinson laid the foundation for the group because he came up with all of those riffs. The opening riff for “Sting Me” makes a bold statement; it’s distinct and easily recognizable. To give Ford some credit, however, this song includes my favorite guitar solo of his. Chris Robinson had dramatically improved as a lyricist since Shake Your Money Maker (1990) because he had more experience under his belt. The call-and-response verses are infectious and the female backing vocals are a nice touch! 

9. “Wee Who See the Deep” from Warpaint (2008)

Luther DIckinson joined The Black Crowes at the perfect time because they were heading in a more earthy, Creedence Clearwater Revival direction for the Warpaint era. His slide guitar parts soar right through “Wee Who See the Deep” and man, it sounds even better live! Plus, you have Steve Gorman setting the mood for this mid-tempo rocker. The guitar riff has so much swagger and the majestic keyboard parts blend in really well. I hope the band considers adding “Wee Who See the Deep” back into their concert setlist because it’s highly underrated and I think their current lead guitarist, Nico Bereciartua, can handle it!

8. “P. 25 London” from Amorica (1994)

Chris Robinson is one of the few people that makes playing the harmonica sound cool. To be fair, “P. 25 London” is a weird song and it doesn’t have the commercial appeal of “Jealous Again” and “She Talks to Angels.” But, I love that it’s unusual and out-of-the ordinary. It’s funky and has a great groove. Ford’s guitar solo even predicts what he would do for the following album. I still have no idea what it means to have “a hornet’s nest in my head,” but who cares!

7. “Good Friday” from Three Snakes and One Charm (1996)

So, I completely forgot that Good Friday was an actual holiday, which makes this track even better. Granted, no one likes getting dumped on a holiday, but it’s very melodic and the Robinson brothers harmonize beautifully together. They must really like “Good Friday,” considering they play it at almost all of their Brothers of a Feather shows and it’s not overplayed to death, which is a good thing. For most songs, I prefer the studio version over the acoustic version, but in this case, the latter is way better. I love having just the Robinson brothers perform “Good Friday” with an acoustic guitar, harmonica, and a slightly slower tempo.

6. “Remedy” from The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992)

I’ll always have a soft spot for “Remedy” because it was the first Black Crowes song I ever heard. I don’t listen to it as much as the other tracks on this list because the band plays it a lot. But man, “Remedy” is amazing with the angelic keyboard parts, luscious guitar melodies, Mick Jagger-type vocals, and insanely catchy chorus. While grunge was popular in the music scene, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion era was something else, most notably because Gorman dressed like Keanu Reeves from The Matrix (1999). There are many different live versions of “Remedy,” but Chris’ energy and stage presence always bring this song to life. 

5. “Midnight from the Inside Out” from Lions (2001)

I don’t understand the hate for Lions, especially with an album opener like “Midnight from the Inside Out.” It literally starts with amplifiers almost bursting into flames from all of the raunchy and dirty guitar goodness about to take place. Ok, that’s an exaggeration, but just go with it! “Midnight from the Inside Out” is another one of those Black Crowes songs that’s weird and out-of-the ordinary, but it’s a headbanger. While it’s a stretch to say the band performing with Jimmy Page inspired the entire Lions album, there are a few Zeppelin influences with Rich’s explosive guitar playing and Gorman smacking those drums like there’s no tomorrow. Chris’ gritty and attention-grabbing vocals fit the track perfectly, as well. 

4. “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution” from Warpaint (2008)

“Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution” has an infectious chorus and it grooves hard! This song is a fine blend between their commercial, radio-friendly sound of the early days and their mature, southern blues-based sound of the latter days before they “retired.” I think Sven Pipien is a great addition to The Black Crowes because he’s genuinely a nice guy and a talented musician that can sing. His backing vocals for “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution” are simple, but yet, so effective. The real stars of this track, however, are Dickinson and Gorman for their tasteful instrumentation. 

3. “Welcome to the Good Times” from By Your Side (1999)

One of the things I love most about The Black Crowes is their gift for melody. “Welcome to the Good Times” is a beautiful ballad with an uplifting spirit, which is strange considering that when the Robinson brothers wrote it, they were going through hell. As a former percussionist, I love the sleigh bells because they bring a whimsical vibe to the song. The saxophone parts and brass section are genius; whoever came up with that idea, bravo! The acoustic version on Croweology (2010) is also worth checking out because it’s just as mesmerizing as the studio version. The chorus is simple, but it’s really fun to sing along with. 

2. “A Conspiracy” from Amorica (1994)

“A Conspiracy” makes a grand entrance with Gorman pounding the skins and Rich’s awesome wah-wah guitar riff. I love “Gone,” but this track should’ve been the album opener for Amorica because it full-on kicks butt! “A Conspiracy” is one of the band’s heaviest songs, along with my number one pick. Even the lyrics are freaking cool! “So now you want to fight? Well alright / Let’s step outside / I got tradition / It’s an addition / My definition, it don’t hold me back / What you think about that?” Now that I think about it, “A Conspiracy” is a great song to play if you feel like punching someone in the face. Ok, I’m getting violent, let’s move on!

1. “HorseHead” from By Your Side (1999)

Rich always said that The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion is his favorite Black Crowes album, but I think he also has a soft spot for By Your Side because he handled all of the guitar parts for that album. Interestingly enough, “HorseHead” has my favorite riff of his because it’s bluesy, melodic, in-your-face, and freaking heavy at the same time. The slide guitar solo is amazing, as well. I love the raw sound of Gorman’s drums because it adds to the old school vibe. Of course, this track would be incomplete without the female backing vocals; it doesn’t have the same punch without them. There’s not another Black Crowes song that compares to “HorseHead” and modern rock bands today wish they had written something that rocks and grooves as hard as this!

There you have it, people! Those are my top 10 Black Crowes songs. Even if my mom still doesn’t like them after checking out these tracks, I want her to admit she was wrong about saying all of their songs sound the same. Honorable mentions include “Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye,” “Descending,” “Nonfiction,” “Then She Said My Name,” “Whoa Mule,” and “Nebakanezer.” In fact, maybe I’ll have to redo this list once Happiness Bastards comes out. The album’s first single, “Wanting and Waiting,” is pretty dang good, so we’ll see how the rest of the album turns out in less than a couple of months!

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Comment below your favorite songs by The Black Crowes!

Take care and see ya real soon!

Lana