Grand Funk Railroad Songs Ranked
Grand Funk Railroad, sometimes shortened as Grand Funk, is an American hard rock band popular during the 1970s, which toured extensively and played to packed arenas worldwide. Known for their crowd-pleasing arena rock style, the band was well-regarded by audiences despite a relative lack of critical acclaim. The band’s name is a play on words of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, a line that runs through the band’s home town of Flint, Michigan. Grand Funk laid the groundwork for such bands as Foreigner, Journey, Van Halen, and Bon Jovi with its signature hard-driving sound, soulful vocals, muscular instrumentation, and forceful pop melodies. The fact that Grand Funk’s legacy still reigns over the Classic Rock landscape fifty years after its 1969 birth in Flint, Michigan is a testament to the group’s influence and staying power. Mega-hits We’re An American Band, I’m Your Captain/Closer To Home, Locomotion, and Some Kind Of Wonderful still receive continuous airplay on Classic Rock radio. We’re An American Band has received notoriety in recent years being used in movie soundtracks and in television/radio advertising. The huge hit was featured in a General Motors national TV ad campaign and in Disney’s animated feature film The Country Bears. We’re An American Band was featured in the Cuba Gooding Jr. film RADIO, and also in the swashbuckler SAHARA starring Matthew McConaughey. Here are all Grand Funk Railroad songs ranked
Don’t miss out on the CLASSIC music of the Grand Funk Railroad below! Click and enjoy the sounds of one of the multi-talented bands ever!
20. Nothing Is the Same (Grand Funk, 1969)
“The BEST Rock song ever to me. Mark, Don and Mel play with such a grooving heavy passion. Don screaming vin the background during Mel’s solo makes me go crazy with him.”
19. Mean Mistreater (Closer to Home, 1970)
“The best their stuff. It’s like the music of my soul. I don’t even like so much this band, but this song… Really perfect.”
18. Mr. Limousine Driver (Grand Funk, 1969)
“I don’t care what anyone says or how they feel about it. Mark’s voice and the harmonies are unsurpassed. “Upsetter played before it is very groovy indeed.”
17. Paranoid (Grand Funk, 1969)
“Pure metal rock at its best… Nobody could touch GFR in concert and this song is a prime example of a power trio!”
See more: Grand Funk Railroad Albums Ranked
16. Footstompin’ Music (E Pluribus Funk, 1971)
“It’s all about how the chemistry of these three men recorded together. There has been no other musician in the day of their music in the 70’s than Don Brewer.”
15. Walk Like a Man (We’re an American Band, 1973)
“This song epitomized hard rock more than any I heard during the 70’s era. Mark, Don and Mel lay down a groove to remember!”
14. Black Licorice (We’re an American Band, 1973)
“Listen to this song on big speakers, loud, and hear Mark’s great vocals and guitar playing. Still gets my adrenaline going!”
13. The Loco-Motion (Shinin’ On, 1974)
“To me, this is the track that will live forever in my mind. It has a rhythm, it has a peculiar pace. It is exquisite rock and roll.”
12. Bad Time (All the Girls in the World Beware!!!, 1974)
“Wonderful song, great for listening, can’t get it out of my head I think ‘Bad time’ was an unforgettable quality hit. But not a real rock hit.”
11. People, Let’s Stop the War (E Pluribus Funk, 1971)
“The blue collar power trio from Flint, Michigan, who previously voiced their bring-the-soldiers-home-cry with “I’m Your Captain”, stood tall with their views regarding the bloodshed in Vietnam.”
10. Rock N’ Roll Soul (Phoenix, 1972)
“The LP’s hottest track and a concert favorite, “Rock ‘n Roll Soul”, was issued as a single, garnering massive radio airplay and sales.”
9. Gimme Shelter (Survival, 1971)
“As usual, the critics didn’t hold back in ripping the blue collar band from Rustbelt USA. It was status quo for Mark Farner and company, as the boys simply marched on proudly, taking the states by storm with big selling albums and sold out shows. GFR carried “Gimme Shelter” over to the live side, often performing the long song in concert during the seventies.”
8. T.N.U.C. (On Time, 1969)
“One of the Best Drumming solos ever! Long live Don Brewer and Grand Funk Railroad! I recall listening to this album stoned with a friend who insisted T.N.U.C. was a clever way to say “The end, you see”. I revealed the serious truth to him that it was cunt spelled backward.
7. Sin’s a Good Man’s Brother (Closer to Home, 1970)
“This one has a really solid riff. Mark Farner could really lay them down. Sin’s A Good Man’s Brother is a terrific track and there are a few more toe tappers on here. Their “live” album from the same year is a far better listen.”
See more: The Struts Albums Ranked
6. Heartbreaker (On Time, 1969)
“The live version of Heartbreaker is super. Endless energy! I say it’s the best song they ever did! Talk about “feeling” and “in the groove”
5. Shinin’ On (Shinin’ On, 1974)
“Awesome organ and riff. Not mind blowing or anything, but great ‘average’ rock. Shinin’ On loses their heaviness just a bit more in favor of an R&B good ol’ boy rock n’ roll sound.”
4. We’re An American Band (We’re An American Band, 1973)
“One of a select few hard rock #1 hits, “We’re An American Band” is by far the best thing Grand Funk Railroad/Grand Funk ever did. Let’s not pull our punches on this one: Grand Funk sucked. Their songs were little more than a slapdash collection of tepid riffs, trite lyrics, and simply atrocious singing.”
3. Some Kind of Wonderful (All the Girls in the World Beware!!!, 1974)
“Great song, I play it quite a bit during time outs at basketball games while announcing. People always sing along! Studio version is best. Mark and Don really show their chops on vocals..”
2. Inside Looking Out (Grand Funk, 1969)
“This is absolutely epic in every possible way a song can be. IT starts quiet, builds strong, has a memorable lull, ends with one of the best possible fades in music. Breathtaking!”
1. I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home, 1970)
“It is very hard for me to pick the best Grand Funk song as I have so many, however I’m Your Captain/Closer To Home hits me in so many different ways, musically, emotionally, etc. That I pick it number 1. That band was awesome & were extremely underrated. Still listen to all of their albums frequently.”