Motörhead Songs Ranked
Motörhead was an English rock band formed in June 1975 by bassist, singer, and songwriter Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, who was the sole constant member, guitarist Larry Wallis, and drummer Lucas Fox. The band is often considered a precursor to the new wave of British heavy metal, which re-energized heavy metal in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Though several guitarists and drummers have played in Motörhead, most of their best-selling albums and singles feature the work of Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor on drums and “Fast” Eddie Clarke on guitars.
Motörhead is typically classified as heavy metal, and their fusion of punk rock into the genre helped to pioneer speed metal and thrash metal. Their lyrics typically covered such topics as war, good versus evil, abuse of power, promiscuous sex, substance abuse, and, most famously, gambling, the latter theme being the focus of their hit song “Ace of Spades”.
Motörhead has been credited with being part of and influencing numerous musical scenes, thrash metal and speed metal especially. From the mid-1970s onward, however, Lemmy insisted that they were a rock and roll band. He has said that they had more in common with punk bands, but with their own unique sound, Motörhead is embraced in both punk and metal scenes. Here are all of Motorhead’s songs ranked.
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20. Stone Dead Forever (Bomber, 1979)
“This is Motorhead at it’s prime; powerful, fast and awesome sound settings brilliantly blends in an electric storm of rock n roll noise.”
19. (We Are) The Road Crew (Ace of Spades, 1980)
“Absolutely my favorite song! The other songs are great (duh) but this one has something special to it. Remember Lemmy was a roadie for Jimi Hendrix!”
18. Poison (Bomber, 1979)
“Lemmy’s talent as a lyricist is in full flow this time around, with Poison being a frank and emotionally raw condemnation of his absentee father and Lawman being one of the most eloquent “fuck the police” songs ever recorded.”
17. No Class (Overkill, 1979)
“I think this is one of the best Motorhead songs ever! A short song, but very good. I can listen to this song all day long! It’s so badass. The short solo is also pretty nice. Vote for this song!”
See more: Motörhead Albums Ranked
16. 1916 (1916, 1991)
“This song is really underrated. It is a wonderful tribute to our soldiers. It literally makes me feel nauseous listening to it because it’s so sad. One of the most underrated Motorhead songs.. Great tribute to the soldiers that fought for us.”
15. Line in the Sand (WWE: The Music – ThemeAddict, Vol. 6, 2004)
“If you haven’t listened to it then please go ahead… It’s an awesome song with brilliant lyrics… The lyrics are great and I love the tempo of the song
14. In the Name of Tragedy (Inferno, 2004)
“Motörhead’s career has been littered with albums that have varied as to the amount of harder rock they have utilised. Some come out and are very much straight down the line rock ‘n’ roll with a bit more guitar thrown in, while others have ramped it up a little to move to that harder side of the line.”
13. God Was Never on Your Side (Kiss of Death, 2006)
“Great and emotionally powerful for anyone who’s ever been in that position of doubt and angst. Some of the lyrics that show in the music window are wrong, though. There seems to be two sets of lyrics floating around the internet, example “Let right and wrong, on our own decide” versus “Let right and wrong alone decide” and “Let the voice of reason shine. Let the fires vanish for all time” versus “Let the voice of reason shine. Let the pious vanish for all time.””
12. Dancing on Your Grave (Another Perfect Day, 1983)
“One of my favorite motorhead albums. Great guitar playing good production. Really good songs. Many people might not agree but it’s a great disc.”
11. Motorhead (Motorhead, 1977)
“This song is pure speed metal. Motorhead invented speed metal. This song shows it, with punkish speed and a raw sound, and the heaviness of heavy meta. This is their best song!”
10. King of Kings (WWE Wreckless Intent, 2006)
“Pure and powerful Motorhead at its finest. nothing better. It’s just the perfect lyrics for the perfect wrestler! This is one of the best metal grunge song I have ever heard.”
9. Bomber (Bomber, 1979)
“It’s like driving a car at full speed and then you find another gear and move up the speed some more POWER… no other words needed to describe this song, the bassline is fantastic and it’s so fast that kills”
8. Orgasmatron (Orgasmatron, 1986)
“You simply cannot top the grimy gritty dark atmosphere of the original song. The lyrics are powerful, violent and disturbing. Lemmy’s finest moment as a lyricist and proof that Motorhead could be just as interesting playing fast and slow.”
7. Hellraiser (March ör Die, 1992)
“This song is so cool. This is is my favorite song because it has a catchy groove and still manages to stay heavy metal.. Catchy as hell and really, as motörhead as it gets”
See more: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Albums Ranked
6. Iron Fist (Iron Fist, 1982)
“A hell of a song. This is just one of those songs that makes you forget the world and just have a good time. Pure aggression, such a great band. I love this song excellent chorus”
5. Born to Raise Hell (Airheads, 1993)
“Not much else to say. It’s Motörhead. Accept no substitutes! Lemmy and Company are at their finest as always. Motörhead is synonymous with Metal!”
4. Killed by Death (Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, 1984)
“The best Motorhead song ever, and one of the finest HM singles of all time. Incredible. One of the greatest songs that takes me back in the glory days of my heavy metal youth”
3. The Game (WWF The Music, Vol. 5, 2001)
“Surprisingly the first motorhead song I heard, Triple H’s entrance song. Still I think it’s one of the best Motorhead songs and suits well for the King Of Kings, H!”
2. Overkill (Overkill, 1979)
“Scared the hell out of me first time I heard it back in the day aged 12. It was like a message from a dark alien invasion force. Aged 14 I was part of the force myself. ‘ At the Apollo Manchester for the bomber tour. Overkill’ with fast Eddie at his best almost had them ripping the place apart. It was and is that exciting”
1. Ace of Spades (Ace of Spades, 1980)
“Anyways the greatest motorhead track ever! Legendary metal song, a tough challenge for any other band and it has got speed and spark in it to recharge people. This song and fade to black by Metallica are best metal songs ever”
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