Roxy Music Songs Ranked

Roxy Music was an English rock band that was formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band’s lead singer and main songwriter—and bass guitarist Graham Simpson. Alongside Ferry, the other longtime members were Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone and oboe), and Paul Thompson (drums and percussion). Other members included Brian Eno (synthesizer and ‘treatments’), Eddie Jobson (synthesizer and violin), and John Gustafson (bass). Although the band took a break from group activities in 1976 and again in 1983, they reunited for a concert tour in 2001 and toured together intermittently over the next few years. Ferry frequently enlisted band members as session musicians for his solo releases. Here are all of Roxy Music songs ranked.

Don’t miss out the music of this English rock band Roxy Music . Relive their songs by clicking below.

20. In Every Dream Home a Heartache (For Your Pleasure, 1973)

“In Every Dream Home a Heartache”… wow. That is one of the weirdest songs out there, with a really creepy vocal, and lyrics about a sex blowup doll, and a breakdown that really makes no sense, yet makes a ton of sense. Really good setup for side two.”

19. 2hb (Control, 1972)

“Bryan Ferry wore an outfit similar to the one Humphrey Bogart wore in Casablanca to many of his [Ferry’s] live performances during the early-to-mid-seventies, as well as on the cover of his second solo album, “Another Time, Another Place”. I didn’t notice this until I realized that this song was about Casablanca and Humphrey Bogart.”

18. Don’t Stop the Dance (Boys and Girls, 1985)

“This music is so beautiful along with the vocals. This music is a great example of what the 80’s represented. There were a lot of different styles of music in the 80’s, and if you hear this it will remind you of how magical it was in the 80’s. I miss this kind of music, and that’s why I thank God for modern technology.”

17. Take a Chance With Me (Avalon, 1982)

“My favorite song from Avalon and one of the most underrated songs of the 80’s. Why this wasn’t a big hit just confuses me. I’m also a huge fan of The Smiths and this has a similar mood and style. It is the most up-tempo track on the album and has a real child-like wonder to it. It also reminds me, particularly lyrically, of the themes shared on Siren.”

See more: Roxy Music Albums Ranked

16. Sunset (Stranded, 1973)

“After the acapella outro with the only Ferry left singing the mainline Oh mother of pearl/I wouldn’t trade you for another girl over and over again, the band calms down and the album closes with the wonderful piano ballad “Sunset”. I highly recommend listening to this when watching, well, a sunset. The effect is amazing.”

15. The Bob (Roxy Music, 1972)

“Cuts like “The Bob (Medley)”—the intro made me think I accidentally switched the artist—feature woodwind instruments, “beat switches”, and even lo-fi production elements, all while surrounding Ferry’s playful singing.”

14. Same Old Scene (Flesh and Blood, 1980)

“The Same Old Scene” is one of the most appealing songs in Roxy Music’s catalog – replete with the strong driving bass and drums and crystalline synths. More atmosphere and sophistication than many of my favorite New Romantic songs – and a sign of some of the style to come from Roxy and Ferry as well later in the decade.”

13. Angel Eyes (Manifesto, 1979)

“Simply heavenly. I don’t know who had the inspiration to airbrush the slightly leaden, industrial prototype of this track from “Manifesto” and transform it into this super-sleek version, but hats off to them. Light as a feather, with a full-blown harp, of all things, delivering the icing on the cake, it confirmed Roxy’s return to prominence and further established the glacier-like cool of their coming material.”

12. Virginia Plain (Roxy Music, 1972)

“One of my all time favourites. Probably the very first single I ever bought(and I still have it). I do have some Beatles singles but my dad probably bought me them. I have no recollection of buying them myself, but you never know. But I definitely bought this one myself. A classic.”

11. To Turn You On (Avalon, 1982)

“To Turn You On”, a wonderful Ferry ballad with another amazing bass line and one of Mazanera’s finest guitar solos.”

10. Oh Yeah (Flesh and Blood, 1980)

“A very rich, romantic song perfectly realised by a singer who was deeply suited to it. As much of an accomplishment as glam Roxy, just an entirely different one.”

9. Ladytron (Roxy Music, 1972)

“‘Ladytron’ is a sci-fi soundscape, then a retro, crooner-era standard, then a stomping glam rocker. The second side is perhaps less melodic and memorable than the first, and some tracks work better in theory than in practice (‘The Bob’, just an ungodly mess).”

8. Mother of Pearl (Stranded, 1973)

“Mother of Pearl is fascinating enough that it’s the only song I’ll gladly spend an entire paragraph glossing over because it’s just that good. It starts off at a party, with a driving riff and Ferry’s frantic and machine-gun vocals. Actually, two sets of vocals. I love the line, “Have you a future? No, no, no, nooooooo (Yes)!”

7. Over You (Flesh and Blood, 1980)

“Superb Bryan Ferry song, which subtly conveys its double-entendre title through its lyric over a pulsing synth melody which stops in its tracks for a massive power-chord break to just give added emphasis to the closing section where the singer’s sense of regret and loss is made manifest.”

See more: Simple Minds Albums Ranked

6. If There Is Something (Roxy Music, 1972)

“The absolutely amazing “If There is Something,” which I loved even back in the day when I hated Roxy for some reason – it seamlessly moves from chirpy, jovial country rock (that part contains one of my favorite guitar solos of all time) to a nervous second segment that’s propelled along by fantastic synthesizer/oboe interplay and predicted the new wave moment by several years, and from that to a spectacular prog-influenced coda that’s one part fascinating extended instrumental break and one part brilliant near-mantra, and does so without changing the drumbeat once.”

5. Dance Away (Manifesto 1979)

“Squanders an ominous opening and strong verses with a cheesy chorus. Like Bryan’s baritone improvising over the chorus a fair bit but the rest falls flat. Shame this performed so well honestly, probably precipitated Roxy’s decline into boring MOR balladeering.”

4. Avalon (Avalon, 1982)

“Avalon was the name of a mythical ancient island kingdom mentioned in the Arthur and Merlin tales. It is an appropriate name for this beautiful and haunting song. The impressionistic lyrics, which work seamlessly together with the moody synth-pop production, are worth quoting at some length.

3. Jealous Guy (Street Life: 20 Great Hits, 1986)

“This song starts off as a fairly conventional cover version of one of Lennon’s best ballads, though Ferry is a highly distinctive singer and he imprints some of his personality on the material right from the start. But as the song goes on, the cloudy, melancholic synths create more and more of a sorrowful atmosphere and you eventually realize that this is not a song about jealousy anymore but a moving elegy for John Lennon. The long atmospheric fade out with its ghostly whistling is pure late Roxy Music – this compares with the best songs on Avalon – and is truly cathartic performance, making this one of the decade’s best pop covers.”

2. Love Is the Drug (Siren, 1975)

“Love is The Drug” is a great song and quite unique to my ears, a clipped, urgent stumbling sort of beat, though maybe that’s just the funk or krautrock influences they were drawing on, which I don’t know much about. Surely one of their best.”

1. More Than This (Avalon, 1982)

“More Than This, like Avalon, is a beautiful, haunting ballad with a very subtle melody. I love the way the chorus is almost anti-climactic. “There’s nothing more than this”, Bryan Ferry sings; and indeed there isn’t. That’s the whole of the chorus. He might be talking about love, but the subject matter and the form match perfectly.”