Glass Joe
Charting
Joined: January 2017
Posts: 336 
|
Post by Glass Joe on Feb 21, 2022 21:24:33 GMT -5
The song that comes to mind for being the heaviest song to make it to the Top 40 is most likely:
- "Enter Sandman" by Metallica.
- I think that song might still be a little heavier than "Smells Like Teen Spirit" even though they are both in the Hard Rock / Metal genre.
I will say some other songs that are pretty close, but still not quite as heavy as "Enter Sandman."
- Both "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence and "Headstrong" by Trapt are pretty close, but not quite.
- Also,it should be mentioned that there are 2 songs that actually contained screaming during the bridge before the final chorus, but most CHR and Top 40 radio stations cut that part out. Those are "Scars" by Papa Roach and "Face Down" by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.
Are there any others you can think of that give "Enter Sandman" a run for it's money?
|
|
irice22
9x Platinum Member
listening to Kesha. Always.
Joined: October 2003
Posts: 9,214
|
Post by irice22 on Feb 22, 2022 0:00:42 GMT -5
"Last Resort" went pretty hard, but I think you're right "Enter Sandman" is probably right.
Shoutout to Avril's "Losing Grip" which might be hardest song to hit the Top 40 by a standard pop artist.
|
|
|
|
Post by Rose "Payola" Nylund on Feb 22, 2022 0:35:17 GMT -5
I forget if AFI Miss Murder made Top 40 - but there was a version of the song that swapped out the screamo bridge for something lighter so…
|
|
leonagwen
Diamond Member
#LiteralLegender
Joined: November 2011
Posts: 15,286
|
Post by leonagwen on Feb 22, 2022 2:19:17 GMT -5
Guns N Roses- Welcome To The Jungle or Paradise City.
|
|
jenglisbe
Diamond Member
Joined: January 2005
Posts: 35,086
|
Post by jenglisbe on Feb 22, 2022 10:55:26 GMT -5
Guns N Roses- Welcome To The Jungle or Paradise City. The song that comes to mind for being the heaviest song to make it to the Top 40 is most likely: - "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. - I think that song might still be a little heavier than "Smells Like Teen Spirit" even though they are both in the Hard Rock / Metal genre. Are there any others you can think of that give "Enter Sandman" a run for it's money? Metallica's "One" made the top 40 and is even heavier than "ES" in my opinion, especially when you consider the subject matter. "SMLS" and "PC" are definitely hard rock songs, but they are also catchy and kind of pop in that sense so they don't feel as hard/dirty to me as some of these others. |
|
Amnesiac
Platinum Member
Joined: November 2009
Posts: 1,683
|
Post by Amnesiac on Feb 22, 2022 12:10:43 GMT -5
Metallica's "One" is a great choice and is probably the answer here, but there's a few other songs I'd put into consideration:
- Blue Cheer's "Summertime Blues" (#14, 1968)
- Green Jelly's "Three Little Pigs" (#17, 1993)
- Pearl Jam's "Spin the Black Circle" (#18, 1994)
- Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" (#24 airplay, 1994) and "Pretty Noose" (#37 airplay, 1996).
- Smashing Pumpkins' "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" (#22, 1995)
- Green Day's "Brain Stew/Jaded" (#35 airplay, 1996)
- Metallica's "The Memory Remains" (#28, 1997)
- Nine Inch Nails' "The Day the World Went Away" (#17, 1999)
- System of a Down's "B.Y.O.B." (#27, 2005), which is probably my pick for the heaviest Top 40 single not by Metallica.
- Metallica's "The Day That Never Comes" (#31, 2008)
|
|
Glass Joe
Charting
Joined: January 2017
Posts: 336
|
Post by Glass Joe on Feb 22, 2022 19:27:27 GMT -5
"Last Resort" went pretty hard, but I think you're right "Enter Sandman" is probably right. Shoutout to Avril's "Losing Grip" which might be hardest song to hit the Top 40 by a standard pop artist. I forgot that "Last Resort" made the Top 40, but I think you are right. That one is almost for sure in the Top 5 heaviest to get there. |
|
Glass Joe
Charting
Joined: January 2017
Posts: 336
|
Post by Glass Joe on Feb 22, 2022 19:28:41 GMT -5
I forget if AFI Miss Murder made Top 40 - but there was a version of the song that swapped out the screamo bridge for something lighter so… I don't believe that one ever hit the Top 40, but would be worth checking. It was played on the CHR stations briefly, so I think it could still count. |
|
Glass Joe
Charting
Joined: January 2017
Posts: 336
|
Post by Glass Joe on Feb 22, 2022 19:31:27 GMT -5
Guns N Roses- Welcome To The Jungle or Paradise City. The song that comes to mind for being the heaviest song to make it to the Top 40 is most likely: - "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. - I think that song might still be a little heavier than "Smells Like Teen Spirit" even though they are both in the Hard Rock / Metal genre. Are there any others you can think of that give "Enter Sandman" a run for it's money? Metallica's "One" made the top 40 and is even heavier than "ES" in my opinion, especially when you consider the subject matter. "SMLS" and "PC" are definitely hard rock songs, but they are also catchy and kind of pop in that sense so they don't feel as hard/dirty to me as some of these others. Good point! I will change my answer to "One" because that song gets very heavy at the end where the ending guitars are actually thrash metal. I'm very surprised that one made it. At least "Enter Sandman" has more of a commercial sound to it where it was a bit more geared towards radio, but I cannot at all say the same for "One." Also a good point on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Paradise City" as they are definitely very catchy and still work rather well for Top 40 stations. |
|
iHype.
4x Platinum Member
Joined: October 2014
Posts: 4,676
|
Post by iHype. on Feb 22, 2022 20:29:33 GMT -5
What is 'heaviest'? The most hard rock? Abrasive? Shoutout to Avril's "Losing Grip" which might be hardest song to hit the Top 40 by a standard pop artist. Halsey's Nightmare and Gaga's Perfect Illusion come to mind as sounding very heavy in terms of Pop artists with Pop music. Also you know what comes to mind.... Sheck Wes "Mo Bamba" in terms of a heavy Hip-Hop song. When it was hit I remember thinking it just sounded so unique. |
|
RoseColoredGirl
Diamond Member
2022 & 2023 Pop Poster of the Year. FKA SabrinaFan.
Joined: August 2019
Posts: 22,346 
My Charts
Pronouns: she/her
|
Post by RoseColoredGirl on Feb 22, 2022 23:33:04 GMT -5
"Heavy" by Linkin Park works on a number of levels for this. It discusses feeling your mental health and life being too difficult to cope with, it marks the final song before the lead singer committed suicide, and of course the obvious pun on the thread title.
|
|
Glass Joe
Charting
Joined: January 2017
Posts: 336
|
Post by Glass Joe on Feb 23, 2022 2:01:19 GMT -5
I forgot about the Living Colour. They are definitely worth mentioning. They had some headbanger songs.
|
|
irice22
9x Platinum Member
listening to Kesha. Always.
Joined: October 2003
Posts: 9,214
|
Post by irice22 on Feb 23, 2022 11:43:29 GMT -5
"Cumbersome" by Seven Mary Three
|
|
gikem
3x Platinum Member
Joined: October 2020
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gikem on Feb 23, 2022 15:04:01 GMT -5
I forget if AFI Miss Murder made Top 40 - but there was a version of the song that swapped out the screamo bridge for something lighter so… I don't believe that one ever hit the Top 40, but would be worth checking. It was played on the CHR stations briefly, so I think it could still count. Peaked at #24 on the Hot 100 in 2006. |
|
rainie
8x Platinum Member
what else is in the teaches of peaches ?
Joined: February 2016
Posts: 8,743
Pronouns: they / them
|
Post by rainie on Feb 23, 2022 17:06:01 GMT -5
i'm only familiar with abt 2/3 of the tunes Amnesiac brought up so maybe one of them surpasses it, but i think byob absolutely wins here. just the first thirty seconds alone, immediately launching into a speedy thrash riff before a shrill scream transitions the song into an equally abrasive chorus section, should put it contention, but the song more or less keeps that energy for its duration. one is close, but it's really only the final few minutes that get heavy. plus, byob's bridge features a fuc king *blast beat.* granted, i don't think it had much longevity so i'm not surprised most people missed it, but it did peak in the top 40 so it absolutely counts |
|
