Desperado - The Eagles

"Don't you draw the Queen of Diamonds, boy

She'll beat you if she's able.

You know, the Queen of Hearts is always your best bet.

Now it seems to me some fine things

Have been laid upon your table

But you only want the ones that you can't get."

I've said it before and I'll say it again - The Eagles are a fucking awesome band. Sorry for my use of the F-word here, but it's totally justifiable when talking about The Eagles. 'Nuff said.

The song Desperado - well, I can't help it - gives me chills. Written by The Great Don Henley and Glenn Frey and first appearing on their 1973 album of the same name, Desperado was never released as a single. Nevertheless, this song is one of The Eagles' signature songs, has appeared on a number of compilation albums since 1973 and was palced as #494 on the Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs Of All Times.

Covered by countless bands and artists including Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Tori Amos, George Michael, Carrie Underwood, The Carpenters and even (gag) The Jonas Brothers. This song is amazing, and just one of the many that will help solidify The Eagles as one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time.

Dream On - Aerosmith

Sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laugh, sing for the tears
Sing with me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow, the good lord will take you away

Sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boy From Boston" Aerosmith has been rocking us all since 1970. With their classic rock music and a slew of hit albums, Aerosmith was already one of the greatest rock bands of all time by the end of the 1970s.

"Dream On" was Aerosmith's first single off their debut album in 1973. While the song only reached #56 on the charts when it was released, it was huge in their hometown of Boston. And when it was rereleased in 1976, the single went to #6 on the charts.

What the song is missing is Steven Tyler's scratchy voice. Back in the day his voice was a bit smoother than it has been the last 20 years, but the song oozes the essence of Aerosmith. "Dream On" was listed as #151 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Amid breakups, reunions and more breakup rumors, Aerosmith has a huge fan following, and will go down in history as the greatest rock and roll band of all time.

Piano Man - Billy Joel

"It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday
And the manager gives me a smile
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see
To forget about their life for a while
And the piano, it sounds like a carnivore
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?""

Here's the thing - I love Billy Joel more than I love most of my friends. There. I said it. Now it's out in the open.

Billy Joel is a freakin' genius, and his first major hit "Piano Man" launched him to stardom, earning him the nickname Piano Man and ensuring this song is one of his staples at every concert and on many albums.

Released in November 1973, "Piano Man" is a first-person observance of a bar piano player, telling the stories of the regulars in his bar. Listening to the song, you learn about Davy "who's still in the navy" and the old man "makin' love to his tonic and gin". Billy Joel acknowledged that each character in this song is based on a real person - either a friend of his, or a stranger in a bar that he saw all too often.

Because this song is immensely popular and widely recognized, it is obviously a karaoke classic. It it also one of the first songs I learned with I was a small kid riding around in my dad's old beat-up car listening to classic rock.