@David Newton

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Discover new music from artists we think you'll like. Refreshed every Friday.

We have terrestrial radio to thank for inventing classic rock. Conceived as a programming format, it emerged in the ’80s when stations around the U.S. began devoting heavy airtime to a mix of beloved titans from the ’60s and ’70s (The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bob Seger) and then-current hitmakers (Tom Petty, John Mellencamp) whose music contains heavy echoes of the vintage stuff. Even when classic rock opens its ranks to ’90s alt-rockers such as Soundgarden, it’s because they sound old-school. In terms of stylistic variety, the format boasts considerable leg room. Classic rock rotation can and does include soaring ballads from Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and Elton John, and even the occasional glam nugget from David Bowie. Yet at the end of the day, the format definitely relies heaviest on thunderous hard-rock anthems perfect for Friday night parties or powering you through your workday.

Heading out on an epic road trip requires an equally epic soundtrack. While these so-called open-road rockers can explicitly mention cars or driving (for instance, AC/DC’s barn-burning “Highway to Hell”), in other cases, they’re classic rock anthems and laidback jams capturing the freedom and possibility of the open road itself. This vibe is embodied by the main character of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ “American Girl”—“raised on promises” and prone to look for silver linings—and by the wistful nostalgia of Bruce Springsteen’s brawny, hopeful “Glory Days.” Yet an open-road rocker might just as easily be a song with a rebellious streak—as evidenced by the raucous riffage driving Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ fist-pumping “I Love Rock ’N Roll,” Creedence Clearwater Revival’s defiant political statement “Fortunate Son,” and the gang’s-all-here hard-rock vibe of Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town.”

“Hey Siri, play the Dive Bar playlist.”

Pete Townshend smashed them. Jimi Hendrix set them on fire. B.B. King nearly died trying to rescue one from a burning building. And Keith Richards apparently slept with them—which, as he put it, is how he managed to record the riff to “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” in the middle of the night without quite waking up. A great rock guitarist isn’t necessarily a virtuoso, but someone who shifts your understanding of what the instrument can do. So while this playlist pays deference to the fast (Eddie Van Halen), the smooth (Eric Clapton), and the powerful (Jimmy Page), it also makes room for primitives like The Stooges and Nirvana, Dave Davies of The Kinks, and Chuck Berry—players who weren’t flashy, but whose approach introduced sounds nobody had quite heard before. In six strings and a hundred songs, here’s what rock music sounds like.

Sing along to your favorite classic rock songs. Sing is available to Apple Music subscribers using the latest version of Apple Music on the latest iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV devices. Apple Music Sing is supported on iPhone 11 and later or iPhone SE (3rd generation) using iOS 16.2 or later, iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad Air (4th generation and later), iPad mini (6th generation), or iPad (9th generation and later) using iPadOS 16.2 or later, and Apple TV 4K (3rd generation).

Fito y Fitipaldis draw inspiration from all over the map for their visceral roots rock sound. Close to home, there's fellow Spanish rockers with gritty, authentic styles rooted in Southern rock, blues and rockabilly like La Cabra Mecánica, Los Rodríguez and Rebeldes. Global acts who have also spread that down-home sound include The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Dire Straits.

Model Kaia Gerber has followed in the footsteps of her mother, bona fide icon Cindy Crawford. And just in time for summer, she's assembled a set of breezy rock and soul classics—from Stevie to the Stones and Bowie to Hall & Oates—with heavy sentimental value. "This is a collection of songs my parents played for me growing up," she tells Apple Music. "I created it as a soundtrack for the quality time I’ll spend with my loved ones this summer, and I encourage you to do the same."

“Hey Siri, play the A Day in San Francisco playlist.”