Your absolute favourite ONE ballad ever, and I mean EVER!.... what is it?

Neilybob

ArchtopDave said:

I'd Rather Go Blind….Chicken Shack version with Christine Perfect (McVie was her married surname) on vocals.

Loved it ever since it was released in 1969.

Beth Hart does a spine tingling cover which is great. I think Joe Bo is on guitar. 

Litterick

Kid Charlemagne.

sinbaadi

Glory of Love

Offset

I Want To Know What Love Is is a very guilty pleasure of mine.

Cranky

Now I’m incessantly going through my Apple Music library asking my self “is this a ballad? is that a ballad?”

How ‘bout “Robots” by Flight of the Conchords?

gordiji

richman6100 said:

Couldn't Love You More by John Martyn. It's been 'our song' since I introduced my wife to the genius of JM many years ago.

Baby please come home from G & Danger i think ?

littlegreenman said:

You'll all no doubt be surprised that I've chosen a Zappa track! A rare heartfelt story of heartbreak from Frank, and featuring a stunning guitar solo from the 13 year old Dweezil

Ladies and Gentlemen, Sharleena...

That's some outrageously good guitar for a 13 yr old, wow. Lucille though for the win (J's Garage)

I'll take 'Hole in the head'  Kossoff / Blondel

Bellycaster

Dionne Warwick - Alfie

Cilla Black - Anyone Who Had a Heart

Shirley Bassey - Theme from Love Story (Where Do I begin)

Duran Duran - Ordinary World

Sorry, I've had more than 1 

equalsql

So here’s mine.
I heard it first in 1976 and nearly 50 years later it still is my absolute favourite ballad of all time.
It's so beautifully written, arranged and performed and the guitar solo is perfect for the song.

One Of Them Is Me.  By Andrew Gold.

boogieman

So many good choices so far, I’m finding it hard to limit it to one. I’ll have to go with Al Green, Let’s Stay Together. Beautiful song, perfectly performed. 

Kurtis

Cranky said:

Kurtis said:

Cranky said:

Stavros said:

Emp_Fab said:

I will always love you - Dolly's original - NOT the belter-fest that Whitney Houston did.

That is a great shout.

But is that really a ballad?  “Coat of Many Colors” (my grandma’s favorite song) is a proper ballad — it tells a story.

Also a proper ballad: “Country Death Song” by Violent Femmes.  Far from my favorite, but I’m just proud of myself for having just learned what “ballad” actually means thanks to this thread.

Is Bob Dylans hurricane a balled then? 

Appears to be a protest ballad, yeah.  Just going by Wikipedia and the Poetry Foundation.  But being so far removed from folk times, our pop ballads aren’t really passed down orally.

I don’t really know what I’m talking about.  I just always assumed that “ballad” basically meant “love song” because of the so-called “monster ballads” that 80s hair bands were said to sing.

Yeah I would have said the slow song on a lot of classic rock type stuff. Then you have "Anthem" like God gave rocknroll or every rose? Sweet child?

What about born in the USA? 

Kurtis

Black is the colour. 

ICBM

Kurtis said:

What about born in the USA? 

It's an incredible song, and I think it is a ballad at least in the original Nebraska out-take version.

But my favourite Springsteen ballad is probably one of The River, Atlantic City, Racing In The Streets or Thunder Road... too hard to pick just one, even just of Springsteen songs.

I've been thinking about this question since I saw the thread title, and I still haven't come up with a definitive answer.

Haych

Romeo and Juliet

Cranky

Kurtis said:

Cranky said:

Kurtis said:

Cranky said:

Stavros said:

Emp_Fab said:

I will always love you - Dolly's original - NOT the belter-fest that Whitney Houston did.

That is a great shout.

But is that really a ballad?  “Coat of Many Colors” (my grandma’s favorite song) is a proper ballad — it tells a story.

Also a proper ballad: “Country Death Song” by Violent Femmes.  Far from my favorite, but I’m just proud of myself for having just learned what “ballad” actually means thanks to this thread.

Is Bob Dylans hurricane a balled then? 

Appears to be a protest ballad, yeah.  Just going by Wikipedia and the Poetry Foundation.  But being so far removed from folk times, our pop ballads aren’t really passed down orally.

I don’t really know what I’m talking about.  I just always assumed that “ballad” basically meant “love song” because of the so-called “monster ballads” that 80s hair bands were said to sing.

Yeah I would have said the slow song on a lot of classic rock type stuff. Then you have "Anthem" like God gave rocknroll or every rose? Sweet child?

What about born in the USA? 

Ooooh, an anthemic ballad!?!?  You’re blowing my mind, man!

koneguitarist

chromatuna said:

Brokedown Palace - Grateful Dead

There is a fantastic version of this by Shinyribs. 

koneguitarist

In no particular order. 

It Hurts Me, by Elvis, written by Charlie Daniels. 

If we were Vampires by Jason Isbell
 It makes no difference The Band

Rickyd

Devil#20 said:

I think this classes as a ballad and was banned by General Franco from being played in Spain for a long time. This song is absolutely brilliant and is typical of the brilliance and the connection that Neil has with music, life and history. Very much the thinking man's musician. Southern man might not have needed him around but everybody else did. 

"Cortez the Killer"

The Grace Potter/Joe Satriani cover is superb too.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

ArchtopDave said:

I'd Rather Go Blind….Chicken Shack version with Christine Perfect (McVie was her married surname) on vocals.

Loved it ever since it was released in 1969.

Beth Hart does a spine tingling cover which is great. I think Joe Bo is on guitar. 

I was just about to say that I'd just listened to that Chicken Shack version for the first time, and it's a damn sight better than the absolute butchering of the song done by Beth Hart and Bonamassa! Hey ho, each to their own! 

Some really good suggestions in this thread. However, the correct answer is LaVern Baker singing Soul On Fire. 



The pop ballad attained perfection in 1953. And coincidentally also subsequently butchered by Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa!

dindude

stickyfiddle said:

Meatloaf’s I Would Do Anything For Love is unbeatable imo  

But still not as good as 2 out of 3 ain’t bad for a meatloaf ballad.

ICBM

dindude said:

But still not as good as 2 out of 3 ain’t bad for a meatloaf ballad.

Not actually as good as any song on the original Bat Out Of Hell, even though it is a great song. The whole album is a work of pure genius.