What is it that makes a truly good song? There’s no answer really. The whole concept of good music is completely subjective and what one person considers a good song will be considered terrible by others. Of course, when you look at tracks that have stood the test of time and that still generate buzz from crowds who weren’t even born at the original time of release, you can hardly question the idea that that song might be a pretty good one. The track in question in this article is Motorhead’s ‘Ace Of Spades’. Here, it will be discussed in a bit more detail why ‘Ace Of Spades’ has to be considered one of the greatest rock songs of all time.
The Theme
One of the first clear pros is the theme of the song. There are many different subjects that musicians have written about over the years and one incredibly common theme is gambling. The likes of ‘The Gambler’, ‘Poker Face’, and ‘Viva Las Vegas’ all touch upon the topic but none manage to do so as well as Motorhead do in ‘Ace Of Spades’. The upbeat tempo of the song, paired with the fuzzy guitars and sporadic lyrics, manages to capture the highs and lows of a poker game better than any other song has. It’s a real skill that is shown throughout the track. Given so many people today love playing online casino games, like those which are available on Crazy Vegas, which is an online casino in Australia, people can readily associate with the themes touched upon within the song and the song’s chaotic nature, which means that it has a real global appeal.
Lemmy, Lemmy, Lemmy
You can debate all you want about who the best rock vocalist in the world is, but when it comes to actual quality, it’s not Lemmy. However, when it comes to the attitude and memorable nature of rock music in general, there is simply no one better. Lemmy has such an iconic groan that with no music and no exposition, just after a couple of words, you would know that it’s him. He massively adds to this song and it could be argued that without him on this track, it wouldn’t have become as timeless as it has. Lemmy does a lot of the heavy lifting and it’s something that rock fans from all over have been thanking him for ever since.
The Energy of the Track
There is something known by musicians as the restaurant test, which is the idea that if a song came on in a restaurant, even just faintly in the background to the point that it is nearly imperceivable, it would have enough about it that people would begin nodding their heads. There is no doubt the ‘Ace Of Spades’ passes this test with flying colours as the minute that initial bassline comes in, your head is nodding, your foot is tapping, and you know you’re about to hear a song that you’re never going to forget.
