List of songs in Guitar Hero
Encyclopedia
Guitar Hero is a music video game
for the Sony
PlayStation 2
developed by Harmonix Music Systems
and released in . Guitar Heros gameplay features the use of a special guitar-shaped controller
modeled after a Gibson SG
guitar to recreate the lead guitar part of several rock music
songs; the player scores in the game by both pressing one or more fret buttons on the controller and using a strum bar in time with notes as they appear on screen. The game features a total of 47 songs.
All songs are covers
of the original versions, credited as, for example, "'Iron Man' as made famous by Black Sabbath", and were performed by WaveGroup Sound for the game. WaveGroup has released a selection of these covers through paid download services like iTunes
in a collection entitled "The Guitar Hero Recordings".
was selected for inclusion in the game as the winner of the "Be a Guitar Hero" contest.
All of the bonus songs are the original master tracks.
, Code Breaker
or Action Replay.
"Trippolette" is also downloadable at the Rock Band Network
music store.
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
for the Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
developed by Harmonix Music Systems
Harmonix Music Systems
Harmonix Music Systems is an American video game development company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the United States...
and released in . Guitar Heros gameplay features the use of a special guitar-shaped controller
Game controller
A game controller is a device used with games or entertainment systems used to control a playable character or object, or otherwise provide input in a computer game. A controller is typically connected to a game console or computer by means of a wire, cord or nowadays, by means of wireless connection...
modeled after a Gibson SG
Gibson SG
At the launch of the SG in 1961, Gibson offered four variants of the SG; the SG Junior , the SG Special, the SG Standard, and the top-of-the-line SG Custom. However, Gibson's current core variants as of 2010 are the SG Standard and the SG Special...
guitar to recreate the lead guitar part of several rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
songs; the player scores in the game by both pressing one or more fret buttons on the controller and using a strum bar in time with notes as they appear on screen. The game features a total of 47 songs.
Main setlist
There are thirty songs within the solo "Career" mode. The songs are grouped by difficulty into named tiers. Furthermore, four overall difficulty levels — Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert — are present in the game, reflecting the number of frets that are employed, the number of notes to be played, and the speed at which the notes scroll on the screen. Tiers are presented sequentially within each difficulty level; in lower difficulty modes, only 3 or 4 songs of each tier must be completed before the next tier is made available for that difficulty level, while in the hardest difficulty, all five songs must be completed. Once a tier is opened at any difficulty level, the songs in that tier are playable in quickplay or competitive modes.All songs are covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the original versions, credited as, for example, "'Iron Man' as made famous by Black Sabbath", and were performed by WaveGroup Sound for the game. WaveGroup has released a selection of these covers through paid download services like iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
in a collection entitled "The Guitar Hero Recordings".
| Year | Song title | Artist | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Ace of Spades Ace of Spades (song) "Ace of Spades" is a song by the English band Motörhead, released in 1980 as a single and the title track to the album Ace of Spades. The song spent 12 weeks in the United Kingdom Singles Chart, peaking at #15.-Overview:... " |
Motörhead | 5. Fret-Burners |
| 1983 | "Bark at the Moon Bark at the Moon (song) "Bark at the Moon" is a metal song by Ozzy Osbourne. It is the opening track on his 1983 album Bark at the Moon. The song was composed by Jake E. Lee and Bob Daisley; lyrics were written solely by Osbourne. "Bark at the Moon" is a metal song by Ozzy Osbourne. It is the opening track on his 1983... " |
Ozzy Osbourne Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal... |
6. Face Melters |
| 2002 | "Cochise Cochise (song) "Cochise" is the first single by Audioslave for their eponymous debut album released in 2002. The single was released with a white and a black cover... " |
Audioslave Audioslave Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk... |
4. Return of the Shred |
| 1990 | "Cowboys from Hell Cowboys from Hell (song) "Cowboys from Hell" is a popular song by heavy metal band Pantera. The song was the band's first single and first appears on the bands 1989 demo album, and later on their major label debut album Cowboys from Hell. The song also appears on the band's compilation album.Pantera used the phrase... " |
Pantera Pantera Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as... |
6. Face Melters |
| 1968 | "Crossroads" | Cream Cream (band) Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker... |
5. Fret-Burners |
| 2001 | "Fat Lip Fat Lip "Fat Lip" is the title of a song recorded by Canadian punk rock band Sum 41. It was released in April 2001 as the lead single from their debut album All Killer No Filler. It is the band's most successful single to date, topping the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart... " |
Sum 41 Sum 41 Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. The band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of members Deryck Whibley , Tom Thacker , Jason McCaslin and Steve Jocz .In 1999, the band signed an international record deal with Island Records... |
4. Return of the Shred |
| 1972 | "Frankenstein Frankenstein (song) "Frankenstein" is a rock instrumental by The Edgar Winter Group from their album They Only Come Out at Night.In live performances of the song, Edgar Winter further pioneered the advancement of the synthesizer as a lead instrument by becoming the first person ever to strap a keyboard instrument... " |
The Edgar Winter Group Edgar Winter Edgar Holland Winter is an American musician. He is famous for being a multi-instrumentalist. He is a highly skilled keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist. He often plays an instrument while singing. He was most successful in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, notably with their... |
6. Face Melters |
| 1977 | "Godzilla Godzilla (song) "Godzilla" is a song by Blue Öyster Cult from their 5th album Spectres. The lyrics are a tribute to the popular movie monster of the same name. The song is, along with " The Reaper" and "Burnin' for You", one of Blue Öyster Cult's best known songs and has become a staple of their live performances... " |
Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly... |
6. Face Melters |
| 2004 | "Heart Full of Black" | Burning Brides Burning Brides Burning Brides is an American hard rock band. They are partially known for their live performances, such as in 2000 playing selected dates as the opening band for The White Stripes... |
3. Thrash and Burn |
| 2004 | "Hey You" | The Exies The Exies The Exies are an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1997. Their name, "The Exies", is short for "The Existentialists". Their two Virgin Records releases, Inertia and Head for the Door , have sold over 400,000 copies combined.-History:The Exies formed in 1997 when singer and... |
3. Thrash and Burn |
| 1989 | "Higher Ground" | Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock... |
5. Fret-Burners |
| 1982 | "I Love Rock and Roll" | Joan Jett and the Blackhearts | 1. Opening Licks |
| 1978 | "I Wanna Be Sedated I Wanna Be Sedated "I Wanna Be Sedated" is a song by the American punk rock band the Ramones. It is one of the band's best known songs. It was originally released on their fourth album, Road to Ruin, in September 1978 and was the b-side of the UK single "She's the One" released on January 10, 1979. The song was later... " |
The Ramones Ramones The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group... |
1. Opening Licks |
| 1994 | "Infected Infected (song) "Infected" is a song written by Brett Gurewitz from the punk rock group Bad Religion. It was released in 1994 and appears on their eighth proper studio album Stranger Than Fiction... " |
Bad Religion Bad Religion Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the... |
1. Opening Licks |
| 1970 | "Iron Man Iron Man (song) "Iron Man" is a song by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath from their second studio album Paranoid released in 1970. It was later included on their initial greatest hits compilation We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll , as well as all subsequent greatest hits compilations.-Writing and... " |
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22... |
2. Axe-Grinders |
| 1974 | "Killer Queen" | Queen Queen (band) Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor... |
3. Thrash and Burn |
| 1976 | "More Than a Feeling More Than a Feeling "More Than a Feeling" is a song by the rock band Boston, released as the lead single from their self-titled debut album on Epic Records in September 1976, with "Smokin'" on the flipside. The single peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100... " |
Boston Boston (band) Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists... |
2. Axe-Grinders |
| 2002 | "No One Knows No One Knows "No One Knows" is a song by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age written by band members Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan. It was the first single and second track from their third album, Songs for the Deaf, and was released on November 26, 2002. "No One Knows" was a chart success, becoming the... " |
Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and... |
5. Fret-Burners |
| 1983 | "Sharp Dressed Man Sharp Dressed Man "Sharp Dressed Man" is a song performed by ZZ Top from their album Eliminator released in 1983. The song was produced by band manager Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning.... " |
ZZ Top ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969... |
2. Axe-Grinders |
| 1972 | "Smoke on the Water Smoke on the Water "Smoke on the Water" is a song by the British hard rock band Deep Purple. It was first released on their 1972 album Machine Head. In 2004, the song was ranked number 426 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, and in March 2005, Q magazine placed "Smoke on the Water"... " |
Deep Purple Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre... |
1. Opening Licks |
| 1967 | "Spanish Castle Magic Spanish Castle Magic "Spanish Castle Magic" is a song by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Written by Jimi Hendrix and produced by Chas Chandler, it is the third track from their second studio album Axis: Bold as Love... " |
Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter... |
5. Fret-Burners |
| 1999 | "Stellar Stellar (song) "Stellar" is a song by Incubus, released as the second single from their third album Make Yourself. The song is one of the band's most successful reaching #2 on the Modern Rock Tracks.-Music video:... " |
Incubus Incubus (band) Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;... |
3. Thrash and Burn |
| 1992 | "Symphony of Destruction Symphony of Destruction "Symphony of Destruction" is a 1992 single by American heavy metal band Megadeth, taken from their 1992 double platinum selling album, Countdown to Extinction. The lyrics explores the hypothetical situation where an average citizen might be placed into a position where he can run the country while... " |
Megadeth Megadeth Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two... |
3. Thrash and Burn |
| 2002 | "Take It Off" | The Donnas The Donnas The Donnas are an American all-female rock band from Palo Alto, California. They draw inspiration from The Ramones, The Runaways, AC/DC, Bachman–Turner Overdrive and Kiss. Rolling Stone has stated that "the Donnas offer a guileless take on adolescent alienation; they traffic in kicks, not... |
4. Return of the Shred |
| 2004 | "Take Me Out Take Me Out (song) "Take Me Out" is a song by the Scottish band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the second single from their debut album Franz Ferdinand in the United Kingdom on the 12 January 2004 and in the United State on 9 February, both through Domino Records... " |
Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand (band) Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in... |
2. Axe-Grinders |
| 1983 | "Texas Flood Texas Flood (song) "Texas Flood" is a blues song recorded by Larry Davis in 1958. It is considered a blues standard and has been recorded by several artists, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, who made it part of his repertoire.-Original song:"Texas Flood" is a slow-tempo twelve-bar blues notated in 12/8 time in the key... " |
Stevie Ray Vaughan Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and... |
6. Face Melters |
| 1992 | "Thunder Kiss '65 Thunder Kiss '65 "Thunder Kiss '65" is the first and only official single off the album La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 by White Zombie. The song can also be found on Rob Zombie's Past, Present & Future and the greatest hits album The Best of Rob Zombie.-Music:... " |
White Zombie | 1. Opening Licks |
| 1992 | "Unsung Unsung (song) "Unsung" is a single by alternative metal band Helmet from their 1992 album, Meantime. It is the album's fourth track and easily the band's most well known song. A music video was produced for "Unsung" and found significant airplay on MTV in the early 1990s."Unsung" is recorded in Dropped D tuning... " |
Helmet Helmet (band) Helmet is an alternative metal band from New York City formed in 1989. Founded by vocalist and lead guitarist Page Hamilton, Helmet has had numerous lineup changes, and Hamilton has been the only constant member.... |
4. Return of the Shred |
| 1982 | "You Got Another Thing Comin' You've Got Another Thing Comin' "You've Got Another Thing Comin" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest. It was originally released on their 1982 album Screaming for Vengeance and released as a single later that year... " |
Judas Priest Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,... |
2. Axe-Grinders |
| 1972 | "Ziggy Stardust Ziggy Stardust (song) "Ziggy Stardust" is a song written by David Bowie in 1972 for the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The name Stardust was inspired by the Legendary Stardust Cowboy... " |
David Bowie David Bowie David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s... |
4. Return of the Shred |
Bonus songs
Seventeen bonus songs are available within Guitar Hero. Bonus songs can be purchased with in-game money earned from the Career mode within the game's virtual store. Once purchased, the songs will be playable at all difficulty levels in Career, quickplay, and competitive modes. Many of the bands featured in the bonus songs are those that Harmonix members participate in. The song "Cheat on the Church" by Graveyard BBQGraveyard BBQ
Graveyard BBQ is a dirtcore band formed in Waltham, Massachusetts in summer 2003. They quickly rose to fame when they took victory in the "Be a Guitar Hero" national contest, and thus their song "Cheat on the Church" was featured in the soundtrack of the PlayStation 2 game Guitar Hero...
was selected for inclusion in the game as the winner of the "Be a Guitar Hero" contest.
All of the bonus songs are the original master tracks.
| Year | Song title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "All of This" | Shaimus Shaimus Shaimus is an alternative rock band that formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 2004. They are best known for their songs "All of This" and "Like a Fool," which appeared in Guitar Hero and Rock Band 2, respectively... |
| 2005 | "Behind the Mask" | Anarchy Club Anarchy Club Anarchy Club is a hard rock/electronica duo from Boston, Massachusetts. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Keith Smith, who is a former member of the band C60, and Adam von Buhler, who plays guitar , bass, drums, and other instruments, and is a former member of the band... |
| 2005 | "The Breaking Wheel" | Artillery |
| 2005 | "Callout" | The Acro-Brats The Acro-Brats "The Acro-Brats" are a Punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2002. They released their first album, Kicking & Screaming in 2003 and their second, ...Go Down Swinging! in 2006. Their song "Callout" was featured as a bonus song in Guitar Hero. Also, their song "Laughtrack" was a bonus... |
| 2005 | "Caveman Rejoice" | The Bags The Bags (1985) The Bags are a hard rock/punk rock band from Lexington, Massachusetts — formed in 1985 — and are not to be confused with The Bags, a punk rock band formed in 1977. The band is composed of members Jon Hardy, Jim Janota, and Crispin Wood... |
| 2005 | "Cheat on the Church" | Graveyard BBQ Graveyard BBQ Graveyard BBQ is a dirtcore band formed in Waltham, Massachusetts in summer 2003. They quickly rose to fame when they took victory in the "Be a Guitar Hero" national contest, and thus their song "Cheat on the Church" was featured in the soundtrack of the PlayStation 2 game Guitar Hero... |
| 2005 | "Decontrol" | Drist |
| 2000 | "Eureka, I've Found Love" | The Upper Crust |
| 2005 | "Even Rats Even Rats "Even Rats" is a song by the indie rock band The Slip. It is featured on their fourth studio album Eisenhower. The song is featured in the PlayStation 2 video game Guitar Hero as an unlockable bonus song... " |
The Slip |
| 2005 | "Farewell Myth" | Made in Mexico |
| 2005 | "Fire It Up Fire It Up (Black Label Society song) "Fire It Up" is a single by Black Label Society from their critically acclaimed 2005 release Mafia. Lead guitarist and frontman Zakk Wylde makes frequent use of a talk box, primarily for playing the main riff, which has a unique "moaning" sound.... " |
Black Label Society Black Label Society Black Label Society is a heavy metal band formed by Zakk Wylde, with nine studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one EP, and three video albums released since formation of the band.-Formation and Sonic Brew :... |
| 2005 | "Fly on the Wall" | Din |
| 2001 | "Get Ready 2 Rokk" | Freezepop |
| 2005 | "Guitar Hero" | Monkey Steals the Peach |
| 2004 | "Hey" | Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives |
| 2005 | "Sail Your Ship By" | Count Zero |
| 2005 | "Story of My Love" | The Model Sons |
Other songs
Two other songs are present on the game media, but they can only be unlocked through the use of a PlayStation 2 cheat device, such as GameSharkGameShark
GameShark is the brand name of a line of video game cheat cartridges and other products for a variety of console video game systems and Windows based computers. Currently, the brand name is owned by Mad Catz, who actively markets GameShark products for the PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and Sega game...
, Code Breaker
Code Breaker
Code Breaker is a cheat device developed by Pelican Accessories, currently available for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS. Along with competing product Action Replay, it is one of the few currently supported video game cheat devices.-History:...
or Action Replay.
- "Graveyard Shift" - artist
- "Trippolette" - by Andrew Buch, a composer at Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
who has worked on the Harmonix team.
"Trippolette" is also downloadable at the Rock Band Network
Rock Band Network
The Rock Band Network is a downloadable content service designed by Harmonix Music Systems with the help of Microsoft to allow musical artists and record labels to make their music available as playable tracks for the Rock Band series of rhythm video games, starting with Rock Band 2...
music store.