The 10 Best Styx Songs (Critic’s Picks) (2024)

The band's greatest singles that hit the Billboard Hot 100.

The 10 Best Styx Songs (Critic’s Picks) (1)

During its half century existence, Styx has logged 23 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, eight of which reached the top 10. It’s a wide array of music as well, from the prog leanings of “Come Sail Away” and “Fooling Yourself (Angry Young Man)” to the hard rock of “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)” and “Renegade” to power ballads such as “Babe” and “The Best of Times.” Then there’s whatever you want to call “Mr. Roboto.”

There’s more than a greatest hits album worth of tunes in the Chicago-formed band’s Hot 100 canon. And it’s important to understand the range represented; because of Dennis DeYoung’s prominent keyboards, a few longer tracks, thematic works and album imagery, Styx has prog credentials, but the bulk of its repertoire falls into the more straightforward rock and, in some cases, pop categories. It is in many ways the epitome of classic ‘70s AOR, touching quite a few bases for a substantial and varied core audience.

Choosing the best of Styx’s Hot 100 oeuvre — running from a sole No. 1 (“Babe” for two weeks in 1979) to No. 88 (“You Need Love” four years earlier) — is tricky. There are iconic tracks such as “Mr. Roboto,” “Show Me the Way” and “Babe” that are more popular than they are amazing, and there are some songs at the lower end of the Hot 100 spectrum that have greater creative merit. A long history breeds plenty of choices, and to its credit Styx has never shied away from drifting into different lanes that surprised and even polarized its audience.

With the band readying for a summer Renegades & Juke Box Heroes tour with Foreigner and special guest John Waite — starting June 11 in Grand Rapids, Mich., and introducing new bassist Terry Gowan (brother of singer-keyboardist Lawrence Gowan) — we give you these choices as Styx’s 10 finest Hot 100 entries. (Each song is listed with the album it hails from, the year it peaked on the Hot 100 and its Hot 100 peak in parenthesis.)

  • "You Need Love" (Styx II, 1975, No. 88)

    The opening track from Styx’s second album wasn’t a high climber and was ultimately superseded by “Lady,” but it presents a free-range ensemble not far removed from its bar-band days, still brimming with exuberance. The bah-bah-bah intro harmonies set up Dennis DeYoung’s “Welcome my friends!” salutation, and the group fires through the track with guitar solos by James “J.Y.” Young and John Curulewski and an organ ride from DeYoung; it would not sound out of place on Boston’s debut album a year later. Styx is having a ball here, and the exuberance is infectious. Listen here.

  • "Lorelei" (Equinox, 1976, No. 27)

    Styx mastered the sparse start that blasts off into rock arguably better than any other band of the era, and many of its best songs follow that format. Penned by DeYoung and Young, this urgent and earnest plea to a lover to live together (forever, of course) displayed a developing sense of dynamics. It flowed more than it ebbed and used its pomp for modest degrees of melodic invention. It would be usurped in the catalog by other anthems, but it holds up alongside any of ’em. Listen here.

  • "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" (Pieces of Eight, 1978, No. 21)

    The motor on Tommy Shaw’s boat failed to start one day, and the ensuing sputter gave him the musical inspiration to launch this song. The result was a stomping rock anthem, with guitars and DeYoung’s organ moshing together in arena-sized glory. It all provided extra heft for the lyrics, which were drawn from a friend of Shaw’s struggling with unemployment. Listen here.

  • "Mademoiselle" (Crystal Ball, 1976, No. 36)

    Then-new member Tommy Shaw’s first single for Styx was a buoyant mélange of a boppy Merseybeat melody (the song even mentions London in its chorus) and twinned guitar patterns that straddled Britain and southern California. It has the harmonies that make anything sound like a Styx song, but it was clear that something fresh had been brought to the party which would help take the band up the charts in short order. Listen here.

  • "Don't Let It End" (Kilroy Was Here, 1983, No. 6)

    Styx’s seventh and penultimate top 10 hit fits the Kilroy narrative as a love ode to another person but also to music — specifically rock n’ roll. Of the many romantic ballads Styx (especially DeYoung) churned out, this was the best, with some of the sap mitigated by an edge from the guitars and a soaring solo by Shaw. It was even considered for the first single from Kilroy but, at the band’s insistence, swapped for “Mr. Roboto.” The irony here, of course, is that something did end for Styx here, as Shaw left the band after touring to support the album. Listen here.

  • "Lady" (Styx II, 1975, No. 6)

    Styx had to wait for its first top 10 hit. “Lady” was originally released as the first single from Styx II in September of 1973; it went largely unpromoted and stiffed, but a DJ on Chicago’s WLS-AM subsequently championed the track — DeYoung’s first love song to his wife Suzanne — and built enough of an audience for it to prompt a significantly more successful re-release, entering the Hot 100 in 1974 and peaking in 1975. Short and sweet at just under three minutes, it’s the prototype for that aforementioned quiet start/blast-off arrangement that became Styx’s stock in trade, and the martial-time shift into a dead finish was a strong distinguishing feature. Listen here.

  • "Renegade" (Pieces of Eight, 1979, No. 16)

    Oh mama, there was a world of hurt — and a hangman’s noose — waiting for the subject of this Shaw song. The wanted man’s story turned into a much-wanted tune in Styx’s canon. It catapults out of its foreboding opening into a ferocious rocker that’s become a trademark tune for Pittsburgh Steelers’ home games in the Iron City. And while Shaw usually played the guitar solos on his own songs, he turned to Young for this one, and his bandmate delivered like a seasoned and dependable gunslinger. Listen here.

  • "Too Much Time on My Hands" (Paradise Theatre, 1981, No. 9)

    Shaw again drew on the frustration of the unemployed for his only top 10 single for Styx, reflecting the angst of a guy who’s whiling away his days on a barstool and views a future in crime and insanity. That, of course, runs counter to a peppy track that starts with a popcorn synthesizer meter and drives with muscular guitar energy. And if you can’t nail the two handclaps during the opening line of the chorus by now, we can’t help you. Listen here.

  • "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" (The Grand Illusion, 1978, No. 29)

    Shaw’s pop opus from Styx’s smash seventh album houses one of his sturdiest melodies and most heartfelt lyrics — an observation of DeYoung’s ennui at the time — inside a suite-like composition. A bombastic synthesizer opening gives way to an acoustic guitar pattern that steers the song into its verses, with get up! choruses and a building instrumental break straight out of Prog 101 (including bassist Chuck Panozzo’s simple but signature spotlight moment). You’re still humming it after all five and a half minutes, a testament to the tune’s abundant strength. Listen here.

  • "Come Sail Away" (The Grand Illusion, 1978, No. 8)

    An obvious choice, but if someone were to ask for the song that best exemplifies Styx, this is it. The six-minute epic — which was cut in half (!) for the AM radio single — boasts a proggy, quiet-to-bombastic structure and trippy, sci-fi lyrics to go with it (we’re pretty sure “a gathering of angels” appeared to Syd Barrett at some point, too). The chorus is a bona-fide arena roof-raiser, and the instrumental sections gave songwriter DeYoung space to twiddle on his synthesizer. South Park may have made fun of it, but you won’t find too many top 10 hits that work for Glee, The Virgin Suicides and My Little Pony. Listen here.

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The 10 Best Styx Songs (Critic’s Picks) (2024)

FAQs

How many top 10 hits did Styx have? ›

Overall, Styx had eight songs that hit the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as 16 top 40 singles. Seven of their eight top 10 singles were written and sung by founding member and lead singer Dennis DeYoung, who has not been part of the band since 1999.

Did Styx ever have a number one song? ›

By the end of the decade, Styx was known as one of hard rock's best ballad purveyors, and the lavish 1979 song “Babe” gave Styx their first US No. 1. “Babe” remains a masterclass in late 70s soft rock songwriting – as does “The Best Of Times,” another huge hit two years later.

Who wrote most of Styx songs? ›

DeYoung was the band's most prolific and successful writer, having been credited as the writer of more Styx songs than any other band member. DeYoung penned seven of the band's eight Billboard top 10 singles as well as a solo top 10 single. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Who sang The Best of Times by Styx? ›

Despite the song's success, the song has not been performed live by the band since singer Dennis DeYoung was dismissed in 1999. DeYoung, however, still performs the song regularly on his solo tours.

What was Styx #1 hit in 1979? ›

"Babe" is a song by the American rock band Styx. It was the lead single from the band's 1979 triple-platinum album Cornerstone. The song was Styx's first, and only, US number-one single, spending two weeks at No.

What is the 1 most listened to band of all time? ›

1. The Beatles. Highest selling album: The Beatles (white album), 24 million units. The best rock bands of all time have managed to remain relevant throughout their active years and beyond.

Who was best singer in Styx? ›

Ever since the release of their debut album in 1972, Styx have always been a group in vocal flux. Dennis DeYoung was the de facto frontman, with his distinctive tenor giving the band their unmistakable sound.

What song broke up Styx? ›

Then came “Kilroy,” which Young described as the “hard left turn on the wheel” that broke the band. It was former band member Dennis DeYoung's idea and Young supported it.

Who owns the rights to Styx songs? ›

Primary Wave Music has acquired the publishing and recording rights of Styx frontman Dennis DeYoung, including hits like 'Mr. Roboto,' 'Babe,' and 'Come Sail Away.

What song did Dennis DeYoung write for his wife? ›

Dennis married his high school sweetheart Suzanne in 1970 and have remained married for 53 years. She has been the inspiration for many of his songs including “Babe” and “Lady.” Suzanne and Dennis have raised two great children, CarrieAnn and Matthew.

How many original members of Styx are still alive? ›

Shaw currently leads Styx along with James "JY" Young, the only remaining members from Styx's heyday (although original bassist Chuck Panozzo appears as a guest musician for most of their concerts).

Why did Tommy Shaw quit Styx? ›

Shaw was not a fan of the rock opera and instead wanted to focus on hard-hitting tunes. Then he watched as Hagar delivered a virtuoso rock god performance during night one of the Texxas Jam. READ MORE: Did 'Mr. Roboto' Really End Styx's Classic Era?

What songs did Dennis DeYoung write for Styx? ›

DeYoung also wrote or co-wrote five other songs for Styx that became Top 40 singles: “Lorelei,” “Mademoiselle,” “Why Me,” “Music Time” and “Love at First Sight.” In addition, DeYoung wrote another Top 10 pop hit, “Desert Moon” (in 1984), which he released as a solo artist while Styx was on hiatus.

Does Dennis DeYoung still sing for Styx? ›

Dennis DeYoung has been out of Styx for 25 years. The band chose to replace him as they prepared to tour in support of 1999's Brave New World.

Who is the new lead singer for Styx? ›

52 years later vocalist and keyboard player Lawrence Gowan has celebrated half of the bands legacy, replacing original founding member Dennis DeYoung in 1998. "It's quite remarkable, I'm heading into my 26th year with the band. The original goal was to extend the life of the band another five years.

What band has the most #1 hits of all time? ›

The Beatles have 20 No. 1 hits, the most in history. The Beatles still reign supreme with the most No. 1 songs ever on the Billboard Hot 100, earning 20 in the span of just eight years.

Where does Styx rank all time? ›

The best album credited to Styx is The Grand Illusion which is ranked number 1,704 in the overall greatest album chart with a total rank score of 992. Styx is ranked number 639 in the overall artist rankings with a total rank score of 2,769.

Who has the most top hits of all time? ›

The Beatles have the most number one hits on the chart, with 20 songs having reached that position.

Which band had the most hit songs? ›

The Beatles lead all acts, with a whopping 20 No. 1s — they've had the most since 1965, when they surpassed Elvis Presley.

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