37 Best Guitar Hero Live Songs

Guitar Hero Live is a bit of an unusual entry in the series, primarily because of its modified controller. It also has a killer catalog of songs, many of which were featured on its GHTV streaming channels. 

Today is perhaps the best time to pick up this game from 2015 and enjoy the revamped gameplay design. Don’t worry, no matter what style of music you’re into, Guitar Hero seems to have a song for everybody. 

The Rolling Stones – Paint It Black

Fans of Guitar Hero 3 will definitely enjoy seeing Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones on the game’s tracklist. But, be aware that having to play it with the revamped controlled will take some getting used to. 

While many of the songs in this list are available through GHTV, this one comes pre-loaded on the game disc. If you don’t have GHTV, you’ll probably be replaying this classic track quite a bit.

Tenacious D – Tribute

Tenacious D is undoubtedly one of the greatest comedy rock bands of all time. While their songs are ridiculously funny, they also rock much harder than one might initially expect. 

All fans of rock music should seek this track out in the GHTV song catalog. After all, it really is the perfect tribute, if not the greatest song in the world.  

Joe Satriani – Always With Me, Always With You

It would stand to reason that a song that is difficult to play on guitar would translate to challenging gameplay. For many, it’s this challenge that makes games like Guitar Hero so insanely fun and addicting.

If you’re looking for a little challenge, seek out Always With Me, Always With You in the GHTV catalog. It’s a true classic written by one of modern rock’s greatest virtuosos.

Killswitch Engage – In Due Time

Sometimes, there’s nothing better than a heavy track that delivers the goods by means of infectious riffs. Killswitch Engage’s In Due Time has plenty of diversity that will whet your chops in the rhythm department. 

Playing this song will have you reminiscing how it was to play the classic games in the Guitar Hero series. Prepare yourself for the song’s guitar solo, which could cause a slight loss of hair on your head. 

Good Charlotte – The Anthem

Anybody who was alive during 2003 probably cannot forget about hearing Good Charlotte’s hit track, The Anthem. The song essentially became the anthem of the year, making Good Charlotte a household name.

For those who like to relive the nostalgia of the 2000s, playing this on Guitar Hero Live is a necessity. Fortunately, it comes pre-loaded on the game disc so there’s no need to play it online.

Sum 41 – In Too Deep

Sum 41 quickly became synonymous with the sound of pop punk that was so prevalent in the early 2000s. Their debut album was chock full of smash hits, including the song, In Too Deep.

This track is a fairly straightforward song utilizing power chords and some rhythmic palm-muted passages. Don’t let this fool you though, there are a few moments that might blow your wig with its surprising difficulty.

Lit – My Own Worst Enemy

Mainstream music became very interesting around 1999 as bands became more influenced by pop aesthetics. And while many songs from that year are noteworthy hits, Lit’s My Own Worst Enemy remains a timeless track. 

Who could forget the first time they imagined the scene being portrayed throughout the song’s chorus? Fire this track up on GHTV and you’ll instantly be thrown back in time to these glory days. 

MGMT – Time To Pretend 

MGMT’s track Time To Pretend became one of the anthems to the summer of 2008. This song, which seems to take inspiration from The Flaming Lips, found fans far outside of its indie-rock origin. 

Playing this song through GHTV is a blast, primarily because the song seems to never get old. The next time you have a party, make sure you play this to ensure everyone has an entertaining time. 

The Offspring – The Kids Aren’t Alright

The Offspring’s 1998 album Americana is still one of the greatest albums of the late 90s. So many of the band’s biggest hits came from this album, including The Kids Aren’t Alright.

This song has everything you could want for a track that’s featured on Guitar Hero Live. Its heavy riffing, mixed with a signature melody, and augmented by a tasteful solo will have you playing it repeatedly.

Rush – Limelight

Rush being featured in Guitar Hero is nothing new and seems to be sort of a tradition. Even those who played Rock Band back in the day will enjoy playing through Limelight on Guitar Hero Live. 

It’s difficult to say that Rush has one signature song since so many of their songs are huge hits. Limelight seems to have all the traditional hallmark features that Rush is traditionally known for. 

Blink-182 – The Rock Show

Blink-182 will forever be considered one of the greatest bands of the late 1990s. While most associate them with Enema Of The State, the Take Off Your Pants And Jacket shouldn’t be overlooked.

It’s there that you’ll find their hit track, The Rock Show, which became a smash hit in the early 2000s. Playing through this is sure to bring back some nostalgic memories.

Mastodon – High Road

Mastodon songs are always notoriously tricky to play, despite sometimes sounding deceptively simplistic. Such is the case with their track, High Road, which takes a stoner rock approach blended with patented Mastodon musicality. 

This song has some infectious riffs that incorporate rhythmic gallops at unexpected moments. You’ll be spending a little time getting this heavy rock track off the ground.

ZZ Top – I Gotsta Get Paid

ZZ Top is usually most known for the songs that they released back in the 1970s and 1980s. Many of those songs are considered classic, timeless tracks which still receive copious amounts of radio play. 

But in 2012, ZZ Top showed that they were still kicking and creating their signature sound. There’s no doubt that you’ll have a grin on your face playing through this blues rock track. 

The Who – Won’t Get Fooled Again

While Pete Townshend might not have been a flashy guitar, his playing is no doubt iconic in its own way. The way he strikes a chord is nearly synonymous with the sound of 1970s British rock. 

Won’t Get Fooled Again is full of epic moments driven by Townshend’s unique rhythm guitar style. Plus, the song has one of the greatest intros in the history of recorded music.

Judas Priest – Breaking The Law

Judas Priest entered the 1980s with one of the greatest metal albums of all time. They helped brand the new era as one that would be dominated by metal with their track, Breaking The Law. 

It’s safe to say that a good portion of the entire world is familiar with this song’s famous chorus. Do your best not to emulate Beavis when you’re playing through this track.

The Black Keys – Gold On The Ceiling

During the 2000s, The Black Keys proved that blues rock music was far from dead. Not only that, but they proved that the sound could be reinvented in hip ways fit for the modern era. 

Gold On The Ceiling is a track from the band’s classic El Camino album providing plenty to chew on. Don’t be fooled, while it sounds simple, Auerbach’s guitar parts will have you tripped up. 

Soundgarden – Been Away Too Long

Soundgarden will forever be one of the best bands from the 1990s pushing that iconic Seattle sound. Of course, Chris Cornell’s vocals have quite a bit to do with that signature sound.

Guitar Hero Live lets you not only play the song but attempt to sing these vocals with the game’s microphone. This track has an excellent blend of rhythmic riffing mixed with sonic-bending leads.

Soundgarden – Spoonman

While Been Away For Too Long is a later release in the band’s catalog, Spoonman is classic Soundgarden. If you were alive in the 1990s, you probably remember this track’s signature use of call-and-response vocals. 

This song is going to blast you right back to the golden days of the grunge era. You best believe that playing this song in the game is as fun as you’d expect.

Audioslave – Cochise

Guitar Hero Live’s developers seemed to have gone the extra mile to include a fair share of Chris Cornell tracks. Including a classic track from Audioslave probably seemed like a necessity.

Cochise really is a timeless song driven by Tom Morello’s funk-inspired guitar riffs and Cornell’s signature voice. You’ll have a difficult time making it through this song without rocking your head to its groove. 

Wolfmother – Sundial 

Wolfmother helped stoner rock become mainstream in the late 2000s with its signature heavy sound. Their songs are no stranger to guitar video games, and Sundial always proves to be a fun track to play.

This song is sort of like a juiced-up Black Sabbath song that was made for the new millennium. There’s also a tasty fuzz-drenched guitar solo to work through that always feels good to nail down. 

Living Colour – Cult Of Personality

If you’re a Guitar Hero veteran, you probably remember playing through Living Colour’s Cult Of Personality. The song was a chore, primarily because it would switch up on you just as you were getting comfortable. 

Now, you can relive the joy of mastering this epic track by means of the GHTV service. Don't blame us if you end up abruptly quitting the game out of frustration.

Blink-182 – All The Small Things

Do you remember where you were the first time you heard Blink-182’s All The Small Things? This one song inspired countless young teenagers to start their own bands, inevitably covering Blink-182 songs in the process.

For many people, All The Small Things is classic Blink-182 at some of their finest. This track is partially responsible for pop punk becoming such a mainstream music phenomenon. 

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble – Cold Shot

Stevie Ray Vaughan is one of the most celebrated guitarists in all of modern music history. What he was able to do within the blues medium remains unmatched and unparalleled in its sheer energy and precision. 

You better buckle up your seatbelt if you’re thinking about attempting Cold Shot on Guitar Hero Live. At least it’s a little easier than playing it on the actual guitar.

Rage Against The Machine – Bulls On Parade

If you’re somebody who played Guitar Hero 3, Bulls On Parade might have been an old favorite. The developers reoriented the song’s gameplay to accommodate the game’s new controller design and it’s just as fun as before. 

One of the joys of this song is the fact that one can never tire of Tom Morello’s guitar parts. He incorporates some of his signature guitar effect experimentation to a masterful degree here.

Fountains Of Wayne – Stacy’s Mom

Everybody and their 3rd cousin learned about Stacy’s Mom back in the early 2000s. The song made Fountains Of Wayne a legendary household name and is arguably their best track. 

But really, just about everybody can probably relate to the song’s lyrics, which only makes it that much better. Being able to sing the lyrics in a game makes for a fun time worthy of being a guilty pleasure. 

Ratt – Round And Round

1980s metal pushed the boundaries of the electric guitar far beyond what was ever done before. As a genre, it also produced some of the most unforgettable hits to date.

Ratt’s Round And Round definitely fits this category. You don’t have to look far to find somebody who holds this old bop near and dear to their heart. 

R.E.M. – The One I Love

It might seem goofy to name such a slow ballad as one of the best songs on Guitar Hero Live. But, give The One I Love a play through and you’ll quickly eat crow on your assumptions. 

While this song might be simple, you’ll become a little tripped up on the guitar’s deceptively intricate passages. Of course, with the microphone, who can resist the temptation of belting the vocals as loud as possible? 

Megadeth – Hangar 18

If you’ve played Guitar Hero games in the past, you’ve probably learned a few things along the way. One of those things is that playing classic metal tracks on these games never seems to get old. 

Hangar 18 is an epic track from the Megadeth catalog that will tick every box on your thirst for challenge. This is a song that’s going to take you a little while to play completely flawlessly. 

Rage Against The Machine – Guerrilla Radio

Having access to 2 different Rage Against The Machine songs on Guitar Hero Live is a definite selling point. Make sure you access GHTV to play through the RATM classic, Guerrilla Radio. 

This track highlights Tom Morello’s distinct funk groove-inspired rhythm guitar approach. Even though much of this song is easy, it’s just such a good song that everybody can enjoy its potency. 

Flobots – Handlebars

50 years from now, Flowbots will probably be one of those tracks that people look back on with significant reverence. And while it might seem odd that a rap song is on Guitar Hero Live, its musicality is appropriate.

The song’s intro will probably be one of the most difficult passages during its gameplay. Other than that, it’s long, sustained chords mixed in with a few riffs and rhythmic passages.

Korn – Freak On A Leash

Freak On A Leash is one of those songs that helped define the era when dark rock reigned supreme. This metal track has an excellent blend of heavy riffing mixed with ambient soundscapes. 

If you do the vocals on Guitar Hero, you’ll have endless fun during the scat section before the breakdown. 

Modest Mouse – Float On

Modest Mouse hit on a dance-pop sound that helped define an entire era of indie-rock with Float On. Even after all these years, Float On still slaps as hard as it did back in the 2010s. 

You’ll need to get accustomed to the song’s highly-rhythmic guitar part that is so integral to the song’s sound.

Gary Clark Jr. – Don’t Owe You A Thang

If blues-rock is your bag, Don’t Owe You A Thang is going to be one of your favorite songs. Gary Clark Jr.’s guitar distortion-saturated tone is ridiculously heavy and, as a result, quite infectious. 

Both the rolling rhythm of this song and the epic guitar solo will give you some trouble initially. 

Pantera – Cowboys From Hell

If you’re a guitarist, there are some songs that are too sacred to attempt to play. Trying to learn Dimebag Darrell’s licks in Cowboys From Hell could seem like a pointless endeavor. 

Fortunately, Guitar Hero Live lets you at least play the song in video game format. This way, you aren’t engaging in some atrocious, sacrilegious act of trying to emulate your hero. 

Weezer – Buddy Holly

Weezer quickly established itself as a household name in the 1990s with its patented brand of rock music. Despite being influenced by pop, the band had a potent heaviness that proved too good to ignore. 

Many would point to the song, Buddy Holly, as the reason Weezer became successful as quickly as they did. Even after all these years, running through it on Guitar Hero Live never seems to get old. 

Jet – Are You Gonna Be My Girl

Jet’s Are You Gonna Be My Girl was a song that played repeatedly on radio stations in the 2000s. The song seems to perfectly blend the modern rock approach inspired by a retro vibe.

While the lyrics might be what catches most people, it’s the guitar parts that seem to underhandedly steal the show. Being able to play through this riff-driven song is an absolute joy on Guitar Hero Live.

Green Day – American Idiot

Nobody could have predicted that Green Day would venture into the world of dramatic rock. Yet, the American Idiot album proved to be an international hit, thrusting Green Day into the spotlight once again. 

Anybody who was a teenager during the early 2000s will definitely enjoy playing the album’s title track. Remember, nobody can stop you from singing along during the song’s gameplay.

Top Guitar Hero Live Songs, Final Thoughts

Sometime around 2019, Activision announced that the online GHTV service was being shut down for good. This rightfully upset gamers, who purchased songs from the service for on-demand playability. 

Fortunately, the game’s dedicated community has gone to great lengths to ensure that this game stays alive and playable. GHTV is now up and running again on private servers so that everyone can enjoy the game’s excellent soundtrack.