Top 11 Styx Songs

By CJ Tiernan

Formed in Chicago in the early '70s, Styx is an American rock band with maximum style. They deliver positive vibes and hope through the power of sound. Comprised of original members Dennis DeYoung, James "J.Y." Young (no relation), John "J.C." Curulewski, Chuck Panozzo, and John Panozzo (brothers), these guys rocked through the '70s and '80s with long hair and musical attitude (Tommy Shaw would go on to shred in place of J.C. by 1976). I love Styx. They are my go to pick-me-up band and my favorite musical artist of all time not named Weird Al. They are the kings of the power ballad. Below is a list of my Top 11 favorite Songs by Styx I've ever heard.

Ralph Arvesen, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

1. Come Sail Away (1977) - The Grand Illusion

This is a gateway Styx song. It was the one that got me hooked. In the summer of 2005, my family went on a cruise that was a big family thing courtesy of our grandparents. It was awesome. It was also the genesis of my dad going out and purchasing their Greatest Hits CD so he could blast Come Sail Away from the car as we drove to the airport. It was a game changing moment for me. I obviously have a very happy memory associated with this song but, beyond that, I listened to the whole album (and burned it onto my iPod - what a time). I couldn't get enough and it was all thanks to this song. This song literally has the phrase "a song of hope" tucked in among its lyrics. What more do you need to know?

2. Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) (1978) - Pieces of Eight

A lot of Styx songs will start soft and then crescendo to epic heights. Not so with Blue Collar Man. It proffers a delicious, power-chord laden synth part right out of the starting blocks. It's game on from there.

3. Renegade (1978) - Pieces of Eight

In the Steel City, the Pittsburgh Steelers play this song to rally the defense in the second half. Mike Tomlin took over in 2007 and has never had a losing season. The Steelers started the tradition just a handful of year prior. I don't want to be the guy that confuses a causal relationship with a correlation but, c'mon, you do the math. Styx brings energy with basically every song but this one has a short preamble and then a literal scream to kick the heavy stuff into gear.

4. Rockin' the Paradise (1981) - Paradise Theatre

Speaking of energy and shouting, this song starts with a shout. I feel like the drums really drive the energy of this song. This also has some weird and random energy. At one point, you can hear someone shout "mashed potato" (which I think is a dance). The harmony on the refrain is fantastic.

5. The Best of Times (1981) - Paradise Theatre

This song has my favorite harmony of any Styx song. You crank the volume up in the car or the headphones when that refrain trumpets in and it slaps you in the face with unbridled glory and majesty. Styx songs are both rock and roll and sweet and tender, which I feel is an unsung part of their operation. They don't just melt faces (although Tommy Shaw and JY will NOT hesitate to melt your face), they tickle you right in the ventricles. It's like reading poetry to an arena full of crazed fans.

6. Crystal Ball (1976) - Crystal Ball

Here we once again experience the ebb and flow of the magical Styx formula. It starts and ends softer, and then puts the fasten seatbelt sign on for the chorus. This is the biggest hit from the album (clearly they knew it was coming, they named the album after it). It is also the first album in which Tommy Shaw entered the fold. He wrote this song on his first go with the band. Dude's got chops.

7. Show Me the Way (1990) - Edge of the Century

This song peaked on the charts in the top 5 on the Billboard rankings. It placed Styx in unique company as a band that had a top 5 single in three different decades ('70s, '80s, and '90s). This song stands as testament to both the greatness of Styx and their longevity. It's also a hauntingly beautiful song with which I can't help but to sing along. It is a song about keeping faith in a "world so filled with hatred." Fun fact: it is both number 7 on my list and track number 7 on their greatest hits album (sorry, that may have been a waste of the word "fun").

8. Suite Madame Blue (1975) - Equinox

You savvy musical maven, you. I know you're hip to all the scoops of musical knowledge in the world because you opted to read this list about an epic rock band. Nevertheless, I will disclose a small crumb of musical knowledge because, quite frankly, I didn't know it and had to research it (read: Google). A "suite" in music is a small collection of distinct pieces, usually connected is some way tonally or thematically (a "suite" in a hotel, meanwhile, is sweet!). This is a term that dates back to before they invented Plymouth Rock. You can definitely feel why they called this song a "suite." There is a hard right turn about halfway through where they get all patriotic and it becomes almost a different song. It's fun!

9. Man in the Wilderness (1977) - The Grand Illusion

The Grand Illusion album was the 7th Styx album and was released on 7-7-77. I find that delightful and satisfying and it was done intentionally for luck (the closest I have to a similar story is that on 06-06-06, I went on a Jack the Ripper walking tour in London - we didn't catch him). While Paradise Theatre slightly edged out this album for best selling Styx studio album of all time, The Grand Illusion is generally considered their best and most complete album. While the B-Side of Pieces of Eight contains four of my Top 12 favorite Styx songs of all time, I think the nameless, faceless "they" could be right. It has banger after banger. One of the bangers that didn't make the Greatest Hits album is this bad boy. Belting "sometimes I feel like a man in the wilderness" in the shower is more cathartic than any activity has a right to be.

10. Pieces of Eight (1978) - Pieces of Eight

Pieces of Eight refer to the Spanish Dollar, a large silver coin of yore. They remain in the public consciousness courtesy of our love of pirates. They're famously pirate booty. Robert Louis Stevenson included them in his novel Treasure Island. Because they were large coins and valued by weight, they would often be sliced into smaller parts (usually 8 slices, like a pizza) to be more practical. 1/8th of a Spanish Dollar is a "Piece of Eight." Can you imagine us employing this strategy today? Aw man, the checkout line at Target would be anarchy. Anywho, the song is lovely.

11. Don't Let It End (1983) - Kilroy Was Here

When I pop into my song app of choice on my phone and put Styx songs on random, this is the first one I play (the message in the song is clear: keep 'em coming). It is, as so many Styx songs are, a ballad filled with hope belted out by Dennis DeYoung. How did we get this far without name-dropping Dennis DeYoung. He was the face and spine of Styx for so long. He wrote by far the most songs for the band and is responsible for penning and lead singing 7 of their top 8 songs, according to the Billboard charts (Tommy Shaw's Too Much Time on My Hands was the lone exception). He has a unique vocal style (that I struggle to match whilst crooning in the car) and a flair for the theatric. His fingerprints are all over the band and it wouldn't be a thing without him.

Final Thoughts

Obviously, I love Styx. I've given you my elevator pitch on why they're fantastic. I hope you clicked the links to rock out to any of those songs you hadn't heard before or, if you knew them all already, rocked out to them again because they're phenomenal. Normally this thing just ends with me thanking you for reading this (genuinely, if you've gotten this far, I really appreciate it) and challenging you to call me out in the comments if you feel I've erred in some significant or noteworthy way. Not this time. We have a call to action, my friends. Styx, the band I love so much, needs your help. Even though they are eligible, Styx has not only not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, they haven't even been nominated. That's disgusting. We're talking about a rock band that rode the airwaves with prog rock, soft rock, hard rock, and pop rock and haven't even gotten a whiff. That's a shame, man. It's borderline unforgivable. They were the first band to have four consecutive multi-platinum albums and have sold over 54 million records worldwide. Write your local congressman or start a petition. Why are you not mad about this? Get mad! This is an outrage that must be resolved posthaste. Good day.