Top 6 Spinal Tap Songs

Though some of the music featured on the soundtrack to the 1984 mockumentary classic This Is Spinal Tap is purported to be from the '60s and '70s, the majority of tunes on the disc highly reflect the hard rock styles rampant during the early '80s. Such detail proves that the band's alter egos (Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner) certainly possess a healthy grasp of rock music history and, especially, the hard rock subculture.

1. "Hell Hole"

As both a perfect parody of early-'80s hard rock bombast and a quality example of such music, the lead-off tune from the soundtrack for This Is Spinal Tap comes close to being a genuine classic of the genre. Built on raw, energetic riffing from guitarist David St. Hubbins and a rare, even soulful lead vocal performance from lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel, the song makes an intriguing use of its central concept. Lyrically, the track brilliantly alternates between typical rock and roll poetry and outrageous hilarity, teaching us the surprising but important truth that "in a hell hole, folks lend a hand."

2. "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight"

Another solid riff introduces this uproariously redundant rock anthem, a song that particularly showcases Tufnel's utterly unique if not always on-key soloing style. Also, usual lead singer St. Hubbins shows why he does most of the group's heavy lifting behind the microphone, as he delivers diatribes about his anatomical gifts without a trace of irony. Of course, a certain amount of self-awareness always informs the music of Tap, allowing Tufnel's amateurish but spirited guitar licks to say as much about the sense of fun often missing from the technical wizardry of "actual" heavy metal as anything else.

3. "Rock and Roll Creation"

An always grin-inducing send-up of hard rock's long-standing fascination with mythology and mysticism, this track deftly combines crunching power chords with an effective neo-progressive display of keyboards and synthesizers. Of course, merely hearing the song fails to do it much justice, thanks to its indelible association with one of This Is Spinal Tap the film's best sight gags. In keeping with the tune's hilariously confusing mish-mash of religious and secular ideas about the origins of life, the band's onstage struggles to emerge from prop pods help make this one of the group's most cherished fan favorites.

4. "Big Bottom"

Though clearly indebted conceptually to champions of bombast Queen and the anthem "Fat Bottomed Girls," this song actually spends most of its energy poking tremendous fun at the tendency of hard rock to employ moronically souped-up instruments or techniques onstage. Multiple-neck guitars and all, Tap makes this track truly special by enlisting three bass guitars, perhaps to emphasize the good vibrations of the lyrical subject matter. St. Hubbins takes every opportunity to raise the tent of derriere worship, especially with observations like, "The looser the waistband, the deeper the quicksand."

5. "Sex Farm"

Just to be certain Spinal Tap would earn its hard rock merit badge, the group had to take a headlong dive into ridiculous sexual innuendo, which this pastoral masterpiece was more than happy to do. The inventive nature of the double entendres and euphemisms cultivated from this tune seems to have no limit, as "Gettin' out my pitchfork, pokin' your hay" certainly confirms. Of course, having no limit also quickly propels a rock and roll band into offensive territory, but Spinal Tap relishes that role as any rockers should. Consider, if you dare, when St. Hubbins sings of "sniffin' your feed bag." Sorry I brought it up.

6. "Stonehenge"

This epic number is one of Spinal Tap's several thinly veiled jabs at Led Zeppelin, the hard rock kingpins who always displayed an absurdly earnest fascination with ancient mystery and magic. Tufnel's spoken-word sequences throughout the track lampoon this kind of puffed-up self-importance, though Nigel himself certainly doesn't realize it ("No one knows who they were, or... what they were doing"). Musically, the song features some of Spinal Tap's most prominent keyboard arrangements, but who can forget the mandolin solo and, of course, Smalls' primal scream capable of invoking the Druids' wrath?