As Song Facts notes, back in the days before automated corporate radio, stations would follow up Waitin’ for the Bus with the next album track, Jesus Just Left Chicago, making both tracks almost synonymous in the minds of older ZZ fans. Waitin’ for the Bus may never have been released as a single, but as the opening track to Tres Hombres, it occupies a special place in the hearts of fans nonetheless. Hence its inclusion at number 19 on our list. Blues and hip hop mightn’t seem the most natural of bedfellows, but if anyone could make it work, ZZ Top could. Next up we have I Gotsta Get Paid, a revamp of DJ DMD’s 1989 rap hit “25 Lighters” (which, fun fact, is Houston slang for taking a lighter apart and stuffing its innards with crack). Johnson may or may not have sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads but going by fan’s reaction to this 3.09-minute masterpiece, ZZ Top may well have. In at number 20 we have Dust My Broom, an updated version of I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom by the blues legend Robert Johnson.
The one thing we do know for certain is that you’re guaranteed to find at least a few of your favorites in this round-up of the 20 all-time best ZZ Top songs. In 2004, their contribution to music was given the recognition it deserved when Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones inducted them into the Rock and Roll of Fame as grand an honor this was, whether it not it competes with having one of their singles(“Flyin’ High, in case you didn’t know) debut in space being named “Official Heroes for the State of Texas” by the Texas House of Representatives being presented with commemorative rings by Billy Bob Thornton at the VH1 Rock Honors or having Paula Abdul choreograph their music video to “Velcro Fly”, who knows. Their success continued all the way through the 1980s and 1990s, with albums such as Eliminator and Afterburner racking up phenomenal records sales. After signing to London Records, they began pumping out hit after hit, quickly gaining a reputation for their bawdy lyrics, distorted guitar sounds, and humorous videos. They first joined forces (albeit with a slightly different line up) in 1969, with their debut single, Salt Lick, coming out that same year. Hailed by fans and critics alike as being some of the finest roots musicians around, ZZ Top has managed to bridge the divide between commercial success and critical acclaim to spectacular effect. The collective of vocalist/guitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist/vocalist Dusty Hill, and drummer Frank Beard has been showing what three men with a passion for rhythm (and a fine line in beards) can do for over 50 years.
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