"Silver Rocket" was the second single from Sonic Youth's 1988 album Daydream Nation. Rolling Stone ranked it No. 79 in the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time".[2] It was ranked the 183rd greatest song of all time by the Italian magazine Rumore.[3] The song was listed at No. 33 in Les Inrockuptibles's 1000 Necessary Songs.[4]
"Silver Rocket" has a main riff which shows the influence of punk rock. About 90 seconds into the song, the guitars are detuned and the song becomes a noise rock soundscape, before heading into the final verse and chorus. According to AllMusic's Stewart Mason, the song boasts "the first genuinely catchy chorus of the band's career" and compares it to Mudhoney's "Touch Me I'm Sick."[5]
Formats and track listing
A-side
"Silver Rocket (Live)" by Sonic Youth - In this live version of the song, Thurston Moore changed the second verse, where he makes references to other musicians and pop social icons of the time including J. Mascis and Cher.
^Rolling Stone - The 100 Greatest Guitars Songs of All Time "Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo formed Sonic Youth as a temple to the electric guitar, spurning lead and rhythm roles in favor of noise and more noise. Here they're a two-headed beast, crashing through open-tuned riffs and throwing in a bristling, free-form feedback blizzard in lieu of a solo."
^"Rumore 300". Rumore (in Italian). January 3, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
