Rock | Hair Metal
The Best Warrant Songs of All-Time
Top 10 Ranked
80s & 90s Swag
The boys of Warrant had some rippin’ tunes back in the day. What made Warrant the rock band interesting was how endearing frontman Jani Lane could be, like he truly, truly cared about the music. Well, when it was serious music on songs like Uncle Tom's Cabin, I Saw Red and more.
What's crazy is how they're still touring with all of the original members in their line up, Erik Turner, Jerry Dixon, Joey Allen, and Steven Sweet. Obviously not Lane, cause he's unfortunately dead. But singer Robert Mason seems to be keeping them going on the vox.
Warrant's time in the national spotlight had effectively ended by the time Dog Eat Dog had come out in 1992 thanks to Grunge. Sure, they'd always have The Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, but music's focus shifted North to Seattle.
That's why this list is only DRSFR and Cherry Pie. The Bitter Pill, while a solid rock anthem with good vocals, piano work and a catchy chorus just doesn't make the cut.
While Warrant never hit the heights of a Def Leppard or Motley Crue, they definitely eclipsed the Cinderella, Firehouse, and L.A. Guns Tier 3 of the Glam Metal scene.
Hit Songs by Band
List of Top Warrant Songs
- Cherry Pie
- Heaven
- Mr. Rainmaker
- Uncle Tom's Cabin
- I Saw Red
- Down Boys
- Blind Faith
- Sometimes She Cries
- Big Talk
- Bed of Roses
1. Cherry Pie
When you write a song as great as Cherry Pie, you just go on and name your album after it. It starts with a lyrical call back to the debut album, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, before Warrant 2.0 takes over and it's time to party.
The video, much like Whitesnake’s Here I Go Again video, even brought a Hollywood Starlet to prominence, with Bobbi Brown becoming known as the Cherry Pie Girl.
Cherry Pie definitely makes every single playlist of Get Psyched songs from the genre. It also makes a list of the best music videos.
Don't believe us on the latter? Check out the Cherry Pie video and you'll see what we mean.
2. Heaven
Warrant’s truest power ballad. The MTV video cemented in our brain that Warrant was being branded as the White Leather band. Was that a thing? No. But, we feel like it should be.
Reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 is no small feat, and Heaven did that.
3. Mr. Rainmaker
A huge riff that even early heavy metal bands would have been proud of it. Mr. Rainmaker might be Warrant’s best overall song. Unfortunately, we're taking a dash of popularity into account.
Back for a ripping performance is Mike Slamer, Warrant's guitar solo'ing side piece who 100% improves their sound. They should be grateful for this man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr. Rainmaker
4. Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin is an incredible song. The intro, as played by Lane's brother, Eric Oswald, is among the best parts of all of Warrant's tunes.
Not many Hair Metal bands went off script and produced an Uncle Tom's Cabin. Like Skid Row on their entire second album, Slave to the Grind, Warrant went a little bit harder on this track, bending notes up into Hard Rock from their Glam Metal roots.
It paid off in big ways, as Uncle Tom's Cabin received a ton of cred.
5. I Saw Red
I Saw Red is a lyrical lifeboat in the sea of hair metal hijinks that is Warrant's second album, Cherry Pie. Where DRSFR was a young band on the way up, Cherry Pie features an older, wiser Warrant that still parties hard, but now must deal with the consequences of fame and fortune.
6. Down Boys
One of rock's biggest questions revolves around the Down Boys. Where do they go?!
Is this a song about getting the girl? Losing the girl? We're very confused.
What we do know that is that last falsetto, "Where the GOOOOOOO!" is excellent.
7. Blind Faith
We've always been curious as to why Lane tells his darling how he feels when she is sleeping. Anyway, Warrant can't resist distortion. Ballads like Blind Faith don't really require it, but the band just can't stay away.
The cowboy hat and get up in the video let us know that Jani is to be taken seriously when performing this ode to the love of his life.
Blind Faith was off the album Cherry Pie from Columbia Records.
8. Sometimes She Cries
A huge opening riff into yet another ballad. You wonder if Lane wasn't born 15-20 years too early, as the singer-songwriter laden late 90s/early 2000s could have easily featured half a dozen Warrant songs performed on just a six string. This is one of them.
Listen, we aren't saying Jani & The Boys are Richard Marx, author of countless songs including Edge of a Broken Heart by Vixen. We're just saying they were no slouches.
9. Big Talk
A song about rebellious youth who don't need no shit talked to them anymore by their elders.
This list of these style songs in Rock N' Roll is long.
10. Bed of Roses
A medium-paced rocker, the kind that all bands had to have to bridge the gap between the ballads and the coke-fueled, party ragers, Bed of Roses tells a gentle, poignant story of a guy trying to help Desiree out with her tough luck situation.
Not to be confused with Bed of Roses from Jovi, which has an entirely different meaning.
Bonus: The Power
The Power was a criminally underrated Warrant song that appeared on the Gladiator Soundtrack. No, not Russell Crowe's Gladiator, that was Hans Zimmer. This was the boxing Gladiator movie that came out in 1992 starring Cuba Gooding Jr., James Marshall, Brian Denney and Robert Loggia.
Warrant had two tracks on the compilation soundtrack, The Power and a cover of Queen's, We Will Rock You. The Power is what we're here to discuss though.
The Power feels like Big Talk 2. It's ready to knock your teeth out with the impact of a thousand guitar swells and double bends. Give it a listen. Classic Warrant.
Other Warrant Songs
One thing to note is that Game of War appears on the Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure soundtrack.
- 32 Pennies
- So Damn Pretty (Should Be Against the Law)
- D.R.F.S.R.
- In the Sticks
- Ridin' High
- Cold Sweat
- Only a Man
- All Night Long
- Sure Feels Good to Me
- Love in Stereo
- Song and Dance Man
- You're the Only Hell Your Mama Ever Raised
- Game of War
- Thin Disguise
- Machine Gun
- The Hole in My Wall
- April 2031
- Andy Warhol Was Right
- Bonfire
- The Bitter Pill
- Hollywood (So Far, So Good)
- All My Bridges Are Burning
- Quicksand
- Let It Rain
- Inside Out
- Sad Theresa
- Lincoln, Mercurys and Fords
Other Warrant Albums
Warrant would go on to record more rock albums throughout the 90s and into the 2000s, but nothing ever recaptured the magic of the glory days of the late 80s/early 90s.
Before we go though, Bonfire from Dog Eat Dog wasn't too shabby.
- Dog Eat Dog
- Ultraphobic
- Belly to Belly
- Under the Influence
- Born Again
- Rockaholic
- Louder Harder Faster
- The Best of Warrant