The 25 greatest stadium anthems of all time

Although two separate tracks, Queen released them together as a single in October 1977. It's nearly impossible to think of one of these without the other. These two are the platonic ideal of what a stadium anthem should be: easy to sing, best when performed in unison, and no instruments are required. 

This Guns N' Roses jam, released as part of the 1987 classic "Appetite For Destruction," is a perfect stadium banger for two reasons. The first is that sick nasty opening, courtesy of Slash. The second is the song's somewhat menacing messaging directed at opposing teams and fans – "Do you know where you are? You're in the jungle, baby!"

One of the better songs to enter the stadium anthem canon, this 2003 White Stripes' hit has been a staple at sporting venues worldwide. Its stadium roots trace back to Italian soccer before before spreading into college football (Penn State), pro football (Baltimore Ravens), pro basketball (Miami Heat), and elsewhere. Everyone knows this song, from the "Queen of England to the hounds of hell."

1992's "Jump Around" is legitimately the only reason why anyone knows who House of Pain is. This track has been a longtime staple of stadium playlists because it follows one simple rule important to the genre; it tells audiences what to do. 

American punk legends The Ramones made short but contagious songs that were fun and easy to singalong to. The best of these is 1976's "Blitzkrieg Bop," whose "Hey! Ho! Let's Go!" chorus is the perfect thing to play during a time out. 

Singing and dancing to this 1978 Village People disco hit is like staying at the Y.M.C.A. It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A. Y.M.C.A. Now you can't stop it singing, either.

This 1999 electrohit by German DJ Zombie Nation is arguably one of the most famous songs in the world that no one knows the name of it. When it comes to sports, "Kernkraft 400" is usually blasted through stadium PA systems right before the start of a game or match. 

This 1969 song by Steam became part of sports culture when Chicago White Sox organist started playing it during the 1977 season. It has since become the go to chant to taunt opposing teams after they've lost. 

This 2000 one hit wonder by the Baha Men became a favorite at sports venues almost as soon as it came out. It became Alex Rodriguez's music while with the Seattle Mariners in 2000, which is just about the most ARod thing ever.

This 1969 Neil Diamond soft rock classic has long been associated with Boston sports, specifically the Red Sox. So much so that longtime rivals New York Yankees played it the day after the Boston Marathon bombing in solidarity. 

This Miami bass hit by Tag Team has been a stadium cam staple since it first came out in 1993. Fun fact: Although "Whoomp! (There It Is)" is more famous than "Whoot, There It Is!" the latter came out first and is arguably the better song. 

If not the best song of all time, can we at least agree that this 1981 hit by Journey is the most versatile song in rock history. It's perfect for karaoke, for singing while driving in your car, and for playing when your team is down but not entirely out near the end of a game. 

The only person or thing that has a stronger association to this 1986 glam rock epic by Europe than sports is Gob Bluth in "Arrested Development." 

This world would be a worse place if it weren't for the face melting guitar solo by Randy Rhoads in the opening of "Crazy Train." This heavy metal masterpiece from 1980 was tailor made for sports arenas and stadiums. 

This opening track to Metallica's classic 1991 eponymous album – often referred to as "The Black Album" – has long been played at stadiums and arenas, but most people rightly associated with Mariano Rivera. The New York Yankees closer used this track as his entrance music. The opening riffs signified light out for the opposing teams. 

Truth be told, just about every AC/DC song could be an anthem banger. But if forced to pick just one, the obvious choice would be "Thunderstruck." It's that Angus Young guitar work that does it. Two teams who obviously use this song at home games: Oklahoma Thunder and Tampa Bay Lightning.  

If a rock song is used in a popular sports movie, odds are that said track will be mainstay at stadiums and arenas. That's certainly the case for "Eye of the Tiger," the 1982 rock song by Survivor that served as the theme song to "Rocky III."  

The title of this 1981 hints as to why it's played just before games or matches are set to begin. "Start Me Up" was also one of the songs performed by the Rolling Stones during the Super Bowl XL halftime show. 

This 1991 Euro-dance track by 2 Unlimited is so ubiquitous as a stadium banger that it's been used in the soundtrack to movies like "Space Jam," "Bring It On," and "Happy Gilmore."

This 1982 instrumental by prog rock band The Alan Parsons Project will forever be associated with the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls, who used the song in their home game intros. 

If you were to look up videos of people dancing like goofballs while at a stadium or an arena on YouTube, I'm willing to bet you a $100 that the song they're dancing to is Darude's "Sandstorm."

This 1993 Naughty By Nature hit was used by Ken Griffey, Jr., as his intro music whenever he would come up to bat. 

This 2002 Eminem track from his quasi-biopic "8 Mile" is beloved by the sports world because it's really catchy and its "it's now or never" ethos, which make it perfect psych-up music. 

Somebody once told me this 1999 Smashmouth song was popular at sporting venues long before it was a popular Internet meme. Why? Because of how pervasive and present it was after it was released, and because professional sports have All Star games (duh).

The next time you find yourself at a professional sports event, and something happens – a timeout, a great play, anything – I guarantee you that at some point during the game, you're going to hear this 1997 Blur hit.