Write a Ballad, and The Will Come

Rock and Roll music has always been described as ‘a group of young boys who play loud music in their garage, waiting to be discovered.’ Loud is good, but in the early 70s rock n’ roll record labels discovered that soft, can make bands more money by bringing women to the shows.

Although the band KISS hated the tune, “Beth” was a hit that brought women to the show. “Stairway to Heaven” was a semi-ballad that opened the box office for girls in the mid-60s.

Journey gave us the power ballads “Open Arms,” “Faithfully,” and “The Eyes of a Woman” and then concert audiences and record sales nearly doubled overnight.

“Lady” from Styx is the perfect example of a band that dug in its heels and refused to write love songs. Dennis DeYoung, the eventual leader of the group, forced the band to record and play the songs that were a departure from their rock fare and solidified him as the leader of the band.

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