Styx - Renegade

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Maaaan, this song totally sucker punched me ! They really got me with this one. I still remember the first time I heard the classic rock song Renegade. The way it started, I thought it was a ballad. What'd he just say ? Was he cryin for his momma ? In fear for his life ? Say what ? It was so low and open, I couldn't make it out, so I turned it waaayy up.... Started leaning into the speakers.... Listening intently... And then, BLAMMO !!!! They kicked the door in and punched me in the face talkin about "The jig is up, the news is out, they finally found me ......." It about blew the speakers out! And I loved it! Still not sure if it was intentional or coincidental, but it worked. Ever since then, to me Renegade was the heaviest Styx song ever. Probably the heaviest song I knew of at the time from any rock artists, period. It just has all the right elements put together and executed perfectly - the lyrics, the contrast, the bridge, the guitar solo, all of it. Most people probably consider Blue Collar Man to be the heaviest song from the album Pieces of Eight, and they may be right. For me, I'm sure that experience of almost blowing up the radio the first time I heard Renegade has a lot to do with it. What a rush ! There's more emotion than just the music.

Same as I mentioned in my Witchy Woman post, I grew up watching all those old westerns, which made the story behind Renegade really cool and relatable. It also had that section with pounding, tribal-esque percussion that really resonated with me. Inversely, I had no idea what being a Blue Collar Man meant, and I couldn't relate to being unemployed, struggling, or any of that other stuff. The music was definitely cool, but I was still a kid, and never had a job or any of that yet. Plus, back then I mostly equated heaviness with something bluesy and funky, and usually slower, just like Renegade. This is actually about the point at which I started to evolve beyond that mindset. Come to think of it, the contrast of these two songs probably got that ball rollin for me.

As the years have gone by I must admit, that sucker punch has worn off a little. Renegade seesaws back and forth with Blue Collar Man for my favorite heavy hitter Styx song. But for me, no matter how badass that synth riff is, nothing can replace the raw heaviness of this track. This stripped down, hard drivin outlaw anthem clinched it for me. My rock n roll journey just kicked into high gear. So needless to say, thanks to Blue Collar Man and the thrill of almost blowin out my speakers, the first time I heard Renegade I went right out and bought it. That vinyl 45 was about the first cool thing I ever bought with my own money. Got it at the local K-mart while mom was gettin another pair of TRAX