What it is…is the lament of an outlaw who has been caught and is about to be executed by hanging. It’s also a “Great Song of 1979.”

What it’s NOT…is a country/western song–even though the plotline would fit right into an old western movie.

In fact it’s a rock and roll classic that starts slow and builds intensity until the end.

“Renegade” by Styx (from the album “Pieces of Eight”) was written by group member Tommy Shaw.

Now, normally, Tommy would play the guitar solos on the songs he wrote…but this time, he asked bandmate James Young to do the honors.

The result: A classic that gave Styx two things: a hit record, and a closing song for their concerts.

On the charts, , “Renegade reached #10 in Canada and #16 in here the US.

Since 1979, the song has become a “go-to” song for TV Shows like “Freaks & Geeks” and “Supernatural”, Movies like “Billy Madison,” and Video Games like Grand Theft Auto IV). The Pittsburgh Steelers even use it as an anthem for their defensive unit.

All that makes Renegade” an all-purpose “Great Song” of 1979–and beyond!

For the stories behind more than 1,500 Great Songs of the ’70s and ’80s, visit my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MichaelCuuuk/