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Donielle Flynn

ZZ Top Songs – 6 Most Requested

By Donielle Flynn
ZZ Top has a song called "Cheap Sunglasses. Photo courtesy of Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

ZZ Top and swagger are synonymous in my book. Their MTV videos for Eliminator put the Little Old Band From Texas in a higher league than ever before. Believe it or not, ZZ Top has never had a Billboard #1 hit despite all their success. I feel like that just gives them more swagger. This is a list of ZZ Top songs that have been the most requested through my decades in rock radio.

ZZ Top of the Charts

ZZ Top has had two songs that reached number eight on the Billboard charts: “Legs” from 1984’s Eliminator and “Sleeping Bag” from 1985’s Afterburner. “Legs” was HUGE on MTV. The lovable dorks who are hotties in disguise get a little ZZ Top help to get the haters off their backs. It’s still one of my favorite videos.

ZZ Top songs: They bring their swagger to MTV. “Legs” is definitely one of our most requested ZZ Top songs.

About The Band

In one of the more ironic turns, who hasn’t been made aware that the only guy in the band without a beard, is Frank Beard? ZZ Top holds the record for the longest running rock band with no lineup changes. They formed in 1969 and stuck together until 2021 when Dusty Hill passed away. That’s 52 years.

All three members were born in 1949 and were just 19 years old when they got together. Talk about a compliment, Billy Gibbons was called “One of America’s best young guitarists” on The Tonight Show… by Jimi Hendrix. Billy ‘s band, Moving Sidewalks opened a few shows for Jimi in 1968. Here’s Billy Gibbons talking about the experience:

Sound quality is pretty hallow, but it’s a cool story and worth the listen.

ZZ Top Day is May 15th in Texas. It was proclaimed back in 1997 by then governor, George W Bush.

3 men... two have beards and are wearing sunglasses, one has a mustache and is not wearing sunglasses. This picture is used in article about ZZ Top songs
Ross Halfin/UMG
ZZ Top: Dusty Hill, Billy Gibbons, and Frank Beard. The band formed in 1969 when all three members were just 19 years old. – Picture courtesy of Ross Halfin/UMG

Here are five more songs rounding out the list of our most requested ZZ Top songs:

  • "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers"

    This is a Friday favorite for requests… this and ZZ Top’s “Just got Paid.” Billy Gibbons spoke to Songfacts about the real-life inspiration behind “Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers.” While on tour, a storm kicked up and they decided to get out of the weather at a roadside joint. “We ducked in quick and came face to face with our kind of folks… those soulful souls seeking solace, not only out of the dust and sand, but out of mind. What chance does one get better than that! We joined the gathering and started scribbling.”

  • "La Grange"

    “La Grange” is also based on real-life experiences and places.  The song drew so much attention to Miss Edna’s Boarding House in La Grange AKA the Chicken Ranch. It was (according to lore) the oldest establishment that catered to the oldest profession. The attention that was drawn by ZZ Top’s song was the catalyst in its closing.  The establishment was also the inspiration for the movie “The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas.” My mom was a huge Dolly Parton fan and took me to see the movie when I was 12. You can’t make that stuff up.

  • "Gimme All Your Lovin'"

    “Gimme All Your Lovin'” was the first ZZ Top song that featured the synthesizer. The synthesizer was extremely popular in the ’80s. ZZ Top definitely influenced Van Halen’s use in their album, 1984. “Gimme All Your Lovin'” video was ZZ Top’s first video and the first video to have a sequel (“Sharp Dressed Man”). the signature Eliminator car was a 1933 Ford Hot Rod owned by Billy Gibbons. I wonder if he used the car as a tax write-off since it was featured in the videos. #legit

  • "Sharp Dressed Man"

    Back in the ’80s, Dusty Hill spoke with Spin magazine and defined “sharp-dressed,” saying, “Sharp-dressed depends on who you are. If you’re on a motorcycle, really sharp leather is great. If you’re a punk rocker, you can get sharp that way. You can be sharp or not sharp in any mode. It’s all in your head. If you feel sharp, you be sharp.”

  • "Tush"

    ZZ Top has more than their fair share of double-entendre song titles: “Pearl Necklace,” “Tube Snake Boogie,” and “Tush” to name a few. Along with the Yiddish definition of “tush”, Dusty Hill explained that it also meant,  “plush, very lavish, very luxurious. So it depended on how you used it.”

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