Stop fretting about the halftime show, we promise you will hear tons of classic rock music during this year’s Super Bowl – especially during the commercials.
Rock fans have grown increasingly angry in recent years as pop singers and hip-hop stars have landed the coveted halftime show spot year after year. The Who were the last classic rock act to perform at the biggest game of the year, way back in 2010.
With the 2026 Super Bowl taking place at the home stadium of the San Francisco 49ers, there was hope that Bay Area rock legends such as Journey or Metallica might get the nod. Instead Puerto Rican pop star (and pro wrestler supreme) Bad Bunny got the job.
Relax. Remember, you’re gonna hear arena-rocking anthems like Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” throughout the game itself.
Plus, we already know of at least 10 Super Bowl commercials that will feature classic rock songs. You can watch them all below, and we wouldn’t be surprised if more great rock songs turn up in other commercials we don’t know about yet.
Lou Reed, “Take a Walk on the Wild Side”Absolute Tabasco
Drinking cocktails while seated on an active volcano definitely counts as taking a walk on the wild side, making Lou Reed’s 1972 hit the perfect soundtrack.
Read More: Top 10 Classic Rock Super Bowl Commercials of All Time
Queen, “I Want to Break Free” Pepsi
The polar bear from Coca-Cola’s Christmas commercials just got himself into big trouble.
Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Free Bird”Budweiser
A baby bird born without a mother gets adopted by the a Budweiser Cydyesdale, and guess which Lynyrd Skynyrd song is playing when it finally learns to fly?
Survivor, “Eye of the Tiger”Michelob Ultra
At first we thought Kurt Russell was in Death Proof mode here, and was about to mow down a bunch of skiers with his specially-modified stunt car. But sadly, no. Instead, with help from Survivor’s eternal training montage anthem “Eye of the Tiger” he instead helps one of them stop being the group punching bag.
Blondie, “Call Me”‘Supergirl’
Hot on the heels of “One Way or Another”‘s appearance in the excellent Send Help, another Blondie classic plays in the background during the commercial for this summer’s Supergirl movie.
Neil Diamond, “Sweet Caroline” Hellmann’s Mayonnaise
Andy Samberg – star of the excellent Groundhog Day-themed movie Palm Springs as well as Brooklyn 99 and Saturday Night Live, portrays “Meal Diamond,” annoying diners while singing his own version of Neil Diamond’s 1969 smash.
The Beatles, “All Together Now”Starbucks
How can you afford licensing a Beatles song for your Super Bowl commercial? By selling milkshakes that people still somehow consider coffees at $7 a pop, apparently!
Elvis Presley, “Suspicious Minds”Uber Eats
Matthew McConaughey helps us all get back at Bradley Cooper by hijacking his highly annoying football conspiracy commercials, gleefully taunting him with help from Elvis Presley’s 1968 classic.
Rupert Holmes, ‘Escape (The Pina Colada Song”Xfinity
Turns out the world of Jurassic Park could have turned out much differently if they just had a better wi-fi connection – and Rupert Holmes’ 1979 hit about a couple who are somehow happy to find out they’ve been cheating on each other via classified ads.
Chris Isaak, “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing”Hummer
The opening track to Chris Isaak’s gorgeous 1995 breakup album Forever Blue plays as two electric Hummers make their way around a basketball court. It makes more sense than your average cologne commercial, but not by a whole lot.
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Gallery Credit: Corey Irwin
