Rock of Ages Musical Songs: Full Song List in Order

Rock of Ages strings together about 30 rock hits, from “Just Like Paradise” and “Sister Christian” to “Here I Go Again” and a full-company “Don’t Stop Believin'” finale, into the story of Drew and Sherrie on the Sunset Strip in 1987. Below is every song in order, act by act, with who sings it in the show and which band made it famous.

By the Musicals On Line team · Updated October 2026

Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical with a book by Chris D’Arienzo. It opened on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on April 7, 2009, later moved to the Helen Hayes Theatre, and closed on January 18, 2015 after 2,328 performances, picking up five Tony nominations, including Best Musical, along the way (IBDB; Playbill). Our song order follows the original Broadway version. Tours, the West End and later productions have shuffled a few numbers, so a program you pick up today may differ slightly.

What songs are in Rock of Ages the musical?

The score is built almost entirely from arena rock, glam metal and power ballads, mostly from the 1980s: Journey, Styx, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Poison, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Whitesnake, Europe, Night Ranger and more. Many numbers are mashups that stitch two or three hits together so the characters can finish each other’s songs. In the Broadway version we count 24 musical numbers (each mashup counted once), made up of about 30 different songs.

One famous absence is the title. Def Leppard’s “Rock of Ages” was not in the original Broadway version, although recordings of it are often played as the audience leaves.

The story has a narrator, Lonny Barnett, who works at the Bourbon Room, a rundown Hollywood rock club owned by Dennis Dupree. Lonny keeps breaking the fourth wall to remind the audience that they are watching a musical, and that running joke is how the show gets away with turning a soft-rock ballad into a plot point. If you love the karaoke feel, our essay on why Rock of Ages works as a karaoke musical digs into it.

What is the Rock of Ages song list in order?

Act One

Act Two

A note on numbering: some song lists split the Act Two finale sequence or the opening medley differently, which is why you will see slightly different counts online. “Keep On Loving You” and “Renegade” were part of the Broadway show but do not appear on the Original Broadway Cast Recording.

“Can’t Fight This Feeling” is one of the show’s biggest laughs. We look at that number on its own in our post on “Can’t Fight This Feeling” from Rock of Ages.

Who sings each song in Rock of Ages?

Here is a quick guide to the main voices and their key numbers:

• Drew Boley, the busboy who wants to be a rock star, leads “I Wanna Rock”, the “More Than Words” mashup, “Oh Sherrie” and “The Search Is Over”. Constantine Maroulis originated the role on Broadway and received a Tony nomination for it.
• Sherrie Christian, the small-town girl from Kansas, carries “Sister Christian”, “Harden My Heart” and “High Enough”.
• Stacee Jaxx, the rock star, gets the swagger songs: “Wanted Dead or Alive”, “I Want to Know What Love Is” and “Renegade”.
• Lonny Barnett, the narrator, and Dennis Dupree, the club owner, open the show and share “Can’t Fight This Feeling”.
• Regina, the city planner, leads “We’re Not Gonna Take It”.
• Justice Charlier, owner of the Venus Club, leads “Shadows of the Night” and “Any Way You Want It”.
• Hertz Klinemann, the developer, has “Keep On Loving You”, and his son Franz has “Hit Me with Your Best Shot”.

Ensemble members double as groupies, protesters, strippers and record executives. In the original Broadway production the house band, billed as Arsenal, Stacee’s group, played on stage rather than in a pit.

Who is Franz in Rock of Ages?

Franz Klinemann is the son of Hertz Klinemann, the German property developer who wants to tear down the Sunset Strip’s rock clubs and replace them with something “clean”. Franz starts the show as his father’s eager, awkward sidekick. He gradually sides with Regina and her protest, falls for her, and admits his real dream has nothing to do with real estate: he wants to open a confectionery shop. His big moment is “Hit Me with Your Best Shot”, where he finally rebels against his father. It is one of the show’s most crowd-pleasing comic turns.

On Broadway, Franz was originated by Wesley Taylor, who was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for the role (Playbill). Franz and Hertz do not appear in the 2012 film at all, which is why people who only know the movie often search for him.

How are the songs different in the Rock of Ages movie?

The 2012 film, directed by Adam Shankman, kept the Bourbon Room and the Drew-and-Sherrie romance but rebuilt the plot around it. Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta play Sherrie and Drew, Tom Cruise plays Stacee Jaxx, Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand play Dennis and Lonny, Mary J. Blige plays Justice, and Paul Giamatti plays Stacee’s manager. The German developers are gone. Instead, the villain is Patricia Whitmore, the mayor’s wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who leads a moral crusade against rock.

That rewrite changes the song list. The film adds songs that are not in the Broadway version, including “Juke Box Hero” / “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Rock You Like a Hurricane”, and gives “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” to Patricia instead of Franz. Several stage numbers are cut or shortened. Original Broadway Drew, Constantine Maroulis, has a cameo as a record executive. For a side-by-side look at both versions, read our Rock of Ages film vs theater comparison.

What is the best Rock of Ages cast recording to hear?

For the stage version, start with the Original Broadway Cast Recording (2009). It has Constantine Maroulis, Amy Spanger and James Carpinello and is closest to the show as it played in New York, apart from the two Act Two numbers it leaves out. The 2012 movie soundtrack is the better pick if you came to the show through the film or want the Tom Cruise and Mary J. Blige vocals, but remember it follows the film’s song list, not the stage one.

If you like hearing how a jukebox musical turns pop catalogs into a story, our Mamma Mia songs explained guide does the same thing for ABBA.

Frequently asked questions

How many songs are in Rock of Ages?

In the Broadway version we count 24 musical numbers, made up of about 30 different rock songs, because many numbers are mashups of two or three hits. Exact counts vary between productions and song lists.

What is the last song in Rock of Ages?

The show ends with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'”, sung by the whole company. On Broadway it came right after the “Renegade” epilogue.

Is Rock of Ages a jukebox musical?

Yes. Its score is made of existing hit songs rather than original music, and Chris D’Arienzo’s book is written around them. The narrator, Lonny, jokes about that throughout the show.

Who wrote the book of Rock of Ages?

Chris D’Arienzo wrote the book. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the 2012 film.

Is Rock of Ages family-friendly?

Not really. It’s full of innuendo, a strip club setting and adult jokes, and theatre listings have recommended it for ages 14 and up (Theatrical Index). Check the age guidance for the specific production you plan to see.