The 25 Best Jethro Tull Songs, from Living in the Past to Heavy Horses

What is Jethro Tull's most famous song?

"Aqualung" and "Locomotive Breath", both from the 1971 album Aqualung, are Jethro Tull's most famous songs, along with "Living in the Past", "Thick as a Brick" and "Bungle in the Jungle". Fans of their folk-rock period also love "Songs from the Wood" and "Heavy Horses".

Jethro Tull's greatest songs

1. "Aqualung", 1971: the famous riff and the portrait of a homeless man that gave the album its name.
2. "Locomotive Breath", 1971: a runaway-train rocker with a piano introduction.
3. "Living in the Past", 1969: a UK top three hit written in an unusual five-four time.
4. "Thick as a Brick", 1972: an album-long piece, edited down for radio.
5. "Bungle in the Jungle", 1974: a catchy single from War Child.
6. "Cross-Eyed Mary", 1971: a hard-rocking Aqualung track later covered by Iron Maiden.
7. "Songs from the Wood", 1977: the title track of their folk-rock masterpiece.
8. "Heavy Horses", 1978: a tribute to the great working horses of the English countryside.
9. "Teacher", 1970: a driving single from the Benefit era.
10. "Bourée", 1969: a jazzy flute adaptation of a Bach lute piece.

Early Jethro Tull songs

11. "A Song for Jeffrey", 1968: a bluesy track from their debut, This Was.
12. "A New Day Yesterday", 1969: a heavy blues-rock opener from Stand Up.
13. "Nothing Is Easy", 1969: an energetic Stand Up favorite.
14. "Sweet Dream", 1969: a dramatic UK top ten single.
15. "The Witch's Promise", 1970: a gentle, folky UK hit.

Songs from Aqualung and the 70s

16. "Mother Goose", 1971: a whimsical acoustic song full of strange characters.
17. "Wond'ring Aloud", 1971: a short, tender love song.
18. "Hymn 43", 1971: a bluesy rocker released as a US single.
19. "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day", 1974: a folky gem from War Child.
20. "Minstrel in the Gallery", 1975: a title track that moves from a medieval-style ballad to hard rock.
21. "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!", 1976: a wry title song about an aging rocker.

Songs from the Wood and the folk years

22. "Cup of Wonder", 1977: a celebration of old English seasonal customs.
23. "Jack-in-the-Green", 1977: a song about a spirit of the forest, played almost entirely by Anderson.
24. "Ring Out, Solstice Bells", 1976: a joyful midwinter song often played at Christmas.
25. "Steel Monkey", 1987: a hard-edged single from Crest of a Knave.

Who are Jethro Tull?

Jethro Tull formed in Blackpool in 1967 and moved to Luton later that year. Singer, flautist and songwriter Ian Anderson has led the band through every lineup, with guitarist Martin Barre at his side for more than 40 years. They started as a blues band, then mixed in folk, classical and hard rock, and by the early 70s they were one of the biggest bands in the world, selling an estimated 60 million albums.

Where does the name Jethro Tull come from?

The band played under many names on the London club circuit, and a booking agent's staff gave them the name Jethro Tull, after an 18th-century English agriculturist who invented the seed drill. Anderson has said he assumed the agent had made the name up, and the name stuck when they were booked back for a second show.

Ian Anderson and the flute

Ian Anderson took up the flute in the late 60s and made it a lead rock instrument, playing with a breathy, percussive style and often singing or humming into it as he played. On stage he was famous for standing on one leg like a flamingo while playing a solo, an image that became the band's trademark.

Thick as a Brick

In 1972 Jethro Tull released Thick as a Brick, a single 44-minute song split across two sides of an LP, presented as a poem by a fictional schoolboy named Gerald Bostock. The album was partly a joke on the overblown concept albums of the time, but it went to number one in the US, and A Passion Play followed it to the top the next year.

The 1989 Grammy upset

When the Grammys introduced an award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 1989, it went to Jethro Tull's Crest of a Knave instead of Metallica's ...And Justice for All. Many people did not consider Tull a hard rock or metal band, nobody from the band attended, and the result is still remembered as one of the biggest upsets in Grammy history.

Martin Barre and the Tull sound

Guitarist Martin Barre joined in 1969 for Stand Up and stayed with the band until 2011. His heavy riffs and melodic solos, heard on "Aqualung", "Cross-Eyed Mary" and "Locomotive Breath", balanced Anderson's flute and acoustic guitar, and the contrast between the two, delicate folk melodies one moment and crunching hard rock the next, is the heart of the classic Jethro Tull sound.

Songs from the Wood and English folklore

In the late 70s, inspired by country life and old English traditions, the band's music turned toward folklore. Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses and Stormwatch are full of village customs, seasonal festivals, farm life and figures from English folklore, played with mandolins, recorders and rich vocal harmonies alongside electric guitars. Many fans consider this trilogy the band's most beautiful work, and it remains a touchstone for folk-rock bands today.

Jethro Tull songs for a road trip

For a drive through the countryside, play "Songs from the Wood", "Heavy Horses", "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day" and "Living in the Past", then turn it up for "Aqualung" and "Locomotive Breath" on the open highway. For more, see our road trip songs.

Jethro Tull albums to start with

• Stand Up (1969): a UK number one.
• Aqualung (1971): their international breakthrough.
• Thick as a Brick (1972): the album-long epic.
• Songs from the Wood (1977): their folk-rock high point.
• Heavy Horses (1978): a companion to Songs from the Wood.

Jethro Tull songs for a wedding or the holidays

"Wond'ring Aloud" is a short, lovely choice for a folk-loving couple's ceremony or first dance, and "Songs from the Wood" and "Cup of Wonder" bring a merry, medieval mood to a reception. At Christmas, "Ring Out, Solstice Bells" and "A Christmas Song" are fan favorites. For more, see our traditional folk songs.

More progressive and classic rock

If you love Jethro Tull, explore our Rush songs, Van Morrison songs and Mark Knopfler songs.

A song with a story, for them

Ian Anderson's songs are full of characters and countryside. A personalized song can tell the story of someone you love the same way: their name, their favorite places and the moments that made them who they are, with a folk, rock or acoustic sound. It makes a great birthday or anniversary gift for a classic rock fan.

How to create a personalized song

1. Choose a style from 14 genres: rock, folk, acoustic and more.
2. Add their name.
3. Share three memories or details about them.
4. Review the lyrics and edit or regenerate them for free before any music is made.
5. Listen to 4 free 45-second previews and choose your favorite.

The full 3 to 4 minute song costs $35.99, or $40.99 for Premium with four full versions and editable lyrics. You get the MP3, a gift page and the lyrics as a PDF.

Give them a song of their own: create a song and hear four previews for free.