7 Cream songs every rock fan should know

By the time Cream came together in 1966, they weren’t forming just another British rock group; they were creating a blueprint of how a so-called supergroup would be put together.

Combining the yet-unmatched guitar skills of Eric Clapton, who had already amassed a following during his stint with The Yardbirds and John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, with the soulful fearlessness and adventurous bass playing of Jack Bruce, and the incendiary drumming of Ginger Baker, the three members brought a new level of musical communication.

Their music combined old school blues stomp with forward-driving, mind-bending sounds of psychedelia and the initial energy of hard rock to come up with an electric sound that really stretched the limits of a time when experimentation was eagerly sought. Songs with catchy riffs like Sunshine of Your Love, with imagery like White Room, and their live version of Crossroads made Cream a legendary band overnight.

They pioneered long rock jams, known for taking a short song and making it a long, dream-like live track that shaped years of jam and new bands. Even if they did not stay together long, breaking up at the end of 1968 because of bad vibes and big egos, Cream's mark can still be heard in many who came after them. These musicians took up their bold styles and mix of sounds.

Their welcome into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, and their rare live shows long after they split, just made clear what fans always knew: the music of Cream has never died, and it's still key to rock just like it was when they were on a wild, bright ride of fame in the late 1960s.

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Here are the top 7 Cream songs of all time

When it's time to pick out the best tunes from Cream, it's not just about the big hits. It's about finding the songs that truly show off the band's bold style, big skill, and the cool mix between Clapton, Bruce, and Baker.

These seven songs are real proof of how Cream mixed hot guitar solos, bluesy riffs, and wild sounds into music that still feels fresh years later. From well-loved radio hits to lesser-known tracks that show their bold jams, each song makes us see why Cream's short but wild time left a big mark on rock music.

1) Sunshine of Your Love (1967)

Sunshine of Your Love marked Cream's major breakthrough in the U.S. and became one of their most recognizable songs. It greatly changed how people saw the band and others like them at that time. It left a mark on the whole rock music scene and still holds its ground today.

It was a huge jump, as most early Cream songs just touched the edge of the charts. But this track, with its clear blues riff and cool beat, got them on the charts fast. Oddly, even though Eric Clapton's name often gets most of the spotlight, it was Jack Bruce, the bass player, who made that famous riff. Now it's seen as one of the most iconic riffs in rock history.

There was Bruce's wild voice, Clapton's hot guitar playing, and Baker's loud drum hits. They all mixed to make a song that felt wild but will never die. Lyrics such as the one about "It's getting near dawn / When lights close their tired eyes," have a weary mood to them, which really appealed to the psychedelic energy of the late 60s.

Cream On Ready Steady Go! - Source: Getty

Better than a hit, the song, Sunshine of Your Love was also the culmination of the Cream's amalgamation of blues, rock, and psychedelia, which would motivate scores of other bands that would appear after it to extend the intent of the electric guitar driving sound as far as it could drift. The song today is still an important part of history in rock, a legacy of the strength of a riff which continues to reverberate into decades of music.

2) White Room (1968)

White Room is one of the highlights of Cream, a song that exemplifies the poetic skills at work, the genius of playing the instruments, as well as the unsettled psyche of the late 60s. As poetic as Pete Brown is, whose writing evokes urban isolation and emotional detachment and doubtful emotionality, the song is rendered in the powerful vocalizing of Jack Bruce.

As soon as the slow, consistent drums of Ginger Baker come in, and as soon as the guitar tune by Eric Clapton comes in with its well-known wah-wah effects, one is engrossed in the haunting but electrifying mood of the song. Lines such as: "In the white room with black curtains near the station, / Black roof country, no gold pavements, tired starlings," capture the whole mood of the song.

The solo he plays directly preceding the climax of the song is one of his most emotive parts, a twirling of blues and psychedelia that feels fresh more than fifty years after it first aired.

Essentially, the layered production, strange unusual chord progressions, and dream-like lyrics made White Room a masterpiece on Wheels of Fire (1968) and set the legacy of Cream as one of the first bands to play with the sounds and rhyme lines of poetic and improvisational potential with rock music and the blues.

To this day, it has the ring of a recording of a group experimenting with the boundless possibilities of rock, and it turns out there are actually songs that never go away.

3) Crossroads (1968)

When Cream took on the eerie blues song Crossroads, first made by Robert Johnson, they did more than just cover it. They gave it a fresh twist for a new age of rock lovers. Johnson penned the tune back in the 1930s, which tells about a man at a crossroads dealing with the Devil. Years later, Cream brought it back to life on stage.

Renowned as one of the wildest and hottest guitar riff moments on the record, with Ginger Baker pounding away on the drums, their version made Crossroads a classic staple of the band live, most famously captured on the 1968 record Wheels of Fire. His blistering solos and improvised compositions, as in the Fillmore West concert, secured places among the guitar legends.

Eric Clapton cries, blowing Johnson out of the water on his desperation, but with even more urgency, saying, "I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees," It wasn’t just blues anymore—it was blues supercharged into raw, aggressive rock.

That sheer energy, that sense of soul, that taut musicianship that we find in the track Crossroads is evidence that will persist in the longevity of Cream, turning ancient blues roots into something that was shockingly new.

4) Badge (1969)

Badge, one of the last hit songs by Cream, shows a special time in the band's history. It mixes the wild spirit of their early music with hints of the calmer style Eric Clapton would go on to use alone. Co-written with George Harrison, who was playfully named "L'Angelo Misterioso" because of a contract issue, the song brings together a clear guitar tune, soft voice mixes, and a thoughtful mood that makes it different from their first loud songs.

Its words, "Yes, I told you that the light goes up and down / Don't you notice how the wheel goes 'round," show the sad, almost round feel that marks the song's soft touch. Not like Cream's wild live hits, Badge is neat and a bit like a poem, showing what was to come with Eric Clapton's move to softer, blue songs later on.

It is both a last show and a marker for what could have been if the group had stayed on, Jack Bruce's deep bass, Ginger Baker's calm drumming, and Clapton's clear guitar mix to remind us why Cream's short time still has a big effect. Years after, Badge stays in Clapton's sets, bringing on the soul of a band that glowed fast, short, and great.

5) I Feel Free (1966)

When Cream put out I Feel Free in late 1966, they showed they could mix up music types and make tunes that felt new and without limits. They did not just play blues-rock. Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker added bits of bright pop and the cool vibe of psychedelia, making a sound that got love from more than just the usual rock fans.

The song was full of crisp singing together, clapping, and a special piano sound that rang out like a secret code. It sounded like the start of a new time in music. Lines like "I feel free / I feel free" shared the happy feeling of change that the band brought to the music world.

Out as a single in the UK and the first song on the US version of their debut Fresh Cream, I Feel Free showed Cream's daring way to try new things but still stick to who they were. They mixed styles in a way that set the stage for other bands to break strict music types. Years on, I Feel Free still stands as a sign that new ideas and good tunes can exist together, its vibe living on in artists who don't let labels or fads hold them back.

6) Tales of Brave Ulysses (1967)

When Cream put out Tales of Brave Ulysses on their big 1967 hit Disraeli Gears, they showed how far rock could go when it took on old myths and wild, mind-bending ideas. Martin Sharp once wrote the deep words on a hotel napkin, making images that Eric Clapton turned into rich, dreamy sounds, sparked by The Lovin' Spoonful's Summer in the City.

This song is known not only for Clapton's round, expressive wah-wah guitar, one of the first to use this echo in rock, but also for how it mixes blues, rock, and wild, fun sounds into a bright, big dream.

The song moves like a wild trip into the legend of Ulysses: "And the colors of the sea bind your eyes with trembling mermaids / And you touch the distant beaches with tales of brave Ulysses" their skill at mixing tales with deep, new sounds made this song a key moment that still moves many rock artists who want to explore the edges of what a song can do.

7) Spoonful (1966)

When the band took on Spoonful in their first album Fresh Cream (1966), they weren't just doing a cover of Howlin' Wolf's deep 1960 blues hit. They dug deep, using the raw force of a new supergroup. At that time, many British blues bands toned down the harsh edge of Chicago blues, but Cream dived in hard. They let Eric Clapton's sharp guitar play and Jack Bruce's loud voice fill the song with a strange, tense vibe.

"Men lie about that spoonful / Some cry about that spoonful," Bruce belts out, sounding like Wolf’s stark warning about deep needs in life. The song's dark hints of need and lust grow almost like a spell under Cream's touch, more so in the long 16-minute live show on Wheels of Fire (1968).

This performance shows how the trio took blues far into the land of mind-bending. Their take on Spoonful shows that Cream didn't just play the blues; they charged it up for a new crowd that wanted something more wild and free.

Cream's music made a big mark on rock in just a few years. Their time making music was short, but they pushed what rock and blues could be. They mixed wild live play with great skill. They made music full of power, with each of the three members driving the others to do better.

They brought hot solos, strong beats, and a bold style that has shaped many rock and metal bands after them. Even years on, Cream's way of making songs, their ground-breaking live shows, and their setup as a three-person band still guide others.