The slow burn rock ballad is probably one of the most clichéd genres in music. But, like all clichés, it became one simply because it’s often so apposite. Be that as it may, these are ten songs that I think are among the (if not the) greatest pop/rock ballads of all time:

• Fix You – Coldplay
• With or Without You – U2
• November Rain – Guns ‘n’ Roses
• Obsession – Delirious
• Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
• Freebird – Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Show me Heaven – Maria McKee
• Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinéad O’Connor
• All By Myself – Eric Carmen
• Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper