The top 100 songs
Rolling Stone magazine has just published its latest The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Like with its recent revamp of its The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, there are a lot of changes. And a lot of people who don’t like the changes: ‘Top 50 littered with songs that shouldn’t be in top 500’, ‘You shouldn’t rank songs based on what you think will make you look the most virtuous’, ‘Far too many songs from the last ten years or so clogging the list’ and, my personal favourite: ‘This list is like a dad and his teenage daughter taking turns picking a song to listen to on a long... Awkward drive to the grave. To pay their final respect to music?’
Needless to say, recent rap, hip hop and R&B feature heavily, not my thing either but isn’t this what music is all about? Pushing things forward, getting rid of the old guard? Dylan’s Like A Rolling Stone, the inspiration for the magazine’s title and number one for years, has been booted down to number four, whilst Aretha Franklin’s Respect goes to number one, Public Enemy’s Fight the Power (#330 on their last list) rises to number two and Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come is number three. Get the message?
My list, in alphabetical order by song.
All Along the Watchtower Jimi Hendrix
All the Young Dudes Mott the Hoople
Band on the Run Paul McCartney and Wings
Bang a Gong (Get It On) T-Rex
Be My Baby The Ronettes
Blind Willie McTell Bob Dylan
Blister in the Sun Violent Femmes
Bohemian Rhapsody Queen
Born to Run Bruce Springsteen
The Boy with the Arab Strap Belle and Sebastian
Brown-eyed Girl Van Morrison
The Boxer Simon and Garfunkel
Chicago Surjan Stevens
Cocaine JJ Cale
Come on Eileen Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Common People Pulp
Cool and Deffer LL Cool J
Coyote Joni Micthell
Crazy Patsy Cline
Debaser The Pixies
Don’t You Want Me The Human League
The Drugs Don’t Work The Verve
Future Boy Turin Brakes
Ghost Ship in a Storm Jim O’Rourke
Gold Spandau Ballet
Heart of Glass Blondie
Heroes and Villains Beach Boys
Heroin The Velvet Underground
Hey The Pixies
Hey Jude The Beatles
I Feel Love Donna Summer
If You Leave Me Now Chicago
I’m Not in Love 10CC
I'm Waiting for the Man The Velvet Underground
Into My Arms Nick Cave
I Say A Little Prayer Aretha Franklin
I Will Survive Gloria Gaynor
Kiss Prince
Layla Derek and the Dominos
Livin’ for the City Stevie Wonder
Lola The Kinks
London Calling The Clash
Loser Beck
Love Will Tear Us Apart Joy Division
Maggie May Rod Stewart
Manic Monday Bangles
Many Rivers To Cross Jimmy Cliff
Martha Tom Waits
Me and Bobby McGee Kris Kristofferson
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard Paul Simon
Modern Love David Bowie
Moon River Andy Williams
My Baby Just Cares For Me Nina Simone
9-5 Dolly Parton
Once in a Lifetime Talking Heads
Out of Time Blur
Paid in Full Eric B and Rakim
Piano Man Billy Joel
Pictures of You The Cure
Pieces of a Man Gil Scott-Heron
Redemption Song Bob Marley
Ring of Fire Johnny Cash
River Deep, Mountain High Ike and Tina Turner
River Man Nick Drake
Romeo and Juliet Dire Straits
Sabotage Beastie Boys
Sail Away Randy Newman
Say Man Bo Diddly
Simply Beautiful Al Green
(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay Otis Redding
Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana
Some Velvet Morning Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood
Song to the Siren This Mortal Coil
Stan Eminem
Stayin’ Alive Bee Gees
Straight Outta Compton N.W.A.
Suspicious Minds Elvis Presley
Suzanne Leonard Cohen
Sympathy for the Devil Rolling Stones
Sweet Adelaide Elliott Smith
Sweet Jane The Velvet Underground
Tangled up in Blue Bob Dylan
Tainted Love Soft Cell
Tempted Squeeze
Teenage Dirtbag Wheatus
These Foolish Things Bryan Ferry
Time to Pretend MGMT
Tusk Fleetwood Mac
Unfinished Sympathy Massive Attack
Up the Junction Squeeze
Virginia Plain Roxy Music
Vienna Ultravox
Walk This Way Run-DMC
The Weight The Band
Werewolves of London Warren Zevon
What a Wonderful World Louis Armstrong
Whiter Shade of Pale Procol Harum
Why Do Fools Fall in Love Frankie Lymon
Wuthering Heights Kate Bush
Your Song Elton John
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