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DECEMBER 11, 2003 9:00AM ET

500 Greatest Songs of All Time

Rolling Stone’s definitive list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
By ROLLING STONE

By Jay-Z

A great song doesn’t attempt to be anything — it just is.

When you hear a great song, you can think of where you were when you first heard it, the sounds, the smells. It takes the emotions
of a moment and holds it for years to come. It transcends time. A great song has all the key elements — melody; emotion; a strong
statement that becomes part of the lexicon; and great production. Think of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” by Queen. That song had
everything — different melodies, opera, R&B, rock — and it explored all of those different genres in an authentic way, where it felt
natural.

When I’m writing a song that I know is going to work, it’s a feeling of euphoria. It’s how a basketball player must feel when he starts
hitting every shot, when you’re in that zone. As soon as you start, you get that magic feeling, an extra feeling. Songs like that come
out in five minutes; if I work on them more than, say, 20 minutes, they’re probably not going to work.

Read Jay-Z’s full essay here.

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Bob Marley and the Wailers, 'I Shot the Sheriff'

Writer: Marley
Producer: Chris Blackwell
Released: Oct. '73, Island
did not chart

Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer saved some of their prettiest falsetto harmonies for one of the group's toughest songs.
Inspired by the Impressions' "Keep On Pushin'," Marley originally had the song's outlaw hero say, "I shot the police," but
imagined the song would be more government-friendly if he changed it to the revenge killing of a single sheriff.

Appears on: Burnin' (Island)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Bob Marley

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Bob Marley

•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Wailers' Burnin'

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449

The Dell-Vikings, 'Come Go With Me'

Writer: Clarence E. Quick

Producer: Joe Averbach
Released: Feb. '57, Dot
31 weeks; No. 5
Five airmen who came together at the NCO Service Club in Pittsburgh, the Dell-Vikings underwent several lineup changes Subscribe
because members kept getting sent to Germany. Eventually they became pop's first successful multiracial group on the strength
of "Come
500 -Go
429With Me." The
428song
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by the group's bass singer
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Appears on: Golden Classics (Collectables)

448

50 Cent, 'In Da Club'

Writers: 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Mike Elizondo

Producers: Dr. Dre, Elizondo
Released: Dec. '02, Interscope/Aftermath/Shady
30 weeks; No. 1

50 Cent's rhyme skills caught the notice of Dr. Dre and Eminem, who helped assemble this party track. "50 walked into the studio
and picked up a pen," Dre said. "We were done in an hour. We just made some shit we wanted to hear."

Appears on: Get Rich or Die Tryin' (Interscope/Aftermath/Shady)

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447

John Cougar Mellencamp, 'Pink Houses'

Writer: Mellencamp
Producers: Little Bastard, Don Gehman
 ,
Released: Oct. '83, Riva Subscribe
16 weeks; No. 8
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Recorded in a farmhouse in Brownstown, Indiana, "Pink Houses" was inspired by an old man "sitting on the porch of his pink
shack," Mellencamp told Rolling Stone. "He waved, and I waved back. That's how the song started."

Appears on: Uh-Huh (Mercury)

RELATED:

•100 Best Albums of the Eighties: John Cougar Mellencamp's Uh-huh

446

Salt 'n Pepa, 'Push It'

Writer: Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor

Producer: Azor
Released: Nov. '87, Next Plateau
25 weeks; No. 19

In 1985, Azor recruited fellow Sears employees Cheryl James and Sandy Denton for a music-school project. With the addition of
Dee Dee "Spinderella" Roper, Salt 'N Pepa became the first female MCs to crack the pop Top 20 when this track was remixed by
San Francisco DJ Cameron Paul. "Push It" was nominated for a Grammy, but Salt 'N Pepa boycotted the show when the rap
category wasn't televised.

Appears on: Hot, Cool and Vicious (London)

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The Stooges, 'I Wanna Be Your Dog'

Writers: Dave Alexander, Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton, Iggy Pop

Producer: John Cale
Released: August '69, Elektra
Did Not Chart

These groundbreaking Detroit punks tapped into the brutal side of the blues for this primitive classic. They also offer a one-note
piano tribute to the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." Over the ultimate bone-crunching three-chord guitar riff, Iggy Pop screams
about the agony of teenage hormones the way only Iggy Pop can.

Appears on: The Stooges (Elektra)

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•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Stooges's The Stooges

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Iggy Pop

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Elvis Presley, 'Love Me Tender'

Writers: Presley, Vera Watson

Producer: Steve Sholes
Released: Oct. '56, RCA
23 weeks; No. 1

"Love Me Tender" was the theme song from the first Elvis movie and represented a new sound for the King. He sang in his softest
voice, accompanied only by his own acoustic guitar. The melody came from the Civil War-era ballad "Aura Lee."

Appears on: Elvis: 30 #1 Hits (RCA)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Elvis Presley

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Elvis Presley

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443

The Rolling Stones, 'Beast of Burden'

Writers: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards

Producers: The Glimmer Twins
Released: June '78, Rolling Stones
13 weeks; No. 8

By 1978, the Stones were in turmoil, after trouble with drugs, women and the law. On "Beast of Burden," they faced up to their
struggles with world-weary defiance. On other takes, Jagger tried the song in falsetto, but his straight-ahead version went to the
Top 10.

Appears on: Some Girls (Virgin)

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•100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time: Keith Richards

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: The Rolling Stones

442

Love, 'Alone Again Or'

Writer: Bryan MacLean

Producers: Arthur Lee, Bruce Botnick
Released: Jan. '68, Elektra
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3 weeks; No. 99

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The psychedelic cowboys of Love became famous for their dark, poetic L.A. folk rock. But "Alone Again Or," the opening track on
the band's masterwork, Forever Changes, was written and partly sung by guitarist MacLean — who later left the band to join a
Christian ministry — as a tribute to his mother's flamenco dancing. The final take is a decidedly trippy swirl of strings, horns and
Spanish-style acoustic guitars.

Appears on: Forever Changes (Rhino)

RELATED:

•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Love's Forever Changes

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441

Wilson Pickett, 'Mustang Sally'

Writer: Sir Mack Rice

Producer: Jerry Wexler
Released: Nov. '66, Atlantic
9 weeks; No. 23

"Mustang Sally" nearly ended up on the studio floor — literally. After Pickett finished his final take at Fame Studios in Muscle
Shoals, Alabama, the tape flew off the reel and broke into pieces. But engineer Tom Dowd calmly cleared the room and told
everyone to come back in half an hour. Dowd pieced the tape back together, saving one of the funkiest soul anthems of the
Sixties.

Appears on: The Very Best of Wilson Pickett (Rhino)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Wilson Pickett

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Led Zeppelin, 'Ramble On'

Writers: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant

Producer: Page
Released: Oct. '69, Atlantic
Non-Single

Groupies and The Lord of the Rings inspired "Ramble On," recorded in New York on Led Zeppelin's first U.S. tour. Over Page's
acoustic guitars, Plant wails, "In the darkest depths of Mordor/I met a girl so fair." Middle Earth influenced more than the music:
"After reading Tolkien," Page said, "I knew I had to move to the country." According to legend, John Bonham is banging on a
plastic garbage can.

Appears on: Led Zeppelin II (Atlantic)

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•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Led Zeppelin's Led Zeppelin II

•100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time: Jimmy Page

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Robert Plant

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439

Gladys Knight and the Pips, 'Midnight Train to Georgia'

Writer: Jim Weatherly

Producer: Tony Camillo
Released: Sept. '73, Buddah
 p
19 weeks; No. 1
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Originally titled "Midnight Plane to Houston," the ode to long-distance romance from Mississippi songwriter Weatherly (who
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also wrote Knight's "Neither One of Us") became the biggest hit ever for Gladys Knight and the Pips. Cissy Houston had an R&B
hit with it first, before Knight rode it to the top of the pop charts.

Appears on: Essential Collection (Hip-O)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Gladys Knight

438

Fats Domino, 'Ain't It a Shame'

Writers: Dave Bartholomew, Domino

Producer: Bartholomew
Released: July '55, Imperial
13 weeks; No. 10

In the summer of 1955, "Ain't It a Shame" became Domino's first pop smash, after a string of R&B hits. Pat Boone's whitebread
cover (retitled "Ain't That a Shame" — though Boone allegedly wanted it to be "Isn't That a Shame") reached Number One, but as
Jerry Wexler put it, "Fats Domino is still the thing. Who cares about what's his name with the white buck shoes?"

Appears on: The Fats Domino Jukebox: 20 Greatest Hits (Capitol)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Fats Domino

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The Clash, '(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais'

Writers: Mick Jones, Joe Strummer

Producers: The Clash
Released: July '79, Epic
Did Not Chart

"We can't play reggae," Strummer said in 1977. But the Clash invented a skank of their own, toasting the solidarity they saw
between punks and Rastas. The anti-racist fusion of "Hammersmith Palais" also skewered sellouts in both scenes. "I was trying to
talk about revolution and how we weren't ever gonna have one," he said.

Appears on: The Clash (Epic)

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•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Clash's The Clash

436

Solomon Burke, 'Everybody Needs Somebody to Love'

Writers: Burke, Bert Berns, Jerry Wexler

Producer: Berns
Released: July '64, Atlantic
8 weeks; No. 58

Philadelphia-born Burke started preaching at the age of seven and often recorded his vocals from behind a pulpit. He attacks this
song in the style of a fire-and-brimstone Southern preacher, calling out for a witness and testifying to the power of love. In the
congregation: the Rolling Stones, who covered it in 1965.

Appears on: The Very Best of Solomon Burke (Rhino)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Solomon Burke

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435

U2, 'New Year's Day'

Writers: Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.

Producer: Steve Lillywhite
Released: April '83, Island
12 weeks; No. 53

"New Year's Day" lifted U2 out of the rock underground for good. As he often did, Bono made up his lyrics on the spot. "We
improvise, and the things that came out, I let them come out," he said. "I must have been thinking about Lech Walesa being
interned. Then, when we'd recorded the song, they announced that martial law would be lifted in Poland on New Year's Day.
Incredible."

Appears on: War (Island)

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•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: U2

434

Deep Purple, 'Smoke on the Water'

Writers: Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillian, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice
Producers: Deep Purple
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Released: May '73, Warner Bros.
16 weeks; No. 4
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Keyboardist Lord claimed that the working title for this song was "Durh Durh Durh" — a transliteration of the riff that some
beginner guitarist is probably trying out for the first time right now. The lyrics tell the story of a fan shooting a flare gun during a
1971 Frank Zappa show at the Casino in Montreux, Switzerland, setting the venue ablaze.

Appears on: Machine Head (Rhino)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time: Richie Blackmore

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

433

Rolling Stones, 'Tumbling Dice'

Writers: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards

Producer: Jimmy Miller
Released: April '72, Rolling Stones
10 weeks; No. 7

Originally titled "Good Time Women" (an early take is on the recent Exile on Main Street reissue), "Tumbling Dice" had
numerous faster incarnations before it was recorded at Richards' villa, Nellcôte. "I remember writing the riff upstairs in the very
elegant front room," said Richards, "and we took it downstairs the same evening, and we cut it." Since Bill Wyman wasn't around,
Mick Taylor played bass.

Appears on: Exile on Main Street (Virgin)

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•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: The Rolling Stones

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Mick Jagger

•100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time: Keith Richards

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432

Green Day, 'American Idiot'

Writers: Green Day

Producers: Rob Cavallo, Green Day
Released: Oct. '04, Reprise
20 weeks; No. 61

No song captured the rancid zeitgeist of the Bush era like this Clash-style rave-up, which bashed the USA's "redneck agenda." The
starting point for Green Day's punk opera, later a Broadway musical, "Idiot" signaled the band's evolution into righteously angry
political rockers. "We did everything we could to piss people off," said Billie Joe Armstrong, who often performed the song in a
George W. Bush mask.

Appears on: American Idiot (Reprise)

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

431

The Smiths 'William It Was Reall Nothing'

 The Smiths, 'William, It Was Really Nothing'
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Writers: Johnny Marr, Morrissey
Producer: John Porter 428 - 357
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Released: Aug. '84, Sire
Did Not Chart

Asked in 1984 who was the last person to see him naked, Morrissey replied, "Almost certainly the doctor who brought me into
this cruel world." But like many of the Smiths' early singles, "William" is a tale of traumatic teen sex, in this case a tragic love
triangle in a humdrum town. OutKast's André 3000, a huge Smiths fan, once named "William" as his absolute favorite.

Appears on: Louder Than Bombs (Sire)

RELATED:

•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Smith's Louder Than Bombs

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Morrissey

430

Elvis Presley, 'Blue Suede Shoes'

Writer: Carl Perkins

Producer: Steve Sholes
Released: March '56, RCA
12 weeks; No. 20

The day after Presley made his television debut, on Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey's Stage Show, he went into a studio in New York,
kicking off the session with "Blue Suede Shoes"; Perkins' original was still climbing the charts. Despite 13 takes, Presley and
Sholes felt they hadn't matched it. Maybe they were right: Perkins' single got to Number Two, but Presley's peaked at Number 20.

Appears on: 2nd to None (BMG Heritage)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Elvis Presley

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Elvis Presley

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Billy Joel, 'Piano Man'

Writer: Joel
Producer: Michael Stewart
Released: Nov. '73, Columbia
14 weeks; No. 25

Joel grew up playing in rock bands, but a California hiatus as a lounge pianist (under the name Bill Martin) saw him pecking out
standards for lost souls. "It was all right," he said. "I got free drinks and union scale, which was the first steady money I'd made in
a long time."

Appears on: Piano Man (Columbia)

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428

The Isley Brothers, 'It's Your Thing'

Writers: Rudolph Isley, Ronald lsley, O'Kelly Isley

Producers: R. Isley, R. Isley, O. Isley
Released: Feb. '69, T-Neck
14 weeks; No. 2

In 1969, the Isleys fled Motown and revived their own T-Neck Records, where they unleashed the free-will funk of "It's Your
Thing." Their biggest hit, it earned a lawsuit from Berry Gordy, who claimed he owned the song.

Appears on: The Ultimate Isley Brothers (Legacy)

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427

Dr. Dre, 'Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang'

Writer: Snoop Dogg

Producer: Dr. Dre
Released: Jan. '93, Death Row
27 weeks; No. 2

Dre's debut solo single sampled the bass line from Leon Haywood's '75 hit "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You." The
mastermind on his working methods: "I sit around by myself in the studio at home, push buttons and see what happens."

Appears on: The Chronic (Death Row)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Dr. Dre

500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Dr. Dre's The Chronic

426

Crosby, Stills and Nash, 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes'

Writer: Stephen Stills Subscribe
Producers: David Crosby, Stills, Graham Nash
Released: June '69, Atlantic
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12 weeks; No. 21

Written by Stills for ex-girlfriend Judy Collins, this epic harmony showcase kicked off CSN' s debut album. Stills played most of
the instruments, but as Nash told Rolling Stone, "The three-part vocal blend was fucking fantastic."

Appears on: Crosby, Stills and Nash (Atlantic)

RELATED:

•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Crosby, Stills and Nash's Crosby, Stills and Nash

•100 Greatest Guitarists: Stephen Stills

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425

N.W.A, 'Fuck tha Police'

Writers: Ice Cube, MC Ren

Producers: Dr. Dre, Yella
Released: Jan. '89, Priority
Non-Single

With one song, N.W.A brought the battle between rappers and cops to a new level. On August 1st, 1989, the FBI sent a bulletin to
Priority Records, the group's label, denouncing this song. According to the feds, "Fuck tha Police" "encourages violence against,
and disrespect for, the law-enforcement officer." The publicity established N.W.A as hip-hop's bad boys.

Appears on: Straight Outta Compton (Priority)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: N.W.A

•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton

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The Notorious B.I.G., 'Juicy'

Writer: The Notorious B.I.G.

Producers: Sean "Puffy" Combs, Poke
Released: Aug '94, Bad Boy
20 weeks; No. 27

Biggie's debut single chronicled the rapper's rise from "a common thief to up close and personal with Robin Leach." He rhymes
about his childhood poverty growing up in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn (although he claimed to be from Bed-Stuy) —
despite protests from his mom. "I told him, 'No landlord dissed us!'" said Voletta Wallace. "He said, 'Mom, I was just writing a
rags-to-riches kinda story.'"

Appears on: Ready to Die (Bad Boy)

RELATED:

•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

423

Don Henley, 'The Boys of Summer'

Writers: Henley, Mike Campbell Subscribe
Producers: Henley, Campbell, Danny Kortchmar, Greg Ladanyi
Released: Nov. '84, Geffen
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22 weeks; No. 5

Henley gave California rock a stylish Eighties makeover with this poignant lament for his generation, featuring the famous line
"Out on the road today/I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac." When the Ataris did their hit punk-rock cover version in 2003,
they changed it to a Black Flag sticker — but the sentiment was the same.

Appears on: Building the Perfect Beast (Geffen)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Don Henley

•100 Best Album of the Eighties: Don Henley's Building the Perfect Beast

422

The Four Tops, 'Can't Help Myself'

Writers: Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland

Producers: Holland, Dozier, Holland
Released: June '65, Motown
14 weeks; No. 1

"My real style of singing is just a natural thing," said Four Tops frontman Levi Stubbs. "What I mean by that is I don't consider
myself as being a heck of a singer, man. I'm more of a stylist, if you will." His soul stylings sent this Tops classic to Number One —
after the four original members had already been performing together for 10 years.

Appears on: The Ultimate Collection (Motown)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: The Four Tops

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The Coasters, 'Young Blood'

Writers: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus

Producers: Leiber, Stoller
Released: May '57, Atco
11 weeks; No. 1

The Coasters were named after the West Coast, home turf of the four singers. After evolving from the doo-wop group the Robins,
the Coasters had a couple of small R&B hits, "Down in Mexico" and "Turtle Dovin'." But after almost a year away from the studio,
the group relocated to New York and cut its first blockbuster.

Appears on: The Very Best of the Coasters (Rhino)

420

Little Richard, 'The Girl Can't Help It'

Writer: Bobby Troup

Producer: Robert "Bumps" Blackwell
Released: Jan. '57, Specialty
8 weeks; No. 49

Richard screamed the theme from one of the first great rock movies, starring Jayne Mansfield. "She was a wonderful person,"
Richard said. "Her breasts were 50 inches, and she didn't wear a brassiere. They didn't hang down."

Appears on: The Georgia Peach (Specialty)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Little Richard

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Little Richard

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419

Bobbie Gentry, 'Ode to Billie Joe'

Writer: Gentry
Producers: Kelly Gordon, Bobby Paris
Released: July '67, Capitol
14 weeks; No. 1

Once and for all: Exactly what did Billie Joe throw off the Tallahatchee Bridge? Gentry never revealed the secret of this spooky
country blues. "The real message," she said, "revolves around the way the nonchalant family talks about the suicide."

Appears on: Greatest Hits (Curb)

418

Donna Summer, 'I Feel Love'

Writers: Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte

Producers: Moroder, Bellotte
Released: May '77, Casablanca
23 weeks; No. 6

Summer would dismiss "I Feel Love" as a "popcorn track," but its impact on dance music is incalculable. When Brian Eno first
listened to this, he told David Bowie, "I've heard the sound of the future." Thanks to Moroder's throbbing Moog synthesizers and
Summer's epic-orgasm vocals, "I Feel Love" claimed tomorrow in the name of disco.

Appears on: The Donna Summer Anthology (Casablanca)

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417

Pixies, 'Monkey Gone to Heaven'

Writer: Black Francis

Producer: Gil Norton
Released: March '89, Elektra
Did Not Chart

Numerology, sludge in the ocean, a hole in the sky — what's it all supposed to mean? Said Francis (a.k.a. Frank Black), "The
phrase 'monkey gone to heaven' just sounds neat." Norton cleaned up the band's sound, adding the eerie strings, but the Pixies
didn't bother to try for pop appeal. Said Francis, "It wasn't like we thought we'd get played on the radio."

Appears on: Doolittle (4 AD/Elektra)

RELATED:

•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Pixies' Doolittle

416

Aerosmith, 'Sweet Emotion'

Writers: Steven Tyler, Tom Hamilton

Producer: Jack Douglas
Released: April '75, Columbia
8 weeks; No. 36
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As the sessions for Toys in the Attic, Aerosmith's third studio album, reached the 11th hour at the Record Plant in New York,
producer Douglas called out for ideas. Bassist Hamilton resurrected a riff that had been germinating for several years, and it was
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outfitted with bass marimba and Joe Perry's voice-box recitation of the song title. A few months later, Aerosmith had their first
Top 40 single.

Appears on: Toys in the Attic (Sony)

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•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Aerosmith's Toys in the Attic

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•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Steven Tyler

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415

Nirvana, 'In Bloom'

Writer: Kurt Cobain

Producer: Butch Vig
Released: Sept. '91, DGC
Non-Single

"I don't like rednecks, I don't like macho men," Cobain once said. This track about a guy who "loves to shoot his gun" would
become one of Nirvana's biggest live anthems. It started out as more of a hardcore rant. "It sounded like a Bad Brains song," said
Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic. Then, "One day Kurt called me and started singing. It was the 'In Bloom' of Nevermind, more of
a pop thing."

Appears on: Nevermind (Geffen)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Nirvana

•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Nirvana's Nevermind

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414500 - 429 428 - 357 356 - 285 284 - 213 212 - 141 140 - 69 68 - 1

Carpenters, 'We've Only Just Begun'

Writers: Paul Williams, Roger Nichols

Producer: Jack Daugherty
Released: Sept. '70, A&M
17 weeks; No. 2

"Begun" began life as a TV jingle for a California bank that caught Richard Carpenter's ear. He called Williams to see if there was
an actual song attached to the short bit he'd heard. "I assumed that it would never, ever get cut again," Williams said. He wrote
several hits for the Carpenters, but this soft-rock ode remains the watershed. Richard later called it "our best single."

Appears on: Singles 1969-1981 (Interscope)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Karen Carpenter

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

413

Bob Dylan, 'Visions of Johanna'

Writer: Dylan
Producer: Bob Johnston
Released: May '66, Columbia
Non-Single
"It's easier to be disconnected than connected," Dylan confessed in late 1965. "I've got a huge hallelujah for all the people who're Subscribe
connected, that's great, but I can't do that." He never sounded lonelier than in this seven-minute ballad, originally titled "Seems
Like 500 - 429
a Freeze-Out." Dylan428
cut -it357 356
in a single take on-Valentine's
285 Day284 - 213
1966, 212on
with Al Kooper - 141
Hammond B3140 - 69
organ. 68 - 1

Appears on: Blonde on Blonde (Columbia)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Bob Dylan

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Bob Dylan

•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde

412

Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z, 'Umbrella'

Writers: The-Dream, Kuk Harrell, Jay-Z, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart

Producers: Harrell, Stewart
Released: March' 07, Def Jam
27 weeks; No. 1

The songwriters initially offered the track to Britney Spears, whose career was spiraling out of control. "We thought, 'Let's save
our friend,' " the-Dream says. But Spears' management brushed them off. "I'm so thankful for it," Rihanna said. "I prayed for this
song."

Appears on: Good Girl Gone Bad (Def Jam)

A D V E RT I S E M E N T
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411
500 - 429 428 - 357 356 - 285 284 - 213 212 - 141 140 - 69 68 - 1

Eddie Cochran, 'C'mon Everybody'

Writers: Cochran, Jerry Capehart

Producer: Capehart
Released: Oct. '58, Liberty
12 weeks; No. 35

Cochran was paid $82.50 for the three-hour session that produced this classic rockabilly track. The follow-up to his smash
"Summertime Blues," "C'mon" is a good-natured bad-boy tune powered by heavy strumming on his Martin guitar. Although he
died at age 21, in a 1960 car crash that also seriously injured rockabilly pioneer Gene Vincent, Cochran became a huge influence
in England.

Appears on: Something' Else (Razor and Tie)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Guitarists: Eddie Cochran

410

Sly and the Family Stone, 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)'

Writer: Sly Stone

Producer: Stone
Released: Jan. '70, Epic
13 weeks; No. 1

The double-sided smash "Thank You"/"Everybody Is a Star" was Sly's sole new release in 1970. "Thank You" rode on the finger-
popping bass of Larry Graham, who played like that in a duo with his organist mother. "I started to thump the strings with my
thumb," he said, "to make up for not having a drummer."

Appears on: Anthology (Epic)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Sly Stone

100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Sly Stone
Subscribe
•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Sly and the Family Stone
500 - 429 428 - 357 356 - 285 284 - 213 212 - 141 140 - 69 68 - 1

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

409

The Shirelles, 'Tonight's the Night'

Writers: Luther Dixon, Shirley Owens

Producer: Dixon
Released: Sept. '60, Scepter
12 weeks; No. 39

The Shirelles, who originally called themselves the Pequellos, formed while at their Passaic, New Jersey, high school. Lead singer
Owens was only 19 when she co-wrote this hit about romantic surrender, full of Latin-style syncopation and soulful yearning.

Appears on: 25 All-Time Greatest Hits (Varèse Fontana)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: The Shirelles

408

Metallica, 'Enter Sandman'

Writers: James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett

Writers: James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett
Producers: Bob Rock, Hetfield, Ulrich Subscribe
Released: July '91, Elektra
20 weeks; No. 16
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Thanks to producer Rock, the coiled, brooding "Enter Sandman" was the first Metallica tune that sounded perfect for the radio.
As drummer Ulrich pointed out in 1991, "The whole intro, the verse, the bridge, the chorus — it's the same riff."

Appears on: Metallica (Elektra)

RELATED:

•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Metallica's Metallica

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

407

Lynyrd Skynyrd, 'Sweet Home Alabama'

Writers: Ed King, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant

Producer: Al Kooper
Released: April '74, MCA
17 weeks; No. 8

Van Zant sang this pissed-off answer to Neil Young's "Southern Man," and even Young loved it. "I'd rather play 'Sweet Home
Alabama' than 'Southern Man' anytime," Young said. The admiration was mutual; Van Zant wore a Young T-shirt on the cover of
Skynyrd's final album, Street Survivors, and according to legend, he is buried in the shirt.

Appears on: Second Helping (MCA)

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Lynyrd Skynyrd

406
 Subscribe

500 - 429 428 - 357 356 - 285 284 - 213 212 - 141 140 - 69 68 - 1

Big Star, 'Thirteen'

Writers: Alex Chilton, Chris Bell

Producer: John Fry
Released: April '72, Ardent
Non-Single

Chilton wrote this acoustic ballad about two kids in love with rock & roll, featuring the deathless couplet "Won't you tell your dad,
'Get off my back'/Tell him what we said about 'Paint It Black.'" It's simple musically; as Chilton said, "I was still learning to play
and stuff." It never came out as a single or got any radio play, but "Thirteen" is one of rock's most beautiful celebrations of
adolescence.

Appears on: #1 Record/Radio City (Fantasy)

RELATED:

•500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Big Star's #1 Record

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

405

Blue Öyster Cult, '(Don't Fear) the Reaper'

Writer: Donald Roeser

Producers: Murray Krugman, Sandy Pearlman, David Lucas
Released: July '76, Columbia
14 weeks; No. 12

This Long Island band's death trip was picked by Rolling Stone critics as the best rock single of 1976. With its ghostly guitars and
cowbell, "Reaper" has added chills to horror flicks from Halloween to The Stand. Bonus points for the crackpot theology about
how "40,000 men and women every day" join Romeo and Juliet in eternity.

Appears on: Agents of Fortune (Columbia)

 Subscribe

500 - 429 428 - 357 356 - 285 284 - 213 212 - 141 140 - 69 68 - 1

404

The Shangri-Las, 'Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)'

Writer: George "Shadow" Morton

Producer: Morton
Released: Aug. '64, Red Bird
11 weeks; No. 5

The Shangri-Las, two sets of sisters from Queens, were in high school when producer Morton hired them to record "Remember"
— a tune he claimed to have written in 20 minutes on the way to the studio. One story has it that a 15-year-old Billy Joel played
piano on the session. Morton went on to produce the New York Dolls.

Appears on: The Best of the Shangri-Las (Mercury)

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

403

Elvis Presley, 'Can't Help Falling in Love'

Writers: George Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore

Producer: Joseph Lilley
Released: Oct. '61, RCA
14 weeks; No. 1

This adaptation of Giovanni Martini's 18th-century song "Plaisir d'Amour" was given to Elvis for his movie Blue Hawaii — hence
th H ii t l it B t thi ti f P l It t k hi t k t il hi i it l tl l Th
the Hawaiian steel guitar. But this was no vacation for Presley: It took him 29 takes to nail his exquisitely gentle vocals. The song
became the closing number for most of his Seventies concerts. Subscribe

Appears
500 - on:
429 Elvis 30 #1428
Hits- 357
(RCA) 356 - 285 284 - 213 212 - 141 140 - 69 68 - 1

RELATED:

•100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Elvis Presley

•100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Elvis Presley

402

The Five Stairsteps, 'O-o-h Child'

Writer: Stan Vincent

Producer: Vincent
Released: April '70, Buddha
16 weeks; No. 8

"O-o-h Child" gave the Five Stairsteps — four brothers and a sister from Chicago — a pop-soul classic that rivaled the hits of
another sibling gang, the Jackson 5. The children of police detective Clarence Burke, the Five Stairsteps, who played their own
instruments as well as sang, ranged in age from 13 to 17 when Curtis Mayfield signed them to his Windy C label.

Appears on: Soul Hits of the '70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind! Vol. 2 (Rhino)

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

401
 Subscribe

The Lovin' Spoonful, 'Summer in the City'

500 - 429 428 - 357 356 - 285 284 - 213 212 - 141 140 - 69 68 - 1
Writers: John Sebastian, Steve Boone, Mark Sebastian
Producer: Erik Jacobsen
Released: June '66, Kama Sutra
11 weeks; No. 1

"Summer in the City" was a stylistic turn for the Lovin' Spoonful — tougher and less daydreamy. "We felt the only way we could
stick out would be to sound completely different from one single to another," said John Sebastian. With a barrage of car horns on
the bridge, the record evoked its subject with urban grit and Gershwin-esque grandeur.

Appears on: The Lovin' Spoonful Greatest Hits (Buddha)

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In This Article: alltime, Aretha Franklin, Beastie Boys, Beck, Bruce Springsteen, Green Day, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Paul McCartney,
Radiohead, Rihanna, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Strokes

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Conversation 332 Comments

Your voice matters. Conversations are moderated for civility. Read our guidelines here.

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What do you think?

Sort by Best

G GoldPopcorn
6 January, 2020
Seems odd that Queen, one of the most successful and groundbreaking bands of all time seemed to
only get to 166. Even musicians themselves have been saying that Queen are in the pantheon of the
best artists of all time. The opening paragraph of this page even mentions Queen's bohemian
rhapsody as being something that was revolutionary. Despite what some may say how overrated
the song may be, (which to even I agree to an extent) this song truly was a masterpiece lyrically and
artistically. Everyone has heard of BR, you play those rst few notes, you know what about to play
and everyone stops and sings along, its truly a magical experience. So even if you disagree with
those that believe that it deserves to be closer to the top, stop to think of the cultural and historical
this song has had on the world and maybe, you'll enjoy it just a little more.
Reply 114 20
Show 3 previous replies

C CyanStrawberry GoldPopcorn
4 December, 2020
They had what,two tunes? We Are The Champions" and "Bohemian Rhapsody".Why would they rate
higher?
Reply 7 70

Show 2 more replies

GD Gemini Divorce GoldPopcorn

1 November, 2020
The problem is that Queen is very good and entertaining, but they weren't revolutionary. I like
Freddie Mercury, but I don't love Freddie Mercury, if you get what I'm saying. When Queen comes
on the radio, I'm not turning up the volume, but neither do I change the station. I'll probably get
downvotes, but Queen music is disposable bubblegum as opposed to nutritious essentials.
Reply 28 110

Show 2 more replies

T tjs375
17 September, 2020 Subscribe

The Pink Floyd songs here are great. It's nice you included 3 of the best Pink Floyd songs, but there
is500
not-one
429 song from The
428Dark
- 357 Side of the Moon. There is a reason
356 - 285 284 that
- 213is often referred as one of
212 - 141 140 - 69 68 - 1
the best albums ever. At least include Time or Money, maybe even Us and Them. At least one of
these would do.
Reply 37 6

Q Queen3000
5 October, 2020
Hmm, seems weird that Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody didn't at least make it in the top 50. It also
seems weird that #2 is by Rolling Stone and #1 is "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan.
Reply 54 6

G GoldWrench Queen3000
7 January, 2021
could be top 50 but they may have put it much lower because its really overplayed now

Reply 8

O OrangeButter y
26 June, 2020
Yes, this list is biased, but it made me think how "Like a Rolling Stone" could be the best song of all
time. I de nitely won't say it's objectively the best, but I listened to the song on loop after reading
this list. One year later, after learning loads more about Bob Dylan, it's one of my favorite songs of
all time. I highly respect whoever took the time to make this. Of course, it's subjective, but I know I
would never post my personal 500 songs of all time, let alone on an o cial website. I also think it's
funny how "Like a Rolling Stone" got booed constantly when Bob Dylan released it, and so did the
man who claims it's the best song of all time.
Reply 20 5

R RedPretzel OrangeButter y
9 October, 2020
i'm glad that you could discover a good song :)
and obviously it's impossible to publish the best songs without people being like "(this song)
deserves to be in the top 20's". personally alot of songs are missing but they did a good e ort.
Reply 3 2

M MoistKyte
19 April, 2020
So I'm not quite past 400 yet but really what this list is to me is an opportunity to nd good music,
not the greatest songs of all time. At the end of the day, we all have our tastes and our lists all di er,
though favorite songs will change depending on mood, the environment, etc. So lets stop ghting in
this comment section because I hope most of us are just on the hunt for better music, not to see if
(insert song here) is #1 or #500.
Reply 21 5

P PurpleDice MoistKyte
25 September, 2020
XO tour lif3, pound cake, astrothunder, bound 2, last call, border line, money trees. Once u listen to
these just view tge artist and similar artist to nd more songs. If ur 50+ years u won't like these. But
just give it a try if u are. :)
Reply 4 10

Show 2 more replies

B BluePretzel
24 January, 2020
The Beatles countdown? I think Stevie wonder Is the greatest musician of our time. And Sir Duke is
one of his best creations. Probably deserved a spot on this list.
Reply 12 4

D Dick4Brains
8 January, 2020
Don't trust any list that doesn't have bohemian rhapsody in its top 20
Reply 112 35

Billy Bob H Dick4Brains

27 December, 2020
 I agree
Subscribe
Reply 4 2
Amen....
A 500 - 429
Dick4Brains
428 - 357 356 - 285 284 - 213 212 - 141 140 - 69 68 - 1
30 November, 2020
We got to song 40 with no Queen, I said this is biased and not a re ection of the best hits.
Reply 12 3

C Cyan8Ball
1 June, 2020
Amazed at the comments - How can a list of songs be "right" or "wrong"? It's just a reference list for
music lovers - instead of judging: enjoy, listen to something you haven't heard or an artist that
wasn't on your mind. There's some great stu here!
Reply 27 13

S Shitfuck Cyan8Ball
27 January, 2021
The biggest problem with this list is that it has numbers on it

Reply 5

O OliveBoomerang Cyan8Ball
5 November, 2020
its a discussion, not a ght yo
Reply 5 3

O OrangeRocket
15 January, 2020
Has Rolling Stone never heard of the Grateful Dead?
Reply 28 4

Show 1 previous reply

Billy Bob H OrangeRocket

27 December, 2020
Truckin, Sugar Magnolia, St Stephen worthy of top 500
Reply 2

R Redsalt OrangeRocket
13 October, 2020
yeah i looked through and i feel pretty hurt

Reply 1

Show 1 more reply

I Insomniac
4 November, 2020
This list should be called, "Ranking Beatles Songs! And there's other stu too I guess."
Reply 11 5

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