Best songs of all time – the lists that matter
Compiling a list of the best songs of all time has long been a popular exercise for rock magazines, music websites and entertainment media all over the world. It’s such a popular activity because it summarizes “info-tainment” at its best, by identifying the perfect mix between an encyclopaedia and a playlist and by condensing a mighty History of Rock in a nutshell.
So many factors can affect the chances of thousands of popular tracks to actually end up making the top list, though: different decades, or genres, or lyrics, or territories, or moods, dictate criteria: Are the songs to be chosen because they are party songs and hence perfect for the dance floor? Do they cater to 2014 young adults or to baby boomers? And so forth.
Finally, who should be entitled to select and decide? The general public through a popular poll? A panel of industry experts? Media? Artists themselves?
As many of the above questions might as well remain unanswered, it sounds best to resort to some of the most popular and influential sources and by no doubt the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list published as a cover story by the Rolling Stone Magazine (issue number 963 dated December 9, 2004) claims the top notch. The 500 songs were ranked according to a point system based on the voting input of 172 amongst musicians, critics, and music-industry experts. The outcome? While the width of the list allowed enough space to cross genres and eras, the top 10 ranking reveals the predictable penchant for classic rock at its best. The winner? “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan, followed by the Rolling Stones and John Lennon thus forming an ideal sancta-sanctorum. Check the top 10 list right below:
1 "Like a Rolling Stone", Bob Dylan
2 "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", The Rolling Stones
3 "Imagine", John Lennon
4 "What's Going On", Marvin Gaye
5 "Respect", Aretha Franklin
6 "Good Vibrations", The Beach Boys
7 "Johnny B. Goode", Chuck Berry
8 "Hey Jude", The Beatles
9 "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Nirvana
10 "What'd I Say", Ray Charles
All very Sixty-vibing, with the exceptions of Marvin Gaye’s socially inspired soul, the seminal rock and roll by Chuck Berry and Nirvana’s grunge anthem. And while the only Britons here are old school heroes, matters change when switching to another 500 top list: UK pop bible NME (New Musical Express) issued their own special chart early in 2014, whose top 10 list goes like this:
1. Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
2. Joy Division, “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
3. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love”
4. The Smiths, “How Soon Is Now?”
5. The Strokes, “Last Nite”
6. Pulp – “Common People”
7. Arctic Monkeys – “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor”
8. New Order – “Blue Monday”
9. The Ronettes – “Be My Baby”
10. The Beach Boys – “Good Vibrations”
In this case some classics are definitely there (The Ronettes and the Beach Boys make it in as number 9 and 10), but the list is so much more contemporary. Does the chart fit the aim of identifying the best songs of all time? Well, not really – it’s definitely less 60s oriented and more British. Things turned out different when in 2005 NME asked their readers to participate in a poll – here is the outcome:
1 "We Are the Champions", Queen
2 "Toxic", Britney Spears
3 "Billie Jean", Michael Jackson
4 "Hotel California", Eagles
5 "La Tortura", Shakira
6 "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Nirvana
7 "Yesterday", The Beatles
8 "One", U2
9 "Imagine", John Lennon
10 "Sultans of Swing", Dire Straits
Q Magazine went beyond and pushed hemselves as far as publishing a 1001 Best Songs list –and their top 10 marks significant differences:
1 "One", U2
2 "I Say a Little Prayer", Aretha Franklin
3 "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Nirvana
4 "A Day in the Life", The Beatles
5 "In The Ghetto", Elvis Presley
6 "My Name Is", Eminem
7 "Creep", Radiohead
8 "Independent Women", Destiny's Child
9 "Live Forever", Oasis
10 "River Deep Mountain High", Ike & Tina Turner
The American presence is purely r’n’b and soul and it fits with the rest of the chart, where easy pop (Destiny’s Child) and rap (Eminem) keep a company to U2, Radiohead, the Beatles and the Oasis.
At the end of the day, the best songs of all time sound just like too many to fit any chart, no matter how extensive they are stretched. Options are innumerable, so you can easily help yourself around the web. But should you want to get fussy, vertical and specific, you might want to check Billboard’s “Top 100 Pop Songs 1992-2012”, Gibson’s “Top 50 metal songs of all time” and the RIAA’s “Best songs of the century”: Surprises will abound…