Q is a British music magazine which premiered in 1986 and ceased publication in 2020. Over the years, they published numerous best-of lists. Below is an exclusive Dave’s Music Database list in which sixteen different lists (sources at bottom of page) from Q have been consolidated into an aggregate list.
Click here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations.
Spotify Podcast:
Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: Q Magazine: The Best Songs of All Time based on this list. It debuts November 2, 2021 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.
1. New Order “Blue Monday” (1983)
2. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)
3. Sex Pistols “God Save the Queen” (1977)
4. The La’s “There She Goes” (1988)
5. The Jam “Going Underground” (1980)
6. The Specials “Ghost Town” (1981)
7. Prodigy “Firestarter” (1996)
8. Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975)
9. Oasis “Live Forever” (1994)
10. Massive Attack “Unfinished Sympathy” (1991)
11. Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (1980)
12. Pulp “Common People” (1995)
13. The Undertones “Teenage Kicks” (1978)
14. The Verve “Bitter Sweet Symphony” (1997)
15. The Kinks “Waterloo Sunset” (1967)
16. Blur “Song 2” (1997)
17. Stone Roses “Fools Gold” (1989)
18. Robbie Williams “Angels” (1997)
19. Underworld “Born Slippy” (1995)
20. Donna Summer “I Feel Love” (1977)
21. Run-D.M.C. with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler & Joe Perry “Walk This Way” (1986)
22. Bob Dylan “Like a Rolling Stone” (1965)
23. The Who “My Generation” (1965)
24. Black Sabbath “Paranoid” (1970)
25. The Kinks “You Really Got Me” (1964)
26. David Bowie “Heroes” (1977)
27. The Smiths “How Soon Is Now?” (1984)
28. U2 “One” (1992)
29. The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” (1966)
30. Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1988)
31. Radiohead “Creep” (1993)
32. Kate Bush “Wuthering Heights” (1978)
33. The Smiths “This Charming Man” (1983)
34. Motörhead “Ace of Spaces” (1980)
35. M/A/R/R/S “Pump Up the Volume” (1987)
36. Bruce Springsteen “Born to Run” (1975)
37. Coldplay “The Scientist” (2002)
38. Prince “Kiss” (1986)
39. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five “The Message” (1982)
40. The Beatles “She Loves You” (1963)
41. The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965)
42. Soft Cell “Tainted Love” (1981)
43. Madonna “Into the Groove” (1985)
44. Oasis “Wonderwall” (1995)
45. Eminem with Dido “Stan” (2000)
46. Bob Marley & the Wailers “No Woman, No Cry” (1974)
47. The Beach Boys “God Only Knows” (1966)
48. The Stone Roses “I Am the Resurrection” (1989)
49. Frankie Goes to Hollywood “Relax” (1983)
50. Soul II Soul “Back to Life (How Ever Do You Want Me)” (1989)
51. Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” (1971)
52. 10cc “I’m Not in Love” (1975)
53. Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (1982)
54. Depeche Mode “Personal Jesus” (1989)
55. Lonnie Donegan “Rock Island Line” (1956)
56. Public Enemy “Rebel Without a Pause” (1987)
57. The Clash “London Calling” (1979)
58. John Lennon “Imagine” (1971)
59. Slade “Cum on Feel the Noize” (1973)
60. Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)
61. Cornershop “Brimful of Asha” (1997)
62. The Ronettes “Be My Baby” (1963)
63. The Beatles “A Day in the Life” (1967)
64. Marvin Gaye “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968)
65. The Beatles “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
66. Happy Mondays “Step On” (1990)
67. Sex Pistols “Anarchy in the U.K.” (1976)
68. N.W.A. “Fuck tha Police” (1989)
69. David Bowie “Life on Mars?” (1973)
70. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “All Along the Watchtower” (1968)
71. Tubeway Army “Are Friends Electric?” (1979)
72. Manic Street Preachers “Motorcycle Emptiness” (1992)
73. The MC5 “Kick Out the Jams” (1969)
74. The Smiths “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” (1992)
75. Manic Street Preachers “A Design for Life” (1996)
76. R.E.M. “Everybody Hurts” (1993)
77. Radiohead “Paranoid Android” (1997)
78. Eagles “Hotel California” (1977)
79. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
80. U2 “Where the Streets Have No Name” (1987)
81. Rage Against the Machine “Killing in the Name” (1992)
82. Metallica “Enter Sandman” (1991)
83. Elvis Presley “Suspicious Minds” (1969)
84. The Rolling Stones “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (1968)
85. Little Richard “Tutti Frutti” (1955)
86. Elvis Presley “That's All Right, Mama” (1954)
87. Roxy Music “Virginia Plain” (1972)
88. Eminem “My Name Is…” (1999)
89. Pet Shop Boys “West End Girls” (1985)
90. T-Rex “Get It On (Bang a Gong)” (1971)
91. The Beatles “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966)
92. Madonna “Like a Prayer” (1989)
93. Kaiser Chiefs “I Predict a Riot” (2004)
94. The Jam “A Town Called Malice” (1982)
95. Dexy’s Midnight Runners “Come on Eileen” (1982)
96. The Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter” (1968)
97. Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On” (1971)
98. Supergrass “Alright” (1995)
99. OutKast “Hey Ya!” (2003)
100. Streets “Dry Your Eyes” (2004)
101. The Rolling Stones “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968)
102. Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott “Get Ur Freak On” (2001)
103. Beyoncé with Jay-Z “Crazy in Love” (2003)
104. Led Zeppelin “Kashmir” (1975)
105. The Strokes “Last Nite” (2001)
106. Otis Redding “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” (1968)
107. Marvin Gaye “Sexual Healing” (1982)
108. The Beatles “Something” (1969)
109. Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg “Je T'Aime (Moi Non Plus)” (1969)
110. The Byrds “Mr. Tambourine Man” (1965)
111. Van Halen “Jump” (1983)
112. Kraftwerk “Autobahn” (1974)
113. The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” (2003)
114. Blur “This Is a Low” (1995)
115. Cliff Richard & the Drifers “Move It” (1958)
116. Stevie Wonder “Superstition” (1972)
117. The Waterboys “The Whole of the Moon” (1985)
118. U2 “With or Without You” (1987)
119. Iggy Pop “Lust for Life” (1977)
120. So Solid Crew “21 Seconds” (2001)
121. Abba “Dancing Queen” (1976)
122. This Mortal Coil “Song to the Siren” (1982)
123. AC/DC “Whole Lotta Rosie” (1977)
124. R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” (1991)
125. The Monkees “Last Train to Clarksville” (1966)
126. House of Pain “Jump Around” (1992)
127. Madness “Baggy Trousers” (1980)
128. Billie Holiday “Strange Fruit” (1939)
129. The Jackson 5 “I Want You Back” (1969)
130. Lou Reed “Walk on the Wild Side” (1972)
131. Big Star “September Gurls” (1974)
132. The Beastie Boys “You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party” (1986)
133. Prince “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987)
134. Ramones “Blitzkrieg Bop” (1976)
135. Jefferson Airplane “White Rabbit” (1967)
136. The Small Faces “Itchycoo Park” (1967)
137. The Beatles “In My Life” (1968)
138. Kylie Minogue “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (2001)
139. The Beatles “Paperback Writer” (1966)
140. Cream “Sunshine of Your Love” (1968)
141. Dinosaur Jr. “Freak Scene” (1988)
142. Britney Spears “Baby One More Time” (1998)
143. The Tornadoes “Telstar” (1962)
144. Franz Ferdinand “Take Me Out” (2004)
145. The Temptations “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” (1972)
146. Blur “Parklife” (1994)
147. Foo Fighters “Monkey Wrench” (1997)
148. U2 “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (1983)
149. Dizzee Rascal “Fix Up Look Sharp” (2003)
150. Ike & Tina Turner “River Deep, Mountain High” (1966)
151. Link Wray & His Men “Rumble” (1958)
152. The Beatles “Help!” (1965)
153. The Clash “White Riot” (1977)
154. Primal Scream “Loaded” (1990)
155. Wayne Smith “Under Me Sleng Teng” (1985)
156. Deep Purple “Smoke on the Water” (1973)
157. Radiohead “Fake Plastic Trees” (1995)
158. Desmond Dekker & the Aces “The Israelites” (1969)
159. Led Zeppelin “Rock and Roll” (1971)
160. Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel “White Lines (Don’t Do It)” (1983)
161. Coldplay “Yellow” (2000)
162. The Strokes “Hard to Explain” (2001)
163. Oasis “Champagne Supernova” (1996)
164. Rod Stewart “Maggie May” (1971)
165. Derek & the Dominos “Layla” (1971)
166. Rhythim Is Rhythim “Strings of Life” (1987)
167. Jeff Buckley “Hallelujah” (1994)
168. Baddiel & Skinner & Lightning Seeds “Three Lions” (1996)
169. Fairport Convention “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” (1969)
170. James Brown “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine)” (1970)
171. Bill Haley & the Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (1954)
172. The Shadows “Apache” (1960)
173. The Who “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (1971)
174. The Beatles “Hey Jude” (1968)
175. Pink Floyd “Comfortably Numb”
176. Amy Winehouse “Rehab” (2006)
177. The Beatles “Let It Be” (1970)
178. Oasis “Don’t Look Back in Anger” (1995)
179. Billy Bragg “A New England” (1983)
180. The Specials “Gangsters” (1979)
181. Arctic Monkeys “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor” (2005)
182. The Troggs “Wild Thing” (1966)
183. Morrissey “Everyday Is Like Sunday” (1988)
184. Spice Girls “Wannabe” (1996)
185. Frankie Goes to Hollywood “Two Tribes” (1984)
186. Radiohead “Karma Police” (1997)
187. Ray Charles “What’d I Say” (1959)
188. Guns N’ Roses “Paradise City” (1987)
189. The Verve “The Drugs Don’t Work” (1997)
190. The Jam “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” (1978)
191. The Smiths “The Queen Is Dead” (1986)
192. The Beatles “Penny Lane” (1967)
193. David Bowie “Starman” (1972)
194. Gnarls Barkley “Crazy” (2006)
195. Elton John “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Gonna Be a Long Time)” (1972)
196. Elvis Costello “I Don’t Want to Go to Chelsea” (1978)
197. The Pixies “Debaser” (1989)
198. Culture Club “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” (1982)
199. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Purple Haze” (1967)
200. Keane “Everybody’s Changing” (2004)
Resources/Related Links:
- Dave’s Music Database: “Lists from other publications and/or organizations”
- Readers’ poll (2/99).
Top 100 songs of all-time according to Q readers.
- The 50 Most Exciting Tunes Ever (1/02).
- 100 Songs That Changed the World (1/03).
- 1001 Best Songs Ever (1/04).
Don’t know details of how list was compiled.
- The Music That Changed the World (2004).
3 special editions in January (covering 1954-69), February (covering 1970-1979), and March 2004 (covering 1980-2004). Each featured a top 20 album list and a top 20 song list.
- 1010 Songs You Must Own! (9/04).
Multiple unranked lists for one-hit wonders, air guitar, duets, short & to the point, epics, instrumentals, cover versions, ballads, remixes, best of the 21st century so far, Getting Wasted: 60 Songs for the Tired & Emotional, Chilling Out: 60 Songs to Soothe the Furrowed Brow, Girls & Boys: 60 Songs for Love’s Little Ups & Downs, On the Move: 60 Songs to Soundtrack the Open Road, On a Downer: 60 Songs for Long Dark Night of the Soul, and The Perfect 10. Finally, there are celebrity lists from Dave Grohl, ?estlove, Basement Jaxx, Jeremy Vine, Travis Barker, Lucinda Williams, Beenie Man, Tim Westwood, Tim Rice, and Katie Melua.
- 50 Greatest British Tracks (10/04).
- Ultimate Music Collection (4/05).
Multiple lists of essential albums and tracks by genre (rock, pop, punk/new wave, rap, country, blues, soul, metal, reggae, jazz, folk, electronic, and indie). Also had five essential artists (The Beatles, Madonna, Bob Dylan, U2, and Velvet Underground) with one album choice each and selected songs. Finally, the collection is rounded out with tracks selected by musicians Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, Brandon Flowers of the Killers, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, and Johnny Borrell of Razorlight. Finally, there was a list of the basics one should be sure to have.
- Best of the ‘80s (8/06).
A list of the 40 best albums and 40 best tracks.
- The 100 Greatest Songs Ever (10/06).
Top 100 songs of all-time according to Q readers.
- Top 20 Albums and Singles of the Lifetime of Q Magazine (20 Years) (11/06; issue 244)
- 50 Years of Great British Music (3/08).
Chronological listing with 10 tracks and 10 albums for each decade (no album list for the ‘50s).
- 50 Ultimate British Songs (4/11).
Top 50 ranked list with commentary. As chosen by songwriters, singers, & readers.
- 156 Most Influential Records of All Time (4/19).
A list of albums and songs.
First posted 4/14/2011; last updated 11/2/2021. | 
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