The history of recorded music is generally marked as beginning with the introduction of the phonograph by Thomas Edison in 1877. With a few exceptions, this list focuses on music written before that era. These are songs which have been around 150 years or more and have entered the public conscience because of the song itself instead of its performance by a specific artist. This list consists of Christmas songs, children’s songs and nursery rhymes, hymns, and patriotic songs. Song titles are followed by their years of publication.
Click here to see other song lists focused on specific eras.
DMDB Top 1%:
1. “Amazing Grace” (1779)
2. “Jingle Bells” (1857)
3. “The Battle Hymn of the Republic (aka ‘Glory! Glory! Hallelujah)” (1861)
4. “Dixie” (1859)
5. “The Star-Spangled Banner” (1814)
6. “Oh! Susanna” (1847)
7. “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again” (1863)
8. “Home on the Range” (1873)
9. “Camptown Races (Gwine to Run All Night)” (1850)
10. “God Save the King” (1740) / “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” (1831)
11. “Auld Lang Syne” (1711)
12. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (1872)
13. “O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)” (1744)
14. “O Holy Night (Minuit, Chrétiens)” (1847)
15. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” (1855)
16. “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” (1806)
17. “Joy to the World” (1719)
18. “Away in a Manger” (1887)
DMDB Top 2%:
19. “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” (1881)
20. “The First Noel” (1823)
21. “Ave Maria” (1859)
22. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (1868)
23. “Shoo Fly Don’t Bother Me” (1869)
24. “Rock-a-Bye Baby” (1884)
25. “Clementine (aka ‘Oh My Darling Clementine’)” (1863)
26. “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” (1881)
27. “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” (1706)
28. “Listen to the Mocking Bird (aka “The Mocking Bird”)” (1856)
29. “We Three Kings of Orient Are” (1857)
30. “Rock of Ages” (1763)
31. “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” (1850)
32. “Skip to My Lou” (1832)
33. “Pop Goes the Weasel” (1852)
34. “The Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)” (1851)
35. “Greensleeves” (1580) / “What Child Is This?” (1865)
36. “She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain” (1870)
37. “Mary Had a Little Lamb” (1830)
38. “Onward Christian Soldiers” (1871)
39. “Michael Row the Boat Ashore” (1867)
40. “O Where, O Where Has My Little Dog Gone” (1864)
41. “Alphabet Song (The ABC Song)” (1761)
42. “The Man on the Flying Trapeze” (1868)
43. “Home Sweet Home” (1823)
44. “Row Row Row Your Boat” (1852)
45. “Polly Wolly Doodle (All the Day)” (1843)
46. “On Top of Old Smoky” (1841)
47. “Baa Baa Black Sheep” (1744)
48. “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen” (1875)
49. “William Tell Overture” (1829)
50. “Alouette” (1879)
51. “Jimmy Crack Corn (The Blue Tail Fly)” (1848)
52. “How Great Thou Art” (1885)
53. “In the Sweet Bye and Bye” (1868)
54. “Chopsticks” (1877)
55. “Beautiful Dreamer” (1864)
56. “I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair” (1854)
57. “Buffalo Gals (Buffalo Girls Will You Come Out Tonight)” (1844)
58. “Grandfather’s Clock” (1876)
59. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (1760)
60. “Good King Wencelas” (1860)
61. “Brahm’s Lullaby (Wiegenlied) (aka ‘Cradle Song’)” (1868)
62. “Yankee Doodle” (aka “Yankee Doodle Went to Town”) (1754)
63. “Long Long Ago” (1843)
64. “Hail to the Chief” (1820)
65. “The Battle Cry of Freedom” (1862)
66. “Nearer My God to Thee” (1859)
67. “Old Dan Tucker” (1843)
68. “Silent Night, Holy Night (Stille Nacht, Heilge Nacht)” (1818)
69. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (1851)
70. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (1876)
71. “A Froggie Went A-Courtin’” (1700)
72. “Au Clair de la Lune” (1811)
73. “Goodnight Ladies” (1847)
74. “Go Tell It on the Mountain” (1865)
75. “London Bridge Is Falling Down” (1744)
76. “The Little Brown Jug” (1869)
77. “Twelve Days of Christmas” (1780)
78. “Frère Jacques (Are You Sleeping?)” (1780)
79. “The Liberty Song (In Freedom We’re Born)” (1768)
DMDB Top 5%:
80. “This Old Man (Nick Nack Paddiwak)” (1842)
81. “Deck the Halls” (1862)
82. “I Saw Three Ships” (1833)
83. “The Yellow Rose of Texas” (1853)
84. “The Blue Danube (An Der Schoenen Blauen Donau)” (1867)
85. “The Farmer in the Dell” (1883)
86. “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” (1709)
87. “O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)” (1824)
88. “Shenandoah” (1837)
89. “Blow the Man Down” (1849)
90. “We Gather Together (Thanksgiving Prayer)” (1630)
91. “Three Blind Mice” (1609)
92. “Bingo (B-I-N-G-O)” (1780)
93. “Hokey Pokey” (1826)
94. “Ring Around the Rosie” (1881)
95. “Angels We Have Heard on High” (1862)
96. “My Old Kentucky Home” (1853)
97. “Old King Cole” (1708)
98. “Silver Threads Among the Gold” (1873)
99. “Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake, Baker's Man” (1698)
100. “Sing a Song of Sixpence” (1790)
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Originally posted 6/30/2021. Last updated 9/2/2023. | 
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