Thursday, July 29, 2021

YouTube: Billion Airs Club

You Tube:

Billion Airs Club

YouTube has become the 21st century’s version of MTV; that is, it is the go-to place for music videos. On December 1, 2012, “Gangnam Style” by Psy became the first music video to surpass one billion views. Since then, more than a hundred music videos have passed that mark. This page captures those videos in a ranked list based on most views. The numbers listed after the song titles indicate the number of views in billions.

Note: if there are multiple versions of a song (such as an official video, a lyric video, or live performances) the numbers have been consolidated into one figure as long as all the versions are the same song by the same performer. Also, since I have yet to find an official list of videos crossing the billion mark, it is quite possible there are videos not included in this list. If you know of such a video, feel free to let me know in the comments section.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee “Despacito” (2017) 7.740
2. Marc Ronson & Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!” (2014) 5.743
3. Ed Sheeran “Shape of You” (2017) 5.421
4. Wiz Khalifa & Charlie Puth “See You Again” (2015) 5.014
5. Psy “Gangnam Style” (2012) 4.143
6. Pinkfong! Kids’ Songs “Baby Shark Dance” (2016) 4.100
7. Maroon 5 with Cardi B “Girls Like You” (2017) 3.654
8. Justin Bieber “Sorry” (2015) 3.614
9. Maroon 5 “Sugar” (2014) 3.300
10. Katy Perry “Roar” (2013) 3.254

11. Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud” (2014) 3.199
12. Ed Sheeran with Beyoncé “Perfect” (2017) 3.065
13. Taylor Swift “Shake It Off” (2014) 3.057
14. Chainsmokers & Halsey “Closer” (2016) 2.972
15. Katy Perry & Juicy J “Dark Horse” (2013) 2.924
16. Major Lazer, DJ Snake & MØ “Lean On” (2015) 2.915
17. Camila Cabello with Young Thug “Havana” (2017) 2.902
18. Adele “Hello” (2015) 2.883
19. One Republic “Counting Stars” (2013) 2.880
20. Enrique Iglesias, Descemer Bueno, & Gente de Zona “Bailando” (2014) 2.790

21. Taylor Swft “Blank Space” (2014) 2.761
22. Alan Walker “Faded” (2015) 2.590
23. Twenty One Pilots “Stressed Out” (2015) 2.577
24. Passenger “Let Her Go” (2012) 2.570
25. J. Balvin & Willy Williams “Mi Gente” (2017) 2.570
26. Shakira & Maluma “Chantaje” (2016) 2.480
27. LooLoo Kids “Johny Johny Yes Papa” (2016) 2.420
28. Justin Bieber & Ludacris “Baby” (2010) 2.400
29. Shakira & Freshlyground “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” (2010) 2.370
30. Meghan Trainor “All About That Bass” (2014) 2.340

31. Ellie Goulding “Love Me Like You Do” (2015) 2.308
32. Calvin Harris & Rihanna “This Is What You Came For” (2016) 2.290
33. Clean Bandit, Sean Paul, & Anne-Marie “Rockabye” (2016) 2.250
34. Charlie Puth & Selena Gomez “We Don’t Talk Anymore” (2016) 2.240
35. Justin Bieber “What Do You Mean?” (2015) 2.225
36. Fifth Harmony “Work from Home” (2016) 2.219
37. Little Baby Bum “Wheels on the Bus” (2014) 2.210
38. Cocomelon “Bath Song” (2018) 2.190
39. Sia “Chandelier” (2014) 2.173
40. Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road” (2018) 2.162

41. Pharrell Williams “Happy” (2013) 2.109
42. The Weeknd & Daft Punk “Starboy” (2016) 2.042
43. Sia & Sean Paul “Cheap Thrills” (2016) 2.032
44. Nio Garcia with Darrell & Casper Magico, Bad Bunny, Nicky Jam, & Ozuna “Te Boté (Remix)” (2018) 2.000
45. Adele “Rolling in the Deep” (2010) 1.984
46. Justin Bieber “Love Yourself” (2015) 1.975
47. Magic! “Rude” (2013) 1.971
48. Dua Lipa “New Rules” (2017) 1.970
49. Natti Natasha with Ozuna “Criminal” (2017) 1.918
50. Eminem & Rihanna “Love the Way You Lie” (2010) 1.900

51. Idina Menzel “Let It Go” (2013) 1.893
52. Cocomelon “Yes Yes Vegetables Song” (2018) 1.890
53. Crazy Frog “Axel F” (2005) 1.890
54. Avicii & Aloe Blacc “Wake Me Up” (2013) 1.880
55. Luis Fonsi with Demi Lovato “Échame La Culpa” (2017) 1.870
56. Icanrockyourworld “The Gummy Bear Song” (2007) 1.850
57. The Chainsmokers with Coldplay “Something Just Like This” (2017) 1.836
58. Fifth Harmony & Kid Ink “Worth It” (2015) 1.783
59. Nicky Jam with J. Balvin “X” (2018) 1.770
60. Bruno Mars “The Lazy Song” (2010) 1.750

61. Becky G with Bad Bunny “Mayores” (2017) 1.732
62. LMFAO, Lauren Bennett & GoonRock “Party Rock Anthem” (2011) 1.730
63. Shawn Mendes “Treat You Better” (2016) 1.717
64. Drake “Hotline Bling” (2015) 1.712
65. Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj “Side to Side” (2016) 1.680
66. Silento “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” (2015) 1.652
67. J. Balvin “Ay Vamos” (2014) 1.638
68. The Weeknd “The Hills” (2015) 1.635
69. Becky G “Sin Pijama” (2018) 1.612
70. Daddy Yankee with Snow “Con Calma” (2019) 1.610

71. Post Malone with Swae Lee “Sunflower” (2018) 1.609
72. Ricky Martin & Maluma “Vente Pa Ca” (2016) 1.588
73. Bruno Mars “That’s What I Like” (2016) 1.584
74. John Legend “All of Me” (2013) 1.580
75. Maluma “Felices los 4” (2017) 1.563
76. Bruno Mars “24K Magic” (2016) 1.560
77. CNCO “Reggaeton Lento (Bailemos)” (2016) 1.546
78. Romeo Santos & Eliza Gonzalez “Propuesta Indecente” (2013) 1.539
79. Bruno Mars “Just the Way You Are (Amazing)” (2010) 1.524
80. Guns N’ Roses “November Rain” (1991) 1.500

81. Daddy Yankee “Dura” (2018) 1.496
82. The Chainsmokers with Daya “Don’t Let Me Down” (2016) 1.477
83. Jennifer Lopez & Pitbull “On the Floor” (2011) 1.460
84. Piso 21 with Manuel Turizo “Déjala Que Vuelva” (2017) 1.458
85. Christina Perri “A Thousand Years” (2011) 1.450
86. Chino & Nacho with Daddy Yankee “Andas en Mi Cabeza” (2016) 1.445
87. Taylor Swift & Kendrick Lamar “Bad Blood” (2014) 1.434
88. Maluma with Nego Do Borel “Corazón” (2017) 1.430
89. Adele “Someone Like You” (2011) 1.430
90. Shawn Mendes with Camila Cabello “Señorita” (2019) 1.430

91. Jessie J, Ariana Grande, & Nicki Minaj “Bang Bang” (2014) 1.429
92. Nicky Jam “Hasta El Amanecer” (2016) 1.420
93. Rihanna “Diamonds” (2012) 1.420
94. Post Malone with 21 Savage “Rockstar” (2017) 1.417
95. Jason Derulo with Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign “Swalla” (2017) 1.402
96. Daddy Yankee “Shaky Shaky” (2016) 1.401
97. Ellie Goulding “Burn” (2013) 1.381
98. XXXtentacion “Sad!” (2018) 1.374
99. Danny Ocean “Me Rehúso” (2016) 1.367
100. Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975) 1.358

101. Twenty One Pilots “Heathens” (2016) 1.358
102. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991) 1.357
103. Carlos Vives & Shakira “La Bicicleta” (2016) 1.355
104. Martin Garrix “Animals” (2013) 1.348
105. Billie Eilish “Bad Guy” (2019) 1.346
106. Eminem “Not Afraid” (2010) 1.344
107. Calvin Harris “Summer” (2014) 1.340
108. DJ Khaled with Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, & Lil’ Wayne “I’m the One” (2017) 1.332
109. Calvin Harris & Disciples “How Deep Is Your Love” (2015) 1.325
110. David Guetta with Nicki Minaj & Afrojack “Hey Mama” (2015) 1.324

111. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis with Wanz “Thrift Shop” (2012) 1.320
112. Gotye with Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know” (2011) 1.317
113. Imagine Dragons “Radioactive” (2012) 1.307
114. Carly Rae Jepsen “Call Me Maybe” (2011) 1.300
115. Pulcinopiotv “El Pollito Pio” (2012) 1.287
116. Nicky Jam with Enrique Iglesias “El Perdon (Forgiveness)” (2015) 1.280
117. Psy “Gentleman” (2013) 1.277
118. Katy Perry “Firework” (2010) 1.268
119. Lady Gaga with Bradley Cooper “Shallow” (2018) 1.265
120. Nicky Jam “El Amante” (2017) 1.259

121. Joey Montana “Picky” (2015) 1.247
122. Mike Posner “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” (2015) 1.247
123. Rihanna with Drake “Work” (2016) 1.243
124. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” Whitney Houston (1992) 1.212
125. Katy Perry “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” (2010) 1.203
126. Gente de Zona with Marc Anthony “La Gozadera” (2015) 1.202
127. Lukas Graham “7 Years” (/2015) 1.201
128. Drake “God’s Plan” (2018) 1.200
129. Ariana Grande with Iggy Azalea “Problem” (2014) 1.192
130. Linkin Park “Numb” (2003) 1.190

131. Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1987) 1.188
132. Taylor Swift “You Belong with Me” (2008) 1.187
133. 50 Cent “In Da Club” (2002) 1.187
134. Maluma “El Perdedor” (2016) 1.175
135. Pitbull with Ke$ha “Timber” (2013) 1.163
136. Justin Timberlake “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” (2016) 1.157
137. Ricky Martin with Yotuel “La Mordidita” (2015) 1.152
138. Sam Smith “Stay with Me” (2014) 1.150
139. Rosalía with J. Balvin & El Guincho “Con Altura” (2019) 1.150
140. Lady Gaga “Bad Romance” (2009) 1.140

141. Shawn Mendes “Stitches” (2015) 1.140
142. Post Malone with Quavo “Congratulations” (2016) 1.135
143. Bruno Mars “Grenade” (2016) 1.134
144. The Weeknd “Can’t Feel My Face” (2015) 1.134
145. Prince Royce “Darte Un Beso” (2013) 1.115
146. Taylor Swift “Look What You Made Me Do” (2017) 1.114
147. Skrillex with Diplo & Justin Bieber “Where Are Ü Now” (2015) 1.113
148. Eminem “Lose Yourself” (2002) 1.105
149. One Direction “What Makes You Beautiful” (2011) 1.103
150. Future with Drake “Life Is Good” (2020) 1.100

151. Ariana Grande “Thank U, Next” (2018) 1.099
152. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983) 1.095
153. Aha “Take on Me” Aha (1984) 1.066
154. Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (1982) 1.054
155. Miley Cyrus “Wrecking Ball” (2013) 1.051
156. Iggy Azalea with Charli XCX “Fancy” (2014) 1.048
157. Cardi B with Bad Bunny & J. Balvin “I Like It” (2018) 1.043
158. Rihanna with Calvin Harris “We Found Love” (2011) 1.039
159. French Montana with Swae Lee “Unforgettable” (2017) 1.029
160. James Arthur “Say You Won’t Let Me Go” (2016) 1.028

161. Eminem “Without Me” (2002) 1.027
162. Ariana Grande with Zedd “Break Free” (2014) 1.029
163. The Weeknd “Blinding Lights” (2019) 1.014
164. Rick Astley “Never Gonna Give You Up” (1987) 1.001
165. Twenty One Pilots “Ride” (2015) 1.000


Resources and Related Links:


First posted 11/22/2018; last updated 7/29/2021.

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

The Top 100 Videos of All Time

Music Videos:

All-Time Top 100

This was the first best-of list posted on the DMDB Facebook page back on February 5, 2010. It has been updated to include an aggregate of more than 70 lists in addition to various video awards and YouTube plays. See sources at bottom of page.

You can also check out the Dave’s Music Database podcast focused on the 40th anniversary of MTV and this list. It premieres August 3, 2021.

1. Michael Jackson “Thriller” (1983)
2. Peter Gabriel “Sledgehammer” (1986)
3. Aha “Take on Me” (1985)
4. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)
5. Beastie Boys “Sabotage” (1994)
6. Fatboy Slim “Weapon of Choice” (2001)
7. Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” (1985)
8. Madonna “Like a Prayer” (1989)
9. Guns N’ Roses “November Rain” (1992)
10. Johnny Cash “Hurt” (2003)

11. Pearl Jam “Jeremy” (1993)
12. Jamiroquai “Virtual Insanity” (1997)
13. Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (1983)
14. Smashing Pumpkins “Tonight, Tonight” (1996)
15. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee “Despacito” (2017)
16. Sinéad O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U” (1990)
17. Run-D.M.C. with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler & Joe Perry “Walk This Way” (1986)
18. Foo Fighters “Learn to Fly” (1999)
19. Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975)
20. Talking Heads “Once in a Lifetime” (1981)

21. Beyoncé “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) ” (2008)
22. R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” (1991)
23. Madonna “Vogue” (1990)
24. Weezer “Buddy Holly” (1995)
25. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
26. Nine Inch Nails “Closer” (1994)
27. OK Go “Here It Goes Again” (2006)
28. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” (1982)
29. Cyndi Lauper “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (1983)
30. Michael Jackson “Beat It” (1983)

31. Britney Spears “Baby One More Time” (1999)
32. Fatboy Slim “Praise You” (1999)
33. OutKast “Hey Ya!” (2004)
34. Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” (1983)
35. Robert Palmer “Addicted to Love” (1986)
36. Lady Gaga “Bad Romance” (2009)
37. Metallica “One” (1989)
38. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers “Don’t Come Around Here No More” (1985)
39. Psy “Gangnam Style” (2012)
40. The Cars “You Might Think” (1984)

41. Blur “Coffee + TV” (1999)
42. The Buggles “Video Killed the Radio Star” (1979)
43. Herbie Hancock “Rock-It” (1983)
44. Chris Isaak “Wicked Game” (1991)
45. Ed Sheeran “Shape of You” (2017)
46. The White Stripes “Fell in Love with a Girl” (2002)
47. Korn “Freak on a Leash” (1999)
48. Marc Ronson & Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!” (2014)
49. Michael Jackson with Janet Jackson “Scream” (1995)
50. New Order “True Faith” (1987)

51. Wiz Khalifa & Charlie Puth “See You Again” (2015)
52. Aerosmith “Janie’s Got a Gun” (1990)
53. Nirvana “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993)
54. George Michael “Freedom ’90” (1990)
55. The Replacements “Bastards of Young” (1985)
56. Madonna “Express Yourself” (1989)
57. Justin Bieber “Sorry” (2015)
58. TLC “Waterfalls” (1995)
59. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Californication” (2000)
60. Don Henley “The Boys of Summer” (1984)

61. Eminem “Without Me” (2002)
62. Soundgarden “Black Hole Sun” (1994)
63. Radiohead “Just” (1995)
64. Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1988)
65. Guns N’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” (1987)
66. Van Halen “Right Now” (1992)
67. Madonna “Ray of Light” (1998)
68. R.E.M. “Everybody Hurts” (1993)
69. David Bowie “Ashes to Ashes” (1980)
70. Camila Cabello with Young Thug “Havana” (2017)

71. Taylor Swft “Blank Space” (2014)
72. The Prodigy “Smack My Bitch Up” (1997)
73. Maroon 5 “Sugar” (2014)
74. Van Halen “Hot for Teacher” (1984)
75. Justin Timberlake “Cry Me a River” (2003)
76. Duran Duran “Girls on Film” (1981)
77. Tupac Shakur (2pac) & Dr. Dre “California Love” (1996)
78. Adele “Rolling in the Deep” (2010)
79. Adele “Hello” (2015)
80. Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud” (2014)

81. Bob Dylan “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (1967)
82. Maroon 5 with Cardi B “Girls Like You” (2017)
83. Madonna “Justify My Love” (1990)
84. Alanis Morissette “Ironic” (1996)
85. Genesis “Land of Confusion” (1986)
86. Katy Perry & Juicy J “Dark Horse” (2013)
87. Van Halen “Jump” (1984)
88. Aerosmith “Cryin’” (1994)
89. Madonna “Material Girl” (1985)
90. INXS “Need You Tonight/Mediate” (1988)

91. Pharrell Williams “Happy” (2013)
92. Rihanna with Calvin Harris “We Found Love” (2011)
93. Taylor Swift & Kendrick Lamar “Bad Blood” (2014)
94. Christina Aguilera with Redman “Dirrty” (2002)
95. Katy Perry “Roar” (2013)
96. Metallica “Enter Sandman” (1991)
97. The Verve “Bitter Sweet Symphony” (1997)
98. Kendrick Lamar “Humble” (2017)
99. Michael Jackson “Black or White” (1991)
100. Justin Bieber with Ludacris “Baby” (2010)


Annual Awards:


Other Resources/Related Links:


First posted 2/5/2010; last updated 7/28/2021.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era, 1954-1999: The 10th Anniversary

Dave’s Music Database:

The Top 100 Songs of
the Rock Era, 1954-1999
(The 10th Anniversary)

In April 2011, I published my first Dave’s Music Database book – The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era, 1954-1999. In celebration of the 10th anniversary, I am prepping a new edition of the book. In addition to integrating more lists, this edition reflects the effect of streaming and online video on even the pre-digital era. Newer sales data and more charts have been incorporated. Awards given to songs have been updated. 17 new songs make appearances on the list. You can see both the new list and the original list below. Click on song titles to access their DMDB pages.

Check out the five-part podcast counting down all 100 songs on Spotify, premiering June 29, 2021 and running every Tuesday (7pm CST) through July 27, 2021.

Also, check out the two companion books to this one: The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era, 1890-1953 and The Top 100 Songs of the Digital Era, 2000-2019.


The Top Songs of the Rock Era, 1954-1999: The 10th Anniversary Edition

1. The Beatles “Hey Jude” (1968)
2. The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965)
3. Bill Haley & the Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (1954)
4. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992)
5. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
6. Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (1983)
7. Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975)
8. John Lennon “Imagine” (1971)
9. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)
10. The Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (1963)

11. Marvin Gaye “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968)
12. Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)
13. Aretha Franklin “Respect” (1967)
14. The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” (1966)
15. The Beatles “Yesterday” (1965)
16. Bob Dylan “Like a Rolling Stone” (1965)
17. The Eagles “Hotel California” (1976)
18. Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (1991)
19. Otis Redding “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” (1968)
20. The Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)

21. Elton John “Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose)” (1997)
22. Elvis Presley “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956)
23. Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife” (1959)
24. Sinéad O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U” (1990)
25. Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” (1971)
26. The Animals “The House of the Rising Sun” (1964)
27. Don McLean “American Pie” (1971)
28. The Beatles “Let It Be” (1970)
29. Elvis Presley “Hound Dog” (1956)
30. Elvis Presley “Don’t Be Cruel” (1956)

31. Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1988)
32. Ben E. King “Stand by Me” (1961)
33. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997)
34. Derek & the Dominos “Layla” (1970)
35. The Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (1964)
36. Roy Orbison “(Oh) Pretty Woman” (1964)
37. Stevie Wonder “Superstition” (1972)
38. R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” (1991)
39. Elvis Presley “Jailhouse Rock” (1957)
40. Procol Harum “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (1967)

41. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts “I Love Rock and Roll” (1981)
42. Bruce Springsteen “Born to Run” (1975)
43. Abba “Dancing Queen” (1976)
44. Prince “When Doves Cry” (1984)
45. Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” (1978)
46. The Doors “Light My Fire” (1967)
47. Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode” (1958)
48. Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On” (1971)
49. Ray Charles “Georgia on My Mind” (1960)
50. The Righteous Brothers “Unchained Melody” (1965)

51. Chubby Checker “The Twist” (1960)
52. The Kingsmen “Louie Louie” (1963)
53. Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall Part II” (1979)
54. Rod Stewart “Maggie May” (1971)
55. The Temptations “My Girl” (1965)
56. Louis Armstrong “What a Wonderful World” (1967)
57. Elton John “Your Song” (1970)
58. U.S.A. for Africa “We Are the World” (1985)
59. The Who “My Generation” (1965)
60. The Ronettes “Be My Baby” (1963)

61. Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Endless Love” (1981)
62. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “All Along the Watchtower” (1968)
63. Van Morrison “Brown-Eyed Girl” (1967)
64. The Beatles “She Loves You” (1963)
65. U2 “With or Without You” (1987)
66. The Monkees “I’m a Believer” (1966)
67. The Kinks “You Really Got Me” (1964)
68. Elvis Presley “All Shook Up” (1957)
69. Elvis Presley “Suspicious Minds” (1969)
70. Ray Charles “What’d I Say” (1959)

71. The Beach Boys “God Only Knows” (1966)
72. The Everly Brothers “All I Have to Do Is Dream” (1958)
73. Los Del Rio “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” (1995)
74. Ray Charles “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (1962)
75. Santana with Rob Thomas “Smooth” (1999)
76. Michael Jackson “Beat It” (1982)
77. U2 “One” (1991)
78. Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes” (1981)
79. Simon & Garfunkel “The Sounds of Silence” (1965)
80. The Human League “Don’t You Want Me?” (1981)

81. Buddy Holly & the Crickets “That’ll Be the Day” (1957)
82. Elvis Presley “It’s Now or Never” (1960)
83. The Beatles “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
84. Chic “Le Freak” (1978)
85. Al Green “Let’s Stay Together” (1971)
86. Britney Spears “Baby One More Time” (1998)
87. Percy Sledge “When a Man Loves a Woman” (1966)
88. The Four Tops “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” (1966)
89. The Rolling Stones “Honky Tonk Women” (1969)
90. Martha & the Vandellas “Dancing in the Street” (1964)

91. Blondie “Heart of Glass” (1979)
92. George Harrison “My Sweet Lord” (1970)
93. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Proud Mary” (1969)
94. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” (1982)
95. Madonna “Like a Prayer” (1989)
96. Elvis Presley “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” (1960)
97. Debby Boone “You Light Up My Life” (1977)
98. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” (1986)
99. Boyz II Men “I’ll Make Love to You” (1994)
100. Coolio with L.V. “Gangsta’s Paradise” (1995)


Dave’s Music Database:

The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era, 1954-1999 (The Original 2011 Edition)

Also available through DavesMusicDatabase.com as a standard book or ebook.


Dave’s Music Database presents this list as it appears in the book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era, 1954-1999, published April 1, 2011. The concept behind the book was to come up with a definitive list by consolidating hundreds of other best-of lists along with chart stats, sales figures, and awards. Read more about how the book was created here.

Click on song titles to access their DMDB pages. Check out the Dave’s Music Database Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era playlist on YouTube. You may also be interested in the two companion books to this one: The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era, 1890-1953 and The Top 100 Songs of the Digital Era, 2000-2019.


1. The Beatles “Hey Jude” (1968)
2. The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965)
3. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
4. Bill Haley & the Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (1954)
5. Marvin Gaye “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968)
6. John Lennon “Imagine” (1971)
7. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992)
8. Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)
9. The Eagles “Hotel California” (1976)
10. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)

11. The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” (1966)
12. Otis Redding “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” (1968)
13. Aretha Franklin “Respect” (1967)
14. The Beatles “Yesterday” (1965)
15. Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (1983)
16. The Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (1963)
17. Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975)
18. Elton John “Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose)” (1997)
19. Roy Orbison “(Oh) Pretty Woman” (1964)
20. Elvis Presley “Don’t Be Cruel” (1956)

21. Don McLean “American Pie” (1971)
22. Derek & the Dominos “Layla” (1970)
23. Bob Dylan “Like a Rolling Stone” (1965)
24. The Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (1964)
25. Elvis Presley “Hound Dog” (1956)
26. Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” (1971)
27. The Beatles “Let It Be” (1970)
28. The Animals “The House of the Rising Sun” (1964)
29. Ben E. King “Stand by Me” (1961)
30. The Kingsmen “Louie Louie” (1963)

31. Procol Harum “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (1967)
32. Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife” (1959)
33. R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” (1991)
34. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997)
35. The Doors “Light My Fire” (1967)
36. Elvis Presley “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956)
37. Percy Sledge “When a Man Loves a Woman” (1966)
38. Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (1991)
39. Van Morrison “Brown-Eyed Girl” (1967)
40. The Righteous Brothers “Unchained Melody” (1965)

41. Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On” (1971)
42. Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode” (1958)
43. The Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)
44. The Temptations “My Girl” (1965)
45. Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1988)
46. Prince “When Doves Cry” (1984)
47. Stevie Wonder “Superstition” (1972)
48. U.S.A. for Africa “We Are the World” (1985)
49. The Kinks “You Really Got Me” (1964)
50. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts “I Love Rock and Roll” (1981)

51. Elvis Presley “Jailhouse Rock” (1957)
52. Bruce Springsteen “Born to Run” (1975)
53. Rod Stewart “Maggie May” (1971)
54. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Proud Mary” (1969)
55. Chubby Checker “The Twist” (1960)
56. The Four Tops “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” (1966)
57. Sinéad O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U” (1990)
58. Roberta Flack “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (1973)
59. Abba “Dancing Queen” (1976)
60. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “All Along the Watchtower” (1968)

61. The Rolling Stones “Honky Tonk Women” (1969)
62. Elton John “Your Song” (1970)
63. Ray Charles “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (1962)
64. The Who “My Generation” (1965)
65. Steppenwolf “Born to Be Wild” (1968)
66. U2 “With or Without You” (1987)
67. Michael Jackson “Beat It” (1982)
68. Al Green “Let’s Stay Together” (1971)
69. Simon & Garfunkel “Mrs. Robinson” (1968)
70. Patsy Cline “Crazy” (1961)

71. Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall Part II” (1979)
72. Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” (1978)
73. Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Endless Love” (1981)
74. The Beatles “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
75. Martha & the Vandellas “Dancing in the Street” (1964)
76. The Penguins “Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)” (1954)
77. Elvis Presley “Suspicious Minds” (1969)
78. Willie Nelson “Always on My Mind” (1982)
79. The Beatles “She Loves You” (1963)
80. The Ronettes “Be My Baby” (1963)

81. Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes” (1981)
82. Del Shannon “Runaway” 1961)
83. The Mamas & the Papas “California Dreamin’” (1966)
84. Buddy Holly & the Crickets “That’ll Be the Day” (1957)
85. Carl Perkins “Blue Suede Shoes” (1956)
86. Fats Domino “Blueberry Hill” (1956)
87. Ray Charles “Georgia on My Mind” (1960)
88. Elvis Presley “It’s Now or Never” (1960)
89. Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (1980)
90. Louis Armstrong “What a Wonderful World” (1967)

91. The Everly Brothers “All I Have to Do Is Dream” (1958)
92. The Moody Blues “Nights in White Satin” (1967)
93. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” (1956)
94. Jerry Lee Lewis “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” (1957)
95. The Monkees “I’m a Believer” (1966)
96. The Fifth Dimension “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (1969)
97. The Human League “Don’t You Want Me?” (1981)
98. Barbra Streisand “The Way We Were” (1973)
99. George Harrison “My Sweet Lord” (1970)
100. Jerry Lee Lewis “Great Balls of Fire” (1957)


Resources and Related Links:

First posted 7/10/2011; updated 7/27/2021.

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Song Inductees (July 2021)

Originally posted 7/22/2021.

In honor of the 10th anniversary of the DMDB blog on January 22, 2019, Dave’s Music Database launched its own Hall of Fame. This is the eleventh set of song inductees. These are the 10 highest-ranked songs that make the DMDB’s list of the “Top 100 Vaudeville Songs of All Time”. It does not include previously inducted songs “You’re a Grand Old Flag” by Billy Murray, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” by Arthur Collins and Bryon G. Harlan, “April Showers” and “Swanee” by Al Jolson, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” by Billy Murray & the Haydn Quartet.

Arthur Collins “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Come Home” (1902)

Inducted July 2021 as “Top Vaudeville Songs”

This “early ragtime classic” RCG and “favorite of Dixie jazz bands” JA-22 became a “sing-along standard” RCG thanks to the ease with which it could be adapted to jazz or played on honky-tonk piano or banjo. RCG John Queen, a minstrel and songwriter introduced this instant hit. Arthur Collins, Dan Quinn, and Silas Leachman each took the song to the top 5 in 1902, but Collins’ version was the biggest. PM He was no stranger to the top, having landed there seven times before. This, however, was his biggest hit yet. Read more.

Billy Murray “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis” (1904)

Inducted July 2021 as “Top Vaudeville Songs”

In 1904, the world shone a light on St. Louis. In celebration of the centential of the Louisiana Purchase, the U.S. “Gateway to the West” became the stage for two major parties – the World’s Fair and the third modern Olympic Games. Composer Kerry Mills and lyricist Andrew Sterling capitalized on the city’s popularity by penning what what would become the exposition’s theme song. RA Read more.

Haydn Quartet “Sweet Adeline (You’re the Flower of My Heart)” (1904)

Inducted July 2021 as “Top Vaudeville Songs”

As “the signature barbershop song,” DS “Sweet Adeline” may represent the sound of the first decade of the 20th century, WHC maybe even the first two decades, DS more than any other song. WHC The style of four-part male harmony with little or no musical accompaniment was popularized by groups like the Haydn Quartet who scored their sixth #1 with “Sweet Adeline,” the biggest hit of 1904. WHC Read more.

Billy Murray “Yankee Doodle Boy” (1905)

Inducted July 2021 as “Top Vaudeville Songs”

George M. Cohan “virtually invented musical comedy” LW predating future musical theatre greats like Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, and Richard Rodgers. His first two efforts at Broadway musicals flopped, but his third attempt, 1904’s Little Johnny Jones, was a hit PS producing “Give My Regards to Broadway” and “Yankee Doodle Boy.” PS Billy Murray’s recording of the latter gave the Victor record company its biggest seller up to that point. SS Read more.

Billy Murray “Give My Regards to Broadway” (1905)

Inducted July 2021 as “Top Vaudeville Songs”

George M. Cohan wrote, composed, produced, acted, and danced in the Broadway musical, Little Johnny Jones, inspired by real-life jockey Tod Sloan. The show featured “Give My Regards to Broadway” which “could only have been sung by an opinionated, cocky young man with a very high opinion of his own worth.” LW Cohan was a natural. Read more.

Bryon G. Harlan “School Days (When We Were a Couple of Kids)” (1907)

Inducted July 2021 as “Top Vaudeville Songs”

In the early 1900s, sentimental ballads were popular and songs like “Shine on, Harvest Moon,” “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree,” and “School Days” “exemplified this musical style.” WHC These songs dominated sheet music sales, as they “could be sung in the parlor at home around the family piano.” WHC It “remains a singalong favorite.” JA Read more.

Harry Macdonough with Miss Walton “Shine on Harvest Moon” (1909)

Inducted July 2021 as “Top Vaudeville Songs”

Nora Bayes and husband Jack Norworth wrote what may be “the most recognized of the many ‘moon’ ballads.” RCG It was “decidedly old-fashioned and a product of twentieth century innocence.” RCG The duo introduced the song in Florenz Ziegfeld’s Follies of 1908. The couple didn’t last, divorcing in 1913 (the second of five marriages for Bayes!), SF but the song survived. Both performed it the rest of their lives and it became Bayes’ signature song. RCG Read more.

Billy Murray with the Haydn Quartet “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” (1910)

Inducted July 2021 as “Top Vaudeville Songs”

Edward Madden crafted the words for “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” around Gus Edwards “somewhat dreamy music that lends itself to soft shoe.” RCG Its “moon-June-croon rhymes” are “cliché by today’s standards,” RCG but were representative of the Tin Pan Alley era which dominated music in the early 1900s. Read more.

Sophie Tucker “Some of These Days” (1911)

Inducted July 2021 as “Top Vaudeville Songs”

This has been called “the most important turning point in Tin Pan Alley history” because it was completely different than other popular music of the day. RCG Canadian songwriter Shelton Brooks originally composed this blues number as a waltz, but integrated jazz into the song’s loose structure. As such, jazz musicians had a wide-open pallet on which to improvise. RCG Read more.

American Quartet “Moonlight Bay” (1912)

Inducted July 2021 as “Top Vaudeville Songs”

“Arguably the best moonlight song ever written,” PS “Moonlight Bay” “conjures up an entire lost era of a slower-paced America that…had plenty of time for gentle spooning in an unspoiled natural setting.” SS It is “a very durable song from Tin Pan Alley about an idyllic setting for romance.” RCG Read more.

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Vaudeville: Top 100 Songs

Vaudeville:

Top 100 Songs

Vaudeville was a theatrical genre which emerged in France at the end of the 19th century. They were generally comedies interspersed with songs. The format was popular in the United States from the early 1880s through the early 1930s, but became more of a series of separate acts grouped together on a bill. They could be comprised of singers, dancers, comedians, one-act plays, and circus acts.

This effort to put together a list of the top vaudeville songs of all time is based on only a handful of sources (see the bottom of the page). As such, someone with actual expertise on vaudeville may quibble with songs on this list and I welcome their input and hope they can turn me on to more sources. As it is, I took the songs referenced in the sources below and listed them here based on their overall status in Dave’s Music Database.

It should be noted that the versions listed here which ever ranked highest in Dave’s Music Database although many of these songs were introduced on vaudeville by different performers than those who had hit recordings with them.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. Arthur Collins with Byron Harlan “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911)
2. Al Jolson “Swanee” (1920)
3. Billy Murray & the Haydn Quartet “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (1908)
4. Billy Murray “You’re a Grand Old Flag (aka “The Grand Old Rag”)” (1906)
5. Al Jolson “April Showers” (1922)
6. Haydn Quartet “Sweet Adeline (You’re the Flower of My Heart)” (1904)
7. Billy Murray “Give My Regards to Broadway” (1905)
8. American Quartet “Moonlight Bay” (1912)
9. Harry MacDonough with Elise Stevenson (as Miss Walton) “Shine on, Harvest Moon” (1909)
10. Billy Murray with the Haydn Quartet “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” (1910)

11. Arthur Collins “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home” (1902)
12. Billy Murray “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis” (1904)
13. Byron Harlan “School Days (When We Were a Couple of Kids)” (1907)
14. Sophie Tucker “Some of These Days” (1911)
15. Marion Harris “After You’ve Gone” (1919)
16. Billy Murray “Yankee Doodle Boy” (1905)
17. Arthur Collins with Byron Harlan “Darktown Strutters’ Ball” (1918)
18. Al Jolson “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody” (1918)
19. American Quartet with Billy Murray “Casey Jones” (1910)
20. Byron Harlan “My Gal Sal” (1907)

21. Harry MacDonough “Down by the Old Mill Stream” (1911)
22. Henry Burr “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” (1909)
23. Byron Harlan “Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie” (1906)
24. Haydn Quartet “Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet” (1909)
25. George J. Gaskin “After the Ball” (1893)
26. Van & Schenk “For Me and My Gal” (1917)
27. Gene Austin “My Melancholy Baby” (1928)
28. Gene Austin “Bye Bye Blackbird” (1926)
29. Henry Burr (as Irving Gillette) “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree” (1905)
30. Louis Armstrong “All of Me” (1932)

31. Billy Jones “Yes! We Have No Bananas” (1923)
32. Knickerbocker Quartet “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile” (1917)
33. Heidelberg Quintet “Waiting for the Robert E. Lee” (1912)
34. Prince’s Orchestra “Ballin’ the Jack” (1914)
35. Peerless Quartet “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier” (1915)
36. Eddie Cantor “If You Knew Susie Like I Knew Susie” (1925)
37. Paul Whiteman “My Mammy” (1921)
38. Heidelberg Quintet “By the Beautiful Sea” (1914)
39. Wendell Hall “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More” (1924)
40. Charles Harrison “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” (1918)

41. Paul Whiteman “The Japanese Sandman” (1920)
42. Victor Military Band “Poor Butterfly” (1917)
43. John Steel “A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody” (1919)
44. Bert Williams “Nobody” (1906)
45. J.W. Myers “On a Sunday Afternoon” (1902)
46. Ada Jones with Billy Murray & the American Quartet “Come Josephine in My Flying Machine” (1911)
47. Henry Burr “M-O-T-H-E-R (A Word That Means the World to Me)” (1916)
48. Arthur Collins “Hello Ma Baby” (1899)
49. Henry Burr “My Buddy” (1922)
50. Elsie Baker (aka “Edna Brown”) “I Love You Truly” (1912)

51. Fanny Brice with the Rosario Bourdon Orchestra “My Man (Mon Homme)” (1922)
52. Jan Garber with Benny Davis “Baby Face” (1926)
53. Ray Miller “The Sheik of Araby” (1922)
54. Ted Lewis “All by Myself” (1921)
55. Ted Lewis “When My Baby Smiles at Me” (1920)
56. Arthur Collins & Byron Harlan “Put Your Arms Around Me Honey (I Never Knew Any Girl Like You)” (1911)
57. Paul Whiteman “Wang Wang Blues” (1920)
58. Billy Murray “Pretty Baby” (1916)
59. Ed Gallagher & Al Shean “Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean” (1922)
60. Fanny Brice with the Rosario Bourdon Orchestra “Second Hand Rose” (1922)

61. Arthur Collins “Under the Bamboo Tree” (1902)
62. Nora Bayes “How Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm After They’ve Seen Paree” (1919)
63. Arthur Collins & Byron Harlan “Down Where the Wurzburger Flows” (1919)
64. Bob Roberts “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” (1912)
65. Charles Harrison “I’ll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time” (1920)
66. Paul Whiteman with the Rhythm Boys “Side by Side” (1927)
67. Richard Jose “Silver Threads Among the Gold” (1904)
68. Byron Harlan & Frank Stanley “Blue Bell” (1904)
69. Benny Krueger “I Cried for You” (1923)
70. Prince’s Orchestra “The Memphis Blues” (1914)

> 71. Paul Whiteman “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” (1923)
72. Peerless Quartet “I Want a Girl Just Like the Girl Who Married Dear Old Dad” (1911)
73. George Alexander “Mighty Like a Rose (aka “Mighty Lak a Rose”)” (1903)
74. Peerless Quartet “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” (1922)
75. Ben Pollack & Franklyn Baur “Sweet Sue, Just You” (1928)
76. Bert Williams “Play That Barber-Shop Chord” (1910)
77. Henry Burr & Arthur Campbell “The Trail of the Lonesome Pine” (1913)
78. Paul Whiteman “Linger Awhile” (1924)
79. Harry MacDonough “The Mansion of Aching Hearts” (1902)
80. Billy Murray “Come Take a Trip in My Air Ship” (1905)

81. Len Spencer “Ta-Ra-Ra Boom-De-Ay” (1892)
82. Ada Jones “Row Row Row!” (1913)
83. Paul Whiteman with Jack Fulton “In a Little Spanish Town (‘Twas on a Night Like This)” (1927)
84. Arthur Collins “Any Rags?” (1903)
85. Harry MacDonough “Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder” (1901)
86. Red Nichols “Ida! Sweet As Apple Cider” (1927)
87. American Quartet “When You Wore a Tulip and I Wore a Big Red Rose” (1914)
88. Cecil Fanning “A Perfect Day” (1911)
89. Sophie Tucker “I Ain’t Got Nobody” (1927)
90. Bert Williams “He’s a Cousin of Mine” (1907)

91. Henry Burr “I’m Sorry I Made You Cry” (1918)
92. American Quartet “Chinatown, My Chinatown” (1915)
93. Frank Stanley & Elise Stevenson “Good Evening, Caroline” (1909)
94. Blossom Seely “Alabamy Bound” (1925)
95. Peerless Quartet “If I Had My Way (I’d Live Among the Gypsies)” (1914)
96. Billy Murray “Under the Anheuser Busch” (1904)
97. McKinney’s Cotton Pickers with George Thomas “If I Could Be with You One Hour Tonight” (1930)
98. Bessie Smith “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home” (1923)
99. John McCormack “Moonlight and Roses” (1925)
100. Arthur Fields “Ja Da (Ja Da, Ja Da, Jing Jing Jing)” (1919)


Resources and Related Links:

First posted 4/3/2021; last updated 7/13/2021.