Friday, September 29, 2023

Psychedelic Rock: Top 100 Songs

Psychedelic Rock:

Top 100 Songs

Psychedelic rock emerged in the mid-‘60s as music inspired, influenced, or representative of the experience of taking hallucinogenic drugs, most notably LSD. The Summer of Love in 1967 and the Woodstock Festival in 1969 were major cultural events which have been tied to the psychedelic rock movement. This list was created by aggregating 24 lists focused on psychedelic rock songs.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. Jefferson Airplane “White Rabbit” (1967)
2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Purple Haze” (1967)
3. The Beatles “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (1967)
4. The Doors “Light My Fire” (1967)
5. Strawberry Alarm Clock “Incense and Peppermints” (1967)
6. The Beatles “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
7. The Byrds “Eight Miles High” (1966)
8. The Beatles “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966)
9. Pink Floyd “Interstellar Overdrive” (1967)
10. Procol Harum “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (1967)

11. Jefferson Airplane “Somebody to Love” (1967)
12. Iron Butterfly “In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida” (1968)
13. Grateful Dead “Dark Star” (1968)
14. The Amboy Dukes “Journey to the Center of the Mind” (1968)
15. The Electric Prunes “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night” (1966)
16. The Beatles “I Am the Walrus” (1967)
17. Cream “Sunshine of Your Love” (1967)
18. Scott McKenzie “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)” (1967)
19. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Are You Experienced?” (1967)
20. Steppenwolf “Magic Carpet Ride” (1968)

21. The Small Faces “Itchycoo Park” (1967)
22. The Chambers Brothers “Time Has Come Today” (1967)
23. The Doors “The End” (1967)
24. The Beatles “A Day in the Life” (1967)
25. Status Quo “Pictures of Matchstick Men” (1967)
26. The Animals “Sky Pilot” (1968)
27. Pink Floyd “Astronomy Domine” (1967)
28. Cream “White Room” (1968)
29. The Beatles “All You Need Is Love” (1967)
30. The Velvet Underground & Nico “Venus in Furs” (1967)

31. The United States of America “The American Metaphysical Circus” (1968)
32. Pink Floyd “See Emily Play” (1967)
33. The Rolling Stones “2000 Light Years from Home” (1967)
34. Tommy James & the Shondells “Crimson and Clover” (1968)
35. The Who “I Can See for Miles” (1967)
36. The Count Five “Psychotic Reaction” (1966)
37. The Doors “Strange Days” (1967)
38. Tomorrow “My White Bicycle” (1967)
39. The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” (1966)
40. The Turtles “Happy Together” (1967)

41. Kenny Rogers & the First Edition “Just Dropped in to See What Condition My Condition Was In” (1967)
42. Big Brother & the Holding Company “Piece of My Heart” (1968)
43. Pink Floyd “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” (1968)
44. Donovan “Hurdy Gurdy Man” (1968)
45. The Rolling Stones “She’s a Rainbow” (1967)
46. The Balloon Farm “A Question of Temperature” (1968)
47. The Byrds “Mr. Tambourine Man” (1965)
48. The Kinks “Waterloo Sunset” (1967)
49. The Yardbirds “The Shapes of Things” (1966)
50. The Animals “San Franciscan Nights” (1967)

51. Buffalo Springfield “For What It’s Worth” (1966)
52. The Grass Roots “Let’s Live for Today” (1967)
53. The Bubble Puppy “Hot Smoke & Sassafras” (1969)
54. The Young Rascals “Groovin’” (1967)
55. The Beatles “Within You Without You” (1967)
56. Pink Floyd “Echoes” (1971)
57. The Box Tops “The Letter” (1967)
58. Vanilla Fudge “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (1967)
59. Donovan “Sunshine Superman” (1966)
60. Country Joe & the Fish “Grace” (1967)

61. Traffic “Dear Mr. Fantasy” (1967)
62. The Doors “People Are Strange” (1967)
63. Love “The Red Telephone” (1967)
64. Kaleidoscope “Beacon from Mars” (1968)
65. The 13th Floor Elevators “You’re Gonna Miss Me” (1966)
66. The Lemon Pipers “Green Tambourine” (1967)
67. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Third Stone from the Sun” (1967)
68. Traffic “Paper Sun” (1967)
69. Bobbie Gentry “Ode to Billie Joe” (1967)
70. The Rolling Stones “Ruby Tuesday” (1967)

71. The Monkees “Pleasant Valley Sunday” (1967)
72. Pink Floyd “Comfortably Numb” (1979)
73. The Moody Blues “Nights in White Satin” (1967)
74. Pink Floyd “Arnold Layne” (1967)
75. H.P. Lovecraft “At the Mountains of Madness” (1968)
76. The Blues Magoos “We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet” (1966)
77. The Crazy World of Arthur Brown “Fire” (1968)
78. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “All Along the Watchtower” (1968)
79. Donovan “Mellow Yellow” (1966)
80. The Yardbirds “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago” (1966)

81. Blue Cheer “Summertime Blues” (1968)
82. Cream “Strange Brew” (1967)
83. The Youngbloods “Get Together” (1967)
84. The 13th Floor Elevators “Roller Coaster” (1966)
85. Country Joe & the Fish “Bass Strings” (1967)
86. The United States of America “Cloud Song” (1968)
87. Donovan “Season of the Witch” (1966)
88. The Beatles “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” (1965)
89. Black Sabbath “Planet Caravan” (1970)
90. Country Joe & the Fish “Section 43” (1967)

91. West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band “Shifting Sands” (1967)
92. The Byrds “Mind Gardens” (1967)
93. The Rolling Stones “We Love You” (1967)
94. Steve Miller Band “In My First Mind” (1968)
95. Tim Buckley “Hallucinations” (1967)
96. The Doors “Break on Through” (1967)
97. Funkadelic “Maggot Brain” (1971)
98. It’s a Beautiful Day “White Bird” (1969)
99. The Doors “When the Music’s Over” (1967)
100. Cream “I Feel Free” (1966)


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First posted 4/17/2020; last updated 9/29/2023.

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Garage Rock: Top 100 Songs

Garage Rock:

Top 100 Songs

Rock and roll wasn’t even a decade old when garage rock started in the mid-1960s as a sort of back-to-basics movement. The name evoked the primitive sound, equipment, and recording techniques of high school buddies jamming in the garage.

Genres are often tied to a specific era, often only about five years, but garage rock has the unique trait of being associated with two distinct time periods. The original wave in the 1960s was helmed by well-known acts such as the Who and the Kinks and set up proto-punk with acts like Velvet Underground and the Stooges.

In the early 2000s, the garage sound experienced a revival via bands like the White Stripes, the Strokes, the Hives, and the Vines committed to the low-fi recording techniques.

This list reflects both eras and a smattering of songs that fall between them. It was created by aggregating 11 lists focused on the best of garage rock. Those songs appearing on 2 or more lists were then ranked based on their overall status in Dave’s Music Database.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

DMDB Top 1%:

1. The Kinks “You Really Got Me” (1964)
2. The Kingsmen “Louie Louie” (1963)
3. The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” (2003)
4. The Troggs “Wild Thing” (1966)
5. The Strokes “Last Nite” (2001)
6. Arctic Monkeys “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor” (2005)

DMDB Top 2%:

7. Them “Gloria” (1964)
8. The White Stripes “Fell in Love with a Girl” (2001)
9. The Who “I Can’t Explain” (1965)
10. ? & the Mysterians “96 Tears” (1966)

11. Iggy Pop “Lust for Life” (1977)
12. Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Maps” (2003)
13. Jet “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” (2003)
14. The Kinks “All Day and All of the Night” (1964)
15. Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs “Wooly Bully” (1965)
16. Bobby Fuller Four “I Fought the Law” (1966)
17. The Stooges “Search and Destroy” (1973)
18. The Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog” (1969)
19. The Black Keys “Lonely Boy” (2011)
20. Strawberry Alarm Clock “Incense and Peppermints” (1967)

21. The Count Five “Psychotic Reaction” (1966)
22. The MC5 “Kick Out the Jams” (1969)
23. Velvet Underground & Nico “I’m Waiting for the Man” (1967)

DMDB Top 5%:

24. The Hives “Hate to Say I Told You So” (2000)
25. Patti Smith “Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)” (1975)
26. The Modern Lovers “Roadrunner” (1976)
27. The Raconteurs “Steady As She Goes” (2006)
28. Alice Cooper “I’m Eighteen” (1971)
29. The McCoys “Hang on Sloopy” (1965)
30. The Vines “Get Free” (2002)

31. The White Stripes “Icky Thump” (2007)
32. The Lemon Pipers “Green Tambourine” (1967)
33. Tommy James & the Shondells “Hanky Panky” (1966)
34. The Electric Prunes “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night” (1966)
35. The Strokes “Hard to Explain” (2001)
36. The White Stripes “Hotel Yorba” (2001)
37. The Libertines “Time for Heroes” (2002)
38. The White Stripes “Blue Orchid” (2005)
39. Them “Here Comes the Night” (1965)
40. The Amboy Dukes “Journey to the Center of the Mind” (1968)

41. Mudhoney “Touch Me I’m Sick” (1988)
42. The White Stripes “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” (2001)
43. Jet “Look What You’ve Done” (2003)
44. The Seeds “Pushin’ Too Hard” (1965)
45. The White Stripes “The Hardest Button to Button” (2003)
46. The 13th Floor Elevators “You’re Gonna Miss Me” (1966)
47. The Libertines “Can’t Stand Me Now” (2004)
48. The Velvet Underground “White Light/White Heat” (1968)
49. The Standells “Dirty Water” (1966)
50. The Knickerbockers “Lies” (1965)

DMDB Top 10%:

51. The Trashmen “Surfin’ Bird” (1963)
52. Paul Revere & the Raiders “Kicks” (1966)
53. Jack White “Sixteen Saltines” (2012)
54. The American Breed “Bend Me, Shape Me” 1967)
55. The Human Beinz “Nobody But Me” (1967)
56. The Blues Magoos “We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet” (1966)
57. Iggy Pop “The Passenger” (1977)
58. The Strokes “Reptilia” (2003)
59. The Castaways “Liar Liar” (1965)
60. Sir Douglas Quintet “She’s About a Mover” (1965)

61. The Who “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” (1965)
62. The Strokes “Someday” (2001)
63. The Music Explosion “Little Bit O’ Soul” (1967)
64. The Seeds “Can’t Seem to Make You Mine” (1965)
65. The Strangeloves “I Want Candy” (1965)
66. The Von Bondies “C’mon C’mon” (2004)
67. The Raconteurs “Salute Your Solution” (2008)
68. The White Stripes “We’re Going to Be Friends” (2001)
69. The Strokes “12:51” (2003)
70. Love “7 and 7 Is” (1966)

71. The Strokes “The Modern Age” (2001)
72. The Music Machine “Talk Talk” (1966)
73. The Beau Brummels “Laugh Laugh” (1964)
74. The Libertines “What a Waster” (20020
75. The Outsiders “Time Won’t Let Me” (1966)
76. The Nashville Teens “Tobacco Road’ (1964)
77. The Hives “Walk Idiot Walk” (2004)
78. Love “My Little Red Book” (1966)
79. The Balloon Farm “A Question of Temperature” (1968)
80. The Godfathers “Birth, School, Work, Death” (1988)

81. Wolfmother “The Joker and the Thief” (2005)
82. The Velvet Underground “What Goes On” (1969)
83. Wolfmother “Woman” (2005)
84. Arctic Monkeys “Brianstorm” (2007)
85. The Strokes “Juicebox” (2005)
86. The Libertines “Don’t Look Back into the Sun” (2003)
87. Paul Revere & the Raiders “Just Like Me” (1965)
88. The Stooges “1969” (1969)
89. Arctic Monkeys “Fluorescent Adolescent” (2007)
90. Them “Baby Please Don’t Go” (1965)
91. The Sonics “The Witch” (1964)

DMDB Top 20%:

92. Nazz “Open My Eyes’ (1968)
93. The Strangeloves “Night Time” (1965)
94. The Strokes “New York City Cops” (2001)
95. The Raconteurs “Level” (2006)
96. The Kingsmen “Money (That’s What I Want)” (1964)
97. Arctic Monkeys “When the Sun Goes Down” (2006)
98. The Stooges “No Fun” (1969)
99. Kings of Leon “Molly’s Chamber” (2003)
100. The Leaves “Hey Joe” (1965)


Resources/Related Links:


First posted 9/28/2023.

Saturday, September 23, 2023

The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Songs of All Time


No, this isn’t what “soft rock” means.

Adult Contemporary, 1961-2023:

Top 100 Songs

It’s been called “soft rock,” “light rock,” “middle of the road,” and “adult contemporary.” By any name, this genre celebrates songwriters and balladry and music that skews toward a generally older audience.

This post originated in 2011 when Billboard magazine celebrated the 50th anniversary of their adult contemporary charts with a list of “The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Songs Ever.” They weighted the list so that the last decade’s trend toward longer stays at #1 (and longer stays on the chart) didn’t completely dominate the list. I posted a new ranking on my Facebook page that showed the biggest AC hits based solely on weeks at #1.

Still not satisfied, I went to my music database and sorted all songs to hit #1 on the adult contemporary charts. Then I sorted those songs based on total points in Dave’s Music Database. The results made for what I consider the most balanced of the three lists and acknowledging some bonafide classics which may not have had longevity at #1 or on the charts, but have had long-lasting impact.

One last thing – the pics are for the top-ten ranked AC acts according to Billboard. Click on the photos for the acts DMDB music makers encyclopedia entries.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992)
2. Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)
3. Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (1991)
4. Don McLean “American Pie” (1971)
5. The Beatles “Let It Be” (1970)
6. The Righteous Brothers “Unchained Melody” (1965)
7. Ed Sheeran “Shape of You” (2017)
8. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997)
9. Adele “Rolling in the Deep” (2010)
10. Pharrell Williams “Happy” (2013)


Elton John

11. Gotye with Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know” (2011)
12. Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Endless Love” (1981)
13. Ray Charles “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (1962)
14. U.S.A. for Africa “We Are the World” (1985)
15. Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me” (1987)
16. Adele “Hello” (2015)
17. Coldplay “Viva La Vida” (2008)
18. The Weeknd “Blinding Lights” (2019)
19. Boyz II Men “I’ll Make Love to You” (1994)
20. Lionel Richie “All Night Long (All Night)” (1983)


Neil Diamond

21. Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud” (2014)
22. Jason Mraz “I’m Yours” (2008)
23. Debby Boone “You Light Up My Life” (1977)
24. Adele “Someone Like You (2011)
25. Bee Gees “How Deep Is Your Love” (1977)
26. Ed Sheeran with BeyoncĂ© “Perfect” (2017)
27. Bruno Mars “Just the Way You Are (Amazing)” (2010)
28. John Legend “All of Me” (2013)
29. George Michael “Careless Whisper” (1984)
30. Elvis Presley “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (1961)


Barbra Streisand

31. Taylor Swift “Shake It Off” (2014)
32. Kenny Rogers “Lady” (1980)
33. Stevie Wonder “I Just Called to Say I Love You” (1984)
34. Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love” (2007)
35. Roberta Flack “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (1969)
36. Mariah Carey with Boyz II Men “One Sweet Day” (1995)
37. Shania Twain “You’re Still the One” 1998)
38. Tony Orlando & Dawn “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” (1973)
39. Barbra Streisand “The Way We Were” (1973)
40. Justin Timberlake “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” (2016)


Barry Manilow

41. Eric Clapton “Tears in Heaven” (1992)
42. Cyndi Lauper “Time After Time” (1983)
43. Katy Perry “Roar” (2013)
44. Henry Mancini with Audrey Hepburn “Moon River” (1961)
45. Justin Bieber “Love Yourself” (2015)
46. Lady Antebellum “Need You Now” (2009)
47. Katy Perry “Firework” (2010)
48. Harry Nilsson “Without You” (1971)
49. The Fifth Dimension “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (1969)
50. Commodores “Three Times a Lady” (1978)


Kenny Rogers

51. James Blunt “You’re Beautiful” (2005)
52. Carly Simon “You’re So Vain” (1972)
53. Celine Dion “Because You Loved Me” (1996)
54. Maroon 5 with Cardi B “Girls Like You” (2017)
55. Taylor Swift “Love Story” (2008)
56. Taylor Swift “Blank Space” (2014)
57. Terry Jacks “Seasons in the Sun” (1974)
58. Seal “Kiss from a Rose” (1994)
59. Carole King “It’s Too Late” (1971)
60. Toni Braxton “Un-Break My Heart” (1996)


Chicago

61. Phil Collins “Another Day in Paradise” (1989)
62. One Republic “Counting Stars” (2013)
63. Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” (1987)
64. Dionne Warwick & Friends “That's What Friends Are For” (1985)
65. Sam Smith “Stay with Me” (2014)
66. Daniel Powter “Bad Day” (2005)
67. Captain & Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together” (1975)
68. Fergie “Big Girls Don’t Cry (Personal)
69. Harry Styles “As It Was” (2022)
70. Dolly Parton “9 to 5” (1980)


Billy Joel

71. Rick Astley “Never Gonna Give You Up” (1987)
72. Olivia Newton-John “I Honestly Love You” (1974)
73. Stevie Wonder “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” (1973)
74. Glen Campbell “Rhinestone Cowboy” (1975)
75. Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton “Islands in the Stream” (1983)
76. Billy Joel “Just the Way You Are” (1977)
77. Train “Hey, Soul Sister” (2009)
78. Lee Ann Womack with Sons of the Desert “I Hope You Dance” (2000)
79. Gilbert O’Sullivan “Alone Again (Naturally)” (1972)
80. Sheryl Crow “All I Wanna Do” (1994)


Carpenters

81. B.J. Thomas “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” (1969)
82. Snow Patrol “Chasing Cars” (2006)
83. Magic! “Rude” (2013)
84. Frank Sinatra “Strangers in the Night” (1966)
85. The Lumineers “Ho Hey” (2012)
86. Lionel Richie “Say You Say Me” (1985)
87. Glen Campbell “Wichita Lineman” (1968)
88. Passenger “Let Her Go” (2012)
89. Mariah Carey “Vision of Love” (1990)
90. Louis Armstrong “Hello, Dolly!” (1964)


Lionel Richie

91. Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Way” (1999)
92. Taylor Swift “You Belong with Me” (2008)
93. Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder “Ebony and Ivory” (1982)
94. Stan Getz with Joao & Astrud Gilberto “The Girl from Ipanema” (1964)
95. Jimmy Dean “Big Bad John” (1961)
96. Roger Miller “King of the Road” (1965)
97. Post Malone “Circles” (2019)
98. Savage Garden “Truly Madly Deeply” (1997)
99. Carpenters “They Long to Be Close to You” (1970)
100. Chicago “If You Leave Me Now” (1976)


Anne Murray


Resources/Related Links:

First posted 7/22/2011; last updated 9/23/2023.

Saturday, September 16, 2023

Doja Cat “Paint the Town Red” hit #1

Paint the Town Red

Doja Cat

Writer(s): Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Isaac Earl Bynum, Jean-Baptiste Kouame, Karl Rubin, Ryan Buendia (see lyrics here)


Released: August 4, 2023


First Charted: August 19, 2023


Peak: 13 BB, 11 BA, 12 DG, 11 ST, 31 A40, 18 RB, 15 UK, 16 CN, 110 AU (Click for codes to charts.)


Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.6 UK, 2.42 world (includes US + UK)


Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 316.11 video, 1005.50 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, better known as Doja Cat, is a rapper and singer born in Los Angeles in 1995. Her 2018 debut, Amala, stalled at #138 on the album chart, but her next two albums were top-ten, double-platinum releases. She also landed a #1 hit in with “Say So” from her Hot Pink album and three more top tens from 2021’s Planet Her.

Her fourth album, 2023’s Scarlet, gave Doja Cat her second #1 song with “Paint the Town Red.” In addition to topping the charts in the United States, the song soared to the top of the charts in 18 other charts. It became the fastest song by a solo female rapper to reach 100 million streams on Spotify. WK The song also received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.

The “pop-rap track with a jazz-influenced beat” WK samples Dionne Warwick’s 1964 top-ten hit “Walk on By.” The phrase “paint the town red” means “to go out and celebrate without inhibition by having a noisy and disorderly spree.” SF It was first used in the 1870s as a reference to red-light districts. SF The song has been interpreted as a message to haters – both critics and fans – that she will go out and enjoy herself, living her life the way she wants to.

The song may be a specific response to reaction to Doja Cat shaving her head and eyebrows in August 2022. The move spurred negative comments from fans on social media who thought it made her look demonic. In the video, Doja Cat appears to be playing up the image, dressed in red and keeping company with the devil. There’s also a scene in which she peels out her eyeball and it falls into hell. The message is potentially that messing with Doja Cat could get bloody. SF


Resources:


First posted 1/7/2024; last updated 5/4/2024.

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

MTV Video of the Year Awards, 1984-2023

MTV:

Videos of the Year, 1984-2023

Three years after the birth of music television with MTV, the network introduced its annual video awards. While multiple categories were established, this page recognizes just those songs which won for Video of the Year. Originally winners were determined by a panel of music video directors, producers, and record company executives, but viewers have voted on the winners since 2006.

Check out other “songs of the year” lists here.


Resources/Related Links:


First posted 1/28/2021; last updated 9/13/2023.

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Southern Rock/Country Rock: Top 100 Songs

Southern Rock/Country Rock:

Top 100 Songs

In some ways, the term “Southern rock” is redundant. American rock and roll is generally viewed as a genre which grew out of a melding of blues and country, both of which originated in the south, along with other musical forms such as R&B, gospel, and folk. However, as rock evolved and moved in different directions, the term “Southern rock” emerged in the 1970s as a reference to some of rock’s more country and blues-leaning bands that hailed from the southern United States.

The phrase may have first been coined by Mo Slotin, who used it in a review of an Allman Brothers Band concert he wrote for The Great Speckled Bird, an underground newspaper in Atlanta. Whatever its origins, the term has come to encompass some of rock’s most successful acts to come out of the South primarily in the 1970s, with the Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd being the two most prominently celebrated.

I set out to create a list focused exclusively on “Southern rock” but, as is always the case with trying to define musical genres, the lines quickly blurred. I was finding lists that went beyond “Southern rock” and encompassed “country rock” as well. While distinctions aren’t firm, country rock essentially is a reference to rock bands like the Eagles and Creedence Clearwater Revival which incorporated elements of country music into their sound.

In any event, I ended up assembling this list of songs from both the Southern rock and country rock genres by aggregating more than 20 lists that focused on one genre or the other or some mix between the two. As with any list, readers are bound to have quibbles, but it makes for a jumping off point in discussing and dissecting what music comprises Southern rock and country rock. Enjoy.

1. The Allman Brothers Band “Ramblin’ Man” (1973)
2. Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama” (1974)
3. Marshall Tucker Band “Can’t You See” (1973)
4. Charlie Daniels’ Band “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (1979)
5. Lynyrd Skynyrd “Free Bird” (1973)
6. Molly Hatchet “Flirtin’ with Disaster” (1979)
7. The Outlaws “Green Grass and High Tides” (1975)
8. Eagles “Take It Easy” (1972)
9. ZZ Top “La Grange” (1973)
10. Georgia Satellites “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” (1986)

11. Ram Jam “Black Betty” (1977)
12. Wet Willie “Keep on Smilin’” (1974)
13. Little Feat “Dixie Chicken” (1973)
14. .38 Special “Hold on Loosely” (1981)
15. The Black Crowes “Hard to Handle” (1990)
16. Ozark Mountain Daredevils “If You Wanna Get to Heaven” (1974)
17. The Band “The Night They Drove Ol’ Dixie Down” (1969)
18. Eagles “Peaceful, Easy Feeling” (1972)
19. The Allman Brothers Band “Blue Sky” (1972)
20. Pure Prairie League “Amie” (1975)

21. Charlie Daniels Band “Long Haired Country Boy” (1974)
22. Steve Earle “Copperhead Road” (1988)
23. The Rolling Stones “Dead Flowers” (1971)
24. Elvin Bishop “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” (1976)
25. Marshall Tucker Band “Heard It in a Love Song” (1977)
26. The Allman Brothers Band “Midnight Rider” (1970)
27. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Lodi” (1969)
28. The Band “Up on Cripple Creek” (1969)
29. Gregg Allman “I’m No Angel” (1987)
30. Lynyrd Skynrd “The Ballad of Curtis Loew” (1974)

31. Blackfoot “Highway Song” (1979)
32. Charlie Daniels Band “The South’s Gonna Do It Again” (1974)
33. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Bad Moon Rising” (1969)
34. Lynyrd Skynyrd “Gimme Three Steps” (1973)
35. The Allman Brothers Band “Whipping Post” (1969)
36. The Band “The Weight” (1968)
37. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young “Teach Your Children” (1970)
38. Linda Ronstadt “Love Is a Rose” (1975)
39. Eagles “Lyin’ Eyes” (1975)
40. Kid Rock with Sheryl Crow “Picture” (2001)

41. Molly Hatchet “Dreams I’ll Never See” (1978)
42. The Outlaws “There Goes Another Love Song” (1975)
43. Neil Young “Are You Ready for the Country?” (1972)
44. ZZ Top “Tush” (1975)
45. Bob Dylan with Johnny Cash “Girl from the North Country” (1969)
46. Juice Newton “Queen of Hearts” (1981)
47. Elvis Costello “A Good Year for the Roses” (1981)
48. Led Zeppelin “Hot Dog” (1979)
49. Gram Parsons “Return of the Grievous Angel” (1974)
50. The Byrds “Hickory Wind” (1968)

51. The Byrds “One Hundred Years from Now” (1968)
52. Blackfoot “Train, Train” (1979)
53. Marshall Tucker Band “Fire on the Mountain” (1975)
54. Rossington-Collins Band “Don’t Misunderstand Me” (1980)
55. Humble Pie “30 Days in the Hole” (1972)
56. Mountain “Mississippi Queen” (1970)
57. .38 Special “Caught Up in You” (1982)
58. Bob Dylan “Lay Lady Lay” (1969)
59. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Proud Mary” (1969)
60. Ozark Mountain Daredevils “Jackie Blue” (1974)

61. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” (1970)
62. The Fabulous Thunderbirds “Tuff Enuff” (1986)
63. Neil Young “Heart of Gold” (1972)
64. The Rolling Stones “Wild Horses” (1971)
65. Eagles “Tequila Sunrise” (1973)
66. Linda Ronstadt “Blue Bayou” (1977)
67. Lynyrd Skynyrd “That Smell” (1977)
68. Flying Burrito Brothers “Wild Horses” (1970)
69. Grateful Dead “Friend of the Devil” (1970)
70. .38 Special “Rockin’ into the Night” (1979)

71. The Black Crowes “Remedy” (1992)
72. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss “Please Read the Letter” (2007)
73. The Beatles “Act Naturally” (1965)
74. Bob Dylan “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” (1967)
75. Lynyrd Skynyrd “I Know a Little” (1977)
76. Johnny Van Zant “Brickyard Road” (1990)
77. Poco “Rose of Cimarron” (1976)
78. Arlo Guthrie “City of New Orleans” (1972)
79. Georgia Satellites “Battleship Chains” (1986)
80. Black Oak Arkansas “Jim Dandy” (1973)

81. Atlanta Rhythm Section “Homesick” (1981)
82. Amazing Rhythm Aces “Third Rate Romance” (1975)
83. Eagles “Desperado” (1973)
84. Elvis Presley “Blue Moon of Kentucky” (1954)
85. The Rolling Stones “Far Away Eyes” (1978)
86. The Allman Brothers Band “Melissa” (1972)
87. Kid Rock “All Summer Long” (2007)
88. Bellamy Brothers “Let Your Love Flow” (1976)
89. Linda Ronstadt “When Will I Be Loved” (1974)
90. The Byrds “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” (1968)

91. ZZ Top “Cheap Sunglasses” (1979)
92. The Allman Brothers Band “One Way Out” (1972)
93. Pure Prairie League “Let Me Love You Tonight” (1980)
94. Lynyrd Skynyrd “Saturday Night Special” (1975)
95. Lynyrd Skynyrd “Call Me the Breeze” (1974)
96. Lynyrd Skynyrd “What’s Your Name?” (1977)
97. ZZ Top “Gimme All Your Lovin’” (1983)
98. .38 Special “If I’d Been the One” (1983)
99. Lynyrd Skynyrd “Simple Man” (1973)
100. Charlie Daniels Band “Uneasy Rider” (1973)


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First posted 3/13/2023; last updated 9/12/2023.

Monday, September 11, 2023

Top 100 Blues Songs of All Time

Blues:

Top 100 Songs

This list was compiled by aggregating 38 lists focused on blues songs. The top 100 songs according to the aggregate of the lists were then re-ranked based on overall points in Dave’s Music Database. The aggregated list and the Dave’s Music Database rankings were then average together for the final result.

In most cases, only one version of a song is listed below. Exceptions include Robert Johnson’s “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” and its even more iconic cover by Elmore James as well as Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” and its classic-rock cover by Cream.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. Muddy Waters “Mannish Boy” (1955)
2. John Lee Hooker “Boogie Chillen” (1949)
3. B.B. King “The Thrill Is Gone” (1969)
4. Muddy Waters “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954)
5. Howlin’ Wolf “Smokestack Lightning” (1956)
6. Robert Johnson “Cross Road Blues (aka ‘Crossroads’)” (1936)
7. T-Bone Walker “Call It Stormy Monday” (1948)
8. John Lee Hooker “Boom Boom” (1962)
9. Robert Johnson “Hell Hound on My Trail” (1937)
10. Elmore James “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” (1952)

11. Albert King “Born Under a Bad Sign” (1967)
12. Robert Johnson “Sweet Home Chicago” (1936)
13. Bessie Smith & Jimmie Cox “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” (1929)
14. Elmore James “The Sky Is Crying” (1960)
15. Little Walter “Juke” (1952)
16. Clarence “Pine Top” Smith “Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie” (1929)
17. Muddy Waters “Got My Mojo Working” (1956)
18. Big Joe Williams “Baby Please Don’t Go” (1941)
19. Sonny Boy Williamson #1 “Good Morning Little School” (1937)
20. Howlin’ Wolf “How Many More Years” (1951)

21. Guitar Slim “The Things That I Used to Do” (1954)
22. Otis Rush “I Can’t Quit You Baby” (1956)
23. Etta James “At Last” (1960)
24. Mamie Smith “Crazy Blues” (1920)
25. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Red House” (1967)
26. Blind Willie McTell “Statesboro Blues” (1927)
27. Bo Diddley “I’m a Man” (1955)
28. Canned Heat “On the Road Again” (1968)
29. Big Bill Broonzy “Key to the Highway” (1941)
30. Robert Johnson “Come on in My Kitchen” (1937)

31. Muddy Waters “Rollin’ Stone” (1950)
32. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble “Pride and Joy” (1983)
33. Muddy Waters “I Can’t Be Satisfied” (1948)
34. Little Walter “My Babe” (1955)
35. Robert Johnson “Love in Vain” (1937)
36. Charley Patton “Pony Blues” (1929)
37. Big Mama Thornton “Hound Dog” (1953)
38. Cream “Crossroads” (live, 1969)
39. B.B. King “Every Day I Have the Blues” (1955)
40. Gary Moore “Still Got the Blues” (1990)

41. Muddy Waters “I Just Want to Make Love to You” (1954)
42. Lowell Fulson “Reconsider Baby” (1954)
43. Roosevelt Sykes “Forty Four Blues” (1929)
44. Freddie King “Hideaway” (1961)
45. Howlin’ Wolf “Spoonful” (1960)
46. Elmore James “Shake Your Moneymaker” (1961)
47. Slim Harpo “I’m a King Bee” (1957)
48. Ma Rainey “See See Rider Blues” (1925)
49. The Mississippi Sheiks “Sitting on Top of the World” (1930)
50. Louis Jordan “Let the Good Times Roll” (1946)

51. Leroy Carr with Scrapper Blackwell “How Long, How Long Blues” (1928)
52. Blind Willie Johnson “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” (1928)
53. Magic Sam “All Your Love” (1957)
54. Koko Taylor “Wang Dang Doodle” (1965)
55. Blind Lemon Jefferson “Black Snake Moan” (1927)
56. Freddie King “I’m Tore Down” (1961)
57. Robert Petway “Catfish Blues” (1941)
58. Junior Wells with Buddy Guy “Messin’ with the Kid” (1970)
59. Wilson Pickett “Mustang Sally” (1966)
60. Blind Lemon Jefferson “Matchbox Blues” (1927)

61. Clarence Carter “Slip Away” (1968)
62. B.B. King “Three O’Clock Blues” (1951)
63. John Lee Hooker “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” (1966)
64. Howlin’ Wolf “The Killing Floor” (1964)
65. Son House “Death Letter Blues” (1930)
66. Robert Johnson “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” (1936)
67. Big Mama Thornton “Ball and Chain” (1968)
68. Bobby “Blue” Bland “Further on Up the Road” (1957)
69. W.C. Handy “The Memphis Blues” (1912)
70. Jimmy Reed “Big Boss Man” (1960)

71. Buddy Guy “Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues” (1991)
72. Skip James “Devil Got My Woman” (1931)
73. Fleetwood Mac “Black Magic Woman” (1968)
74. Howlin’ Wolf “The Little Red Rooster” (1961)
75. Robert Johnson “Me and the Devil Blues” (1937)
76. Canned Heat “Going Up the Country” (1968)
77. Eddie Boyd “Five Long Years” (1952)
78. Sonny Boy Williamson II “Help Me” (1963)
79. Louis Jordan “I Know What You’re Putting Down” (1946)
80. T-Bone Walker “Mean Old World” (1942)

81. John Lee Hooker “I’m in the Mood” (1951)
82. Etta James “I’d Rather Go Blind” (1968)
83. Robert Johnson “Stop Breakin’ Down” (1937)
84. Tampa Red with Georgia Tom “It’s Tight Like That” (1928)
85. Albert Collins “If Trouble Was Money” (1984)
86. Elmore James “One Way Out” (1961)
87. Big Joe Williams “Blues on Highway 49” (1935)
88. Elmore James “It Hurts Me Too” (1965)
89. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble “Texas Flood” (1983)
90. Howlin’ Wolf “I Ain’t Superstitious” (1961)

91. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band “Born in Chicago” (1965)
92. Memphis Slim “Messin’ Around” (1948)
93. Hound Dog Taylor “Give Me Back My Wig” (1971)
94. Howlin’ Wolf “Back Door Man” (1960)
95. B.B. King “How Blue Can You Get?” (1963)
96. Sonny Boy Williamson II “Eyesight to the Blind” (1951)
97. Robert Johnson “Travelling Riverside Blues” (1937)
98. Roy Brown “Hard Luck Blues” (1950)
99. Son House “Preachin’ Blues” (1930)
100. Muddy Waters “You Shook Me” (1962)


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First posted 8/19/2015; last updated 9/11/2023.

Saturday, September 9, 2023

Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves debut at #1 with “I Remember Everything”

I Remember Everything

Zach Bryan with Kacey Musgraves

Writer(s): Zach Bryan, Kacey Musgraves (see lyrics here)


Released: September 8, 2023


First Charted: September 9, 2023


Peak: 11 BB, 14 ST, 22 A40, 18 AA, 117 CW, 19 UK, 2 CN, 19 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.)


Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.4 UK, 2.87 world (includes US + UK)


Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 55.8 video, 550.72 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

Country singer/songwriter Zach Bryan was born in 1996 in Okinawa, Japan while his family was with the Navy overseas and then he grew up in Oologah, Oklahoma. He started writing songs at 14 years old and began uploading his music to YouTube in 2017. He released his first album, DeAnn, in 2019 and followed up the next year with Elisabeth.

After signing a deal with Warner Records, he released his first major label debut, American Heartbreak, in 2022. It reached #5 on the Billboard album chart, #1 on the country album chart, and was certified platinum. The album was supported by six singles, including the #1 country song “Something in the Orange.”

In 2023, Bryan released a self-titled follow-up album. It debuted atop the Billboard album chart, preceded by the single “I Remember Everything,” which had debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song understandably topped the country charts as well but, strangely, also managed to reach #1 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. The song paired him with country singer Kacey Musgraves, best known for winning the Grammy for Album of the Year for her 2018 Golden Hour album.

The song is a stripped-bare ballad which jumps back and forth between the perspective of a man and a woman who used to be in a relationship. Songfacts.com described it as a “love story unfolded beneath the intoxicating haze of spirits, a dreamy tangle of emotions.” SF The male leans toward positive reminiscing while the female remembers some of the pain, including his problems with alcohol.


Resources:


First posted 1/4/2024; last updated 5/4/2024.

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Ragtime: Top 50 Songs

Ragtime:

Top 50 Songs

Ragtime music was a largely piano-based form of music which reached its widest widest popularity between the mid-1890s and World War I. Its primary characteristic is, according to OxfordMusicOnline.com, “its ragged – i.e., syncopated rhythm.” OM This was, as ParlorSongs.com says, “usually in 2/4 time, over a regular, march tempo bass line.” PS The genre is significant as a predecessor to jazz.

16 lists were aggregated together (see sources at the bottom of the page). All songs appearing on 2+ lists were then sorted by overall DMDB points. The top 50 songs were then sorted by the most points on the ragtime lists. As to how the songs are listed – first up are the songwriters, followed by the title of the song and the year the song was introduced. When relevant, the performer(s) with the highest-ranked version of the song are listed in italics.

Ragtime purists will quibble with songs such as “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” that don’t adhere to strict definitions. I offer no apologies for such inclusions, as this list is meant to celebrate those tunes which introduced and shaped the craft as well as those which popularized the genre by integrating elements of ragtime.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

“The Entertainer,” as performed by Marvin Hamlisch in the 1973 movie ‘The Sting’

1. Scott Joplin “Maple Leaf Rag” (1899)
2. Scott Joplin “The Entertainer” (1902)
3. Tom Turpin “Harlem Rag” (1897)
4. Eubie Blake “Charleston Rag” (1899)
5. Euday L. Bowman “Twelfth Street Rag” (1916): Pee Wee Hunt, 1948
6. Harry DeCosta, Original Dixieland Jazz Band “Tiger Rag” (1918)
7. Charles L. Johnson “Dill Pickles Rag” (1906): Arthur Pryor’s Band, 1910
8. James Scott “Climax Rag” (1913): Jelly Roll Morton, 1914
9. Irving Berlin “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911): Arthur Collins & Bryon G. Harlan, 1911
10. Percy Wenrich “Peaches and Cream Rag” (1905): Len Spencer & Ada Jones, 1905

11. Scott Joplin “Elite Syncopations” (1902)
12. James Scott “Frog Legs Rag” (1906)
13. Joseph Lamb “Top Liner Rag” (1916)
14. Scott Joplin “Sunflower Slow Drag” (1901)
15. Scott Joplin “Weeping Willow” (1903)
16. Henry Lodge “Temptation Rag” (1909): Prince’s Orchestra, 1910
17. Hughie Cannon, Johnnie Queen “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home” (1902): Arthur Collins, 1902
18. Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton “King Porter Stomp” (1923)
19. Kerry & F.A. Mills “At a Georgia Camp Meeting” (1897): Dan Quinn, 1898
20. Grant Clarke, Lewis F. Muir, & Maurice Abrahams “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” (1912): Bob Roberts, 1912

21. Ben R. Harney “Mister Johnson, Turn Me Loose” (1896)
22. W.C. Handy, George A. Norton, Charles Tobias, Peter DeRose “The Memphis Blues” (1912): Prince’s Orchestra, 1914
23. Abe Holzmann “Smoky Mokes” (1899): Len Spencer, 1899
24. Zez Confrey “Kitten on the Keys” (1921)
25. Charles Hunter “Tickled to Death” (1899)
26. Kerry & F.A. Mills “Whistling Rufus” (1899): Vess Ossman, 1899
27. Joseph E. Howard, Ida Emerson “Hello Ma Baby” (1899): Arthur Collins, 1899
28. Nat. D. Ayer, Seymour Brown “Oh, You Beautiful Doll” (1911): Billy Murray & American Quartet, 1911
29. Theodore August Metz, Joe Hayden “A Hot Time in the Old Town” (1896): Dan Quinn, 1896
30. Bob Cole, J. Rosamond Johnson, James Weldon Johnson “Under the Bamboo Tree” (1902): Arthur Collins, 1902

31. Theodore Havermeyer Northrup “The Louisiana Rag” (1897)
32. John Philip Sousa “The Washington Post March” (1889): United States Marine Band, 1890)
33. W.C. Handy “St. Louis Blues” (1914): Bessie Smith & Louis Armstrong, 1925
34. James Reese Europe “Castle House Rag” (1914)
35. Spencer Williams, Jack Palmer “Everybody Loves My Baby” (1924): Aileen Stanley, 1925
36. Thomas Turpin “St. Louis Rag” (1903): Vess Ossman, 1905
37. James Reese Europe, Ford Dabney “The Castle Walk” (1914): Irene & Vernon Castle, 1914
38. traditional “Turkey in the Straw” (1820): Billy Golden, 1891 (1891)
39. Scott Joplin “Bethena (Ragtime Waltz)” (1905)
40. Scott Joplin “Swipesy Cake Walk” (1900)

41. Cecil Macklin “Tres Moutarde (Too Much Mustard)” (1911): Victor Military Band, 1911
42. George Sidney, J. Bodewell Lampe “Creole Belles” (1900): Metropolitan Orchestra, 1902
43. Thomas S. Allen “Any Rags?” (1903): Arthur Collins, 1903
44. W.C. Handy, Walter Hirsch “Joe Turner Blues” (1915): Prince’s Orchestra, 1916
45. Robert S. Roberts, Gene Jefferson “I’m Certainly Living a Ragtime Life” (1900): Fannie Midgely, 1900
46. Irving Berlin “That International Rag” (1913): Victor Military Band, 1914
47. Irving Berlin “I Want to Go Back to Michigan (Down on the Farm)” (1914): Eldia Morris, 1914
48. Tom Turpin “The Buffalo Rag” (1904): Vess Ossman, 1906
49. Scott Joplin “Scott Joplin’s New Rag” (1912)
50. Theron C. Bennett “St. Louis Tickle” (1904): Vess Ossman, 1910


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First posted 4/16/2021; last updated 9/6/2023.

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

The Top 100 Songs of All Time

Dave’s Music Database: Top 100 Songs All-Time

There are over 116,000 songs in Dave’s Music Database. Songs are ranked based on chart peaks, sales, radio airplay, streaming figures, and video plays. Also factored in are multiple music awards and appearances on best-of lists. These are the cream of the crop – the top 100 songs of all time according to Dave’s Music Database.

1. Bing Crosby “White Christmas” (1942)
2. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
3. The Beatles “Hey Jude” (1968)
4. The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965)
5. Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (1982)
6. Bill Haley & His Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (1954)
7. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992)
8. Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975)
9. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)
10. John Lennon “Imagine” (1971)

11. The Beatles “Yesterday” (1965)
12. Marvin Gaye “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968)
13. Aretha Franklin “Respect” (1967)
14. Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)
15. Eagles “Hotel California” (1977)
16. Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)
17. The Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (1963)
18. Judy Garland “Over the Rainbow” (1939)
19. The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” (1966)
20. Guns N' Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1988)

21. Arthur Collins & Bryon G. Harlan “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911)
22. Bob Dylan “Like a Rolling Stone” (1965)
23. Ben E. King “Stand by Me” (1961)
24. Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (1991)
25. Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife” (1959)
26. Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” (1971)
27. OutKast “Hey Ya!” (2003)
28. Don McLean “American Pie” (1971)
29. The Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (1964)
30. Otis Redding “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” (1968)

31. SinĂ©ad O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U” (1990)
32. Glenn Miller Orchestra “In the Mood” (1939)
33. Eminem “Lose Yourself” (2002)
34. The Beatles “Let It Be” (1970)
35. Fred Astaire “Night and Day” (1932)
36. Elvis Presley “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956)
37. Stevie Wonder “Superstition” (1972)
38. Derek and the Dominos “Layla” (1970)
39. The Righteous Brothers “Unchained Melody” (1965)
40. The Animals “The House of the Rising Sun” (1964)

41. Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling” (2009)
42. Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!” (2014)
43. Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” (1978)
44. The Temptations “My Girl” (1964)
45. Ed Sheeran “Shape of You” (2017)
46. Abba “Dancing Queen” (1976)
47. Prince “When Doves Cry” (1984)
48. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997)
49. Elton John “Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose)” (1997)
50. R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” (1991)

51. Elvis Presley “Hound Dog” (1956)
52. Adele “Rolling in the Deep” (2010)
53. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” (1986)
54. Elvis Presley “Jailhouse Rock” (1957)
55. The Doors “Light My Fire” (1967)
56. Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall Part II” (1979)
57. Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On” (1971)
58. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts “I Love Rock and Roll” (1981)
59. Bruce Springsteen “Born to Run” (1975)
60. Al Jolson “Swanee” (1920)

61. Fred Astaire “Cheek to Cheek” (1935)
62. U2 “With or Without You” (1987)
63. Elvis Presley “Don’t Be Cruel” (1956)
64. Billy Murray with the Haydn Quartet “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (1908)
65. Roy Orbison “(Oh) Pretty Woman” (1964)
66. American Quartet “Over There” (1917)
67. Artie Shaw “Stardust” (1941)
68. Rod Stewart “Maggie May” (1971)
69. Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode” (1958)
70. Gene Austin “My Blue Heaven” (1927)

71. Van Morrison “Brown-Eyed Girl” (1967)
72. Bessie Smith & Louis Armstrong “St. Louis Blues” (1925)
73. Artie Shaw & His Orchestra “Begin the Beguine” (1938)
74. Luis Fonsi with Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber “Despacito” (2017)
75. Billy Murray “You’re a Grand Old Flag (aka “The Grand Old Rag”)” (1906)
76. Pharrell Williams “Happy” (2013)
77. Gotye with Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know” (2011)
78. Procol Harum “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (1967)
79. Chubby Checker “The Twist” (1960)
80. Elton John “Your Song” (1970)

81. Louis Armstrong “What a Wonderful World” (1967)
82. Ray Charles “Georgia on My Mind” (1960)
83. The Who “My Generation” (1965)
84. Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Endless Love” (1981)
85. Nat “King” Cole “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” (1946)
86. Journey “Don’t Stop Believin’” (1981)
87. Ethel Waters “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)” (1933)
88. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” (1982)
89. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “All Along the Watchtower” (1968)
90. BeyoncĂ© with Jay-Z “Crazy in Love” (2003)

91. The Kinks “You Really Got Me” (1964)
92. Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama” (1974)
93. Paul Whiteman “Whispering” (1920)
94. BeyoncĂ© “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008)
95. Usher with Lil’ Jon & Ludacris “Yeah!” (2004)
96. Gnarls Barkley “Crazy” (2006)
97. Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road” (2018)
98. Gene Autry “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1949)
99. The Kingsmen “Louie Louie” (1963)
100. Los Del Rio “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” (1995)


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First posted 5/28/2008; last updated 9/5/2023.