Q is a British music magazine which has published numerous best-of lists over the years. Based on those lists (sources at bottom of page) and year-end lists, here are the best songs from each year.
- 2013: Arctic Monkeys “Do I Wanna Know?”
- 2012: Plan B “Ill Manors”
- 2011: Adele “Someone Like You”
- 2010: Plan B “Stay Too Long”
- 2009: Kasabian “Fire”
- 2008: The Fall “Senior Twilight Stock Replacer”
- 2007: Amy Winehouse “Rehab”
- 2006: Gnarls Barkley “Crazy”
- 2005: Arctic Monkeys “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor”
- 2004: Franz Ferdinand “Take Me Out”
- 2003: OutKast “Hey Ya!”
- 2002: Coldplay “The Scientist”
- 2001: The Strokes “Last Nite”
- 2000: Eminem with Dido “Stan”
- 1999: Pharoahe Monch “Simon Says”
- 1998: Britney Spears “Baby One More Time”
- 1997: The Verve “Bittersweet Symphony”
- 1996: The Prodigy “Firestarter”
- 1995: Underworld “Born Slippy”
- 1994: Oasis “Live Forever”
- 1993: Nirvana “Heart-Shaped Box”
- 1992: Radiohead “Creep”
- 1991: Massive Attack “Unfinished Sympathy”
- 1990: The Charlatans “The Only One I Know”
- 1989: The Stone Roses “Fools Gold”
- 1988: The La’s “There She Goes”
- 1987: Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
- 1986: Run-D.M.C. with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler & Joe Perry “Walk This Way”
- 1985: Madonna “Into the Groove”
- 1984: The Smiths “How Soon Is Now?”
- 1983: New Order “Blue Monday”
- 1982: The Jam “A Town Called Malice”
- 1981: The Specials “Ghost Town”
- 1980: Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
- 1979: The Specials “Gangsters”
- 1978: Kate Bush “Wuthering Heights”
- 1977: David Bowie “Heroes”
- 1976: Sex Pistols “Anarchy in the U.K.”
- 1975: Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody”
- 1974: Kraftwerk “Autobahn”
- 1973: Slade “Cum on Feel the Noize”
- 1972: Stevie Wonder “Superstition”
- 1971: John Lennon “Imagine”
- 1970: Black Sabbath “Paranoid”
- 1969: The Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter”
- 1968: The Beatles “Hey Jude”
- 1967: The Kinks “Waterloo Sunset”
- 1966: The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations”
- 1965: Bob Dylan “Like a Rolling Stone”
- 1964: The Kinks “You Really Got Me”
- 1963: The Beatles “She Loves You”
- 1962: The Tornadoes “Telstar”
- 1961: Ben E. King “Stand by Me”
- 1960: The Shadows “Apache”
- 1959: Ray Charles “What’d I Say”
- 1958: Cliff Richard & the Drifters “Move It”
- 1957: Wee Willie Harris “Rockin’ at the 2 I’s”
- 1956: Lonnie Donegan “Rock Island Line”
- 1955: Fats Domino “Ain’t That a Shame”
- 1954: Elvis Presley “That’s All Right, Mama”
- 1953: Hank Williams “Your Cheatin’ Heart”
Q Magazine Lists:
- Readers’ poll (2/99). Top 100 songs of all-time according to Q readers.
- 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.
- 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.
