49 Comments

1. Caroline:

One woman?

Nov 18, 2004 - 3:47 pm 2. timmah!:

3 beatles? No Fat Boy Slim? Who made this…oh.

Nov 18, 2004 - 3:48 pm 3. TedN:

They love to put “A Change is Gonna Come” in lists of this sort because Sam Cooke was a great singer, and it has a civil rights type vibe. Trouble is, it’s not that great a song. Most of his big hits are better (though not top 20 material). I think they feel compelled to list a Clash tune because all the late 70s/early 80s buzz was “The only band that matters”. In truth I don’t think they left much of a legacy.

“Hound Dog”? Far from Elvis’s best. I would place it waaaay below “Heartbreak Hotel” or “Jailhouse Rock” (Before anyone starts listing Sun tunes; I think they’re pretty overrated).

Nov 18, 2004 - 4:40 pm 4. bencalvin:

Notice how all these songs are, well, old? Like Rolling Stone itself of course. The rock and roll set has turned itself into the ‘moldy fig’ jazz clique, letting the world pass it by.

Not that I dislike any of these songs, but this is a requiem for a dead art form.

Nov 18, 2004 - 4:41 pm 5. Silicon valley Jim:

It’s probably a safe bet that there are no Schubert lieder anywhere on the list. I wonder how many songs by Gershwin, Kern, Berlin, or Rodgers there are on the list. Or, for that matter, how many by Tom Paxton.

Nov 18, 2004 - 4:42 pm 6. Wallace:

And at #9, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana

All the 1000’s of great hits over the years, and this is all they could come up with for the ninth best song? Smells like…..well something else to me.

Nov 18, 2004 - 4:54 pm 7. Byron00:

“Imagine” at number three. Excuse me while I find a corner to throw up in. My vivisection of this anthem to mindlessness can be found at:

http://acuf.org/issues/issue6/040217cul.asp

Nov 18, 2004 - 5:11 pm 8. Knucklehead:

That list needs a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on. Top songs of all time and there’s not a single one from the American musical, swing, torch, or jazz genres? Rolling Stone needs a checkup from the neckup.

Nov 18, 2004 - 5:16 pm 9. Ed Poinsett:

They obviously never heard Big Mama Thorton sing Hound Dog. Elvis got it from her. Saw her live in 1954 in the Cotton Club, West Memphis Arkansas. She was one of the greatest Blues singers of her time. Just fantastic.

Nov 18, 2004 - 5:21 pm 10. doug b:

Like their list of greatest albums they should add to it the last time they actually listened to these songs. I’d guess something like I Want to Hold Your Hand (’67)

Imagine at #3 is hilarious.

Nov 18, 2004 - 5:39 pm 11. Charlie (Colorado):

No La Vie en Rose?

No Je ne Quitte Pas?

Are they nuts?

They obviously never heard Big Mama Thorton sing Hound Dog. …. Saw her live in 1954 in the Cotton Club, West Memphis Arkansas.

Go ahead, tease us.

Nov 18, 2004 - 6:05 pm 12. DennisThePeasant:

Sorry, but any top 20 list that doesn’t include Frank Zappa’s The Legend of the Illinois Enema Bandit (or, alternatively, Titties and Beer) simply can’t be taken seriously…

Sure, rock’n'roll is fun, but we’re talkin’ about art here. Damn it.

And where, in the wide, wide world of sports is Throw Rag’s Hang Up, Stiff Little Fingers’ Gotta Gettaway or the Sex Pistols’ Anarchy In The U.K.?

And of course they got the wrong Clash song…

Yawn Winner, once again, confirms his status as an Old Fart. Give it up, Yawn.

Nov 18, 2004 - 6:10 pm 13. DennisThePeasant:

You know how lame that list is?

It’s exactly the list you would expect John Kerry to feed some dimwit writer for Rolling Stone during the campaign…to show everyone he’s “with it” or whatever.

Oy.

Nov 18, 2004 - 6:14 pm 14. richard mcenroe:

Dennis the Peasant ó Hey, lissen, man, Kerry jammed a session with Dylan, okay>?

They just can’t find the masters…

Nov 18, 2004 - 6:40 pm 15. Kevin P:

Roger:

Rolling Stone is too locked into their fuzzy memories of the sixties. They picked the wrong Beatles songs. I would have gone with Eleonor Rigby, In My Life, and Paperback Writer. I would have gone with Elvis Costello instead of the Clash from that period. Imagine, and Nirvana are overrated and have more to do with social trends and politics then songcraft, and although I like Sam Cooke they ignored Motown except for Gaye.Street Fighting Man for the Stones.

Nov 18, 2004 - 7:06 pm 16. Mark Poling:

In the top 20:

No Buddy Holly?

No Kinks?

No Queen?

No Janis?

No Alman Brothers?

No Steely Dan?

Please.

Rock is dead they say.

Nov 18, 2004 - 7:17 pm 17. Eric Deamer:

Rolling Stone did the same thing 10-15 years ago and I swear to God almost all the songs were the same. I’m reminded of the scene in the first Austin Powers (you know, the only one that was funny) where Dr. Evil says to his Gen-X son (Seth Green): “I’m hip. I’m with it.” and starts doing the Macarena.

Nov 18, 2004 - 7:34 pm 18. Patrick Tyson:

Opera:

Bizet’s Carmen

American Songbook:

Johnny Mercer & Harold Arlens’ Come Rain Or Come Shine

Rock & Roll:

(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais — The Clash

Nov 18, 2004 - 7:44 pm 19. WichitaBoy:

richard mcenroe,

Kerry may have jammed with Dylan, but wasn’t it Gore who invented the electric guitar?

Nov 18, 2004 - 8:13 pm 20. Charlie (Colorado):

At least they got Yesterday right.

No Gilbert and Sullivan?

Morons.

Nov 18, 2004 - 8:23 pm 21. Barry Dauphin:

Although it’s fairly recent, what about: America, F#@k yeah! I thought I’d tie all of the day’s threads together.

Nov 18, 2004 - 8:27 pm 22. PeterUK:

Almost a complete blandout,imagine this playing segue on the jukebox,an invitation to empty both barrels into it as a friend of mine did.

WichtaBoy guitar pickups seem to have been invented by a chap called Humbucker.

No Little Richard the man who gave popular music the biggest culture shock since the invention of the accordion,they just cannot have seen the man perform,after a diet of Frankie Lane and songs like the Mexican Jumping Bean,… A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom! was a brick in the face,sadly no one will ever hear it like we did again.

Nov 18, 2004 - 8:45 pm 23. Paul:

People please!

It’s folly to make such a list, just as it’s folly to dispute it.

There is so much great music from this magnificent melting pot of a nation (the Brit rock stuff is derivative of American music, of course) in such a wide variety of styles it’s silly to make a list of “The Best Songs”.

When it comes to music everyone’s an expert….

Nov 18, 2004 - 10:00 pm 24. Jim in Chicago:

I’d put Imagine at #3 on the list of worst songs of all time.

No wait, I’d put it at number 1.

And could they have picked three lamer Beatles songs? I mean c’mon, those are Beatles Muzak songs.

You know who I think compiled the list?

The kumbaya-on-the-guitar-playing, mustache-having hippy nun who taught me in fifth grade circa 1979. Sounds like just her speed.

Nov 18, 2004 - 10:10 pm 25. JeremyR:

IMHO, they should have done songs that sort of defined a generation, and then 2-3 songs from that generation.

Some of those songs are – I mean, “Smells like Teen Spirit” was perhaps the song of Generation X. I remember I was in college at the time, and I would shoot pool with a friend for hours (pay for 4 hours, get the 5th free) and that song would be played on the juke box literally every other song.

To that end, there should have been a disco song or two on the list. Disco Inferno, Stayin’ Alive.

And of course, Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love”, which basically started the whole electronic dance music thing.

And, something from the early 80s. Call Me from Blondie, Dont you want me from the Human League. Or Tom Sawyer from Rush. And of course, there was music before the 1950s. O Fortuna! from Carl Orff.

This list way over-represents the early-mid 60s. (And I want to hold your hand just plain sucks. It’s as insipid and shallow as anything produce by Ms. Spears or any boy band of the 90s/00s)

Nov 18, 2004 - 11:39 pm 26. JeremyR:

Also, Little Richard was probably disqualified for appearing in the movie “Catalina Caper”

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061456/

Nov 18, 2004 - 11:47 pm 27. Foobarista:

What about “Louie Louie”? Great song when getting hammered is required…

Nov 19, 2004 - 1:05 am 28. Teresa:

And WHERE is Al Green??

Nov 19, 2004 - 4:17 am 29. Jim:

Roger, here are three goodies for you:

“The Night We Called it a Day” (Matt Denis/Tom Adair). Get Chet Baker singing it.

“Yesterdays” (Harbach/Jerome Kern) Get Frank singing it.

“Nancy with the Laughing Face” (Jimmy van Heusen, and, yes, Phil Silvers, lyrics (!)) Get Bill Evans playing it.

Nov 19, 2004 - 5:17 am 30. Fausta:

or Nat King Cole?

I change favorites frequently. Right now I’ve been trying to get the piano sheet music for “Midnight, the Stars and You”, the song from the Batchelor show (and also from The Shining), a real oldie from the 1930s.

Back in the 1970s I coudn’t get enough Stairway to Heaven, though.

Nov 19, 2004 - 5:21 am 31. Knucklehead:

DtP,

Not a single Shel Silverstein (I’d nominate Freakin’ at the Freakers Ball and Penicillin Penny). And one might reasonably expect one Kinky Friedman in there (maybe Get Your Biscuits In The Oven and Your Buns In Bed or They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore)

Nov 19, 2004 - 5:44 am 32. ricpic:

Yup. I guess it’s official now. Who needs Harold Arlen when you can have Marvin Gaye?!

Nov 19, 2004 - 6:07 am 33. arminius:

I’m quite surprised that no one has mentioned The Ramones, specifically the song Blitzkrieg Bop. If I had to summarize the spirit of rock and roll into one song and one song only, that would be it.

Surprising too, in that I think it was Rolling Stone that had a Best Acts of All Time thing a few years back and put The Ramones at number 2 after The Beatles. I might be misremembering it tho, it could have been Spin.

Nov 19, 2004 - 6:49 am 34. Akira:

Hey Jude is not the best Beatles song. And I can think of about 20 Beatles songs that should be ahead of Imagine. Typical Rolling Stone.

Nov 19, 2004 - 7:21 am 35. Pat Curley:

Hmmm, two songs in the top 20 from after I graduated high school (and I’m about to become eligible to join AARP).

“Imagine” ranked ahead of any Beatles tune? “My Generation” ranked ahead of “Won’t Get Fooled Again?” No “Stairway to Heaven”? (No longer a favorite of mine, but it is certainly considered a classic).

I’ll give them “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” because of its significance in launching the Beatles in the US. That’s another thing lurking in the background on all these lists, is the significance of the song. For example the top song is chosen because it inspired the magazine title; I suspect the Rolling Stones get the #2 song for similar reasons.

Nov 19, 2004 - 7:24 am 36. richard mcenroe:

wichita boy ó No, Gore wanted to prove his Democratic street cred by getting caught in a campaign sex scandal of his very own with all four Bangles but Susannah Hoff’s mother wouldn’t let him, especially once they found out there was nothing Egyptian about it, he always walked that way…

And where’s Hawkwind on this freaking list? I suppose PDQ Bach is right out of the question…

Nov 19, 2004 - 8:05 am 37. Bob:

Send more Chuck Berry.

Nov 19, 2004 - 8:35 am 38. Johnny Walker Red:

There’s only one music magazine worth the paper it’s printed on, and that’s Mojo, from the UK. No politics, no pop culture, tons of content, all of it well-written and often funny. Most of the music covered is classic, but they do a better job following new trends than anyone else. The Brits should consider it a national treasure.

Rolling Stone is a joke. Yesterday, Imagine, and Blowin’ in the Wind are rock n roll? Please. Not only is there no Little Richard, there’s no Jerry Lee Lewis, the real king of rock n roll. The magazine is literally not even worth skimming.

Nov 19, 2004 - 9:17 am 39. Southpaw:

I hate when they make these lists for all the reasons stated, but please, Otis Redding doesn’t crack the top 20? Satisfaction is a better song than Happy or Gimme Shelter? Only one Elvis song? How absurd.

Nov 19, 2004 - 9:18 am 40. Slubgob:

Boomer nostalgia overcomes good taste once again.

“Imagine” doesn’t hold a candle to any other Beatles song. The lack of songs in the top 20 past when boomers stopped listening to the radio is disappointing. There have been some fantastic songs written in the past 15 years:

“Ghost” by the Indigo Girls

“Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2

“In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel

Jann Wenner doesn’t seem to realize that he’s a joke. He’s what we 80s children think of when we hear the phrase “aging boomer hippie.”

Nov 19, 2004 - 9:48 am 41. RogerA:

I second the shock at no Buddy Holly!!!! On the other hand, I guess I have graduated to old Fartdom because the last great rock and roll band I ever heard was Credence.

Nov 19, 2004 - 10:22 am 42. RogerA:

Ummmm—I thought U2 was a spy plane

Nov 19, 2004 - 10:23 am 43. Jack Tanner:

Bob Dylan and no Led Zep or G’n'R – that tells you all you need to know – it was compiled by people who like Muzak.

Nov 19, 2004 - 12:24 pm 44. doublecola:

The list by Rolling Stone was compiled from votes by 172 critics and musicians that included Brian Wilson, Joni Mitchell, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and others.

Sure, it’s bent toward the 60’s but that really was the rock music explosion–rock, folk rock, country rock, Pyschodelic, Blues Rock, I’d argue Heavy Metal started there (Born to Be Wild, Jumpin’ Jack Flash). Of course, there have been great songs written in the past 15 years, but I’m not sure they can compare overall with the music from the sixties. I do think Imagine is out of time. It was a nice song, but it seems so quaint now. Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone is brilliant as is Satisfaction. Though, like someone else said, where is Gimme Shelter? To me, that is the greatest rock song ever.

I probably would have put a Buddy Holly song in there as well as U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. I Wanna Be Sedated by the Ramones should be there as well. Oh, well…these lists are really only meant to get people talking anyway–and to sell magazines. Every mag now has to have lists–all are marketing gimmicks.

Nov 19, 2004 - 1:51 pm 45. Kyda Sylvester:

Imagine. No. 3. Cack.

Nov 19, 2004 - 4:22 pm 46. Roberts:

Don Williams. The man wrote my theme song:

Good Ol’ Boys Like Me.

Nov 19, 2004 - 5:57 pm 47. Roberts:

Now if you don’t care for Country music, then I would submit REM, “Man in the Moon”.

That one gets me everytime I hear it.

Nov 19, 2004 - 5:59 pm 48. Roberts:

Excuse me. “Man On the Moon”.

Nov 19, 2004 - 6:03 pm 49. Mark Poling:

Goodness gracious great balls a’fire!

Not.

Nov 19, 2004 - 6:06 pm

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