600 Greatest Rock Songs Of All Time (Revision Version)

[ManPerson]

Someone saved the whole thing on the internet archive.

https://web.archive.org/web/20240518114 ... start=1650

[Brian]

Thanks!

[Tim]

For something different, I figured I would share my list of the 120 (tried and failed to keep it to 100) most important rock & roll songs, unranked, influence, acclaim, popularity as a criteria.

ABBA - Dancing Queen (1976)
AC/DC - Highway to Hell (1979)
Al Green - Let's Stay Together (1971)
Animals - House of the Rising Sun (1964)
Aretha Franklin - Respect (1967)
Beach Boys - Good Vibrations (1966)
Beastie Boys - (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) (1986)
Beatles - A Day in the Life (1967)
Beatles - Hey Jude (1968)
Beatles - I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1963)
Beatles - Let It Be (1970)
Beatles - She Loves You (1963)
Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (1977)
Ben E. King - Stand by Me (1961)
Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z - Crazy in Love (2003)
Big Joe Turner - Shake, Rattle & Roll (1954)
Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around the Clock (1954)
Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)
Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley (1955)
Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone (1965)
Bob Marley & the Wailers - No Woman No Cry (1974)
Booker T. & the MG's - Green Onions (1962)
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (1975)
Buddy Holly & the Crickets - Peggy Sue (1957)
Buddy Holly & the Crickets - That'll Be the Day (1957)
Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)
Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Chubby Checker - The Twist (1960)
Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode (1958)
Chuck Berry - Maybellene (1955)
Clash - London Calling (1979)
Cream - Sunshine of Your Love (1967)
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary (1968)
Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water (1972)
Derek and the Dominos - Layla (1970)
Dominoes - Sixty Minute Man (1951)
Don McLean - American Pie (1971)
Donna Summer - I Feel Love (1977)
Doors - Light My Fire (1967)
Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg - Nuthin' But a "G" Thang (1992)
Eagles - Hotel California (1976)
Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues (1958)
Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel (1956)
Elvis Presley - Hound Dog (1956)
Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (1957)
Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love (1957)
Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill (1956)
Five Satins - In the Still of the Nite (1956)
Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way (1976)
Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers - Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1956)
Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive (1978)
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message (1982)
Guns ‘N Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine (1987)
Human League - Don't You Want Me? (1981)
Impressions - People Get Ready (1965)
Isaac Hayes - Theme From Shaft (1971)
Isley Brothers - Shout (1959)
Jackie Brenston with Ike Turner - Rocket 88 (1951)
Jackson 5 - I Want You Back (1969)
James Brown - Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (1965)
James Brown and the Famous Flames - Please, Please, Please (1957)
Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On (1957)
Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along the Watchtower (1968)
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze (1967)
John Lennon - Imagine (1971)
Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line (1956)
Kingsmen - Louie Louie (1963)
Kinks - You Really Got Me (1964)
Kool & the Gang - Celebration (1980)
Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven (1971)
Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love (1969)
Little Richard - Long Tall Sally (1956)
Little Richard - Tutti Frutti (1955)
Madonna - Like a Virgin (1984)
Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1968)
Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On (1973)
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (1971)
Michael Jackson - Beat It (1982)
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (1982)
Miracles - The Tracks of My Tears (1965)
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991)
Orioles - It's Too Soon to Know (1948)
Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay (1968)
Outkast - Hey Ya! (2003)
Pearl Jam - Jeremy (1991)
Penguins - Earth Angel (1954)
Percy Sledge - When a Man Loves a Woman (1966)
Platters - The Great Pretender (1955)
Police - Every Breath You Take (1983)
Prince - When Doves Cry (1984)
Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale (1967)
Public Enemy - Fight the Power (1989)
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (1975)
R.E.M. - Losing My Religion (1991)
Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop (1976)
Ray Charles - What'd I Say (1959)
Rick James - Super Freak (1981)
Righteous Brothers - You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling (1964)
Rod Stewart - Maggie May (1971)
Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (1965)
Ronettes - Be My Baby (1963)
Roy Orbison - Oh, Pretty Woman (1964)
Run-DMC & Aerosmith - Walk This Way (1986)
Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come (1964)
Sam Cooke - You Send Me (1957)
Shirelles - Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1960)
Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge over Troubled Water (1970)
Simon & Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence (1967)
Stevie Wonder - Superstition (1972)
Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight (1979)
Supremes - Where Did Our Love Gone? (1964)
Supremes - You Keep Me Hangin' On (1966)
Temptations - My Girl (1964)
Temptations - Papa Was a Rollin Stone (1972)
U2 - One (1991)
Who - My Generation (1965)
Who - Won't Get Fooled Again (1971)
Wilson Pickett - In the Midnight Hour (1965)
Wynonie Harris - Good Rockin' Tonight (1948)

Figured I might as well rank them. Not suggesting this is how our list should look or that these are necessarily optimal picks for 120 most important songs in rock as I reckon weighting of criteria is different but feel free to critique.

1. Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around the Clock (1954)
2. Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone (1965)
3. Aretha Franklin - Respect (1967)
4. Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode (1958)
5. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (1982)
6. Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (1965)
7. Beach Boys - Good Vibrations (1966)
8. Elvis Presley - Hound Dog (1956)
9. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991)
10. Ray Charles - What'd I Say (1959)
11. Little Richard - Tutti Frutti (1955)
12. Beatles - A Day in the Life (1967)
13. Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven (1971)
14. Kingsmen - Louie Louie (1963)
15. Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1968)
16. Beatles - Hey Jude (1968)
17. Eagles - Hotel California (1976)
18. Righteous Brothers - You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling (1964)
19. James Brown - Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (1965)
20. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley (1955)
21. Chuck Berry - Maybellene (1955)
22. Temptations - My Girl (1964)
23. Beatles - I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1963)
24. Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (1957)
25. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (1971)
26. John Lennon - Imagine (1971)
27. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (1975)
28. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message (1982)
29. Ronettes - Be My Baby (1963)
30. Stevie Wonder - Superstition (1972)
31. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (1975)
32. Kinks - You Really Got Me (1964)
33. Little Richard - Long Tall Sally (1956)
34. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze (1967)
35. Who - My Generation (1965)
36. Beatles - She Loves You (1963)
37. Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive (1978)
38. Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come (1964)
39. Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (1977)
40. Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love (1969)
41. Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along the Watchtower (1968)
42. Police - Every Breath You Take (1983)
43. Chubby Checker - The Twist (1960)
44. ABBA - Dancing Queen (1976)
45. Prince - When Doves Cry (1984)
46. Ben E. King - Stand by Me (1961)
47. Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay (1968)
48. Al Green - Let's Stay Together (1971)
49. Outkast - Hey Ya! (2003)
50. Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On (1957)
51. Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight (1979)
52. Buddy Holly & the Crickets - That'll Be the Day (1957)
53. Doors - Light My Fire (1967)
54. R.E.M. - Losing My Religion (1991)
55. Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg - Nuthin' But a "G" Thang (1992)
56. Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)
57. Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues (1958)
58. Penguins - Earth Angel (1954)
59. Beatles - Let It Be (1970)
60. Bob Marley & the Wailers - No Woman No Cry (1974)
61. Run-DMC & Aerosmith - Walk This Way (1986)
62. Jackson 5 - I Want You Back (1969)
63. Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge over Troubled Water (1970)
64. Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z - Crazy in Love (2003)
65. Don McLean - American Pie (1971)
66. Derek and the Dominos - Layla (1970)
67. Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel (1956)
68. Guns ‘N Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine (1987)
69. Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On (1973)
70. Percy Sledge - When a Man Loves a Woman (1966)
71. Rick James - Super Freak (1981)
72. Cream - Sunshine of Your Love (1967)
73. Big Joe Turner - Shake, Rattle & Roll (1954)
74. Wilson Pickett - In the Midnight Hour (1965)
75. Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire (1957)
76. Miracles - The Tracks of My Tears (1965)
77. Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
78. Temptations - Papa Was a Rollin Stone (1972)
79. Roy Orbison - Oh, Pretty Woman (1964)
80. Wynonie Harris - Good Rockin' Tonight (1948)
81. Dominoes - Sixty Minute Man (1951)
82. Animals - House of the Rising Sun (1964)
83. Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way (1976)
84. James Brown and the Famous Flames - Please, Please, Please (1957)
85. Supremes - Where Did Our Love Gone? (1964)
86. Madonna - Like a Virgin (1984)
87. Michael Jackson - Beat It (1982)
88. Shirelles - Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1960)
89. U2 - One (1991)
90. Sam Cooke - You Send Me (1957)
91. Simon & Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence (1967)
92. Rod Stewart - Maggie May (1971)
93. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary (1968)
94. Human League - Don't You Want Me? (1981)
95. Kool & the Gang - Celebration (1980)
96. Isaac Hayes - Theme From "Shaft" (1971)
97. Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale (1967)
98. Booker T. & the MG's - Green Onions (1962)
99. Beastie Boys - (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) (1986)
100. Donna Summer - I Feel Love (1977)
101. Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water (1972)
102. Who - Won't Get Fooled Again (1971)
103. Isley Brothers - Shout (1959)
104. Jackie Brenston with Ike Turner - Rocket 88 (1951)
105. Public Enemy - Fight the Power (1989)
106. Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love (1957)
107. Impressions - People Get Ready (1965)
108. Clash - London Calling (1979)
109. Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line (1956)
110. Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)
111. Platters - The Great Pretender (1955)
112. Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop (1976)
113. Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill (1956)
114. AC/DC - Highway to Hell (1979)
115. Buddy Holly & the Crickets - Peggy Sue (1957)
116. Five Satins - In the Still of the Nite (1956)
117. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers - Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1956)
118. Supremes - You Keep Me Hangin' On (1966)
119. Pearl Jam - Jeremy (1991)
120. Orioles - It's Too Soon to Know (1948)

[ManPerson]

Jeremy and You Keep Me Hangin On both seem kind of out of place in the top 120 (though, I guess you're just ranking your original 120).

I Feel Love seems low.

[Tim]

Suggestions for replacements? I remember California Dreamin' being among the last I cut. And new spot for Donna? My rough weighting of criteria were 35 to 40 percent to popularity, 30 to 35 to influence, 30 to acclaim, cultural impact included under popularity.

[Brian]

Good list. The only thing that struck me is that I don't see "Highway to Hell" as top 120 of all time. The 1st song that occurred to me as one that could replace it is "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, but then I saw that you mentioned "California Dreamin'", and that could replace it too.

[ManPerson]

I could see Wonderwall as well.

[Tim]

An update of mine:

1. Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around the Clock (1954)
2. Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone (1965)
3. Aretha Franklin - Respect (1967)
4. Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode (1958)
5. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (1982)
6. Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (1965)
7. Beach Boys - Good Vibrations (1966)
8. Elvis Presley - Hound Dog (1956)
9. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991)
10. Ray Charles - What'd I Say (1959)
11. Little Richard - Tutti Frutti (1955)
12. Beatles - A Day in the Life (1967)
13. Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven (1971)
14. Kingsmen - Louie Louie (1963)
15. Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1968)
16. Beatles - Hey Jude (1968)
17. Eagles - Hotel California (1976)
18. Righteous Brothers - You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling (1964)
19. Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (1957)
20. James Brown - Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (1965)
21. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley (1955)
22. Chuck Berry - Maybellene (1955)
23. Temptations - My Girl (1964)
24. Beatles - I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1963)
25. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (1971)
26. John Lennon - Imagine (1971)
27. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (1975)
28. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message (1982)
29. Ronettes - Be My Baby (1963)
30. Stevie Wonder - Superstition (1972)
31. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (1975)
32. Kinks - You Really Got Me (1964)
33. Little Richard - Long Tall Sally (1956)
34. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze (1967)
35. Who - My Generation (1965)
36. Beatles - She Loves You (1963)
37. Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive (1978)
38. Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come (1964)
39. Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (1977)
40. Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love (1969)
41. Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along the Watchtower (1968)
42. Police - Every Breath You Take (1983)
43. Chubby Checker - The Twist (1960)
44. ABBA - Dancing Queen (1976)
45. Prince - When Doves Cry (1984)
46. Ben E. King - Stand by Me (1961)
47. Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay (1968)
48. Al Green - Let's Stay Together (1971)
49. Outkast - Hey Ya! (2003)
50. Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On (1957)
51. Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight (1979)
52. Buddy Holly & the Crickets - That'll Be the Day (1957)
53. Doors - Light My Fire (1967)
54. R.E.M. - Losing My Religion (1991)
55. Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg - Nuthin' But a "G" Thang (1992)
56. Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)
57. Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues (1958)
58. Penguins - Earth Angel (1954)
59. Beatles - Let It Be (1970)
60. Bob Marley & the Wailers - No Woman No Cry (1974)
61. Run-DMC & Aerosmith - Walk This Way (1986)
62. Jackson 5 - I Want You Back (1969)
63. Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge over Troubled Water (1970)
64. Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z - Crazy in Love (2003)
65. Don McLean - American Pie (1971)
66. Derek and the Dominos - Layla (1970)
67. Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel (1956)
68. Guns ‘N Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine (1987)
69. Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On (1973)
70. Percy Sledge - When a Man Loves a Woman (1966)
71. Rick James - Super Freak (1981)
72. Cream - Sunshine of Your Love (1967)
73. Big Joe Turner - Shake, Rattle & Roll (1954)
74. Wilson Pickett - In the Midnight Hour (1965)
75. Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire (1957)
76. Miracles - The Tracks of My Tears (1965)
77. Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
78. Temptations - Papa Was a Rollin Stone (1972)
79. Roy Orbison - Oh, Pretty Woman (1964)
80. Wynonie Harris - Good Rockin' Tonight (1948)
81. Dominoes - Sixty Minute Man (1951)
82. Animals - House of the Rising Sun (1964)
83. Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way (1976)
84. Supremes - Where Did Our Love Gone? (1964)
85. Madonna - Like a Virgin (1984)
86. Michael Jackson - Beat It (1982)
87. Shirelles - Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1960)
88. U2 - One (1991)
89. Donna Summer - I Feel Love (1977)
90. Sam Cooke - You Send Me (1957)
91. Simon & Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence (1967)
92. Rod Stewart - Maggie May (1971)
93. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary (1968)
94. Human League - Don't You Want Me? (1981)
95. Afrika Bambaataa - Planet Rock (1982)
96. Isaac Hayes - Theme From "Shaft" (1971)
97. Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale (1967)
98. Booker T. & the MG's - Green Onions (1962)
99. Beastie Boys - (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) (1986)
100. Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water (1972)
101. Who - Won't Get Fooled Again (1971)
102. James Brown and the Famous Flames - Please, Please, Please (1957)
103. Isley Brothers - Shout (1959)
104. Jackie Brenston with Ike Turner - Rocket 88 (1951)
105. Public Enemy - Fight the Power (1989)
106. Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love (1957)
107. Impressions - People Get Ready (1965)
108. Clash - London Calling (1979)
109. Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line (1956)
110. Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)
111. Platters - The Great Pretender (1955)
112. Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop (1976)
113. Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill (1956)
114. Adele - Rolling in the Deep (2010)
115. Buddy Holly & the Crickets - Peggy Sue (1957)
116. Five Satins - In the Still of the Nite (1956)
117. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers - Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1956)
118. Mamas & the Papas - California Dreamin' (1965)
119. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge (1991)
120. Orioles - It's Too Soon to Know (1948)

[Fido]

Just so you know, What a Fool Believes has replaced Rock and Roll Part 2

[Tim]

Ddd has become woke smh.

[ManPerson]

That seems reasonable enough. Especially since What a Fool Believes is, subjectively, one of the best songs of the 1970s.

[ManPerson]

I mentioned this before, but Mr. Brightside is way too low.

Quite possibly the most lastingly popular song of the 21st century, being the 3rd most streamed song of the 2000s on Spotify, being certified diamond by the RIAA and 12x platinum by BPI and being on the UK charts for over 10 years straight. Not only that, according to this, the song was the second most requested song at parties in the past year and it's also become a major sports anthem. It's also very highly acclaimed, placing on the 2021 Rolling Stone top 500, along with being top 150 on the recent AcclaimedMusic update.

I could even see it in the top 100 or at least close to it.