500 Greatest Songs Of All Time

I've seen that list some time ago, but only the top10 not the entire list.

1.  Like A Rolling Stone, Dylan
Not my favourite Dylan song, but I can fully understand why it tops there. In 6 minutes you get the essence and the feel of the most important post WWII decade
2.  (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Rolling Stones
Understandable. Simple riff, sexism an early and clear separation from the Beatles political correctness.  
3.  Imagine, Lennon
Again the lyrics wins here. I would have preferred "Strawberry Fields" an equally historical song -also written by Lennon
4.  What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
I don't know the background, quite a good song, I guess it had some impact then
5.  Respect, Aretha Franklin
Understandable, great voice, great representation of a music genre and not only.
6.  Good Vibrations, Beach Boys
Again I ignore the backround, Beach Boys top the lists of the most important artists /albums
and I remember Paul McCartney to praise it enormously in an interview, but the song doesn't impress me that much.
7.  Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry
It could be even higher on that list!
8. Hey Jude, The Beatles
Popular song, I would have preferred to see Ticket To Ride, While My Guitar Gently Sweeps
(like this the major 60s factor of Eric Clapton would be in the top10 as well)
9.  Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
I agree with a Nirvana in the top10, which else could be ?
10.  What'd I Say, Ray Charles
Yes why not, it could be Nina Simone in that place as well, for instance Sinnerman.

Though those lists at the end are very subjective, I believe Doors' The End had to be in the top10...
 
Perun said:
That's one of the most intelligent things I've ever read in reply to those lists.
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Thanks Per, that means a lot to me  :) Everything I said he that post I firmly stand by. As much as I enjoy Cobain's and Hammett's music, I strongly feel they don't belong in such a list, personally.
 
HallowedBeMyName said:
I put that in quotations because there really is no such thing as "greatest guitarists of all time", it's a matter of opinion, and I hate how Rolling Stones Magazine presents their opinions as if they were facts.
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Perun said:
That's one of the most intelligent things I've ever read in reply to those lists.
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Two things:

1.  Hallowed is obviously correct, though in fairness I would bet that Rolling Stone does include a caveat that this is just a matter of collective opinion by those polled.  The real problem is when OTHERS ascribe some great weight to this list.  Personally, I love lists of this sort, for all the discussion they engender.  I also think they are a good way of [re-]introducing people to music that they either haven't heard or have heard but temporarily forgotten. 

2.  To get Perun's rating up to triple digits, and because of his kind words for Hallowed, I hereby give Perun his 100th praise. 
 
Almost a year ago, there was a thread about someone's top metal songs list. And after everyone got done bitching about how the other guy's list sucked, we started posting our own lists. You think you know so much about mainstream rock, prove it!

That's right, mainstream rock. The kind of music Rolling Stone supposedly covers. Let's face it: Maiden and Sabbath ain't for everyone. They don't belong anywhere near the top ten on list like this.

So here's mine: the essential mainstream rock songs.

1. Stairway To Heaven
Not Zep's best, but pretty damn good. Classic guitar solo. And so influential.

2. Bohemian Rhapsody
Showed everyone else what rock was capable of.

3. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
The original, the blueprint, the prototypical rock song: one mean guitar riff, three chords, all about sex.

4. Born To Run
Bruce called it his one last desperate shot at the title. He spent six months recording just this four and a half minute song. And he pulled it off: he stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam.

5. Hey Jude
Some people thought the Beatles were losing their touch after Magical Mystery Tour. This was actually a comeback song of a sort when it came out. And it is their finest group performance by far, despite being almost a pure McCartney song. I almost went with I Want To Hold Your Hand for a Beatles song, for its massive historical impact, but it's just not as good (though it's not far off).

6. All Along The Watchtower (Hendrix)
The way I heard it, when Dylan first heard Jimi's version, he said: "That's Jimi's song now." And this song is the best summation of how Hendrix invented real rock guitar. Chuck Berry laid the foundation, but Hendrix built the cathedral.

7. My Generation
Not just the introduction of a groundbreaking songwriter, but a song which signalled that rock music meant trouble. The first major introduction of politics into rock (folk was political but hadn't merged with rock yet). Perhaps the most famous single line from any rock lyric ever.

8. Tom Sawyer
Rush is unique. While subgenres like prog or metal aren't mainstream, Rush went there and transcended. Tom Sawyer is the pinnacle, the best blend of all their capabilities - concise and precise but with all the craziness they bring to the table.

9. With Or Without You
This is the song that took U2 from alternative to mainstream. U2 was the biggest alternative band, and when they got popular it brought more attention to other alternative acts. It wasn't as brutally obvious as Nirvana, but this is where U2 changed the whole rock scene.

10. Jeremy
Nirvana was edgy, got the early headlines, but Pearl Jam were the heavyweights. This song nearly made them iconic; their retreat from publicity was a reaction to Jeremy's success. But this song deserves every accolade. Haunting lyrics, endless layers of guitar and 8-string bass, and the second half of the song is still some of Vedder's best singing.
 
SinisterMinisterX said:
Almost a year ago, there was a thread about someone's top metal songs list. And after everyone got done bitching about how the other guy's list sucked, we started posting our own lists. You think you know so much about mainstream rock, prove it!

That's right, mainstream rock. The kind of music Rolling Stone supposedly covers. Let's face it: Maiden and Sabbath ain't for everyone. They don't belong anywhere near the top ten on list like this.
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Rolling Stones Magazine may supposedly be for mainstream rock, but quite frankly I don't agree with you, as the title of this list is "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", I don't see any mention of mainstream rock in the title. Hell, even if Sabbath isn't for everyone, you'd expect to see songs like Iron Man or Paranoid in such a list, at least. As I keep saying again and again and again, popularity is how Rolling Stones Magazine conducts business.
SinisterMinisterX said:
thread about someone's top metal songs list
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By the way, I remember being a part of this discussion, that list was laughably pathetic, sorry. He actually says the Master of Puppets album is actually a TRIBUTE to Cliff Burton. He also says that without a doubt Slipknot is the best metal band of all time, and that they can kick any band's ass. I am now officially worried for the sake of humanity.
 
Ok then, here's mine. The essential mainstream top10 songs.

1. Led Zeppelin -Stairway To Heaven
For its influence and impact through time and for showing what giant solo someone can play using only 5 notes.
2. Jimi Hendrix -All Alone The Watchtower
SMX puts it nicely in his list.
3. The Doors -The End
More than a song. Released in the height of the psychedelic era, defined more than anyone the human dark visions.
4. The Beatles -Strawberry Fields Forever
Beatles' lighter version of psychedelia, the biggest Lennon song and the very first in history to introduce the 'beat' in the way of it's known today in pop dance music
5. Rolling Stones -Paint it Black
It was Beatles who first introduced sitar in the western music, but it was Stones that cemented it a few months later with that one.
6. Queen -Bohemian Rhapsody
Again SMX puts it nicely : Showed everyone else what rock was capable of.
7. Nirvana -Smells Like Teen Spirit
Here is the real end of 80s, a huge punch to Heavy Metal Movement and definition of the 90s sound.
8. Dire Straights -Sultans Of Swing
If there is one guitarist who can -technically- compared directly to Hendrix, this is Mark Knopfler.
I see this song as the intro to the 80s and the MTV era.
9. The Eagles -Hotel California
Well, I preferred to choose The Eagles, that similar to Springsteen put a huge mark in US friendly radio rock, especially with that one.
10. Radiohead -Carma Police
Though I like better the next two Radiohead albums, Ok Computer marks the end of Manchester Scene as well as grunge the same time
and introduce us nicely to the 00s! Karma Police may be the most representative song of that album.     
 
I would add Boston - More Than A Feeling to that list. Though my favourite Boston song is Peace of Mind.
 
Is The Final Countdown mainstream rock? What about UFO?
 
I think we could spend all day debating what is and isn't mainstream rock.  I have always thought that if it is regarded by most people as popular, it fits there.  Maybe 'trans-genre' is a term that fits my vision. 

I have a list compiled, I don't know that the order is at all indicative of 'better or worse' in this case.

1.  All Along The Watchtower.  Has been one of my top 5 songs for a decade or more.  It is a song that is always great, no matter what, and I don't think can be recorded today to make it better.

2.  (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.  Its been said over and over that this is a great 'coming out' song, a rebellion song, call it what you will.  It has a great feel, and (as was stated elsewhere) kinda was the song that separated the  Stones reputation from the Beatles.  Maybe 'rough-cut' vs 'polished'?  Not quite accurate, but along those lines.

3.  Revolution.  There are literally 50 Beatles songs that could fit there.  What I like about this one (IMO) is that it has a really 'raw' feel to it, and is different from a lot of earlier Beatles stuff.  Before it always seemed perfect and smooth, this feels more jagged.  (again, IMO-- I'm sure other people feel differently about The Beatles stuff)

4.  Stairway To Heaven.  It may not be the best Zep out there, but it has so much to it, and was a classic the day it was first played.  I read something about that (on here?) where they played it in concert before it was released, and the crowd was silent at first, then went crazy.  This song does that on it's first play and its 100000001st play.

5.  Bohemian Rhapsody.  Quintessential Queen? So many great hits, but such perfection in this one.  I think that the magazine said something about how long it took to mix this song due to its complexity.  It has always been an amazing song from start to finish.  I still remember driving in my car, whenever it was that Wayne's World came out, and listening to a caller request "that new Queen song that was on Wayne's World".  Ok, too bad they didn't know the tune before, but it's that good, that it would be a hit whenever it was released.

6.  Johnny B. Goode.  Say what you will, but it was something out of crazy when it hit, and I can't imagine it was much different for anyone the first time they heard it, than the first time anyone heard Bruce sing "Six SIX SIX".  I'm sure it was just a frenzy to hear that song hit the air.

7.  Layla.  So, there are so many good Clapton songs out there, but this one is just so awesome.  It is great fast, it is great 'unleaded', it is great no matter how Clapton wants to play it. 

8.  Won't Get Fooled Again.  Honestly, it is too hard to pick a greatest Who song, let alone 'greatest of all time'.  My Generation was always a great song, and possibly more deserving of influence and in defining the way a generation felt.  But Won't Get Fooled Again always was a song that stuck in my head for days, seems to fit no matter when it is played..."Meet the new boss, same as the old boss..."  --really, find me a more true statement.

9.  Thriller. I can't think of a song that more people liked than this one.  If you liked country, rock, metal, oldies, it doesn't matter, you probably had at least one copy of this, or you stopped the dial when spinning through radio stations to listen to the end of it.  The guy was amazing with talent, and this song (IMO) was like an explosion of what he could do/would do.

10.  --ok, I'm almost sorry for doing this--  Cum On Feel The Noize.  I have seen lots about the great grunge hits that sparked an entire genre of music.  And they are all correct, and they are all better songs than this.  This song, to me, felt like the one that opened the doors to an entire scene of Hair Metal and LA bands hitting the charts.  Probably because that was my 'era' of music, maybe because hundreds of bands wanted to be like Quiet Riot (and hundreds were better, really). But this seemed to be the spark (among many great sparks at the time) that made this type of music 'mainstream'.
 
Suicidehummer said:
Actually, I think Quiet Riot were better than they got credit for.
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That's an interesting statement.  Not untrue, but interesting, because they have a huge amount of credit for hits off that first album.  The second album wasn't so bad, but they really weren't very good after that.  So, I don't know if it was talent or luck that got those first few hits for them.  I know that, years later (circa 1992) I saw them perform in a local bar, crowd of about 25 people, and they were very not good. 
 
Yeah, but they only get credit as starting the hair metal craze and for Come On Feel The Noize. I think they were underestimated because of that song, and crippled by people's perceptions of them as hair metal, even though they were more hard rock/classic metal.
 
Since everyone seems more or less dissatisfied with this list, why don't we just make our own? And since this is a metal forum, let's make it the 500 or whatever best metal songs of all time. We could even have a poll similar to the 'rank Maiden albums game' SMX created...and whoever wants to get started with this suggestion, be my guest :p.
 
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