Many classic rock radio stations put together a "top 500" list, and count it down over the air once a year or so (usually on a holiday weekend). Some of these stations put their list on the web. I have tracked down 13 such lists so far and analyzed the results.
The reason I use radio lists: my intention was to find the most popular classic rock songs, not the "best". Remember that "best" is a matter of personal opinion, and the only reliable indication of the consensus is popularity, for better or worse.
Radio stations use playlists that their local listeners like. If the radio station is staying in business, we can assume their top 500 list is based on local popularity.
Thus, I did not include lists by critics, such as the notorious Rolling Stone top 500. Also, I excluded any list that cast too wide a net. I'm looking for the mainstream of "classic" rock that fans love, which means mostly hard rocking music. Any list which included Aretha Franklin's "Respect" was disqualified. That's a great song, but a soul song, not rock. My "No respect for Respect" rule made sure that all the top 500 lists I used were judging (more or less) the same group of songs, since any list with "Respect" also had many more non-rock songs.
Yet, the definition of "classic rock" varies. To qualify, the radio station had to describe themselves as classic rock, but there is still a wide spectrum. A few lists (4, I think) had a stronger focus on the metal side, naming plenty of Metallica, Van Halen, Ozzy and Maiden songs. (Yes, Maiden!) But most of the lists only got as far as AC/DC.
Out of these 13 top 500 lists, I only used the top 100 from each list. (I wanted a top 500 source to make sure the top 100 was, hopefully, well-considered.) There are 114 songs that were named on 4 or more lists, so my top 100 is drawn from those.
To see the influence of those metal-influenced lists, here are the top 20 songs with only 2 or 3 votes...
1. One (Metallica, not U2)
2. Nothing Else Matters
3. Child In Time
4. Thunder Road
5. Enter Sandman
6. Piano Man
7. Welcome To The Jungle
8. November Rain
9. You Really Got Me (Van Halen, not Kinks)
10. Paradise By The Dashboard Light
11. Stargazer
12. The Number Of The Beast
13. Runnin' With The Devil
14. Ace Of Spades
15. Whole Lotta Rosie
16. Don't Stop Believin'
17. Run To The Hills
18. Bat Out Of Hell
19. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan, not GnR)
20. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Without further ado, the countdown begins.
#100. The Kinks, "Lola"
The Kinks are the runt of the British Invasion. It's tough to make a mark when your contemporaries are the Beatles, Stones and Who. Nonetheless, Ray Davies cranked out a string of seventeen UK top 20 singles (5 of those made the US top 10). "You Really Got Me" from August 1964 was the birth of riff-based hard rock. "Lola" is best remembered for its gender-bending lyrics... "I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola" can mean at least two different things.
#99. Blue Oyster Cult, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"
There are some songs on this list which I think have been boosted by recent popularity, and the "more cowbell" skit might have had some impact here. But I don't think it's much, as I recall this song being a radio staple way back in the 80s. BOC started as one of the early metal bands. Their first 3 albums were as heavy as anything else out there save Sabbath. Reaper was their first big hit as their sound went slightly toward the mainstream, though BOC never stopped being a hard rock band.
#98. Jimi Hendrix, "Foxey Lady"
This live video well demonstrates the raw power of this song, completely unheard when it first came out in 1967. Jimi's abilities on guitar and the effect he had on rock music are well documented, but it's just as important to note that he was one with his instrument. His full personality is there whether picking or singing, and few people can truly do that. Also note that this clip is outdoors, and windy. Jimi loved that. He loved outdoor gigs, and he loved wild weather for them. He called it "Sky Church", as opposed to his indoor shows which he called "Electric Church".
#97. The Rolling Stones, "Angie"
A great Stones ballad, though I was surprised it ranked higher than "Wild Horses". The song is named after Keith Richards' daughter, then recently born. This comes from my favorite era of the stones, the Mick Taylor years. Taylor is the best guitarist the Stones ever had, but after 4 albums he couldn't get along with Richards anymore and split.
#96. Queen, "Another One Bites The Dust"
For all their 70s success, it took this song for Queen to finally get a US #1 single. I've seen some people say that this song did so well because it had a good dance beat, but I'd like to think it's Freddie's vocal performance. The video I linked is live, but if you care to look up the studio version, check out 2:20... at 2:28 it officially becomes Epic.
Next installment: #95-91, including the first appearance of the two bands with the most entries.
The reason I use radio lists: my intention was to find the most popular classic rock songs, not the "best". Remember that "best" is a matter of personal opinion, and the only reliable indication of the consensus is popularity, for better or worse.
Radio stations use playlists that their local listeners like. If the radio station is staying in business, we can assume their top 500 list is based on local popularity.
Thus, I did not include lists by critics, such as the notorious Rolling Stone top 500. Also, I excluded any list that cast too wide a net. I'm looking for the mainstream of "classic" rock that fans love, which means mostly hard rocking music. Any list which included Aretha Franklin's "Respect" was disqualified. That's a great song, but a soul song, not rock. My "No respect for Respect" rule made sure that all the top 500 lists I used were judging (more or less) the same group of songs, since any list with "Respect" also had many more non-rock songs.
Yet, the definition of "classic rock" varies. To qualify, the radio station had to describe themselves as classic rock, but there is still a wide spectrum. A few lists (4, I think) had a stronger focus on the metal side, naming plenty of Metallica, Van Halen, Ozzy and Maiden songs. (Yes, Maiden!) But most of the lists only got as far as AC/DC.
Out of these 13 top 500 lists, I only used the top 100 from each list. (I wanted a top 500 source to make sure the top 100 was, hopefully, well-considered.) There are 114 songs that were named on 4 or more lists, so my top 100 is drawn from those.
To see the influence of those metal-influenced lists, here are the top 20 songs with only 2 or 3 votes...
1. One (Metallica, not U2)
2. Nothing Else Matters
3. Child In Time
4. Thunder Road
5. Enter Sandman
6. Piano Man
7. Welcome To The Jungle
8. November Rain
9. You Really Got Me (Van Halen, not Kinks)
10. Paradise By The Dashboard Light
11. Stargazer
12. The Number Of The Beast
13. Runnin' With The Devil
14. Ace Of Spades
15. Whole Lotta Rosie
16. Don't Stop Believin'
17. Run To The Hills
18. Bat Out Of Hell
19. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan, not GnR)
20. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Without further ado, the countdown begins.
#100. The Kinks, "Lola"
The Kinks are the runt of the British Invasion. It's tough to make a mark when your contemporaries are the Beatles, Stones and Who. Nonetheless, Ray Davies cranked out a string of seventeen UK top 20 singles (5 of those made the US top 10). "You Really Got Me" from August 1964 was the birth of riff-based hard rock. "Lola" is best remembered for its gender-bending lyrics... "I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola" can mean at least two different things.
#99. Blue Oyster Cult, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"
There are some songs on this list which I think have been boosted by recent popularity, and the "more cowbell" skit might have had some impact here. But I don't think it's much, as I recall this song being a radio staple way back in the 80s. BOC started as one of the early metal bands. Their first 3 albums were as heavy as anything else out there save Sabbath. Reaper was their first big hit as their sound went slightly toward the mainstream, though BOC never stopped being a hard rock band.
#98. Jimi Hendrix, "Foxey Lady"
This live video well demonstrates the raw power of this song, completely unheard when it first came out in 1967. Jimi's abilities on guitar and the effect he had on rock music are well documented, but it's just as important to note that he was one with his instrument. His full personality is there whether picking or singing, and few people can truly do that. Also note that this clip is outdoors, and windy. Jimi loved that. He loved outdoor gigs, and he loved wild weather for them. He called it "Sky Church", as opposed to his indoor shows which he called "Electric Church".
#97. The Rolling Stones, "Angie"
A great Stones ballad, though I was surprised it ranked higher than "Wild Horses". The song is named after Keith Richards' daughter, then recently born. This comes from my favorite era of the stones, the Mick Taylor years. Taylor is the best guitarist the Stones ever had, but after 4 albums he couldn't get along with Richards anymore and split.
#96. Queen, "Another One Bites The Dust"
For all their 70s success, it took this song for Queen to finally get a US #1 single. I've seen some people say that this song did so well because it had a good dance beat, but I'd like to think it's Freddie's vocal performance. The video I linked is live, but if you care to look up the studio version, check out 2:20... at 2:28 it officially becomes Epic.
Next installment: #95-91, including the first appearance of the two bands with the most entries.