Rolling Stone Mag's Top 500 Songs #261-275

261. Wild Thing: The Troggs- I am burnt out on this one.


262. I Can See For Miles: The Who- The Who do a love song. Naturally, it’s angry. Should be about 200 spots higher.

263. Oh, What a Night: The Dells- No it’s not the Four Seasons.

264. Hallelujah: Jeff Buckley- Buckley reworks Leonard Cohen with amazing effect.

265. Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder- Before the Chili Peppers, Stevie Wonder…

266. Ooh Baby Baby: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles- Smokey and the Miracles wrote this on stage in the middle of a gig.

267. He’s a Rebel: The Crystals- More Phil Spector. He produced this at 21. Fine line between genius and psychosis.

268. Sail Away: Randy Newman- This is about being on a slave ship. Not sure why Newman’s version is on the list as opposed to Ray Charles.

269. Walking in the Rain: The Ronettes- Phil Spector answers the British Invasion.

270. Tighten Up: Archie Bell- This became a hit when Bell was in Vietnam. He had to convince people it was his song.

271. Personality Crisis: New York Dolls- They dressed like Poison but thrashed like the Sex Pistols.

272. Sunday Bloody Sunday: U2- About 200 spots too low.

273. Jesus Walks: Kanye West: Kanye? hahahahahaha

274. Roadrunners: The Modern Lovers- It’s about driving around with the radio on. Kind of a surprise entry...at least to me.

275. He Stopped Loving Her Today: George Jones- This is country. He stopped loving her because he died!

Rolling Stone Mag's Top 500 Songs #301-310

301. Street Fighting Man: The Rolling Stones- Back when rock was about revolution and bad behavior as opposed to getting on Grey’s Anatomy and Glee.

302. Get Up, Stand Up: Bob Marley- Amazing how many of these potheads were about revolution. You’d think they’d be too mellow to care!

303. Heart of Gold: Neil Young- Young’s second appearance. Old Man didn’t make it though. Amazing.

304. Sign o the Times: Prince- According the write-up, this made the list b/c it was socially conscious during the age of hair metal.

305. One Way or Another: Blondie- Classic obsession…then she wants to ditch him.

306. Like a Prayer: Madonna- When it’s time to burn crosses, call Madonna. Nothing like a little KKK solidarity!

307. One More Time: Daft Punk- The first use of the Auto-Tune in a hit song. Damn them to hell.

308. Do Ya Think I’m Sexy: Rod Stewart- Everything that was wrong with the seventies is here.

309. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain: Willie Nelson- This is actually a cover of an old standard. Made Willie a star.

310. Ruby Tuesday: The Rolling Stones- Goodbye Ruby Tuesday…

Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 500 Songs #311-325

311. With a Little Help From My Friends: The Beatles- Some love for Ringo (as Billy Shears)!


312. Say It Loud! I’m Black and I’m Proud: James Brown- How about an Undercover Brother II?

313. That’s Entertainment: The Jam- Popular Euro group no one in America knows!

314. Why Do Fools Fall in Love: Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers- Lymon hit it big in 1956 and OD’d on heroin in 1968. He was 25.

315. Lonely Teardrops: Jackie Wilson- In 1975, Wilson sang the line “My heart is crying” and collapsed on stage. He entered a coma and died in 1984.

316. What’s Love Got To Do With It: Tina Turner- I hear this and it’s 1984 again.

317. Iron Man: Black Sabbath- Robert Downey Jr. rules.

318. Wake Up Little Susie: The Everly Brothers- This song about a teen couple innocently falling asleep got banned in 1957.

319. In Dreams: Roy Orbison- This turned Orbison into a headliner. His opening acts? The Rolling Stones and Beatles.

320. I Put a Spell On You: Screamin’ Jay Hawkins- Look up the video on you tube. It’s worth it.

321. Comfortably Numb: Pink Floyd- Another song that’s about 300 spots too low. A lot of people consider Gilmore’s solo the best of all time.

322. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood: The Animals- The Animals had a way of turning something completely un-poppy into a pop tune.

323. Alison: Elvis Costello- This is not about murder. It is about disappointment.

324. Wish You Were Here: Pink Floyd- In a bizarre twist, Syd Barrett showed up for the recording of this album.

325. Many Rivers to Cross: Jimmy Cliff- Another outlaw reggae tune by Jimmy Cliff.

RS Magazine's Top 500 Songs #326-340

326. School’s Out: Alice Cooper- What better song to appeal to teens?

327. Take Me Out: Franz Ferdinand- Nothing like a song about snipers. Where's Tipper to complain about Frank Ferdinand's negative impact on the youth of the world?

328. Heartbreaker: Led Zeppelin- This has swagger, anger, angst, and a twinge of self doubt.

329. Cortez the Killer: Neil Young- This takes like 3 minutes to get going…and then the history is not only bad, but wrong.

330. Fight the Power: Public Enemy- Chuck D came from the suburbs…

331. Dancing Barefoot: Patti Smith Group- Patti Smith’s mystical orgasm.

332. Baby Love: The Supremes- Every girl group from Destiny’s Child to TLC owe a debt to The Supremes.

333. Good Lovin’: The Young Rascals- When I briefly did radio, there was a guy that played this song all the time. I can’t listen to it anymore.

334. Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine- Good God y’all!

335. For Your Precious Love: Jerry Butler and the Impressions- A good example of gospel’s influence on music.

336. The End: The Doors- Jim Morrison’s ode to death and his mother.

337. That’s the Way of the World- Earth, Wind, and Fire- Want to know what music was like in 1975? Listen to this.

338. We Will Rock You: Queen- Queen’s answer to punk.

339. I Can’t Make You Love Me: Bonnie Raitt- I am not sure why this is here.

340. Subterranean Homesick Blues: Bob Dylan- Stream of consciousness at its finest. John Lennon was so intimidated by this that he thought he could no longer compete.

RS Mag's Top 500 Songs #341-350

341. Spirit in the Sky: Norman Greenbaum- One of the most bizarre songs ever…

342. Sweet Jane: The Velvet Underground- A rock gospel song is back to back with the Velvet Underground? Now that is funny.

343. Wild Horses: The Rolling Stones- I saw Bob Saget make fun of this song once. He is not funny.

344. Beat It: Michael Jackson- Eddie Van Halen on guitar. The one great thing about eighties music is its ability to crossover. Nowadays, it’s extremely compartmentalized and segregated.

345. Beautiful Day: U2- The world is falling apart, but it’s a beautiful day. Dark lyrics about someone whose life is falling apart. Despite this, they are happy.

346. Walk This Way: Aerosmith- Great riff, great lyrics, great song.

347. Maybe I’m Amazed: Paul McCartney- Recorded as the Beatles broke up, Paul was holding back.

348. You Keep Me Hangin’ On: The Supremes- Morse Code in a song?

349. Baba O’Riley: The Who- This is about 300 spots too low.

350. The Harder They Come: Jimmy Cliff- In between puffs of ganja, reggae artists sang happy songs of oppression and revolution.

RS Magazine's Top 500 Songs #351-370

351. Runaround Sue: Dion- Dion combines doo-wop with rock and blues to sing about a girl named Sue…although Sue’s real name was apparently Roberta.

352. Jim Dandy: Lavern Baker- Speaking of cutting loose. Wow.

353. Piece of My Heart: Big Brother and Holding Company- Janis Joplin really cuts loose.

354. La Bamba: Ritchie Valens- Valens turned an old Mexican folk song into a major hit.

355. California Love: Dr. Dre and Tupac- A hip hop song with music? Oops. I think they sampled again.

356. Candle in the Wind: Elton John- Another song that never dies.

357. That Lady: The Isley Brothers- Reminds me of Ron Burgundy‘s pool party.

358. Spanish Harlem: Ben E. King- I am not sure how King is not in the rock hall.

359. The Loco-Motion: Little Eva- I hate this song.

360. The Great Pretender: The Platters- The Platters were the first R&B group to hit #1. It was back when R&B was R&B.

361. All Shook Up: Elvis Presley- Like this wasn’t going to be in the Top 500.

362. Tears in Heaven: Eric Clapton- This is one of the saddest songs ever written.

363. Watching the Detectives: Elvis Costello- Inspired by the Clash.

364. Bad Moon Rising: Creedence Clearwater Revival- One of the most misheard lyrics…there’s a bathroom on the right.

365. Sweet Dreams: The Eurythmics- A defining song for the 80s. Make your dreams come true, make money, etc etc.

366. Little Wing: The Jimi Hendrix Experience- A second Hendrix ballad…what gives?

367. Nowhere to Run: Martha and the Vandellas- Martha found this out first hand during the last election.

368. Got My Mojo Working: Muddy Waters- Nothing is better than a fully functional mojo.

369. Killing Me Softly With His Song: Roberta Flack- The Fugees brought this back in the 90s.

370. All You Need is Love: The Beatles- Probably the hokiest song ever written. It could only come from the flower power years. Guess what? Flower power didn't work.

RS Magazine's Top 500 Songs of All Time #391-400

391. Tell It Like It Is: Aaron Neville- I actually had never heard this one before, so I really can’t comment…

392. Bittersweet Symphony: The Verve- Generally considered one of those pieces that speaks for a generation.

393. Whipping Post: The Allman Brothers Band- White guys can do the blues…and sympathize with black guys.

394. Ticket to Ride: The Beatles- The Beatles used the then-radical technique known as the fadeout here.

395. Ohio: Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young- One of the best primary sources of the Vietnam Era.

396. I Know You Got Soul: Eric B and Rakim- Nothing like stealing…er sampling the Jacksons.

397. Tiny Dancer: Elton John- I am not sure this is necessarily better than 103 other songs, but whatever.

398. Roxanne: The Police- Another song about hookers.

399. Just My Imagination: The Temptations- Who remembers Live Aid? They closed the show. Nowadays, say Philadelphia singing superstar and Will Smith probably comes to mind. Then again, maybe not.

400. Baby I Need Your Lovin’: The Four Tops- I forgot how great the Four Tops were until reviewing this.

RS Mag Top 500 Songs #401-420

401. Summer in the City: Lovin’ Spoonful- Another moment in time song. The song captures urban America and makes a good soundtrack to the sixties riots.

402. O-o-h Child: The Five Stairsteps- A nicely crafted song. It out Jacksoned the Jackson Five.

403. Can’t Help Falling in Love: Elvis- Of course this is here. While working at Harmony House, I once had someone come in looking for “Wise Man Said.”

404. Remember (Walking in the Sand): The Shangri-Las- Aerosmith later covered this. It’s a classic.

405. (Don’t Fear the Reaper): Blue Oyster Cult- I have a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell!

406. Thirteen: Big Star- Instead of irony and angst, Alex Chilton wrote a song celebrating adolescence.

407. Sweet Home Alabama: Lynyrd Skynyrd- Skynyrd’s response to Neil Young’s “Southern Man.”

408. Enter Sandman: Metallica- The only Metallica song to make it. They could replace some of the Hip Hop crapola with a couple of early Metallica works.

409. Tonight’s the Night: The Shirelles- The Shirelles like to flirt with censors with their stuff. This is an example.

410. Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin): Sly and the Family Stone- The first of six Sly songs. Everyone has heard this one.

411. C’mon Everybody: Eddie Cochrane- Nice guitar on this. Cochrane continues to play the bad boy.

412. Umbrella: Rihanna- She has little talent, but great handlers. They find her stuff that works with her non-existent singing voice. This is a perfect mid-2000s pop song, but does not belong on a best of list.

413. Visions of Johanna: Bob Dylan- Dylan examines loneliness.

414. We’ve Only Just Begun: The Carpenters- Another perfect pop song. A good example of the easy listening/soft rock genre.

415. In Bloom: Nirvana- Nirvana criticizes rednecks and some of their own fans.

416. Sweet Emotion: Aerosmith- Aerosmith’s first hit was an all-time classic. Growing up in Detroit, it grew omnipresent.

417. Monkey Gone to Heaven: The Pixies- Here’s one from left field. Have not heard this in at least a decade.

418. I Feel Love: Donna Summer- If you like dance music, this is one of the most important dance songs ever. If not, then it’s just WTF?

419. Ode to Billie Joe: Bobbie Gentry- BORING!

420. The Girl Can’t Help It: Little Richard- Little Richard is singing about Jayne Mansfield. This song accompanied the first rock n roll movie.

RS Mag Top 500 Songs #421-430

421. Young Blood: The Coasters- This was their first big hit. The vocals sound a bit advanced for the period. IMO the Coasters have had better songs.

422. I Can't Help Myself: The Four Tops- The second Four Tops hit.

423. The Boys of Summer: Don Henley- Lost youth and lost love make good song material. Henley tweaked his seventies Eagles sound a bit and added a haunting guitar. This reminds me of 1984-85.

424. Juicy: The Notorious BIG- Jan Wenner probably figured he needed a token Biggie Smalls song, so he tossed in this.

425. Fuck tha Police: NWA- Is this ghetto reporting or just guys trying to make a buck? Either way, it was a milestone for hip hop as the genre moved away from Run DMC.

426. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes: Crosby, Stills, & Nash- This is one of my least favorite songs ever. However, the three vocal harmonies were revolutionary.

427. Nuthin' But a G Thang: Dr. Dre- Another milestone for hip hop. Reminds me of 1993!

428. It's Your Thing: The Isley Brothers- It's about freedom...and has since ended up in commercials and television shows galore.

429. Piano Man: Billy Joel- Getting hip deep into iconic songs now.

430. Blue Suede Shoes: Elvis- Total awesomeness.

RS Magazine's Top 500 Songs #431-450

431. William, It Was Really Nothing: The Smiths- This is the Smiths' best work. It's about teen sex and a love triangle. Morrisey is particularly tortured here.

432. American Idiot: Green Day-Green Day branches out and ends up getting compared with the Clash. The American Idiot album captured the zeitgeist of the time better than any other album.

433. Tumbling Dice: The Rolling Stones-Mick thought the song was weak. Audiences love it.

434. Smoke on the Water: Deep Purple- Greatest riff of all time.

435. New Year's Day: U2- This made U2 stars and demonstrated their progression out of the New Wave/post punk movement.

436. Everybody Needs Somebody to Love: Solomon Burke- Another Blues Brothers hit.

437. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais: The Clash- The Clash branch out from punk and become the "only band that matters." Using reggae, the song's themes include anti-racism and a tirade against selling out.

438. Ain't That a Shame: Fats Domino- Just an awesome song.

439. Midnight Train to Georgia: Gladys Knight and the Pips- I am amazed at the staying power of this song. Must have been huge in the fall of 1973.

440. Ramble On: Led Zeppelin- Who would have thought groupies and Lord of the Rings would go together?

441. Mustang Sally: Wilson Pickett- This is just great.

442. Alone Again Or: Love- Another one that I never would have included.

443. Beast of Burden: The Rolling Stones- The most overrated Stones song.

444. Love Me Tender: Elvis Presley-This one puts me to sleep.

445. I Wanna Be Your Dog: The Stooges- The essence of rock is in this song.

446. Push It: Salt n Peppa- Not sure why this is here.

447. Pink Houses: John Cougar Mellencamp- An eighties version of "This Land is Your Land."

448. In da Club: 50 Cent- OVER-RATED

449. Come Go With Me: The Dell Vikings-The Dell-Vikings were the first successful multiracial group which is probably why this made the cut.

450. I Shot the Sheriff: Bob Marley and the Wailers- I shot the sheriff sounds better than the original title "I Shot the Police." It makes it an outlaw song as well as a protest song and hence less objectionable. I find the vocals amusing.

RS Magazine's Top 500 Songs #451-470

451. I Got You Babe: Sonny and Cher-This is an odd choice.

452. Come As You Are: Nirvana- A definitive song of the period. One of the few grunge songs that was actually grungy.

453. Pressure Drop: Toots and the Maytals- A catchy reggae hit from the early 70s. Never would have thought of this one.

454. Leader of the Pack: The Shangri-Las- A little overrated, but it does have a motorcycle on it.

455. Heroin: The Velvet Underground- One of the first alternative songs...before alternative was a term.

456. Penny Lane: The Beatles- McCartney's reaction to Lennon's "Strawberry Fields." Both real places from their childhood.

457. The Twist: Chubby Checker- Began a dance craze. Check out Chubby's psychedelic stuff!

458. Cupid: Sam Cooke- Can't complain about Sam Cooke.

459. Paradise City: Guns n Roses- Some of the best guitar work ever.

460. My Sweet Lord: George Harrison- The first hit for an ex-Beatle...best known for the lawsuits it spawned.

461. Sheena is a Punk Rocker: The Ramones- If you want to know what New York was like in 1977, listen to this one. This captures a moment.

462. All Apologies: Nirvana- Another defining moment for the early nineties.

463. Soul Man: Sam and Dave- Yes, this was not a Blues Brothers song.

464. Kiss: Prince- Genius. Nothing has sounded like this ever.

465. Rollin' Stone: Muddy Waters- Heavily influential blues tune from 1948. The Rolling Stones took their name from Muddy Waters' song.

466. Get Ur Freak On: Missy Elliot- It is included because of the Indian music in the background, but the Beatles had already done that. This has no business being here.

467. Big Pimpin': Jay-Z- This came out after a decade of other rappers doing their own "Big Pimpin'." Nothing to see here, next!

468. Respect Yourself: The Staples Singers- Before Bruce Willis, the Staples Singers told the black community of the early seventies to respect themselves.

469. Rain: The Beatles- This was the first use of backward tape and Ringo's best drumming.   

470. Standing in the Shadows of Love- The Four Tops- One of those songs that defined a change in Motown's sound to a darker, harder edge.

RS Magazines Top 500 Songs #471-480

471. Surrender: Cheap Trick- Catchy and captures the spirit of being 14.

472. Runaway: Del Shannon- Underrated. Should be a lot higher.

473. Welcome to the Jungle: Guns n Roses- One of those songs that changed everything. Then, Axl lost his mind.

474. Into the Mystic: Van Morrison- To quote Homer Simpson: BORING!

475. Where Did Our Love Go: The Supremes- The Supremes first hit after 8 flops. Wonder if a label would stick with someone that long nowadays?

476. Do Right Woman-Do Right Man: Aretha Franklin- Great vocals. This song would never have come to me for something like this.

477. How Soon is Now?: The Smiths- I wondered when this one would appear.

478. Last Nite: The Strokes- Doesn't belong here. They swiped the riff from Tom Petty.

479. I Want to Know What Love Is: Foreigner- A cheesy ballad?

480. Sabotage: The Beastie Boys- They'll be playing this one in the 23rd century!

RS Magazine's Top 500 Songs #481-490

481. Super Freak: Rick James- An all time classic that got second life when MC Hammer sampled it.

482. Since U Been Gone: Kelly Clarkson- Nothing special here. Pissed off chick? Been there heard that. Uber-catchy pop song? Ditto. Karaoke Contest winner makes it big? Well that is different.

483. White Rabbit: Jefferson Airplane- Where would the 60s have been without drug songs?

484. Cry Me a River: Justin Timberlake- Granted, it is a higher quality song than most pop songs of the period, but nothing he's done deserves recognition on this particular countdown.

485. Lady Marmalade: Labelle- Yes before Christina and the Whorehouse gang, Labelle gave us a tour of a brothel. Where would popular music be without the brothel? La Grange, Honkey Tonk Women, House of the Rising Son, etc etc.

486. Young Americans: David Bowie- Luther Vandross sang backup on this one. Bowie went from glam to white R&B here.

487. I'm Eighteen: Alice Cooper- Alice went from shock rock to the Muppet Show. Before going all Kermity, he summed up the late teens better than anyone else before!

488.  Just Like Heaven: The Cure- Show me show me show me...

489. Under the Boardwalk: The Drifters- I saw ESPN's Primetime crew do this song at one of the Superbowls years ago...Berman kind of wrecked the song for me.

490. Clocks: Coldplay- They play this at the Copa when the Tigers lose. Chris Martin produced one of the more recognizable piano riffs in years. Ironically, the song is about urgency and the band almost held it back. Of the six songs from the 2000s thus far, this is the second one that belongs on the list.

Rolling Stone Magazines Top 500 Songs (#491-500)

491. I Love Rock n Roll: Joan Jett- Great riff. Classic rock song. Iconic eighties.

492. I Will Survive: Gloria Gaynor- The theme song of the Carter Years! It quickly became a woman's anthem. Since then, the gay community has adopted it.

493. Time to Pretend: MGMT- WTF??? Reminds me of bubble gum pop from the seventies. The video is an acid trip.

494. Ignition (Remix): R Kelly- Nothing special here. Heard this a million times by a million different people.

495. Brown Sugar: The Rolling Stones- After Altamont, the Stones decided to go low key. So, they wrote a song about slaves sold down in New Orleans and working the cotton fields. Of course, the object of the song is a young girl that is as sweet as brown sugar.

496. Running on Empty: Jackson Browne- Yet another undervalued song. Browne says a lot about society at the time. Although a rock song, it's a better country song than most of today's country!

497. The Rising: Bruce Springsteen- This might be the only song of last decade worthy of the list. A song of hope following 911. If you like this one, check out Lonesome Day.

498. Miss You: The Rolling Stones- I remember when this came out. It was everywhere. Bill Wyman's best work!

499. Buddy Holly: Weezer- This is now a classic with a top notch video. Again, why so low?

500. Shop Around: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles- This is the first of three Smokey songs. I am surprised it is this low especially since there are 27 songs from the aughts on the list.