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Rolling Stone 500 Best Songs of All Time

cncl
Diamond in the Rough

Rolling Stone 500 Best Songs of All TimeRolling Stone 500 Best Songs of All Time

In 2004, Rolling Stone published its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It’s one of the most widely read stories in our history, viewed hundreds of millions of times on this site. But a lot has changed since 2004; back then the iPod was relatively new, and Billie Eilish was three years old. So we’ve decided to give the list a total reboot. To create the new version of the RS 500 we convened a poll of more than 250 artists, musicians, and producers — from Angelique Kidjo to Zedd, Sam Smith to Megan Thee Stallion, M. Ward to Bill Ward — as well as figures from the music industry and leading critics and journalists. They each sent in a ranked list of their top 50 songs, and we tabulated the results.

Nearly 4,000 songs received votes. Where the 2004 version of the list was dominated by early rock and soul, the new edition contains more hip-hop, modern country, indie rock, Latin pop, reggae, and R&B. More than half the songs here — 254 in all — weren’t present on the old list, including a third of the Top 100. The result is a more expansive, inclusive vision of pop, music that keeps rewriting its history with every beat.

17 Replies

AlyssaPandora
Community Manager
Community Manager

Nice, @cncl.

Thanks for sharing! I'll have to check this out. 🎧

Alyssa | Community Manager
Join the discussion in Community Chat
Let's make a playlist together: It's Spooky Season!

UncleBud
Chart Topper

@cncl Hey! Thanks for the post. I was hoping it included a link for a playlist containing the Top 500 songs of all time. I would have collected that playlist for sure.

@cncl I like your post it is a great topic for sure, about a year or so ago @AlyssaPandora and I had a discussion about this very topic, I was looking at this very article online, it was Rolling Stone Magazine online, I had disagreed with their #1 song of choice of all time. It is (was) a Bob Dylan song, out of all the songs that have ever been written and sung, according to Bob Dylan Chart History | Billboard he has had no #1 songs ever, only 4 top 10 and 23 that made the top 100, and yet he has the #1 song of all time. Would you agree with that choice? @AlyssaPandora had also disagreed with their #1 choice. But anyway, this has the makings of a great discussion as well as even a great debate over who should or shouldn't be in the top 500. Great post, you take care and stay safe.

P.S Just so you and everyone else knows, I am a Bob Dylan fan, I just disagree with the choice of #1 all-time song. Be safe. 

MOHLovesAlaska

Suge
Diamond in the Rough

But I agree

Gina Suge V.

@Suge that is what I love about these topics, you can love to agree. and love to disagree. This topic can be argued for months on end and everyone would still come up with different top 10, 100, and 500 all-time songs. I'm actually considering making up my top 500 and posting them here in the community. I'm actually more interested in the reaction it would create. But that is what makes it fun as well as exciting. I'm not one that likes to debate anything, but sometimes you need to stand your ground on certain subjects, beliefs, and various relationships. However, this is one topic that will have countless upon countless opinions. as well as a topic that should hold back on arguing due to the fact that music is loved by billions of people, and we all have our different tastes in love for the music we do love. Well, I hope you have a great Sunday and a great beginning to your week. You take care and stay safe.

MOHLovesAlaska

Suge
Diamond in the Rough

Well said....what a boring country we would be if we had exact tastes ideas etc...me personally for me and what I love in my music I agree LoL

Gina Suge V.

UncleBud
Chart Topper

@MOHLovesAlaska Good post. I too don't like to argue or be involved in any kind of confrontation. I imagine if everyone here were to post their top 100 songs each would vary.

@Suge You're right. It would be a boring world of we all had the same likes. 

I've actually learned a few things while checking out various posts. 1 guy mentioned Dubstep to me the other day. I wasn't familiar with that genre of music. @MOHLovesAlaska  actually told me what out was. I listened to a Dubstep station for about an hour that day. I didn't thumbs up any of it but at least now I can say I've heard Dubstep. 

cncl
Diamond in the Rough

Hi @UncleBud - if you click on the image in the post it should take you to the playlist on Pandora. Thanks!

cncl
Diamond in the Rough

I don't necessarily agree with all 500 of these songs included in the RS list, but I do like the conversation that it generates. And it's definitely fun having a playlist with 500 "great" songs to listen to!

UncleBud
Chart Topper

Thanks @cncl I'll collect that playlist and listen to it later this evening.

paquem8
Local Performer

The playlist in the link has 499 songs. Which one is missing?

@paquem8 here is the link for the top 500 songs of all time, it counts from 500 up to the #1 song they (Rolling Stone Magazine) voted all time. 500 Best Songs of All Time - Rolling Stone. Take care and stay safe. 

MOHLovesAlaska
0 Kudos

cncl
Diamond in the Rough

It's missing "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" by X-Ray Spex because that version of the song went to Radio-Only. I'm going to check again today to see if I can find a good replacement for it. It was up for the first week or two.

0 Kudos

cncl
Diamond in the Rough

I just added a live version of that song, so it's back to 500 songs.

artisvida
Opening Act

Such a diverse list. I definitely saw a few of my favorite tracks up there! Also some that I'd have to checkout. 

paquem8
Local Performer

Thanks for putting this playlist together. It’s great to put it on shuffle and enjoy all the great songs. 

cncl
Diamond in the Rough

Agree @paquem8 ! It's also great to listen to chronologically and pick up where you last left away day after day.