Most influential songs of all time (either musically or lyrically)

I sent my girlfriend the song "Frankie Teardrop" to listen to. I'm 21 and she's 18, a fan of Miley Cyrus and Iggy Azalea. Of course, like many probably have before, she got scared once Alan Vega started screaming after Frankie shot himself in the music and turned it off, but I tried to explain how important and how influential the song was lyrically and musically (the sparse instrumentation obviously helped the atmosphere of the piece) to many people, including The Boss himself, and potentially many others that even she enjoys listening to.

What are some songs (or albums) that you think have influenced artists and have entirely crossed the spectrum of musical deity, either production wise, song wise or lyric wise?

 

Chuck Berry (style), The Beatles (songwriting), Miles Davis (approach), Dylan (lyrics)

Off the top de domé

Edit: I almost feel like those names hardly even bear mentioning, for the obvious reason of how well known their influence is.

Now CAN is a somewhat more obscure group who was highly influential.

Another slightly less than mainstream artist who I feel had a significant influence on our beloved mid to late 20th century artists would be Stockhousen. He deserve much credit IMO.

 

T0morrow Never Knows was very influential. Even into the 90's and the Chemical Brothers.

 

Pretty sure the OP said songs/albums, not artist..



But still haha

 

This is true, but artists are fine too. Sometimes an artist is more influential than their body of work.

Anything, really, that influenced somebody. Unltravox, an artist, influenced Gary Numan substantially. He mentioned some songs that he liked but he cited the artist as a whole.

 

Revolution 9. Seriously. It introduced countless millions to experimental music. I've long contended that it could very well be the Beatles single most influential track.

 

It s absolutely impossible to name one song as the most influential-it really is.

 

Rock Around the Clock
Johnny B. Goode
Rapper's Delight
Smells Like Teen Spirit

 

Welcome to Psychedelia

 

Probably Beethoven's setting of Schiller's "An Die Freude", AKA "Ode to Joy."

Freude, schöner Götterfunken,
Tochter aus Elisium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken
Himmlische, dein Heiligthum.


Deine Zauber binden wieder,
was der Mode Schwerd getheilt;
Bettler werden Fürstenbrüder,
wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. . .

It influenced many composers to come. It was the first really successful "Anthem" for "the crowd'. It presents the notion of an essentially "Popular"—strophic, singable, no complicated musical twists and turns—tune making the bridge from low culture to high. If you know the tune, know the historical impact, you can hear how it eventually becomes a template for Rock Anthems and "Big Tunes" on Broadway.

 

Video Killed the Radio Star

 

"A heralding work in the emerging psychedelic rock style, Pet Sounds signaled an aesthetic trend within rock by transforming it from dance music into music that was made for listening to, elevating itself to the level of art rock. It was one of the first rock concept albums, and has been suggested to follow a lyrical song cycle format,although Wilson has maintained that the album's real unified theme lies within its cohesive production style. Writer Bill Martin said that within Pet Sounds, "[The Beach Boys] brought expansions in harmony, instrumentation (and therefore timbre), duration, rhythm, and the use of recording technology. Of these elements, the first and last were the most important in clearing a pathway toward the development of progressive rock." Beyond pop and rock, Pet Sounds expanded the field of music production."

 

In terms of rock music, I would say the 1955 7" Bo Diddley/I'm a Man was a key record. Rock & Roll fused with African Rhythms - it influenced many of the great 60's artists (Stones, Velvets et al)

 

James Brown Live at the Apollo (1963)

 

The first song that was ever written.

 

And before that, grunts and groans.

 

Whiter Shade of Pale

 

And this was influenced by John Coltrane.

 

It sounds like it.

 

Rumble--Link Wray

 

"Hey Jude" launched the glam-rock genre.

 

Chimes Blues - King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

First recording session where Louis Armstrong takes a solo. April 5, 1923

 

Stagger Lee has to be up there for its influence on virtually all music (punk, rap, metal, whatever) that covers unapologetically violent and grim subject material.

 

Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone"