Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2021)

A long time ago, I bought the 40 years of Rolling Stone DVD-ROM. I got a kick out of reading album reviews and how they crapped on what are now classics. It's a great DVD-ROM set.

 

Sure! But is this a list of the 500 greatest catchiest songs? If so, where's Allan Sherman or Weird Al?

 

No Riff Raff "Bodybag Full of Swag," no relevant list of 500 greatest anything.

 

“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.”
“More than half the songs here — 254 in all — weren’t present on the old list, including a third of the Top 100. “

 

That song is awesome.

 

It all comes down to the fact that, we can all make lists til the cows come home, but they don't mean much.

The only thing lists are really good for, is bringing someone's attention to something they may not have heard.

In reality, how is it possible to grade
Heartbreak Hotel, A Day In The Life, Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay, Waterloo Sunset, Black Sabbath, Baker Street, Telegraph Road, Close To The Edge etc etc etc.... how is it logically possible to grade those songs against each other? There is no objective level to base a decision on, merely subjective opinion and speculation.

For young music lovers with no point of reference, they are tools towards discovery, but as for value basis discussions, illogical and bewildering.

 

Agreed. To that end, it would have been great if RS built a Spotify playlist for the whole shmear.

 

I would assume some of the previous voters have died/retiredand been replaced with newer ones with different tastes. Or this may be a larger more representative sample of voters. And some of the returning voters may have changed their minds about some songs’ place in the general overall context of things. In the end your subjective favourites will always be king for you.

 

A playlist with a title like "songs worth hearing" or something, makes much more practical and logical sense.

 

You can also see who voted here: Who Voted for the 500 Greatest Songs?

 

Bing bing bing. If any younger voters in this poll pick up the list, sees the selections, read about “God Only Knows,” get intrigued and then hear it for the first time, then the list is worth it. Likewise if an older voter becomes exposed to more recent music, as well.

I think I’ve said this before, but without the 03 RS 500 Greatest Albums list, I wouldn’t have discovered Big Star or Gram Parsons/Flying Burrito Brothers, or gave The Replacements and a few others a serious listen (or at least would have done so much later than I did). It opened my ears like few things would have, especially in a pre-Spotify era.

 

Those RS lists are just as irrelevant as always. I mean, no HEARTBREAK HOTEL, no HONKY TONK WOMEN, no THUNDER ROAD, no HOTEL freakin' CALIFORNIA, no SULTANS OF SWING (in fact nothing at all from Dire Straits!), no ISLAND IN THE SUN... And RESPECT should be Otis' original.

That is not a serious list. Sure, it's a RS list.

 

Is "Balls To The Wall" by Accept anywhere on this list? If not, this list sucks.

 

Pretty good list, considering that it's 2021

 

She loves you, yeah, yeah yeah.
She loves you, yeah, yeah yeah
And with a love like that,
You know you should be glad.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

 

2:21

 

“Thunder Road” and “Hotel California” are on there. Just not in the top 100. I think I saw “Heartbreak Hotel,” as well (and possibly “Honky Tonk Woman”), but I’d have to double check.

 

Is "Calling Dr. Love" by KISS on this list? If not, why not?

 

Did "You Were On My Mind" by We Five make the list?

 

Brought to you by a 20 year old with blue hair.

 

These are the same people who whine about women (of all races, Joan Jett is a literal white rocker and people complain about her inclusion) and POC who dont fit the handful of token "ok, we accept them" (Jimi, Prince, Santana, Stevie, maybe Sly) getting in the Hall but every classic rock two hit wonder is being robbed

 

31: The Rolling Stones, '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
30: Lorde, 'Royals

 

These lists are honestly a load of garbage, primarily because of how ridiculous it is to do this sort of ranking with songs spanning a 70-odd year timeline, and from genres that more often than not are practically impossible to compare.

Agreed with those who suggested that it would be better all round if they just had these songs (and albums, for the album list) in order of release date rather than some arbitrary bulls*it ranking - not unlike how the 1001 book series does it

 

Thanks for the link. It makes me feel better that three members of Anthrax were able to have their voices heard and their votes counted.

 

Here, let me summarize the response for you:

"HEY! THIS SONG CAME OUT AFTER I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND/OR IS IN A MUSICAL STYLE THAT I, PERSONALLY, DO NOT CARE FOR! WHAT THE ****?"