From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2004. It was chosen based on votes by 172 musicians, critics, and industry figures. Rather than focusing on the quality and lyrics of the songs (as the title would suggest), the list rather credits songs based on their success and impact upon the world. It is argued that in some cases songs were included for the sake of the artist, rather than for the song itself. As with numerous such lists, the choices are a source of debate for many.

The top ten songs are:

1. "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan
2. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones
3. "Imagine" by John Lennon
4. "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye
5. "Respect" by Aretha Franklin
6. "Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys
7. "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry
8. "Hey Jude" by The Beatles
9. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
10. "What'd I Say" by Ray Charles

The list is composed largely of American and British artists: out of the 500 songs, 357 are from the US and 117 from the UK; the third most represented country is Canada with 10 entries, then Ireland with 8. The list includes just one song not sung in English (La Bamba by Ritchie Valens) and only three songs from the 21st century. The oldest song on the list is Muddy Waters' "Rollin' Stone" from 1948 (ranked #459). The only other song from the 1940s is Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" from 1949 (#111). The most recent is OutKast's 2003 hit "Hey Ya!" (#180) — the other songs from the current millennium being "Lose Yourself" and "Stan" by Eminem. With 23 songs on the list, The Beatles are the most represented musical act; as with all artists who made it to the top ten list, only 1 of their songs placed therein (unlike their 4 albums in the top 10 of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time). The Beatles are followed by The Rolling Stones (14 entries); Bob Dylan, who also topped the list with "Like a Rolling Stone", (12 entries); Elvis Presley (11 entries); The Beach Boys and Jimi Hendrix (seven entries each) and Chuck Berry, U2, James Brown, Prince, Led Zeppelin and Sly & The Family Stone (six entries each).

When the article ran in the 2004 issue, musicians Brian Wilson, Tom Morello, Brandon Boyd, Solomon Burke, James Hetfield, ?uestlove, Ray Manzarek, Slash, Axl Rose, Ozzy Osbourne and Maya Ford all were featured in a column each about their personal ten favorite songs.

Three songs made it onto the list twice under different artists:

• "Blue Suede Shoes," by Carl Perkins (1956; #95), covered by Elvis Presley (1956; #423)
• "Mr. Tambourine Man," by Bob Dylan (1965; #106), covered by The Byrds (1965; #79)
• "Walk This Way," by Aerosmith (1975; #336), remade with Run-D.M.C. (1987; #287)

• Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
• Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time

• List at RollingStone.com
• A BBC News story about the list