Rolling Stones Top 500 songs of all time , by artist
(see News story on home page for link to list)


The Beatles - 23 songs
Rolling Stones - 14
Bob Dylan - 12
Elvis Presley - 11
Jimi Hendrix - 7
The Beach Boys - 7
Prince - 6
U2 - 6
Sly and the Family Stone - 6
Led Zeppelin - 6
James Brown - 6
Chuck Berry - 6


Rolling Stone snubs

Bee Gees - 2 songs
The Doors - 2
The Eagles - 2
Fleetwood Mac - 2
Michael Jackson - 2
The Police - 2
Queen - 2
Billy Joel - 1
Madonna - 1
Parliment -1
[Edited 11/23/04 5:38am]

23 Beatles songs, what's the point?

Martinelli said:

right?

Donna Summer get any? If not, for shame!

How many did Bowie get?

VinnyM27 said:

"I Feel Love" and "Hot Stuff" redefined dance music. They should be on the list.

Why can't anyone ever spell Led Zeppelin correctly?

VoicesCarry said:

Hot Stuff - #103
I Feel Love - #411

endorphin74 said:

look, i love the beatles to death, but this shit's just crazy.

Martinelli said:

for that matter, what about stevie. If Bowie and stevie don't have as many as prince I'll shoot someone

damosuzuki said:

Nothing wrong with that!

Anxiety said:

I hate to play the contrarian all the time, but...


My belief is just that this is a reflection of the fact that the Beatles musical legacy continues to tower over everything that’s been created since their day. They wrote and recorded several dozen perfect pop songs that have become standards in a fairly short period of time. I honestly feel that, if anything, they’re probably under-represented on this list, as another 23 Beatles songs of equal quality could easily have been dropped into it.

The Beatles stand above every other popular music artist of the second half of the century IMO. I don’t see the Rolling Stones or Bob Dylan as being their peers. The Beatles peers are Cole Porter, Louis Armstrong, Irving Berlin - genuine artists who've created a body of work that will transcend the trends of their time.

But the real question is who got left off???

Who got the "button jeans"...???

(501)

I kill me!

damosuzuki said:

I would definitely add Duke Ellington and a few others to the list of people you mentioned, but from glazing over that list it doesn't look as though ANY of those pre-rock musical greats are represented (granted I wasn't perusing it thoroughly). Furthermore, maybe this is just because I'm a huge fan of Stevie, but I think Stevie is to R&B what the Beatles are to Rock N Roll, and I think he may be the one musical artist/act since them who's made a body of work comparable to them. It's like Babyface said "When you look at Stevie's body of work, it's like the Beatles, only Stevie's just one guy".

damosuzuki said:

jacktheimprovident said:

Stevie
74.Superstition
104.Living for the City
261.Higher Ground
281.You Are the Sunshine of My Life

Bowie
46.Heroes
127.Changes
277.Ziggy Stardust
481.Young Americans

Did hiphop get any love?

vashti1999 said:

I'm sure you could easily find two or four more songs of theirs that would belong on that list

btw, which Prince songs were on there?
[Edited 11/22/04 22:01pm]

by the way, these threads always seem to discuss the lists before its actually on the newsstands... i think that Eminem cover is still sittin' at 7-Eleven.

CinisterCee said:

very little...here are the rap/hip-hop entries I found

160 Lose Yourself - Eminem
180 Hey Ya - Outkast
290 Stan - Eminem
322 Fight The Power - Public Enemy
346 California Love - Tupac Shakur
417 F**k the Police - N.W.A.
419 Nuthin but a G Thang - Dr Dre
440 Push It - Salt n Pepa
475 Sabatage - Beastie Boys

newpower99 said:

They really have no clue! I can't even begin to tell you what's wrong with all of that.

While I'm happy some 'alterna-legends' such as The Clash, B-52s, The Smiths, The Cure, etc were noted. I have to complain about a few omissions:

The Violent Femmes (I would've included Blister In The Sun)
Jane's Addiction (it's a crime that Jane Says or Three Days isn't on the list)

oh and....Dolly Parton only gets ONE song?

I 'm happy it was "Jolene", but what about other classics such as "9 to 5," or "Coat of Many Colors."

She's one of the most prolific American songwriters EVER and she gets only one nod. whatevs.



I would NEVER be able to make a list like this, ps...but it is fun to rip apart!

endorphin74 said:

Lists like this are always slightly ludicrous because ultimately everyone ends up unsatisfied. We all have our “How could they leave that off?” selections, I’m sure – personally, I would have loved to see Teenage Kicks by the Undertones or I Am the Resurrection on there.

I really do think this is an excellent selection overall though. The top twenty is impeccable - people can dispute anything of course, but if there can ever be such a thing as a consensus in pop music, I’d say this is it.

Browsing through the remainder of the list, I found more than a few items that made me roll my eyes, like:

- Billy f…ing Joel
- Candle in the Goddamned Wind!!!
- We Will Rock You???
- I Believe I Can Fly – yeesh, my neighbours could probably hear my teeth grinding when I saw that one)

But for every choice that made me cringe, there was one or two I was happy to see make an appearance:


- Waterloo Sunset at 42
- Sail Away
- September Gurls at 178
- Summer Babe
- Marquee Moon
- Visions of Johanna [absolutely one of the most stunning songs of the last fifty years, I’d say]
- Alone Again Or by Love!!!

I guess if I had one wish, it’s that RS would have gone the Village Voice route, and just done a massive poll of music critics, rather than choosing a cross-section of performers, industry executives and critics. I actually think that would end up being a much more interesting list – at the very least it wouldn’t be polluted by monstrosities like I Believe I Can Fly.

CinisterCee said:

Eminem? They should be fucking ashamed. Bastards.

newpower99 said:

A couple of tracks were overlooked on your list, I think...

Walk This Way - Run DMC is at 287
The Message is at 51

I'll b very interested as 2 C what the 23 Beatles songs r.
I don't really know what the premise was in putting this list
2gether..but if songs like 'Love me do', 'She loves you & 'I want to hold your hand' are 'all' included I find it a bit odd, because (2 me at least) they r the same 'musical' statement & their cultural resonance is interchangeable ..so therefore I think it undermines a list that aimes 2 b a 'comprehensive' one.. . Not that any such list can b comprehensive but still...u know.. .

As 4 Bowie, like 'Sound & Vision', anyone?

newpower99 said:

If the Beatles can have 23 then the Bee Gees should've had at least a few more.

To Love Somebody
How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
Nights On Broadway
Too Much Heaven

All of those deserve to have been in there. And probably more.

Two for MJ and one for Madonna? Fuck off!!

Guess my Katie didn't even get a mention.

And altho it's cool to see Stevie with four I think he deserved a few more entries.

Bunch of crap.

VoicesCarry said:

Me too. I'm happy!

How many Marvin Gaye songs on the list. He should at least have 3, What's Going On, Inner City Blues and Let's Get It On