The following is a list of songs taken from my series entitled, “The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History”. This series was inspired by similar lists created by Rolling Stone Magazine, as well as, radio station, KEXP, in Seattle. Each song title listed below is linked directly to the original post that I wrote about it. So, click away and enjoy some of the best music of all-time. *Please note: This particular checklist also contains 25 reader-submitted “Honourable Mention” songs denoted with an “HM”.
#50: 7 Rings by Ariana Grande.
#49: Good Golly, Miss Molly by Little Richard.
#48: Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush.
#47: Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd.
#46: Little Red Rooster by Howlin’ Wolf (and covered by The Rolling Stones).
#45: Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen.
#44: Lola by The Kinks.
#43: Levels by Avicii.
#42: Space Oddity by David Bowie.
#41: The Weight by The Band.
#40: All My Friends by LCD Soundsystem.
#39: Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones.
#38: Hotel California by The Eagles.
#37: Billie Jean by Michael Jackson.
#36: Stop! In The Name of Love by The Supremes.
#35: You Will Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers (+) We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions by Queen.
#34: California Dreamin’ by The Mamas and the Papas.
#33: The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel.
#32: No Auction Block For Me by Odetta (+) Blown’ in the Wind by Bob Dylan (+) A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke.
#31: Jumping’ Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones.
#30: Yesterday by The Beatles.
#29: Soul Man by Sam and Dave (and covered by The Blues Brothers).
#28: Heart of Gold by Neil Young.
#27: Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed.
#26: I’ll Be There by Walk Off The Earth.
HM#1: Popular by Nada Surf.
#25: Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande.
HM#2: Say What You Will by Justin Hines.
#24: How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths.
HM#3: Round Here by Counting Crows.
#23: The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
HM#4: Melt With You by Modern English.
#22: God Only Knows by The Beach Boys.
HM#5: Northwest Passage/Barrett’s Privateers by Stan Rogers.
#21: I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton (and famously covered by Whitney Houston).
HM#6: Man on the Moon by R.E.M.
#20: Case of You by Joni Mitchell.
HM#7: A Place in the Country by Fanny.
#19: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot.
HM#8: La Vie En Rose by Louis Armstrong.
#18: Just Like Heaven by The Cure.
HM#9: Don’t Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie on The King of Rock n’ Roll by Long John Baldry.
#17: Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry.
HM#10: Truly by Lionel Richie.
#16: London Calling by The Clash.
HM#11: Patience by Guns N’ Roses.
#15: Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen.
HM#12: Soak Up The Sun by Sheryl Crow.
#14: Hey Jude by The Beatles.
HM#14: Egg Man by The Beastie Boys.
#13: Hound Dog by Big Mama Thornton (and famously covered by Elvis Presley).
HM#15: Fifty Mission Cap by The Tragically Hip.
#12: Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
HM#16: The Chain by Fleetwood Mac.
#11: Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.
HM#17: Johnny Was by Bob Marley and the Wailers (and covered by Stiff Little Fingers).
#10: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.
HM#18: Lost Weekend by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions.
#09: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen (and covered by Jeff Buckley and KD Lang).
HM#19: What’s Up? by 4 Non-Blondes.
#08: Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan.
HM#20: The Rose by Bette Midler.
#07: Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin.
HM#21: I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You by Elvis Presley.
#06: Let It Be by The Beatles.
HM#22: We Shall Overcome by Pete Seeger.
#05: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones.
HM#23: Oowatanite by April Wine.
#04: Respect by Otis Redding (and famously covered by Aretha Franklin).
HM#24: Sunflower by Post Malone and Swae Lee (from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to “Spiderman Into the Spider-Verse”).
#03: Imagine by John Lennon.
HM#25: Have Not Been The Same by Slow.
#02: Your Song by Elton John.
#01: Abbey Road Medley by The Beatles.
If you wish to access any of the other checklists in this series, please do so by clicking on the links below:
Tom MacInnes, Writer 