Greatest Songs Of All Time

[Caesar of Bread]

Hi! Recently, I read the Rolling Stone’s Greatest Songs, and I felt a bit unsatisfied. So, I was wondering, what are the top 5/10/20 greatest songs in your opinion? This includes personal opinion and also if these songs had impacted the musical world.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

What I like about a song is if it tells a story, moves me to experience emotions, if it's clever/complex in some way, if it's fun, if it inspires my writing, makes me feel like dancing or keeping time to it... and I really could not care less if songs that do one or more of these have had any significant impact on the musical world. I like what I like. Sometimes it's what other people like. Sometimes it's one that only I can hear, if I'm writing a filksong and it isn't one that was performed at BanffCon back in the 1990s.

A few minutes ago I listened to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". That's one of my go-to songs for cheering up. Somewhere in OT I posted the YT video that I just watched, plus a video of The Tokens performing it over half a century ago. It's incredible that they're still able to do such a terrific job of singing it.

 

[AmazonQueen]

A list that has changed over the years and is subject to arbitrary change at any time but heres 5 in no particular order other than that in which I thought of them.

• Life During Wartime, Talking Heads
• Labour, Paris Paloma
• Gloria, Patti Smith
• Sheela Na Gig, PJ Harvey
• Life On Mars, David Bowie

I've already thought of more but I'll stop now.

 

[QarQing]

Some greatest songs include:
1. Cool-Jonas Brothers
2. Blinding Lights-Weeknd
3. Die for you-Weeknd
4. Young, Wild and Free-Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa

 

[PhroX]

My all time favourite is Dire Straits' Telegraph Road and has been for a long time. I've never really been able to settle on anything after that when it comes to ranking music.

 

[EvaDK]

David Bowie, my favorite male singer - Heroes

Anneke van Giersbergen, my favorite female singer - Travel (with The Gathering)

Pink Floyd, favorite band no1 - Comfortably Numb

Iron Maiden, favorite metal band - Hallowed By Thy Name

Nina Hagen, favorite weirdo - Naturträne

 

[Valka D'Ur]

One song that resulted in a whole new musical experience for me is "The Sound of Silence." The actual Simon & Garfunkel version is slow, sad, and moved me to tears.

That said... a few years ago on FB, someone posting on my MLA's page got fed up with her never answering anyone's questions. So he posted a link to "The Sound of Silence."

On a whim I decided to listen to it, and then noticed some different versions in the recommendations. One was played on a zither - very cool, as I'd never heard zither music before.

Another was with panflutes and other South American native instruments. That was enough to get me to check out what else Wuauquikuna has done, and I'm now very definitely a fan of their style of music.

They've since put out a different version as a music video with sweeping vistas from Ecuador, but this is the version that got me hooked on their music:

 

[Caesar of Bread]

Here‘s my top 20 (song - musician/s - genre)
I wold have added Hallelujah, November Rain, and Total Eclipse of the Heart if I had enough room

20. Sweet Child O’ Mine - Guns And Roses - rock or Edge of Seventeen - Stevie Nicks - rock
19. Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan - rock
18. Have You Ever Seen The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival - rock
17. All You Need Is Love - The Beatles - rock
16. She’s A Rainbow - The Rolling Stones - rock
15. All Apologies - Nirvana - grunge
14. Stayin Alive - Bee Gees - disco
13. September - Earth, Wind, And Fire - disco
12. ”Queen of the Night” from The Magic Flute - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Classical
11. Once In A Lifetime - Talking Heads - rock
10. Hey Jude - The Beatles - rock
9. ”Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity” from The Planets - Gustav Holst - Classical
8. Baba O’Riley - The Who - rock
7. ”Nessun Dorma“ from Turandot - Giacomo Puccini - Classical
6. I Am The Walrus - The Beatles - rock
5. Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd - rock
4. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen - rock
3. Take On Me - aha - pop
2. Respect - Aretha Franklin - soul
1. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin - rock or Baby Got Back

 

[Zardnaar]

These tyoe of lists are always dominated by boomer rock type songs. Usually by who writes them.

Probably whatever you listened to age 10-30.

 

[Kyriakos]

How is this even a question

 

[Hygro]

Some greatest songs include:
1. Cool-Jonas Brothers
2. Blinding Lights-Weeknd
3. Die for you-Weeknd
4. Young, Wild and Free-Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa

I love the Weeknd. The full version (not the radio edit!!!!) of Take My Breath is a masterpiece, especially if heard after How Do I Make You Love Me.

 

[Farm Boy]

I have a hard time topping Adagio for Strings and Four Seasons. Amazing Grace is up there. I guess I like UMH#593, Here I Am, Lord.

 

[Hygro]

I have a hard time topping Adagio for Strings and Four Seasons. Amazing Grace is up there. I guess I like UMH#593, Here I Am, Lord.

Oooh Adagio for Strings is definitely a contender. Edit: And amazing Grace.

I would give Beethoven's 5th's opening notes as the greatest motif.

 

[Lexicus]

The best song ever is They Reminisce Over You by Pete Rock and CL Smooth.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Top five:

1. One from the Beatles
2. One from the Stones
3. One from Joni Mitchell
4. One from Emmy Lou Harris
5. One TBD

 

[Birdjaguar]

Hallelujah...and Total Eclipse of the Heart

Certainly contenders.

 

[Lexicus]

Other top-tier songs:

A Change is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke (tbh kind of amazed no one posted this yet) - soul
Little Wing, Jimi Hendrix - rock
The World Is Yours, Nas - hip-hop
I Am I Be, De La Soul - hip-hop
Moment of Truth, Gang Starr - hip-hop
Sunshine, Atmosphere -hip-hop
Keep the Beat, Eric B. and Rakim - hip-hop
C.R.E.A.M., Wu-Tang Clan - hip-hop
Misty, Sarah Vaughan - jazz
Respiration, Black Star - hip-hop
Rock Steady, Aretha Franklin - R&B?
Mathematics, Mos Def - hip-hop
Moon in Cancer, Urban Thermo Dynamics - hip-hop
The live performance of What's Goin on and What's Happenin Brother by Marvin Gaye in Chicago, 1972 - R&B
Act Too: The Love of My Life, The Roots ft. Common - hip-hop
What They Do, The Roots - hip-hop
I Used to Love H.E.R., Common - hip-hop

 

[lymond]

Which version of Hallelujah though? While Cohen was certainly great, I tend to like Buckley's version best.

Yep, Stairway at like around 60 was redonkulous. Easily top 5 song, if not #1. "Day in the Life" is my favorite Beatles song. It's there but shoulda been much much higher. As should "Creep" by Radiohead which has just had great longevity - the acoustical version opened GOTG 3. I think "Paranoid Android" should have had a nod at least.

"Queen of the Night" is def one of my favorite operatic pieces.

 

[AmazonQueen]

I wold have added Hallelujah

Whose version? I long favoured Leonard Cohen over more recent covers but another version is oft overlooked.

 

[Caesar of Bread]

Whose version? I long favoured Leonard Cohen over more recent covers but another version is oft overlooked.

Leonard Cohen