The Greatest Rock Songs of All Time
Roger L. Simon put up a post about Rolling Stone Magazine's selection of the top 500 rock songs of all time. Here's the top 20:
Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
Imagine, John Lennon
What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
Respect, Aretha Franklin
Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys
Johnny B Goode, Chuck Berry
Hey Jude, The Beatles
Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
What'd I Say, Ray Charles
My Generation, The Who
A Change is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke
Yesterday, The Beatles
Blowin' in the Wind, Bob Dylan
London Calling, The Clash
I Want to Hold Your Hand, The Beatles
Purple Haze, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Maybellene, Chuck Berry
Hound Dog, Elvis Presley
Let It Be, The Beatles
"Imagine" is the obvious clunker on that list, ridiculously overrated at #3. The only song I'm not familiar with is the Sam Cooke tune. There are only two songs from after I graduated high school, and that was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. One obvious thing; all those songs are singles; there are no extended tunes in there, no "Stairway to Heaven" or "Layla" (neither of which is a particular favorite of mine, but they usually get thrown into these lists).