Rolling Stone has added a whopping 254 new entries to their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
For the task, the longstanding music publication enlisted the help of over 250 artists, musicians, producers, music trade figures, critics and journalists — from Angelique Kidjo to Zedd, Sam Smith to Megan Thee Stallion, M. Ward to Bill Ward — to form the brand new list, with every person sending a ranked listing of their high 50 songs. Newer songs added to the mix include Lil Nas X’s viral hit “Old Town Road,” Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts,” Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé’s “Savage (Remix),” Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” and Childish Gambino’s “Redbone.”
Rolling Stone first published its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004. According to the mag, it’s one of the most widely read stories in their history, having been viewed hundreds of millions of times on their site. There have been many changes since 2004, when the iPod was still relatively new and Billie Eilish only three years old. So they decided to give their list a complete reboot.
“This time around, almost 4,000 songs received votes,” The publication explains. “Where the 2004 version of the list was dominated by early rock and soul, the new edition contains more hip-hop, modern country, indie rock, Latin pop, reggae, and R&B. More than half the songs here — 254 in all — weren’t present on the old list, including a third of the Top 100. The result is a more expansive, inclusive vision of pop, music that keeps rewriting its history with every beat.”
Check out the Top 50 songs from Rolling Stone’s 500 Best Songs of All Time down below:
1. Aretha Franklin – “Respect”
2. Public Enemy – “Fight The Power”
3. Sam Cooke – “A Change Is Gonna Come”
4. Bob Dylan – “Like A Rolling Stone”
5. Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
6. Marvin Gaye – “What’s Goin’ On”
7. The Beatles – “Strawberry Fields Forever”
8. Missy Elliott – “Get Ur Freak On”
9. Fleetwood Mac – “Dreams”
10. Outkast – “Hey Ya!”
11. The Beach Boys – “God Only Knows”
12. Stevie Wonder – “Superstition”
13. The Rolling Stones – “Gimme Shelter”
14. The Kinks – “Waterloo Sunset”
15. The Beatles – “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
16. Beyoncé Featuring Jay-Z – “Crazy In Love”
17. Queen – “Bohemian Rapsody”
18. Prince and the Revolution – “Purple Rain”
19. John Lennon – “Imagine”
20. Robyn – “Dancing On My Own”
21. Billie Holiday – “Strange Fruit”
22. The Ronettes – “Be My Baby”
23. David Bowie – “Heroes”
24. The Beatles – “A Day in the Life”
25. Kanye West Featuring Pusha T – “Runaway”
26. Joni Mitchell – A Case of You”
27. Bruce Springsteen – “Born To Run”
28. Talking Heads – “Once in a Lifetime”
29. Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg – “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang”
30. Lorde – “Royals”
31. The Rolling Stones – “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
32. Notorious B.I.G. – “Juicy”
33. Chuck Berry – “Johnny B. Goode”
34. James Brown – “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”
35. Little Richard – “Tutti-Frutti”
36. The White Stripes – “Seven Nation Army”
37. Prince & The Revolution – “When Doves Cry”
38. Otis Redding – “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay”
39. Outkast – “B.O.B.
40. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “All Along the Watchtower”
41. Joy Division – “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
42. Bob Marley and the Wailers – “Redemption Song”
43. The Temptations – “My Girl”
44. Michael Jackson – “Billie Jean”
45. Kendrick Lamar – “Alright”
46. M.I.A – “Paper Planes”
47. Elton John – “Tiny Dancer”
48. Radiohead – “Idioteque”
49. Lauryn Hill – “Doo Wop (That Thing)”
50. Daddy Yankee – “Gasolina”