Back in 2004, Rolling Stone pushed a list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and today they’ve put out a completely new version of the list. Here’s what went into remaking it:
To create the new version of the RS 500 we convened a poll of more than 250 artists, musicians, and producers — from Angelique Kidjo to Zedd, Sam Smith to Megan Thee Stallion, M. Ward to Bill Ward — as well as figures from the music industry and leading critics and journalists. They each sent in a ranked list of their top 50 songs, and we tabulated the results.
Nearly 4,000 songs received votes. 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.
Bob Dylan‘s “Like A Rolling Stone,” which was #1 on the 2004 list, has dropped to #4, and the list is now topped by Aretha Franklin‘s “Respect,” which came in at #5 in 2004. Public Enemy‘s “Fight the Power” is now #2, hopping up all the way from #322 on the 2004 list. Missy Elliott, who wasn’t represented on the 2004 list at all, now cracks the top 10 with “Get Ur Freak On.” The highest ranking song that hadn’t been released yet in 2004 is Robyn‘s “Dancing On My Own,” coming in at #20. The Beatles appear three times in the top 25, more than any other artist. Here’s the top 25:
25. Kanye West feat. Pusha T, ‘Runaway’
24. The Beatles, ‘A Day in the Life’
23. David Bowie, ‘Heroes’
22. The Ronettes, ‘Be My Baby’
21. Billie Holiday, ‘Strange Fruit’
20. Robyn, ‘Dancing on My Own’
19. John Lennon, ‘Imagine’
18. Prince and the Revolution, ‘Purple Rain’
17. Queen, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
16. Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z, ‘Crazy in Love’
15. The Beatles, ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’
14. The Kinks, ‘Waterloo Sunset’
13. The Rolling Stones, ‘Gimme Shelter’
12. Stevie Wonder, ‘Superstition’
11. The Beach Boys, ‘God Only Knows’
10. Outkast, ‘Hey Ya!’
9. Fleetwood Mac, ‘Dreams’
8. Missy Elliott, ‘Get Ur Freak On’
7. The Beatles, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’
6. Marvin Gaye, ‘What’s Going On’
5. Nirvana, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’
4. Bob Dylan, ‘Like a Rolling Stone’
3. Sam Cooke, ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’
2. Public Enemy, ‘Fight the Power’
1. Aretha Franklin, ‘Respect’
Source: Brooklyn Vegan
