Many of these 37 lists focused on one type of music such as Soft Rock, Classic Rock, Heavy Metal, Alternative, Oldies etc., but some were more broad and cut across different eras. I tried to use enough variety of lists so that this compilation would include songs from every era & sub-genre of Rock Music. Classic Rock dominates the top of the list but there's lots of variety once you get past the first few hundred songs.
Note that artists from other genres, such as Bob Marley, Adele, Madonna, Michael Jackson, etc. sometimes get votes and their songs appear in this list. Adele, for example, has three songs on the list but none made it onto the top 2000. Obviously she would have ranked much higher on a Pop/Soul list.
Note that artists from other genres, such as Bob Marley, Adele, Madonna, Michael Jackson, etc. sometimes get votes and their songs appear in this list. Adele, for example, has three songs on the list but none made it onto the top 2000. Obviously she would have ranked much higher on a Pop/Soul list.
If you see any mistakes or duplications, please let me know in the comment section or send me an e-mail at grmagne@yahoo.com. I also have an Excel version of the list, if you're interested.
Rank | Song | Artist | Year | Album |
1 | Smells Like Teen Spirit | Nirvana | 1991 | Nevermind |
2 | Stairway to Heaven | Led Zeppelin | 1971 | Led Zeppelin IV |
3 | Bohemian Rhapsody | Queen | 1975 | A Night at the opera |
4 | Imagine | John Lennon | 1971 | Imagine |
5 | (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction | The Rolling Stones | 1965 | Out of Our Heads |
6 | Hotel California | Eagles | 1976 | Hotel California |
7 | Enter Sandman | Metallica | 1991 | Metallica |
8 | Whole Lotta Love | Led Zeppelin | 1969 | Led Zeppelin II |
9 | Comfortably Numb | Pink Floyd | 1979 | The Wall |
10 | One | U2 | 1991 | Achtung Baby |
11 | Born to Run | Bruce Springsteen | 1975 | Born to Run |
12 | Hey Jude | The Beatles | 1968 | Hey Jude/Revolution (single) |
13 | Smoke on the Water | Deep Purple | 1972 | Machine Head |
14 | Paranoid | Black Sabbath | 1970 | Paranoid |
15 | Seven Nation Army | The White Stripes | 2003 | Elephant |
16 | Free Bird | Lynyrd Skynyrd | 1973 | (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) |
17 | Back in Black | AC/DC | 1980 | Back in Black |
18 | Sympathy for the Devil | The Rolling Stones | 1968 | Beggars Banquet |
19 | Wish You Were Here | Pink Floyd | 1975 | Wish You Were Here |
20 | Losing My Religion | R.E.M. | 1991 | Out of Time |
21 | With or Without You | U2 | 1987 | The Joshua Tree |
22 | Sweet Child O' Mine | Guns N' Roses | 1987 | Appetite For Destruction |
23 | I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For | U2 | 1987 | The Joshua Tree |
24 | Like a Rolling Stone | Bob Dylan | 1965 | Highway 61 Revisited |
25 | All Along the Watchtower | The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968 | Electric Ladyland |
26 | Under the Bridge | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 1991 | Blood Sugar Sex Magik |
27 | Kashmir | Led Zeppelin | 1975 | Physical Graffiti |
28 | Creep | Radiohead | 1993 | Pablo Honey |
29 | Light My Fire | The Doors | 1967 | The Doors |
30 | My Generation | The Who | 1965 | My Generation |
31 | More Than a Feeling | Boston | 1976 | Boston |
32 | Another Brick in the Wall | Pink Floyd | 1979 | The Wall |
33 | Layla | Derek and the Dominos | 1971 | Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs |
34 | Gimme Shelter | The Rolling Stones | 1969 | Let It Bleed |
35 | You Shook Me All Night Long | AC/DC | 1980 | Back in Black |
36 | Alive | Pearl Jam | 1991 | Ten |
37 | London Calling | The Clash | 1979 | London Calling |
38 | Won't Get Fooled Again | The Who | 1971 | Who's Next |
39 | Purple Haze | The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1967 | Purple Haze (single) |
40 | Come As You Are | Nirvana | 1991 | Nevermind |
41 | Pride (In the Name of Love) | U2 | 1984 | The Unforgettable Fire |
42 | Sunday Bloody Sunday | U2 | 1983 | War |
43 | Dream On | Aerosmith | 1973 | Aerosmith |
44 | Rock and Roll | Led Zeppelin | 1971 | Led Zeppelin IV |
45 | In My Life | The Beatles | 1965 | Rubber Soul |
46 | Let It Be | The Beatles | 1970 | Let It Be |
47 | Baba O'Riley | The Who | 1971 | Who's Next |
48 | Jeremy | Pearl Jam | 1992 | Ten |
49 | Welcome to the Jungle | Guns N' Roses | 1987 | Appetite for Destruction |
50 | Bitter Sweet Symphony | The Verve | 1997 | Urban Hymns |
51 | Roxanne | The Police | 1978 | Outlandos d'Amour |
52 | Money | Pink Floyd | 1973 | The Dark Side of the Moon |
53 | Every Breath You Take | The Police | 1983 | Synchronicity |
54 | A Day in the Life | The Beatles | 1967 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band |
55 | Sweet Emotion | Aerosmith | 1975 | Toys in the Attic |
56 | Born to be Wild | Steppenwolf | 1968 | Steppenwolf |
57 | New Year's Day | U2 | 1983 | War |
58 | Paint It, Black | The Rolling Stones | 1966 | Aftermath |
59 | Black Dog | Led Zeppelin | 1971 | Led Zeppelin IV |
60 | Basket Case | Green Day | 1994 | Dookie |
61 | November Rain | Guns N' Roses | 1991 | Use Your Illusion I |
62 | Even Flow | Pearl Jam | 1992 | Ten |
63 | You Can't Always Get What You Want | The Rolling Stones | 1969 | Let It Bleed |
64 | Money For Nothing | Dire Straits | 1985 | Brothers in Arms |
65 | Nothing Else Matters | Metallica | 1991 | Metallica |
66 | Everlong | Foo Fighters | 1997 | The Colour and the Shape |
67 | Angie | The Rolling Stones | 1973 | Goats Head Soup |
68 | Jump | Van Halen | 1984 | 1984 |
69 | (Don't Fear) The Reaper | Blue Öyster Cult | 1976 | Agents of Fortune |
70 | Jumpin' Jack Flash | The Rolling Stones | 1968 | Jumpin' Jack Flash/Child of the Moon (single) |
71 | Come Together | The Beatles | 1969 | Abbey Road |
72 | Time | Pink Floyd | 1973 | The Dark Side of the Moon |
73 | Mr. Brightside | The Killers | 2004 | Hot fuss |
74 | Should I Stay or Should I Go | The Clash | 1982 | Combat Rock |
75 | Beautiful Day | U2 | 2000 | All That You Can't Leave Behind |
76 | Lola | The Kinks | 1970 | Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One |
77 | House of the Rising Sun | The Animals | 1964 | The Animals |
78 | Loser | Beck | 1994 | Mellow Gold |
79 | Killing in the Name | Rage Against The Machine | 1992 | Rage Against The Machine |
80 | All My Life | Foo Fighters | 2002 | One By One |
81 | Walk This Way | Aerosmith | 1975 | Toys in the Attic |
82 | Sultans of Swing | Dire Straits | 1978 | Dire Straits |
83 | We Will Rock You | Queen | 1977 | News of the World |
84 | Love Will Tear Us Apart | Joy Division | 1980 | Love Will Tear Us Apart (single) |
85 | Song 2 | Blur | 1997 | Blur |
86 | Where the Streets Have No Name | U2 | 1987 | The Joshua Tree |
87 | Good Vibrations | The Beach Boys | 1966 | Good Vibrations/Let's Go Away for Awhile (single) |
88 | In the End | Linkin Park | 2001 | Hybrid Theory |
89 | All Right Now | Free | 1970 | Fire and Water |
90 | Changes | David Bowie | 1971 | Hunky Dory |
91 | Paradise City | Guns N' Roses | 1987 | Appetite for Destruction |
92 | One | Metallica | 1988 | …And Justice for All |
93 | Hey Joe | The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1966 | Hey Joe/Stone Free (single) |
94 | Give It Away | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 1991 | Blood Sugar Sex Magik |
95 | Sunshine of Your Love | Cream | 1968 | Disraeli Gears |
96 | Take Me Out | Franz Ferdinand | 2004 | Franz Ferdinand |
97 | Sweet Home Alabama | Lynyrd Skynyrd | 1974 | Second Helping |
98 | Highway to Hell | AC/DC | 1979 | Highway to Hell |
99 | L.A. Woman | The Doors | 1971 | L.A. Woman |
100 | American Idiot | Green Day | 2004 | American Idiot |
101 | Black Hole Sun | Soundgarden | 1994 | Superunknown |
102 | Maggie May | Rod Stewart | 1971 | Every Picture Tells a Story |
103 | It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) | R.E.M. | 1987 | Document |
104 | Once in a Lifetime | Talking Heads | 1980 | Remain in Light |
105 | Strawberry Fields Forever | The Beatles | 1967 | Magical Mystery Tour |
106 | Wonderwall | Oasis | 1995 | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? |
107 | Riders on the Storm | The Doors | 1971 | L.A. Woman |
108 | Thunderstruck | AC/DC | 1990 | The Razors Edge |
109 | Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) | Green Day | 1997 | Nimrod |
110 | The Boys Are Back In Town | Thin Lizzy | 1976 | Jailbreak |
111 | Interstate Love Song | Stone Temple Pilots | 1994 | Purple |
112 | Blitzkrieg Bop | Ramones | 1976 | Ramones |
113 | Start Me Up | The Rolling Stones | 1981 | Tattoo You |
114 | (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!) | The Beastie Boys | 1986 | Licensed to Ill |
115 | The One I Love | R.E.M. | 1987 | Document |
116 | Walk on the Wild Side | Lou Reed | 1972 | Transformer |
117 | Under Pressure | Queen/David Bowie | 1982 | Hot Space |
118 | Yellow | Coldplay | 2000 | Parachutes |
119 | Ramble On | Led Zeppelin | 1969 | Led Zeppelin II |
120 | We Are the Champions | Queen | 1977 | News of the World |
121 | Go Your Own Way | Fleetwood Mac | 1977 | Rumours |
122 | Numb | Linkin Park | 2003 | Meteora |
123 | While My Guitar Gently Weeps | The Beatles | 1968 | The White Album |
124 | Blue Monday | New Order | 1983 | Power, Corruption & Lies |
125 | I Love Rock 'n' Roll | Joan Jett & the Blackhearts | 1981 | I Love Rock 'n' Roll |
126 | White Room | Cream | 1968 | Wheels of Fire |
127 | How You Remind Me | Nickelback | 2001 | Silver Side Up |
128 | Space Oddity | David Bowie | 1969 | Space Oddity |
129 | The Weight | The Band | 1968 | Music from Big Pink |
130 | 1979 | The Smashing Pumpkins | 1995 | Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness |
131 | Sledgehammer | Peter Gabriel | 1986 | So |
132 | Mysterious Ways | U2 | 1991 | Achtung Baby |
133 | Bring Me to Life | Evanescence | 2003 | Fallen |
134 | You Really Got Me | The Kinks | 1964 | Kinks |
135 | Been Caught Stealing | Jane's Addiction | 1990 | Ritual de lo Habitual |
136 | Plush | Stone Temple Pilots | 1993 | Core |
137 | Rock the Casbah | The Clash | 1982 | Combat Rock |
138 | Foxy Lady | The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1967 | Are You Experienced |
139 | Livin' On a Prayer | Bon Jovi | 1986 | Slippery When Wet |
140 | Shine On You Crazy Diamond | Pink Floyd | 1975 | Wish You Were Here |
141 | Me and Bobby McGee | Janis Joplin | 1971 | Pearl |
142 | Who Are You | The Who | 1978 | Who Are You? |
143 | Brown Sugar | The Rolling Stones | 1971 | Sticky Fingers |
144 | Black | Pearl Jam | 1991 | Ten |
145 | Lust for Life | Iggy Pop | 1977 | Lust for Life |
146 | Carry On Wayward Son | Kansas | 1976 | Leftoverture |
147 | Rock and Roll All Nite | Kiss | 1975 | Dressed to Kill |
148 | American Pie | Don McLean | 1971 | American Pie |
149 | Cocaine | Eric Clapton | 1977 | Slowhand |
150 | Runnin' With the Devil | Van Halen | 1978 | Van Halen |