A deep dive into Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time

I recently wrote an analysis of Rolling Stone's recent list of the 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time, which crowned Aretha Franklin's version of Respect at #1. You can read it here.

I love these kinds of lists. It's why I'm watching the American Film Institute's Top 100 Films. It's why I helped put together a list of the 100 best songs that missed out on a spot in triple j's Hottest 100. The quantification of qualitative artforms is fascinating to me because it conjures the question "what makes this great?". I want to know why these films/songs/albums are so highly regarded, and I want to pull apart what makes one better than another. I've discovered so many cool pieces of art I'd either never heard or never properly paid attention to through these kinds of lists.

In the process of compiling the aforementioned ABC article about Rolling Stone's list, I pulled together a spreadsheet to help me make sense of it all. The spreadsheet told me all sorts of weird and wonderful things I couldn't fit into the article, and it seemed a shame to let it go to waste, so here are some cool lists from within the list.

Disclaimer: Rolling Stone first released its 500 best songs list in 2004, and did a slight update in 2010, but I've ignored the 2010 update because a) it was minor and b) the comparison between 2004 and 2021 is far more interesting.

And if you find any mistakes, please let me know so I can correct them. Thank you.

Top 10 songs from the 2004 list that didn't make the 2021 list

1. Hound Dog - Elvis Presley (2004 position - #19)
2. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - The Righteous Brothers (#34)
3. When A Man Loves A Woman - Percy Sledge (#54)
4. Long Tall Sally - Little Richard (#56)
5. The Times Are A-Changin' - Bob Dylan (#59)
6. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On - Jerry Lee Lewis (#61)
7. For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield (#63)
8. Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream (#65)
9. California Girls - The Beach Boys (#71)
10. Mystery Train - Elvis Presley (#77)

Top 10 eligible songs that didn't make the 2004 list that made the 2021 list

1. Get Ur Freak On - Missy Elliott (2021 position - #8)
2. Dreams - Fleetwood Mac (#9)
3. Crazy In Love - Beyonce feat. Jay-Z (#16)
4. Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday (#21)
5. A Case Of You - Joni Mitchell (#26)
6. Once In A Lifetime - Talking Heads (#28)
7. Juicy - Notorious B.I.G. (#32)
8. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (#36)
9. B.O.B. - Outkast (#39)
10. Idioteque - Radiohead (#48)

Top 10 biggest improvers

1. Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang - Dr Dre feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg (390 spots, from #419 to #29)
2. Kiss - Prince (376 spots, from #461 to #85)
3. Just Like Heaven - The Cure (375 spots, from #483 to #108)
4. I Feel Love - Donna Summer (359 spots, from #411 to #52)
5. Tiny Dancer - Elton John (340 spots, from #387 to #47)
6. Tumbling Dice - The Rolling Stones (338 spots, from #424 to #86)
7. Super Freak - Rick James (324 spots, from #477 to #153)
8. Fight The Power - Public Enemy (320 spots, from #322 to #2)
9. More Than A Feeling - Boston (288 spots, from #500 to #212)
10. Young Americans - David Bowie (277 spots, from #481 to #204)

Top 10 biggest drops (while still making the cut in 2021)

1. Help! - The Beatles (418 spots, from #29 to #447)
2. Crying - Roy Orbison (392 spots, from #69 to #461)
3. Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran (359 spots, from #73 to #432)
4. House Of The Rising Sun - The Animals (349 spots, from #122 to #471)
5. California Dreamin' - The Mamas & The Papas (331 spots, from #89 to #420)
6. Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley (302 spots, from #45 to #347)
7. Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac (282 spots, from #119 to #401)
8. Light My Fire - The Doors (275 spots, from #35 to #310)
9. Hotel California - The Eagles (262 spots, from #49 to #311)
10. Up On The Roof - The Drifters (262 spots, from #113 to #375)

Top 10 smallest movers between 2004 and 2021

1. Be My Baby - The Ronettes (no change, #21)
2. Lose Yourself - Eminem (one spot, from #166 to #167)
3. Tangled Up In Blue - Bob Dylan (one spot, from #68 to #67)
4. I Want To Hold Your Hand - The Beatles (one spot, from #16 to #15)
5. Good Golly, Miss Molly - Little Richard (two spots, from #94 to #92)
6. A Day In The Life - The Beatles (two spots, from #26 to #24)
7. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye (two spots, from #4 to #6)
8. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - The Eurythmics (three spots, #356 to #353)
9. Proud Mary - Creedence Clearwater Revival (three spots, #155 to #152)
10. Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan (three spots, #1 to #4)

Top 10 of the 2010s

1. Dancing On My Own - Robyn (#20)
2. Runaway - Kanye West feat. Pusha T (#25)
3. Royals - Lorde (#30)
4. Alright - Kendrick Lamar (#45)
5. Gasolina - Daddy Yankee (#50)
6. All Too Well - Taylor Swift (#69)
7. Formation - Beyonce (#73)
8. Rolling In The Deep - Adele (#82)
9. Hold On, We're Going Home - Drake feat. Majid Jordan (#129)
10. Thank U, Next - Ariana Grande (#137)

Top 10 of the 2000s

1. Get Ur Freak On - Missy Elliot (#8)
2. Hey Ya! - Outkast (#10)
3. Crazy In Love - Beyonce feat. Jay-Z (#16)
4. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (#36)
5. B.O.B. - Outkast (#39)
6. Paper Planes - M.I.A. (#46)
7. Idioteque - Radiohead (#48)
8. Work It - Missy Elliott (#56)
9. Back To Black - Amy Winehouse (#79)
10. All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem (#87)

Top 10 of the '90s

1. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana (#5)
2. Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang - Dr Dre feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg (#29)
3. Juicy - The Notorious B.I.G. (#32)
4. Doo Wop (That Thing) - Lauryn Hill (#49)
5. One - U2 (#62)
6. Common People - Pulp (#75)
7. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston (#94)
8. Wonderwall - Oasis (#95)
9. You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette (#103)
10. C.R.E.A.M. - Wu-Tang Clan (#107)

Top 10 of the '80s

1. Fight The Power - Public Enemy (#2)
2. Purple Rain - Prince (#18)
3. Once In A Lifetime - Talking Heads (#28)
4. When Doves Cry - Prince (#37)
5. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division (#41)
6. Redemption Song - Bob Marley & The Wailers (#42)
7. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson (#44)
8. Like A Prayer - Madonna (#55)
9. The Message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five (#59)
10. Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush (#60)

Top 10 of the '70s

1. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye (#6)
2. Dreams - Fleetwood Mac (#9)
3. Superstition - Stevie Wonder (#12)
4. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (#17)
5. Imagine - John Lennon (#19)
6. Heroes - David Bowie (#23)
7. A Case Of You - Joni Mitchell (#26)
8. Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen (#27)
9. Tiny Dancer - Elton John ( #47)
10. I Feel Love - Donna Summer (#52)

Top 10 of the '60s

1. Respect - Aretha Franklin (#1)
2. A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke (#3)
3. Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan (#4)
4. Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles (#7)
5. God Only Knows - The Beach Boys (#11)
6. Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones (#13)
7. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks (#14)
8. I Want To Hold Your Hand - The Beatles (#15)
9. Be My Baby - The Ronettes (#22)
10. A Day In The Life - The Beatles (#24)

Top 10 of the '30s, '40s & '50s

1. Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday (#21)
2. Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry (#33)
3. Tutti Frutti - Little Richard (#35)
4. I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash (#76)
5. What'd I Say - Ray Charles (#80)
6. Good Golly, Miss Molly - Little Richard (#92)
7. Maybellene - Chuck Berry (#102)
8. That'll Be The Day - Buddy Holly & The Crickets (#124)
9. Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino (#147)
10. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - Hank Williams (#165)

Top 10 non-UK/non-US acts

1. Dancing On My Own - Robyn (#20, Sweden)
2. A Case Of You - Joni Mitchell (#26, Canada)
3. Royals - Lorde (#30, New Zealand)
4. Redemption Song - Bob Marley & The Wailers (#42, Jamaica)
5. The Weight - The Band (#58, Canada*)
6. Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen (#74, Canada)
7. You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette (#103, Canada)
8. Hold On, We're Going Home - Drake feat. Majid Jordan (#129, Canada)
9. No Woman, No Cry - Bob Marley & The Wailers (#140, Jamaica)
10. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor (#184, Ireland)

* The Band featured one American, but are four-fifths Canadian

Note: Puerto Rican singer Daddy Yankee reached #50, which would make him fifth on this list, but technically Puerto Rico is an American territory.

Note 2: Exclude Canada from the list and Get Up, Stand Up by Bob Marley & The Wailers (#260, Jamaica), King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown by Augustus Pablo (#266, Jamaica), The Boys Are Back In Town by Thin Lizzy (#272, Ireland), Pressure Drop by Toots & The Maytals (#278, Jamaica), and Never Tear Us Apart by INXS (#282, Australia) complete the list.

Top 10 best years of music

1. 1971 (22 entries)
2. 1965 (20)
3. 1972 and 1970 (19)
5. 1977 (18)
6. 1967 (17)
7. 1968 (16)
8. 1973 (15)
9. 1969 (14)
10. 1975 (13) 

Top 10 best years of music excluding the '60s and '70s

1. 1994 (12)
2. 1980 (11)
3. 1992 and 1982 (10)
5. 2003, 1988, 1987 and 1983 (9)
9. 1991 and 1984 (8)

Thanks for reading, fellow music nerds.