SONGS #1000-#976

#1000		Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Slow Cheetah" 5:20 | One of the most memorable and catchy guitar riffs of all time placed together with amazing production and falsetto harmonies make "Slow Cheetah" a perfect way to start off the countdown. The song begins rather generically with a guitar riff and ends in an experimental false ending leading to a reverb-full coda.
#999		Guns N' Roses - "Sweet Child O' Mine" 5:56 | There is a reason that this song is a classic. It's a song from a hard rock band that isn't too grating on the ears to the general public while still maintaining everything that made Guns N Roses such a great band of their time. The guitar riff still gives people chills to this very day.
#998		Elvis Costello - "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding 3:32 | Costello and his band do an amazing job with the drumwork on this song - they even start if off with a quick drum riff. He then uses his soulful voice to do an amazing rock song with catchy melodies, on point guitar, and of course the aforementioned spectacular drums.
#997		Jeff Buckley - "Grace" 5:22 | The mere amount of guitar parts in this song is overwhelming. The song is full of great guitar under Jeff's smooth husky voice. Combine the sonic feel of the song with some nice lyrics and you have "Grace."
#996		Sufjan Stevens - "Casimir Pulaski Day" 5:54 | It's simple. It's sweet. It's a truly raw singer-songwriter song with nothing to embellish it other than the lyrics and rough strings. It's beautiful for its simplicity. A highlight is around 4:20 through the song when Sufjan begins falsettoing over his guitar as a horn line is introduced under his falsetto ad-libs.
#995		Sly & The Family Stone - "Thank You" 4:48 | A funk classic, this song is renowed for its great bass and awkward story telling. The group singing works amazingly here and there is nothing even in a genre so full of copycats that can sound like this.
#994		...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - "Another Morning Stoner" 4:34 | A hard rock song that does nothing to hide it. The guitars are loud. The drums are fast. The cymbals are engulfing you. The vocals pierce through and ride the beat amazingly whilst the lyrics carry you through.
#993		Donna Summer - "I Feel Love" 8:14 | The beat of this song goes extremely hard for the time it was made in. A drum machine and a rudimental synth under Summer's incomprehensible vocals make the song what it is: an avant-garde stab at mainstream disco music.
#992		The Modern Lovers - "Roadrunner" 4:05 | While the vocals aren't necessarily a highlight by any means, the way the instruments work together is. Everything feels right in the mix and some instruments combine with the same chords to make one unique sound.
#991		Tracy Chapman - "Fast Car" 4:57 | Some of the best guitar production I've ever heard. Tracy has a special way of singing over such a simple beat, she tells a story like a country artist who's been writing for a century yet she sings like a soul singer. It's a beautiful song in every definition. The story is timeless and the song is a lyrical masterpiece that artists like McCartney would even be envious of.
#990		Beck - "Loser" 3:55 | After pissing off the entire Hive last year, many younger people actually began to check out Beck's famous back catalogue. Shining above the rest is "Loser," a song that shows off Beck's immense instrumental talent, lyrical ability, and an interesting rap/singing style.
#989		Butthole Surfers - "Human Cannonball" 3:52 | This song is weird.
#988		Modest Mouse - "3rd Planet" 3:59 | Before they were sampled by Lupe they were famous for making acoustic alt-rock. "3rd Planet" is a vocal masterpiece with many different styles and production tricks being used. The bass and guitar work extremely well together and the lyrics mainting immense interest throughout the entire song.
#987		Roy Orbison - "Crying" 2:46 | Those vocals though. Roy is an amazing vocalist and this is one of his many amazing songs. The stop in the first verse, the perfectly recorded strings, the amazing choir, and so much more contribute to this song's power.
#986		Ben E. King or Otis Redding - "Stand By Me" 3:00 | A classic for its unconventional drums, catchy melody, and relatable lyrics. King wrote a pop song so far ahead of its time that it could be released today with updated production and still be a smash. It's the definition of a timeless hit.
#985		Laurie Anderson - "O Superman" 8:21 | Imagine a mixture of "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap and "Sheezus" by Lilly Allen and you get the weird mix that is "Superman." It's a great song with a developing beat and relatable lyrics. The song never needs more than just a vocoded harmony and a synthetic string to make an impact, yet the song continues to develop and add more to the beat as it goes on. There is never a drum to keep the rythm. Only the monotone "ha."
#984		Brian Eno - "1/1" 17:22 | One of the greatest instrumental songs ever recorded in the history of music. Simply put.
#983		The Chords - "Sh-Boom" 2:26 | A short burst of fun and pure joy. It's an example of how the 50s were an amazing era for pure joy unmatched by anyone. Not even Meghan Trainor can emulate the 50s sound to create as good a song as "Sh-Boom."
#982		Bill Withers - "Ain't No Sunshine" 2:05 | Another short song, but this time not a short burst of energy but rather a short song of misery. It's a developing beat and all that is needed to complete the meaning that Withers is trying to get across.
#981		Mastodon - "Sleeping Giant" 5:36 | This song is a melodic guitar masterpiece. The reverb and delay used alongside some of the cleanest drums in metal music make this song one of the greatest metal songs ever recorded.
#980		Elvis Presley - "Heartbreak Hotel" 2:08 | The near-acapella song is an oddity for Elvis yet it works extremely well here and is less rocky than a weird mixture of jazz, rock, and soul music. It's a song you'd expect Ray Charles to make, yet Elvis pulls it off extremely well.
#979		Hot Chip - "Boy From School" 5:18 | This song's weird synths and drum machine beat under the faux-Simon & Garfunkel harmonies creates a unique sound that can't be emulated by anyone other than Hot Chip themselves. The chorus provides some of the best harmonies over a drumless beat.
#978		Black Flag - "Rise Above" 2:27 | A short burst of pure angst. It's the perfect length for the emotions expressed in the song unlike most sogns of the type which drag on far past their welcome.
#977		Joni Mitchell - "Help Me" 3:24 | The vocals make this song. They're amazingly done. The rhythm guitar is also a highlight and the random other instruments that come in serve to embellish the song nicely.
#976		Little Eva - "The Locomotion" 2:28 | This is a classic dance song and is simply one of the most uplifting songs ever recorded. It's one of few songs that truly make you want to "come on and jump up."

This is a top 1000 based on your opinion only? lol that's a lot of work

I'll be perched

Gotye | The Beatles | Kanye West | Taylor Swift | The All-American Rejects

ha! This will be interesting

Sweet Child O' Mine, Fast Car, Stand By Me, Ain't No Sunshine, and Heartbreak Hotel in the 900s.

Fast Car alone entered the top five in three-four consecutive decades.

i feel love and loser

Sweet Child O' Mine,Fast Car, & Stand By Me are my favorites

Top 1000 thats a lot of songs

wow I appreciate your effort and dedication

perched for Britney

Wow! I appreciate the work here! Awesome idea!

Good to see some Sufjan representation already

Loser, Fast Car, I Feel Love, and Sweet Child O'Mine are all great also

Yes at Brian Eno getting some representation with 1/1 and Grace is my favorite Jeff Buckley song. It's so low

SONGS #975-#951

#975		Cocteau Twins - "Lorelei" 3:44 | Great introduction with a filtered guitar and ambient vocals lead into a unique song that doesn't seem to bother with lyrical verses.
#974		The Smiths - "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" 4:05 | The Smiths were great at making classics. This song is no exception. From the memorable short intro straight into the melodically brilliant verse to the synth string-assisted hook, this song is everything one could want out of a retro 60s hit in the 80s.
#973		Love - "Alone Together Or" 3:17 | The imperfections in this song make it great. The awkwardly recorded vocals, the slightly off-tempo guitar, and the raw strings part all contribute to one glorious song perfect in its imperfections.
#972		Van Morrison - "Moondance" 4:34 | A Van Morrison classic with an instantly recognizable piano riff, "Moondance" never has a dull moment and carries you through the entire song with ease. A highlight and a large reason why the song is so great and unique is the addition of a pipe.
#971		Paul Revere & The Raiders - "Kicks" 2:46 | Thrusting 4/4 kicks and classical rock guitars contribute to this song's absolute fun aspect. The lyrics are nice and the guitar riff has room for many alternate play styles which are utilized well throughout the song.
#970		George Jones - "He Stopped Loving Her Today" 3:17 | "He Stopped Loving Her Today" is a lyrical great and demonstration of a fiddle in slower pop music.
#969		Cream - "Sunshine of Your Love" 4:10 | Arguably one of the most classic and memorable guitar licks of all time introduces this rock smash. It's raw in its delivery and energetic in its guitar. The drums additionally are rather ignored in the song, as higher-pitched and off to one side of the stereo mix.
#968		Ol' Dirty Bastard - "Brooklyn Zoo" 3:38 | Behind the large mid-90s rappers like Tupac and Biggie, you had Ol' Dirty Bastard doing his own take on gangsta rap at the time. He does it well and has far more catchy beats than say Tupac but lacks the conscious that he had or the storytelling ability that Biggie had. Nonetheless the song is still a masterpiece and deserves placement on this list.
#967		Fleetwood Mac - "The Chain" 4:30 | Now trust me I love any Arizona artist so I was tempted to force this song ridiculously high on this list but I let my brain kick in and allow other artists past this song. That still doesn't distract from how this is a great song with amazing guitarwork, a masterful duet vocal, and rhythm guitar.
#966		Lou Reed - "Street Hassle" 10:53 | The time of this song doesn't surprise anyone once you see the artist name. Lou breaks rules. This song is one large rule breaker. It has an amazingly catchy string riff to introduce the song before his great lyrics come through in piercing production. He drops out most of the instruments at random times only to add them back in small little bursts. Oh, then he starts a whole new song with the exact same instrument and nearly the same melodies. The song is insane in its production and writing and a true masterpiece as we can expect from Lou.
#965		Simon & Garfunkel - "The Boxer" 5:09 | Beautiful guitar, beautiful harmonies, what more can you want? Horns. That's what.
#964		Iggy Pop - "Lust For Life" 5:14 | Another classic guitar riff introduces this song which is just a whole lot of fun.
#963		Roy Orbison - "Oh, Pretty Woman" 2:57 | Very few songs can entice you to sing along every time you hear it. It's nearly impossible to not want to start belting out "ohhh pretty woman, walking down the street" every time it begins. Add in typical jazz drums, a trilled "wow" in the middle of the song, and a catchy guitar riff and you have an early rock song that contains everything great about the genre.
#962		Alice Cooper - "I'm Eighteen" 2:58 | Another victim of my Arizona love is Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen." But of course I'm not letting that affect its position in this rate. The song is a lyrical masterpiece with questions of uncertainty after reaching adulthood on top of Cooper's typical amazing rock ensemble.
#961		Nirvana - "In Bloom" 4:15 | Need I say anything you don't already know about this song? It's catchy, it's rocking, it's incomprehensible, it changes intensity level like some of my friends change women, the song is a masterpiece.
#960		Low - "Words" 5:49 | Carried by a somber bass and immense amounts of delay and distortion, this song contains many great elements that contribute to its engulfing feel.
#959		Drive Like Jehu - "Luau" 9:28 | From a monotone guitar intro to an exploding first verse, this song contains any great element to an indie hard rock song.
#958		Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - "Nowhere To Run" 2:58 | A classic with uplifting lyrics and chords and an off-tempo percussive, "Nowhere To Run" is a defining song of the 60s.
#957		Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force - "Planet Rock" 5:20 | On top of being just weird, "Planet Rock" is super funky and contains many random yet expertly placed instrumental or vocal parts throughout. You never know if you're getting a small rap verse, a synth solo, or a vocoder.
#956		Suicide - "Dream Baby Dream" 3:13 | This song simply sounds like dreaming. The organ is like a gate to heaven with childlike mallets in the background. It doesn't need much to accomplish its only goal.
#955		Bad Brains - "Pay To ***" | Imagine mixing a squaredance song, a folk song, and metal. Then you have this song. That's about it.
#954		The Shirelles - "Tonight's The Night" 1:59 | One of the shortest songs on the list, "Tonight's The Night" is a short burst of great harmonics, a small plucked guitar, and a catchy lead vocal part.
#953		Ride - "Dreams Burn Down" 6:05 | Entirely unlike Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream," this song sounds like broken dreams rather than a song to entice you to dream. It's a rough guitar with somber electric guitar. Great lyrics with a better-than-average vocalist for rock interrupted by insane guitars in random areas. The song is glorious. It brings avant garde music to rock to pop.
#952		Frankie Goes to Hollywood - "Relax" 3:58 | It's impossible to not want to dance to this song. It sounds like a stadium filler while also sounding like a club filler. A very weird line that this song stands on and accomplishes unlike any other.
#951		Example - "Changed The Way You Kissed Me" 3:15 | Elliot here at his best created a one-of-a-kind pop dance track. The song is led by an amazing synth melody, intense backing percussive, and a DnB drop unheard of in pop music until this song. How many songs do you know of that perfectly mix rap, pop, and DnB? One. And this is it.

I'll be back if these messy old songs are not included anymore.

Thanks!

I tried to be logical and not be too biased based on my faves

It did? But there are sooo mannyyy good songs! Hard to limit it



Yes it is

Thanks You shall see Britney indeed!

Yes Brian and Sufjan Surprised you know their songs

Don't worry sis were only 50 songs deep We have one song from the 2010s already and more are sure to come!

Oh wait. It's Gorillaz in the banner. I hope it's a sign.

Lust For Life,Oh, Pretty Woman, & In Bloom are my favorites for this set

Sweet Child O Mine, Ain't No Sunshine, Stand By Me, Relax

This is a very ambitious idea, hopefully you can finish.
It's good to see that music from the 80s and before is well represented too.

Great idea!

My favorites from these sets are In Bloom, Changed The Way You Kissed Me, Loser, Sweet Child O Mine and of course Stand By Me

Wow! Moon Dance is my favorite Van Morrison song (pretty much the only one I like, but that's a story for another day ) it's great!

Relax is a classic I think I am obligated to like In Bloom but even if we didn't share some letters, I would still praise it as a Nevermind highlight.

There used to be a cruise ship commercial that used Lust To Life, which kind of ruined that song for me a little, but it's still great. Iggy Pop > Iggy Pop-rap

This sounds amazing. Imma have to check it out. Cool update.

In Bloom

SONGS #950-#926

#950		Years & Years - "King" 3:35 | While this song is nothing new to music, it is one of the best modern examples of a soaring pop song. It essentially takes everything about dance pop music from the decade and combines it into one stomping song. The ohs in the chorus, the synth ohs in the drop, and the extremely unique lyrical topic contribute to this song's greatness.
#949		Skylar Grey - "Words" 5:07 | No song is as sweet or reminiscent as Grey's mourning of her late grandmother. Her vocals shine in this song, her lyrics pierce the heart, and her Alex Da Kid-produced piano is just the right amount of somber to perfectly compliment her smooth vocals.
#948		Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone" 5:02 | Punk rock done right. Plus amazing vocals, experimentation with the chords and vocals especially in the falsetto.
#947		Iggy Pop - "The Passenger" 4:44 | A classic rock song with amazing vocal production, catchy guitar riffs, and the most infections "la la la" refrain you'll ever hear. Not to mention that the lyrics are great.
#946		Bob Dylan - "Knockin On Heaven's Door" 2:29 | Combine the great Bob Dylan songwriting with harmonic choirs to get a short sweet song.
#945		Mariah Carey / Boyz II Men - "One Sweet Day" 4:41 | Longest run atop of the Billboard for a song where the vocals outshine everything else. On top of great songwriting and good (yet generic) production, it is Mariah and the boy group's vocals that make this song absolutely shine into the Top 1000 songs.
#944		Muddy Waters - "Got My Mojo Working" 2:51 | This is an example of a song that uses country sounds to make soul music better than even Ray Charles in the early-mid 60s.
#943		Bright Eyes - "The Calendar Hung Itself" 3:56 | Everything about this song from the guitar to the synth in the chorus to the desperate vocals scream great in this song. It's random, messy, experimental, and yet maintains greatness primarily due to the great instrumental work especially with the synth.
#942		The Rolling Stones - "Ruby Tuesday" 3:16 | The Stones present one of their more simple songs here which is yet still experimental in the melodic instruments used. The lackluster chorus is ignored in favor of the incredible instrumental and experimental melodic instruments. Glorious simple song.
#941		The Doors - "The End" 11:43 | The Doors, like Lou Reed, can't be expected to follow rules. "The End" is ridiculously long but contains stellar organ comparable to Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" and slow, sweet guitar solos.
#940		Bob Dylan - "Highway 61 Revisited" 3:26 | Dylan once again shows his expert songwriting skill on this song. The production makes this song stand above many of his others with great drumwork and melodic placement in the mix.
#939		Frankie Lymon & The Teen Agers - "Why Do Fools fall In Love" 2:20 | The a capella intro to this song alone is worthy of entry to this countdown. The instrumental is amazingly written, the vocals are on point for the style, and the background vocals take the song over the top.
#938		Prince - "Sign O The Times" 5:02 | Prince is a ****ing mess for his hatred of the internet. Unfortunately that makes it impossible for people to truly appreciate his discography as they aren't able to ****ing hear it. "Sign O The Times" is a lyrical masterpiece, a instrumental masterpiece, and a vocal great.
#937		Muddy Waters - "Rollin' Stone" 3:08 | This is THE song that shows you that country soul music doesn't need anything but a simple guitar and voice to be a masterpiece.
#936		Big Star - "Thirteen" 2:34 | If any song can teleport you back to your awkward middle school life then this is it. The harmonies and instrumental are great, but its the storytelling that makes this song one of the greatest.
#935		Television - "Marquee Moon" 10:38 | The guitar layers. The evolving beat. This song is great. A tad on the long side to be anywhere higher on this list, but if it could compress everything that it does well into a shorter time period it would be even more great.
#934		Johnny Boy - "You Are the Generation That Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve" 3:10 | This song has a longer title than most Panic At The Disco! ****. Doesn't change the fact that the melodies are some of the greatest ones ever written and the instrumental, harmonies, and lead vocal come together better than nearly anything else on this list to form a great (yet absurdly longly titled) song.
#933		Cyndi Lauper - "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" 3:55 | Do I have to say anything? This song is classic and great in every single way. It isn't experimental in any way or trying to do anything other than be an expertly done pop song.
#932		Talking Heads - "Memories Can't Wait" 3:31 | This song is deserving of the simple "this song is weird" description. Just a better weird than the previous weird title dons.
#931		The Sugarhill Gang - "8th Wonder" 7:27 | Clap your hands everybody. Everybody clap your hands. Time to get on the floor and dance.
#930		Vampire Weekend - "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" 4:03 | Vampire Weekend do what they do perfectly. This song is one of many where they write well, play instruments well, and manage to sound differently from every artist who has ever lived. The organ tries to be a reggae guitar. The drums and bass combine to sound as one. It's an amazing song period.
#929		Marvin Gaye - "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" 3:13 | I heard through the grapevine that this song was pretty good. So I checked it out. Yup. Great RnB instrumental. Vocals with insane range. Oh, and great lyrics.
#928		Lady Gaga - "Paparazzi" 3:28 | This song alone is great for the experimental instrumental and all-too-realistic lyrics. Add in the fact that this is some of Gaga's best vocal work (and she has many good vocal songs) and that it had arguably the most iconic TV performance of the past decade, and this song is brought to a whole new level of greatness. Better than countless "classics."
#927		Nirvana - "Scentless Apprentice" 3:48 | Kurt Cobain does amazing vocals here. Dave Grohl does some of the best drum work in his discography. The song is Nirvana's foray into a grunge-metal area and they do it better than most metal crossover bands could ever hope to.
#926		Britney Spears - "...Baby One More Time" 3:31 | Now I'm not a big Britney fan, but this song IS bubblegum pop music. There is no more definitive song in the genre of the genre itself than this. Perfect background vocals, perfect production, and perfect writing. The only thing holding the song back from being top 100 on this list is how badly the song ages in comparison to everything else on the list. While it defined an era, it sounds more dated than anything else on this list. Even the 50s songs.

King, OSD, Sign o' the Times, GJWTHF, Paparazzi, BOMT