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The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
 magazine published in November 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003.Related news articles:* The list was based on the votes of 273 rock musicians, critics and industry figures, each of whom submitted a weighted list of 50 albums....
. The song list was chosen based on votes by 172 musicians, critics, and music industry figures.

  • "Like a Rolling Stone
    Like a Rolling Stone

    "Like a Rolling Stone" is a song by American songwriter Bob Dylan. One of his best-known and most influential works, the song had its origin as a short story Dylan had written before developing it as a song and recording it in 1965....
    ", Bob Dylan
  • "Satisfaction
    (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

    " Satisfaction" is a song by English rock music band The Rolling Stones. It was written by Jagger/Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. The lyrics of the song include references to sexual intercourse, and the theme of anti-commercialism caused the song to be "perceived as an attack on the status quo"....
    ", The Rolling Stones
    The Rolling Stones

    The Rolling Stones are an English rock music band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards....
  • "Imagine
    Imagine (song)

    "Imagine" is a song written and performed by John Lennon, which first appeared on his 1971 in music album, Imagine . It was released as a single in the same year, and reached number three in the U.S....
    ", John Lennon
    John Lennon

    John Winston Ono Lennon, Order of the British Empire was an English Rock music musician, singer, songwriter, artist, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles....
  • "What's Going On
    What's Going On (song)

    "What's Going On" is a song written by Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye. It was the title track of Gaye's groundbreaking 1971 Motown Records album What's Going On, and it became a crossover hit single that reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs....
    ", Marvin Gaye
    Marvin Gaye

    Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr., better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye was an United States singer-songwriter and instrumentalist with a three-octave vocal range....
  • "Respect
    Respect (song)

    "Respect" is a song written and originally released by Stax Records recording artist Otis Redding in 1965. "Respect" became a 1967 hit and signature song for R&B singer Aretha Franklin....
    ", Aretha Franklin
    Aretha Franklin

    Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as "The Queen of Soul". Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, rock and roll, blues, Pop music, Rhythm and Blues and Gospel music....
  • "Good Vibrations
    Good Vibrations

    "Good Vibrations" is a Pop music single by The Beach Boys. The song was composed by and record producer by Brian Wilson, with lyrics by Wilson and Mike Love....
    ", The Beach Boys
    The Beach Boys

    The Beach Boys are an American rock band. Formed in 1961, the group gained popularity for its close harmony and lyrics reflecting a California youth culture of cars and surfing....
  • "Johnny B. Goode
    Johnny B. Goode

    "Johnny B. Goode" is a seminal 1958 rock and roll song by Chuck Berry. It reached #8 on the Billboard Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of his most enduring classics, and could be considered his signature song....
    ", Chuck Berry
    Chuck Berry

    Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter.Chuck Berry is an influential figure and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music....
  • "Hey Jude
    Hey Jude

    "Hey Jude" is a song by the English Rock music band The Beatles that was recorded in 1968. Originally titled "Hey Jules", the ballad was written by Paul McCartney?and credited to Lennon/McCartney?to comfort John Lennon's son Julian Lennon during his parents' divorce....
    ", The Beatles
    The Beatles

    The Beatles were a rock music and pop music band from Liverpool, England that formed in 1960. During their career, the group primarily consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr ....
  • "Smells Like Teen Spirit
    Smells Like Teen Spirit

    "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American Rock music band Nirvana . It is the opening track and lead Single from the band's 1991 breakthrough album Nevermind....
    ", Nirvana
    Nirvana (band)

    Nirvana was an American Rock music band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987....
  • "What'd I Say
    What'd I Say

    "What'd I Say" or "What I Say" is a two-part recording that was released in 1959 by rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles. After Charles' run of R&B hits, this song finally broke Charles into mainstream pop and the song itself sparked a new sub-genre of rhythm and blues titled soul music, finally putting together all the elements that C...
    ", Ray Charles
    Ray Charles

    Ray Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an United States pianist, singer, and songwriter who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues....

    • list is largely composed of American and British artists: out of the 500 songs, 357 are from the United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
     and 117 from the United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
    ; the third most represented country is Ireland
    Republic of Ireland

    Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
     with 12 entries, then Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
     with 10.

    The list includes just one song not in English
    English language

    English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
     ("La Bamba
    La Bamba (song)

    "La Bamba" La Bamba is a traditional song of the Huasteca region, with greater attachment to the state of Veracruz, is the son jarocho genre and is known popularly as the anthem of Veracruz....
    " by Ritchie Valens
    Ritchie Valens

    Ritchie Valens was an singer, songwriter and guitarist of Mexican origin born in the U.S.A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted only eight months....
    ) and only three songs from the 21st century
    21st century

    The 21st century is the current century of the Christian Era or Common Era in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. It began on January 1, 2001 and will end December 31, 2100....
    .






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    The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone
    Rolling Stone

    Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
     magazine published in November 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
    The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

    The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003.Related news articles:* The list was based on the votes of 273 rock musicians, critics and industry figures, each of whom submitted a weighted list of 50 albums....
    . The song list was chosen based on votes by 172 musicians, critics, and music industry figures.

    List's top songs

    1. "Like a Rolling Stone
      Like a Rolling Stone

      "Like a Rolling Stone" is a song by American songwriter Bob Dylan. One of his best-known and most influential works, the song had its origin as a short story Dylan had written before developing it as a song and recording it in 1965....
      ", Bob Dylan
    2. "Satisfaction
      (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

      " Satisfaction" is a song by English rock music band The Rolling Stones. It was written by Jagger/Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. The lyrics of the song include references to sexual intercourse, and the theme of anti-commercialism caused the song to be "perceived as an attack on the status quo"....
      ", The Rolling Stones
      The Rolling Stones

      The Rolling Stones are an English rock music band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards....
    3. "Imagine
      Imagine (song)

      "Imagine" is a song written and performed by John Lennon, which first appeared on his 1971 in music album, Imagine . It was released as a single in the same year, and reached number three in the U.S....
      ", John Lennon
      John Lennon

      John Winston Ono Lennon, Order of the British Empire was an English Rock music musician, singer, songwriter, artist, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles....
    4. "What's Going On
      What's Going On (song)

      "What's Going On" is a song written by Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye. It was the title track of Gaye's groundbreaking 1971 Motown Records album What's Going On, and it became a crossover hit single that reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs....
      ", Marvin Gaye
      Marvin Gaye

      Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr., better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye was an United States singer-songwriter and instrumentalist with a three-octave vocal range....
    5. "Respect
      Respect (song)

      "Respect" is a song written and originally released by Stax Records recording artist Otis Redding in 1965. "Respect" became a 1967 hit and signature song for R&B singer Aretha Franklin....
      ", Aretha Franklin
      Aretha Franklin

      Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as "The Queen of Soul". Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, rock and roll, blues, Pop music, Rhythm and Blues and Gospel music....
    6. "Good Vibrations
      Good Vibrations

      "Good Vibrations" is a Pop music single by The Beach Boys. The song was composed by and record producer by Brian Wilson, with lyrics by Wilson and Mike Love....
      ", The Beach Boys
      The Beach Boys

      The Beach Boys are an American rock band. Formed in 1961, the group gained popularity for its close harmony and lyrics reflecting a California youth culture of cars and surfing....
    7. "Johnny B. Goode
      Johnny B. Goode

      "Johnny B. Goode" is a seminal 1958 rock and roll song by Chuck Berry. It reached #8 on the Billboard Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of his most enduring classics, and could be considered his signature song....
      ", Chuck Berry
      Chuck Berry

      Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter.Chuck Berry is an influential figure and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music....
    8. "Hey Jude
      Hey Jude

      "Hey Jude" is a song by the English Rock music band The Beatles that was recorded in 1968. Originally titled "Hey Jules", the ballad was written by Paul McCartney?and credited to Lennon/McCartney?to comfort John Lennon's son Julian Lennon during his parents' divorce....
      ", The Beatles
      The Beatles

      The Beatles were a rock music and pop music band from Liverpool, England that formed in 1960. During their career, the group primarily consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr ....
    9. "Smells Like Teen Spirit
      Smells Like Teen Spirit

      "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American Rock music band Nirvana . It is the opening track and lead Single from the band's 1991 breakthrough album Nevermind....
      ", Nirvana
      Nirvana (band)

      Nirvana was an American Rock music band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987....
    10. "What'd I Say
      What'd I Say

      "What'd I Say" or "What I Say" is a two-part recording that was released in 1959 by rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles. After Charles' run of R&B hits, this song finally broke Charles into mainstream pop and the song itself sparked a new sub-genre of rhythm and blues titled soul music, finally putting together all the elements that C...
      ", Ray Charles
      Ray Charles

      Ray Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an United States pianist, singer, and songwriter who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues....

    Statistics

    The list is largely composed of American and British artists: out of the 500 songs, 357 are from the United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
     and 117 from the United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
    ; the third most represented country is Ireland
    Republic of Ireland

    Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
     with 12 entries, then Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
     with 10.

    The list includes just one song not in English
    English language

    English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
     ("La Bamba
    La Bamba (song)

    "La Bamba" La Bamba is a traditional song of the Huasteca region, with greater attachment to the state of Veracruz, is the son jarocho genre and is known popularly as the anthem of Veracruz....
    " by Ritchie Valens
    Ritchie Valens

    Ritchie Valens was an singer, songwriter and guitarist of Mexican origin born in the U.S.A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted only eight months....
    ) and only three songs from the 21st century
    21st century

    The 21st century is the current century of the Christian Era or Common Era in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. It began on January 1, 2001 and will end December 31, 2100....
    . It has just two songs from the 1940s
    1940s

    The 1940s decade, known as the forties, ran from 1940 to 1949....
    : "Rollin' Stone
    Rollin' Stone

    "Rollin' Stone" is the name of a 1950 in music Muddy Waters blues song, and was inducted in the List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Q-Z in 2000....
    " by Muddy Waters
    Muddy Waters

    McKinley Morganfield , better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered "the Father of Chicago blues"....
     and Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
    I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

    "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" is a song written and recorded by United States country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1949. The song about loneliness was largely inspired by his troubled relationship with wife Audrey Williams....
    " from 1949 (#111). The most recent is OutKast
    OutKast

    OutKast is an United States hip hop music duet based out of East Point, Georgia, a city south of Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia . The duo was originally known as The OKB but later changed its name to OutKast....
    's 2003 hit "Hey Ya!
    Hey Ya!

    "Hey Ya!" is a song written and produced by Andr? 3000 for his 2003 album The Love Below, part of the hip hop music duo OutKast's double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below....
    " (#180).

    With 23 songs on the list, The Beatles
    The Beatles

    The Beatles were a rock music and pop music band from Liverpool, England that formed in 1960. During their career, the group primarily consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr ....
     are the most represented musical act. John Lennon
    John Lennon

    John Winston Ono Lennon, Order of the British Empire was an English Rock music musician, singer, songwriter, artist, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles....
     is the only artist to place multiple songs in the top 10 (as a member of the Beatles and as a solo artist). The Beatles are followed by The Rolling Stones
    The Rolling Stones

    The Rolling Stones are an English rock music band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards....
     (14 entries); Bob Dylan (12); Elvis Presley
    Elvis Presley

    Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
     (11); The Beach Boys
    The Beach Boys

    The Beach Boys are an American rock band. Formed in 1961, the group gained popularity for its close harmony and lyrics reflecting a California youth culture of cars and surfing....
     and Jimi Hendrix
    Jimi Hendrix

    James Marshall Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter whose guitar playing continues to be a considerable influence on rock music....
     (seven each); and Chuck Berry
    Chuck Berry

    Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter.Chuck Berry is an influential figure and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music....
    , U2
    U2

    U2 are a rock music band from Dublin, Republic of Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. .The band formed in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency....
    , James Brown
    James Brown

    James Joseph Brown, Jr. was an United States entertainer. He is recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music and was renowned for his vocals and feverish dancing....
    , Prince, Led Zeppelin
    Led Zeppelin

    Led Zeppelin were an English rock music band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal music bands....
     and Sly & the Family Stone
    Sly & the Family Stone

    Sly & the Family Stone is an Music of the United States Funk music, soul music and rock music band from San Francisco, California. Originally active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music....
     (six each).

    See also

    • The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
      The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

      The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003.Related news articles:* The list was based on the votes of 273 rock musicians, critics and industry figures, each of whom submitted a weighted list of 50 albums....


    External links