Centurama Top 100!
 
 Here is the list compiled by Centurama of the top 100 songs ever!

This is produced from thousands of votes and may be the definitive top 100 single list

View Playlist files	View Playlist files
in alphabetical order	in ranked order

		100. "Smooth" - Supernatural Santana (featuring Rob Thomas) Arista - 1999 Thanks in large part to the unlikely pairing of the guitar legend with the frontman of freshman band Matchbox 20, Carlos Santana wins the comeback of the year award — and quite possibly the comeback of the decade as well.
		99. "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" - The Age of Aquarius Fifth Dimension Soul City - 1969 Marilyn McCoo and company recorded this one for the Broadway phenomenon Hair; they can thank the hippies for their biggest chart success: it stayed at No. 1 for six weeks.
		98. "Roxanne" - Outlandos d'Amour The Police A&M - 1979 With screeching vocals and a modified reggae-punk rhythm, Sting and his cohorts introduced us to the most famous rock 'n' roll prostitute this side of Jane's Addiction's namesake. If Sting was doing yoga back then, she wouldn't have had time to turn on the red light.
		97. "Suspicious Minds" - From Memphis to Vegas/From Vegas to Memphis Elvis Presley RCA - 1969 Elvis was temporarily overtaken at the top of the pops by the Fab Four, but the King came back with this one, which found him adopting a more contemporary sound.
		96. "Gangsta's Paradise" - Dangerous Minds (soundtrack) Coolio (featuring L.V.) MCA Soundtracks - 1995 Until "Gangsta's Paradise," Coolio was content to be another of rap's clown princes. This song, which takes its dramatic music backing from Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise" added some much needed gravitas to his act however, and gave the onetime crackhead his biggest chart success.
		95. "All I Wanna Do" - Tuesday Night Music Club Sheryl Crow A&M - 1994 Girls just wanna have fun, '90s division. Crow's wiggly romp established her star, but happier than her was Wyn Cooper, the poet whose verse provided the inspiration and lyric for this smash, and who can presumably afford as many beer buzzes in the morning as he wants.
		94. "Livin' La Vida Loca" - Ricky Martin Ricky Martin C2 - 1999 With his memorable appearance at the Grammy ceremony and the success of this hip-swinging, chart-topping single, Martin almost single-handedly began the so-called Latin music explosion of 1999.
		93. "Call Me" - American Gigolo Blondie Chrysalis - 1980 The combo of Richard Gere on the big screen and Blondie providing the soundtrack was a winner, both with the box office and on radio.
		92. "Me and Bobby McGee" - Pearl Janis Joplin Columbia - 1971 Written by Kris Kristofferson and originally a country hit, this was Joplin's one and only hit single. It topped the chart several months after her October 1970 death by heroin overdose.
		91. "Y.M.C.A." - Cruisin' Village People Casablanca - 1978 Pure irony. This disco classic, designed as a cheeky celebration of gay life, has evolved into a sports anthem played at every family filled stadium in the land. The one song ever created that makes everyone think they can dance.
		90. "Great Balls of Fire " - Jerry Lee's Greatest Jerry Lee Lewis Mercury Records - 1957 One of the first true rockers, Lewis tackles the important issues of early rock and roll — luv, that is. It may be an oldie, but Lewis truly blistered the ivories like no one had done before, and few have done since.
		89. "My Girl" - The Temptations Sing Smokey Temptations Gordy - 1965 This song hit No. 1 on the pop and R&B charts, and was a hallmark tune for the Temptations (long before it ever became the title for a movie).
		88. "I Want It That Way" - Millennium Backstreet Boys Jive - 1999 Throw enough boy-band singles at the wall, and something is bound to stick. "I Want It That Way" was the one single of 1999 that was so sticky and sweet that it adhered to darn near everything. But that's okay — this one makes a fine guilty pleasure.
		87. "Killing Me Softly With His Song" - Killing Me Softly Roberta Flack Atlantic - 1973 Quick quiz: Who's it about? A gold star to those who guessed Don McLean, who actually killed singer Lori Lieberman with his song ("American Pie") before "Killing Me …" fell into Flack's hands and came out through her immensely capable pipes.
		86. "The Twist" - Twist With Chubby Checker Chubby Checker Parkway - 1960 It's been 40 years since Chubby Checker told us all to do the twist. Guess what? Everyone still knows how.
		85. "Sexual Healing" - Midnight Love Marvin Gaye Columbia - 1982 The track that spent 10 weeks at the top of the R&B chart was unfortunately Gaye's swan song — he was fatally shot by his father during an argument in 1984.
		84. "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" - Armageddon (soundtrack) Aerosmith Columbia - 1998 A Diane Warren(!)-penned power ballad smash from the Armaggeddon soundtrack that could only have been done for its big-bucks potential — even if they don't have wallet-draining coke habits to support anymore.
		83. "Streets of Philadelphia" - Philadelphia (soundtrack) Bruce Springsteen Columbia - 1994 Springsteen's moody contribution to the soundtrack of the acclaimed film about a lawyer dying of AIDS was itself an Oscar winner, as well as a multiple Grammy winner.
		82. "Better Man" - Vitalogy Pearl Jam Epic - 1994 Despite the slow build and pounding finale, "Better Man" is not an anthem, but a tune about a woman who no longer loves her man. Still, it rocks, but we want to know if she ever made up her mind.
		81. "The Boys of Summer" - Building the Perfect Beast Don Henley Geffen - 1984 Henley explores the thrill of the summer romance in this rocker, tapping into both joys and sorrows, the heartfelt goodbyes, and even the longing sense of nostalgia we've all felt years after the summer sun has gone down.

		80. "Old Time Rock & Roll" - Stranger in Town Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band Capitol - 1979 It only spent five weeks on the chart and peaked at No. 28, but the song's enduring popularity can perhaps be explained by Tom Cruise's jockey-shorted dance number in Risky Business.
		79. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" - Hysteria Def Leppard Mercury - 1988 One of six Top 20 singles from the first album recorded after drummer Rick Allen lost an arm in a car accident. Allen headed back into the studio with a special drum kit after just a few months, thus ensuring that the band would have a place in Behind the Music history.
		78. "Fast Car" - Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Elektra - 1988 "I had a feeling I could be someone," Chapman sings in her song's hopeful chorus, and sure enough, she was right. Along with Suzanne Vega's "Luka," Chapman's "Car" opened the door for female singer/songwriters for decades to come.
		77. "Born to Be Wild" - Steppenwolf Steppenwolf Dunhill - 1968 Featured in the ultimate motorcycle flick, Easy Rider, people have long associated "Born to Be Wild" with motorcycles. But get this: the song was actually written by Mars Bonfire (AKA Dennis Edmonton), who was moved to put pen to paper after purchasing … a Ford Falcon.
		76. "Beat It" - Thriller Michael Jackson Epic - 1983 "Beat It" made Jackson a rare black performer on rock radio, and the song's video was even more significant, one of the first to break the unspoken race barrier on MTV. For once, it truly didn't matter if you were black or white.
		75. "Wonderwall" - What's the Story Morning Glory Oasis Epic - 1996 Ah, it was so nice to hear something new from the Beatles during the … whoops, sorry about that. To his credit, Oasis leader Noel Gallagher never claimed this tea and crumpets ditty was anything less than a homage to the Fabs, and with the real thing absentia, this was a perfectly acceptable substitute.
		74. "California Girls" - Summer Days Beach Boys Capitol - 1965 It was hard to be horny in 1966; radio guidelines and established societal mores wouldn't let a songwriter elaborate on what he'd like to do with "the cutest girls in the world." That said, the song's breezy images and sunny exuberance are enough to convince any young man worth his testosterone to go west.
		73. "Peggy Sue " - Buddy Holly Buddy Holly Coral - 1957 Originally titled "Cindy Lou," this No. 3 song was renamed in honor of Peggy Sue Gerron, girlfriend (and later wife) of Crickets drummer Jerry Allison.
		72. "Another One Bites the Dust" - The Game Queen Elektra - 1980 The song whose bass line gave Sugarhill Gang its career and rap its first berth in the pop mainstream. Michael Jackson gets credit for recommending it be released as a single, and it was both Queen's most successful single and its last-ever original entry in the Billboard Top 10.
		71. "1979" - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness Smashing Pumpkins Virgin - 1996 As one of the hit singles that drove the success of Mellon Collie, this song helped the Pumpkins throw pie in the face of critics that predicted that a double-disc concept album would never fly in the '90s.
		70. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" - Urban Hymns The Verve VC/Hut/Virgin - 1998 Though this was perhaps the best single of 1997, the British band didn't manage to enjoy the fruits of its labors. Built on a Rolling Stones sample that was never cleared, Mick and Keith came calling to collect 100 percent of its royalties.
		69. "Born to Run" - Born to Run Bruce Springsteen Columbia - 1975 Highways jammed with broken heroes, bones torn from your back, suicide machines … the imagery alone makes this a thrilling four-and-half-minute ride. Add the layered guitars, chiming glockenspiels, thundering drums, and hellfire sax solo, and this is one tune that can guard our dreams and visions anytime.
		68. "Heart of Glass" - Eat to the Beat Blondie Chrysalis - 1979 The song that finally legitimized disco — via new wave — with its metronomic beat and burbling keyboard. A natural for the dance floor, it also had vocalist Debbie Harry spewing attitude about loves come and gone all over the place.
		67. "Sweet Emotion" - Toys in the Attic Aerosmith Columbia - 1975 This is perhaps the definitive rock-star swagger tune. "I can't say baby where I'll be in a year," Steven Tyler gloats. Just leave notice of the paternity suits with our attorneys, we'll get back to you.
		66. "More Than a Feeling" - Boston Boston Epic - 1976 This single's quick chart ascension helped spur sales of Boston to such heights that it remained the best-selling debut album for 10 years — until Whitney Houston stole the title away in 1986.
		65. "Money for Nothing" - Brothers in Arms Dire Straits Warner Brothers - 1985 With "Money," Mark Knopfler built the perfect beast, using a hot guest (Sting), a borrowed guitar tone (from ZZ Top), an amusing story, and a non-gratuitous shill for MTV that couldn't help but turn the song into a hit.
		64. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' Righteous Brothers Philles - 1964 A masterpiece for the Righteous Brothers, and for producer Phil Spector as well, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" captured the wide range of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield's distinctive vocals in what is perhaps the quintessential rock and roll single.
		63. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" - She's So Unusual Cyndi Lauper Portrait - 1984 Sort of a like a less sexualized version of Madonna, Lauper and her MTV hit inspired many girls to go for a copycat look and adopt her "punk lite" hair color and clothing.
		62. "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)" - Licensed to Ill Beastie Boys Def Jam - 1987 You've gotta love a song whose title would not look out of place on a Spinal Tap album — and which delivers the goods in a punky rock-rap rant that speaks to every kid whose parents ever found their stash o' porn. Knuckleball rock at its best.
		61. "Come on Eileen" - Too-Rye-Ay Dexy's Midnight Runners Mercury - 1983 It's tough to separate this bracing shot of Irish soul from its clumsy, yet ubiquitous video. Still, it's a terrific song, with a memorable vocal performance — his one and only — from Dexy's lead singer Kevin Rowland.

		60. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel Columbia - 1970 Paul Simon writes a beaut, and gives it to one of pop's purest voices to sing. It's one of loveliest moments you'll hear in music, and not a bad bit o' gospelizing for a couple of white Jewish boys from the boroughs.
		59. "Vogue" - I'm Breathless Madonna Sire - 1990 After a couple of box office bombs (Shanghai Surprise and Who's That Girl?), Madonna's acting career started looking up with her appearance in Dick Tracy; the film's soundtrack spawned this No. 1 single (and dance craze).
		58. "All You Need Is Love" - Magical Mystery Tour Beatles Capitol - 1967 Ain't it the truth. At the flower power pinnacle of 1967, there was no sentiment more simple or universal than this. The group's Our World special, with assorted Rolling Stones, Who members, Eric Clapton and others joining in the chorus, remains one of rock's great images.
		57. "Nothing Compares 2 U" - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got Sinead O'Connor Ensign - 1990 This was the biggest hit Prince (who wrote it) had during the '90s. For that, O'Connor claims he assaulted her at his Minneapolis home. Next time, try flowers — or maybe a "Kiss."
		56. "Sweet Home Alabama" - Second Helping Lynyrd Skynyrd MCA - 1974 Never mind that Lynyrd Skynyrd hailed from Florida — this paean to regional pride rang true just the same. An answer to Neil Young's pointedly critical "Southern Man," it essentially suggests that Young should mind his own damn business.
		55. "Born in the U.S.A." - Born in the U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen Columbia - 1984 Following on the heels of the stark Nebraska album, Springsteen picked up the musical pace, though the uptempo sound of the title track belies the blue-collar disillusionment expressed in the lyrics.
		54. "I Will Always Love You" - Bodyguard (soundtrack) Whitney Houston Arista - 1992 The simple fact is, Houston destroys this old Dolly Parton song, in the best possible sense. She's never reached that peak again, but to have come to it once is more than most have done.
		53. "Cat's in the Cradle" - Verities and Balderdash Harry Chapin Elektra - 1974 A poem by Chapin's wife inspired the lyrics to this No. 1 song, the sad tale of a father who can't seem to make time for his young son and finds the tables turned once the son grows up.
		52. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" - The Breakfast Club (soundtrack) Simple Minds A&M - 1985 This turned into a major hit, thanks largely to its inclusion in the film The Breakfast Club, though it was something of a fluke for the band, who sang it after Bryan Ferry passed. It went on to become the theme for proms nationwide.
		51. "Oh, Pretty Woman" - Oh Pretty Woman Roy Orbison Monument - 1964 Of Orbison's 20-plus Top 40 hits of the '60s, this is his most enduring — a No. 1 song that became the title and the theme song of a blockbuster movie in 1990, 26 years after charting.
		50. "Lightning Crashes" - Throwing Copper Live Radioactive - 1994 One person dies, another is born. It's an elemental theme, but in this case one that's delivered with the kind of slightly naive but convincing passion that was true to Live on its sophomore album. A winning, nicely understated anthem.
		49. "Proud Mary" - Bayou Country Creedence Clearwater Revival Fantasy - 1969 Because of a conflict with his record label, singer John Fogerty refused to play the song for decades, until Bob Dylan told him that if he didn't, "People will think 'Proud Mary' is a Tina Turner song." Fogerty changed his mind.
		48. "Crash in to Me" - Crash Dave Matthews Band RCA - 1996 Listen carefully to the words of this one, and you'll realize that it's not your average boy-meets-girl tale — Matthews is singing from a rather voyeuristic point of view.
		47. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - The Joshua Tree U2 Island - 1987 This may well be the defining moment of U2's anthemic, righteous period, in which it asked big questions and sought big answers — and, according to this song title, wasn't finding them. It did, however, discover what listeners liked, as this became the Irish group's second consecutive No. 1 hit.
		46. "Billie Jean" - Thriller Michael Jackson Epic - 1983 Before he had to deny child abuse allegations in the '90s, the gloved one denied paternity allegations in this mega-hit that topped the U.S. singles chart for seven weeks.
		45. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" - I Heard It Through the Grapevine Marvin Gaye Tamla - 1969 One of the greatest songs about betrayal and heartbreak in rock and roll history, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" could not survive its use in a commercial, in which singing and dancing raisins rendered the song forever ridiculous.
		44. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" - The Dock of the Bay Otis Redding Volt - 1968 Redding's first No. 1 hit was also unfortunately his last — he recorded this track just three days before his untimely death in a plane crash at the age of 26. It hit the charts exactly two months later.
		43. "Love Shack" - Cosmic Thing The B-52's Reprise - 1989 Slacker culture hadn't been fully defined when the 52's released this sentimental comeback hit, but it certainly captures the spirit in a laid-back, swampy, Georgia kind of way. And, yes, every bar should have a tin roof, rusted or otherwise.
		42. "Under the Bridge" - Blood Sugar Sex Magik Red Hot Chili Peppers Warner Brothers - 1992 We knew these guys were funky. Turns out they have soul, too. "Bridge" was a poignant change of direction for the Peppers, ostensibly a love letter to Los Angeles, and referring obliquely to singer Anthony Kiedis' drug addiction.
		41. "A Hard Day's Night" - A Hard Day's Night (soundtrack) Beatles Capitol - 1964 Here's a lesson to all those angsty modern rockers out there; you can complain about your life and still have a good time. The Fab Four certainly did on this title theme to their first film; of course, they also had someone to go home to to make it feel all right.

		40. "Like a Virgin" - Like a Virgin Madonna Sire - 1984 Proving that MTV could be a girl's (or boy-toy's) best friend, Madonna's first No. 1 single spent six weeks at the top and spawned a rash of Madonnawannabes who were desperately seeking to look like the Material Girl.
		39. "The Sounds of Silence" - Wednesday Morning, 3 AM Simon & Garfunkel Columbia - 1965 If at first you don't succeed … "The Sounds of Silence" stiffed as a folk song. But add a rock rhythm section (courtesy of producer Tom Wilson, under S&G's noses) and it's a No. 1 hit and an anthem for a generation.
		38. "Take on Me" - Hunting High and Low A-Ha Warner Brothers - 1985 Most bands would be insulted if you said they belong in the funny papers. Not A-Ha. The Norwegian trio had little to offer besides this flyweight song's killer video, which combined live action and animation, and redefined the possibilities of the video clip.
		37. "Jack and Diane" - American Fool John Cougar Riva - 1982 Jack & Diane struck a chord with people who were, like Cougar (the artist soon to be known as Mellencamp), from small-town America. This high-school couple helped make Mellencamp an unlikely video star at the dawn of the MTV era.
		36. "We Are the Champions" - News of the World Queen Elektra - 1977 Released with another stadium-style anthem, "We Will Rock You," as the B-side, this was Queen's highest-charting and best-selling single of the '70s. It quickly became a sporting event favorite.
		35. "Dancing Queen" - Arrival ABBA Atlantic - 1977 Can you believe that you picked just one ABBA song? Well, thank goodness for that. Us? We might have taken "Waterloo," but we figure Erasure's embrace of "Dancing Queen" in its ABBAesque guise has something to do-wee-do-wee-do-wee-do-wee-do with it.
		34. "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" - The Wall Pink Floyd Columbia - 1979 This is a big chunk of musical masonry from Pink Floyd's mad masterpiece, The Wall, but with its rebellious spirit against the tyranny of teachers (the shout-along "We don't need no education" chorus), it made a damn fine single, too.
		33. "Mrs. Robinson" - Bookends Simon & Garfunkel Columbia - 1968 The tragic loss of innocence was poignant enough when it served in the classic film The Graduate. But its reference to the departure of Joe DiMaggio took on added significance in 1999 when Joltin' Joe went away for real.
		32. "Like a Rolling Stone" - Highway 61 Revisited Bob Dylan Columbia - 1965 Released at a time when he was drawing harsh criticism from folk music followers for "abandoning" his musical roots, Dylan's growing number of rock and pop music fans sent this track to No. 2.
		31. "My Heart Will Go On" - Titanic (soundtrack) Celine Dion 550 Music - 1998 We see you out there. You're gagging. But, hey, YOU voted for it. Don't feel bad, though; this "Titanic" smash threw a lifeline to the love song, and it made Celine enough money that she's actually going away for awhile. Now if we could only do something about James Cameron …
		30. "Good Vibrations" - Smiley Smile Beach Boys Capitol - 1966 Whatever freak-out Brian Wilson was going through, it all but disappeared in the wake of this brilliant piece of pop craftsmanship. It's a tremendous tune, with a performance that would shame anyone who liked "Kokomo."
		29. "Rock Around the Clock" - [N/A] Bill Haley & His Comets Decca - 1955 Originally released as a B-side in 1954, the song was reissued the following year when it appeared in the film Blackboard Jungle - and its eight-week stint at No. 1 is considered by many to mark the beginning of the rock era.
		28. "I Will Survive" - [N/A] Gloria Gaynor Polydor - 1978 Credit — or blame — Gaynor's anthem of perseverance as disco's first hit. And it has survived, winning immortality on every party DJ's play list, though Miss Gaynor has faded into the "What ever happened to?" files.
		27. "When Doves Cry" - Purple Rain Prince Warner Brothers - 1984 Thanks in part to exposure on the small screen (MTV) and the big screen (the semi-autobiographical Purple Rain), this track logged five weeks at No. 1.
		26. "It's the End of the World as We Know It" - Document R.E.M. I.R.S. - 1987 A "Subterranean Homesick Blues" for the MTV generation, as pithy and rapid-fire as its forebear — right down to the celebrity name-check that introduced thousands of kids to Leonard Bernstein. While he was still alive. We feel fine, indeed.
		25. "Layla" - Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs Derek & the Dominos Atco - 1972 Eric Clapton (along with members of Delaney & Bonnie & Friends) first topped out at No. 51 with a short version of this track in 1971. Following the band's breakup, the full seven-minute version was released and made it to No. 10.
		24. "Johnny B. Goode " - Berry Is on Top Chuck Berry Chess - 1958 The lick that launched a thousand guitar careers. "Johnny B. Goode" is the perfect rock song in a nutshell, combining raw, primal energy with an arrangement that's more sophisticated than you think and a meaty lyrical characterization. Go, Chuck, go
		23. "Brown Eyed Girl" - Blowin' Your Mind! Van Morrison Bang - 1967 A nostalgic look back at young love and good times, "Brown Eyed Girl" is a classic feel-good radio single (reaching No. 10 in 1967), particularly the part where "We used to sing/ Sha la la la la la la la la lala ti da." As it happens, we still do.
		22. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" - Out of Our Heads Rolling Stones London - 1965 After three albums notable mainly for cover tunes, Jagger and Richards finally hit their songwriting stride with this track, which spent four weeks at the top of the American charts.
		21. "You Oughta Know" - Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morissette Maverick - 1996 Something you oughta know about Morissette's breakthrough single — despite the fact that it seemed huge, it never even hit the Top 40 (although it did top the Modern Rock chart).

		20. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" - Meet the Beatles Beatles Capitol - 1964 Sweet, plaintive, and infectious, just like the beginnings of love itself, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" cemented America's affair with the Beatles', one that would last for years and years.
		19. "California Dreamin'" - If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears Mamas & the Papas Dunhill - 1966 This convergence of irresistible melody, lush harmonies, and ringing guitars evokes the virtues of the Left Coast as well as any Beach Boys song — and posits the theory that there's more to Cali than bikini-clad blondes, surf boards, and hot rods.
		18. "Sweet Child O' Mine" - Appetite for Destruction Guns N' Roses Geffen - 1988 There were times when you really had to scratch your head and look twice to see if this was really Axl Rose and Guns N' Roses singing this unconditionally sweet and reverent love song. More "Paradise City" than "Welcome to the Jungle," and Slash's solo belongs on any list of seminal hard rock axe work.
		17. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) Eurythmics RCA - 1983 Perhaps it was their eccentric looks (particularly singer Annie Lennox' androgynous appearance) that helped get this keyboard-driven paean to S&M played endlessly on MTV. Regardless, the group went on to enjoy a long and varied career.
		16. "Loser" - Mellow Gold Beck DGC - 1994 Beck offered much needed proof that there was a smile present underneath Generation X's scowl. Hitting amid the grunge revolution, "Loser" was, in fact, a winner — a weird sonic stew of folk-blues, funk, and rock, with an irresistible chorus and some great lyrical non-sequiturs.
		15. "With or Without You" - The Joshua Tree U2 Island - 1987 The first U.S. No. 1 for the four former schoolmates from Dublin, this single kicked off the album that dominated the airwaves and the critics' best-of lists in 1987.
		14. "One" - Achtung Baby U2 Island - 1992 So simple and heart-wrenching — blessedly eschewing the power ballad bombast that could have been so easily layered on here — this was an "Imagine" for the `90s and the kind of song that will still be resonating at the end of the next century.
		13. "Stayin' Alive" - Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack) The Bee Gees RSO - 1977 The song that defined the disco era, "Stayin' Alive" was banished for years to the lowest circle of hell, otherwise known as disco inferno. But Travolta is back on top these days, so it's time to dust this classic off, too.
		12. "Respect" - I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) Aretha Franklin Atlantic - 1967 The Queen of Soul hit No. 1 with this Otis Redding-penned tune back in 1967, exactly 20 years before she became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
		11. "Tears in Heaven" - Unplugged Eric Clapton Reprise - 1992 One of Clapton's most personal songs, it was written for his son, Conor, who fell to his death from a New York highrise window the year before at age four.

		10. "Light My Fire" - The Doors Doors Elektra - 1967 The seven-minute "Light My Fire" dared three-minute-maximum radio stations to play it — and of course, they did. Jim Morrison's Dionysian call to "set the night on fi-ya" is memorable, but what really makes the song is the interplay between the swirling keyboards and trippy guitar.
		9. "Every Breath You Take" - Synchronicity The Police A&M - 1983 Alongside U2's "With or Without You," this song helped foster that curious '80s phenomenon: nasty love songs. It's lyrics sing of control and surveillance (read: stalking), a fact that escaped the thousands of couples that adopted it as "their song."
		8. "Let It Be" - Let It Be The Beatles Apple - 1970 This is a hymn as much as it is a pop hit, an expression of hope and faith that's so guilelessly pure that it seems like it's from a whole other world. Paul McCartney has written some silly love songs, but this one compensates for 'em all.
		7. "Losing My Religion" - Out of Time R.E.M. Warner Brothers - 1991 Turns out having Michael Stipe enunciate doesn't make R.E.M.'s songs any less puzzling. Misunderstood as an attack on spirituality, "Losing My Religion" borrows its title from a Southern phrase dealing with weariness to the point of not caring.
		6. "American Pie" - American Pie Don McLean United Artists - 1971 Inspired by Buddy Holly's premature death in a 1959 plane crash ("the day the music died"), this eight-minute epic topped the charts for four weeks.
		5. "Imagine" - Imagine John Lennon & the Plastic Ono Band Apple - 1971 So beloved is "Imagine," which speaks movingly of peace, love, and understanding, that it would probably be adopted as a hymn if it wasn't totally irreligious. No wonder Nixon tried so hard to deport the guy.
		4. "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin IV Led Zeppelin Swan Song - 1971 Where to begin — The chiming harmonics? The mystical lyrics? The build from gentle to apocalyptic? The killer guitar solo? The fact that the first four minutes make it a great make-out song? An epic and a classic — and a song that scores of other bands still try to copy, though no one ever will.
		3. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nevermind Nirvana DGC - 1991 We said: "Here we are now, entertain us." Kurt Cobain and Nirvana said: "Sure." One of those seminal hits whose impact can't be overstated; and if someone tries, just tell them "Oh, nevermind " Suffice to say it launched a movement, gave mainstream rock a new, subversive edge for the early '90s and smelled a whole lot better than the average teen locker room.
		2. "Hey Jude" - Hey Jude Beatles Apple - 1968 With this post-divorce ode to John Lennon's first son, Julian, Paul McCartney took a sad song and made it better — and gave Beatles fans what many consider to be the group's finest 45 RPM moment.

1. "Hotel California" - Hotel California The Eagles Asylum - 1977 The quintessential California band of the Seventies got their start inauspiciously as Linda Ronstadt's backing band. About seven years later, with five albums under their belts, they released a concept album which featured as its centerpiece (and title track) a surprisingly spooky and cynical song about their home state. But fans didn't seem to mind that once you checked into the Hotel California you could never check out — the song hit #1 and lingered on the chart for almost four months.

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