Gigantic (1988)
500
Just Like Honey (1985)
499
Come on Eileen (1982)
497
Feel Good Hit of the Summer (2000)
495
Simplicity is the key to life and reaching people if you're a singer/songwriter. An example is Timmy Thomas' "Why Can't We Live Together." Staff producer Steve Alaimo listened to a demo of Thomas that consisted of him singing while playing a Lowry organ and bossa nova percussion created on a cheesy rhythm machine. At first, Alaimo was going to re-cut the song with a full band, then it hit him: "it's already done." - Ed Hogan
Why Can't We Live Together (1972)
494
By 1938 fans were asking Shaw if he knew how to play "Beguine, and Shaw asked his arranger Jerry Gray to come up with a chart for the popular tune. Gray's original version stuck with the beguine rhythm, but Shaw didn't feel it would work for the ballroom crowd. According to guitarist Al Avola, Shaw kept Gray's chords and changed it to a swinging four-four time called "bending the Charleston. - David Rickert
Begin the Beguine (1938)
493
Its anthemic tone made it clear that Hell was setting himself and his handful of peers apart from the culture-- both musical and societal -- that surrounded them. Hell paintes a vivid picture of urban alienation and emotional disconnect. And as for "Blank Generation" as an umbrella name for this new music -- well, it didn't stick as well as "punk," but it doesn't sound half as silly as "new wave." - Mark Deming
Blank Generation (1977)
492
"The Last Time" was the first original Rolling Stones composition to become a big international hit single. It was built around a hypnotic, repetitive guitar riff; it and the sung melody were actually close in construction to country music.The lyrics, and Mick Jagger's vocals, adopt a stance more adolescent than those in many of the blues songs they covered. - Richie Unterberger
The Last Time (1965)
491
Among the song’s masterstrokes was a loop from The Clash brought to the studio by guitarist Steve
Marker—while its distinctive grinding sound was, bassist Duke Erikson told Addicted to Noise, “initially
a mistake".The song was topped by Manson’s lyrics about a manipulative female doomed to a life of shallowness and deceit. - Joel McIver
Stupid Girl (1995)
490
As has often been pointed out, rarely has a big pop hit featured such nasty lyrics. The level of bile was slightly coated by the music, which was a fairly good-natured folk-rock melody."Positively 4th Street" it's a composite of several people from his past Dylan bore a grudge toward. - Richie Unterberger
Positively 4th Street (1965)
489
They sound louder and happier than they have in a long while. A big phat baseline, soaring riffs, quality lyrics. It's lines like "my plug-in baby, in unbroken virgin realities" which muddy the pop waters that this single is for some reason paddling in. - Sean Adams
Plug in Baby (2001)
488
Marquee Moon (1977)
487
Basket Case was not an overnight success. But to dismiss the impact of Basket Case as the result of a marketing campaign is to miss the point entirely. It was the perfect pop punk anthem; a three-chord thrash that could be approximated by any covers band, and burnt out as fast as it had reared up. - Henry Yates
Basket Case (1994)
486
A song that magnificently combined rock, soul, pop, jazz, and gospel. And, in a too-unusual instance of such effortless musical brilliance, it was phenomenally successful as well. "Hit the Road Jack" grabs your attention from the very first bars. - Richie Unterberger
Hit the Road Jack (1961)
485
A gently euphoric anthem to the prevailing mood of social and political change, it somehow found room for Newman’s jazzy piano solo. The song has enjoyed immortality thanks to its repeated use in movies. Something in the Air became one of the indestructible staples of British 1960s pop. - Adam Sweeting
Something in the Air (1969)
484
Music Sounds Better With You (1998)
483
Up on the Roof (1962)
482
With a Little Help from My Friends (1968)
481
Fix Up, Look Sharp (2003)
480
Duke of Earl (1960)
479
God Bless the Child (1941)
478
Black Hole Sun (1994)
477
Beginning life as a song inspired by the Maharishi, John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ evolved to look at the insecurities and possessive nature of love. One of John Lennon’s best-known and most-loved songs. Even by the time John finished his version, however, the song had already been through a number of incarnations. - Paul McGuinness
Jealous Guy (1971)
476
Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 (1979)
475
Ms. Jackson (2000)
474
My Heart Will Go On (1998)
473
Night Moves (1976)
472
This was not just an influential song but one that The Beatles themselves covered. It featured a powerful vocal performance by Strong. The story ends with an ironic twist. Strong was originally credited as a co-writer of the song but his name was later removed by Motown. Strong says that he came up with the song’s famous piano riff. He is pursuing a claim for unpaid royalties. - David Cheal
Money (That's What I Want) (1960)
471
Livin' On A Prayer (1986)
470
Why does ‘No One Knows’ sound so wrong? It’s all about context. It’s not a natural single. *The Queens *don’t believe in natural singles. You need the overtures and the ever-afters just to understand. Without them it seems like an abstract. It is non-representational of them; their sound; their validation. - Raziq Rauf
No One Knows (2002)
469
Radio Free Europe (1983)
468
Take Five (1959)
466
Stormy Weather (1943)
465
Life on Mars? (1971)
463
Big Girls Don't Cry (1962)
462
Umbrella (2007)
461
Ooo Baby Baby (1965)
460
Animal Collective album Merriweather Post Pavilion is incredibly good. For me, "My Girls", the danceable and insanely catchy ode to the bonds of family sung by Panda Bear, was the record's first "I need to play this song 10 times in a row right now" moment. - Amy Granzin
My Girls (2009)
459
Respect Yourself (1971)
458
Police and Thieves (1976)
457
He'd barely been seen, popping up only at the occasional Band gig. But after he accepted a role in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, he agreed to cut a few tunes for the soundtrack. The clear highlight, is about a weary gunman ready to pack it all in. The simple song worked perfectly in the film and gave Dylan a much-needed hit. - Andy Greene
Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1973)
456
We Will Rock You (1977)
455
Sexy Boy (1998)
454
Champagne Supernova (1995)
453
Highway to Hell (1979)
452
Psychotic Reaction (1966)
451
Move on Up (1970)
449
The Great Pretender (1955)
448
"The Letter" is in and out in just under two minutes, making it one of the shortest number one singles of all time. Alex Chilton wasn't even old enough to have a driver's license when he sang the lead vocals on the Box Tops' debut single, but his gruff lead is one of the most effortlessly soulful vocals of 1967. - Stewart Mason
The Letter (1967)
447
You Really Got a Hold on Me (1962)
446
One Fine Day (1963)
445
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (1977)
444
Comfortably Numb (1979)
443
Turn! Turn! Turn! (1966)
441
Let's Dance (1983)
440
It contains excellent storytelling concerning its rather, shall we say, naughty subject matter. Meanwhile, a fantastic background beat is terrifically assisted by twinkling piano and an effectively subtle incorporation of a sample from The Jackson 5's well-known hit 'ABC'. The result is a body-moving and involving song that could literally appeal to anyone from hardcore rap fans to pop aficionados. - Davey Boy
O.P.P. (1991)
439
This song was Springsteen’s first major hit, and it propelled him to fame. He experimented with some up- tempo synthesizer rifts and syncopation in his sound, and it did wonders to the song. “Dancing In The Dark” was also his greatest selling song of all time. - Audiophile Paradise
Dancing in the Dark (1984)
438
The song's dark synths are just as boppy as they are creepy, and Boucher's doll-like vocals are high and clear, to the point that her lyrics bear some weight. She sings, and and as the song unfolds, her fascination with divas like Mariah Carey and Beyoncé no longer seem topical or fleeting. - Carrie Battan
Oblivion (2011)
437
September Gurls (1974)
436
Dammers came home from Alexandra Palace in July 1983 with an armful of leaflets and an idea for a song.The song was embraced by the UN, ANC and black South Africans, who sang it at demonstrations and played it over loudspeakers, even though the record was banned in the country. The chorus was so simple and catchy that anyone could sing it and remember its message. - Dorian Lynskey
Nelson Mandela (1984)
435
I'll Be There (1970)
434
The Drowners has that indefinable adrenalin-inducing pop-single production, the drums have a Joy Division feel and the electric guitars have a Bolan/Ronson fizz. It was a sound no-one in 1992 was expecting and a sound on the record is one that the band would struggle to repeat in a live setting. - Leo Collett
The Drowners (1993)
433
A Hard Day's Night (1964)
432
Who Do You Love (1956)
431
This portrait of the tyranny of work, the lurking shadow of death and the desperate desire to escape to “a better life” has spoken to generations. Troops serving in Vietnam, both Gulf Wars and Afghanistan have found perennial solace in its message.The song started life as a modest piece of escapist folk-pop. Mickie Most brought it to The Animals, who turned it into their second biggest hit. - Tom Pinnock
We Gotta Get Out of This Place (1965)
430
Everyday People (1968)
429
Another Girl, Another Planet (1978)
428
Hold On! I'm Comin' (1966)
427
Ironically, this is Eminem. Out of character, the worried father who works relentlessly to succeed but then “goes home and barely knows his own daughter.” It is real, it is difficult and it is the sound of a man racing so far ahead of his peers – both inside and out of hip-hop – that the competition must be embarrassed. Genius. - Paul McNamee
Lose Yourself (2002)
426
Le Freak (1978)
425
Everybody Hurts (1992)
424
One of the most controversial songs in music history. One song from Straight Outta Compton that has come to define the group's legacy. "Fuck Tha Police" is a song disparaging law enforcement in reaction to recurring instances of police brutality within the black community. This became one of the genre's most watershed moments. - Preezy Brown
Fuck tha Police (1988)
423
You Keep Me Hangin' On (1966)
422
Their first release to gain critical acclaim amongst music critics at the time. At this point, MBV started to perfect their now trademark style of shoegaze, thus becoming masters of the art of face-melting, reverb-hitting, noise-killing sounds that can make one become glazed over in pure, unfiltered euphoria. - Eatdogs (punknews.org)
You Made Me Realise (1988)
421
You Are the Sunshine of My Life (1972)
420
Like a turbo-charged version of The Cars’ new wave rock caught in a head-on collision with some lagered-up grunge band, Monkey Wrench was faster, tighter, ballsier and, importantly, more joyous than anything Grohl’s previous band had managed. And after all those years of complaint rock, it was a welcome relief. - Scott Rowley
Monkey Wrench (1997)
419
Hound Dog (1953)
418
“Son Of A Preacher Man” is probably the most famous track from “Dusty In Memphis”, and it was originally written with Dusty Springfield’s hero, Aretha Franklin, in mind. Putting all those elements together, “Son Of A Preacher Man” captures the feeling of sitting outside on a warm summer’s evening somewhere up-country, enjoying the last of the sun’s warmth as dusk approaches. - No Words, No Song
Son of a Preacher Man (1968)
416
Lady Marmalade (1974)
415
Charles and Richard were listening to a gospel number on the radio when Richard began to improvise scat vocals atop the soulful groove. Standing most prominently are the jaunty pacing and staccato horn impacts that are briskly interjected underneath Charles' definitive and soulful wails. - Lindsay Planer
I Got a Woman (1954)
414
Smokestack Lightning (1956)
412
Won't Get Fooled Again (1971)
410
New Rose (1977)
409
My Guy (1964)
408
Please, Please, Please (1956)
407
Vogue (1990)
406
Then He Kissed Me (1963)
405
I Fall to Pieces (1961)
404
Would you complain if you woke up and it was a beautiful summer's day everyday? probably not. And that, in essence, is similar to the Coldplay single. You know what you're going to get, but it doesn't actually diminish the quality of said thing.'The Scientist' is a gentle, languid piano ballad that builds into something markedly affecting. Like most of the band's songs, it contains a humility that seems to battle the inherent grandiosity they invariably attain to. - Gareth Dobson
The Scientist (2002)
403
Edwyn Collins made a big splash with his comeback single "A Girl Like You." It basically rocketed him from has-been to is-now and more importantly was a great song. Light and breezy musically, typically tortured lyrically, the song was almost perfect right down to one of Collins best ever vocals. - Tim Sendra
A Girl Like You (1994)
402
