The best music in the word

This list contains the best songs of all time, as ranked by Music Grotto staff.

As a preface to this list, this is simply our list of the best songs ever. Of course, you may have different favorite songs. Now, without further ado, here are the most famous songs and the most iconic songs of all time.

Note: It’s incredibly difficult to create a list of the best songs ever, so of course the order of songs is really irrelevant.

1. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Nirvana

Starting off we have “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, which was written by the late Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl. Performed by the famous and legendary band Nirvana (founded in 1987), this song became part of the top songs of the 1990s. Released in September of 1991, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” took the #1 spot on the Billboard’s Alternative Songs Chart. It is now one of the few songs that have gotten a whopping 1 billion views on YouTube.

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2. “Billie Jean” – Michael Jackson

Going to #2 we have “Billie Jean” by the loved and missed Michael Jackson. Jackson released “Billie Jean” in his iconic album Thriller. Released by Epic Records in 1982, Thriller has now been certified as 34x platinum, which means this album sold more than 34 million times. Other popular songs from Michael Jackson’s Thriller include “P.Y.T.”, “Beat It,” and “Thriller.”

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3. “Stayin’ Alive” – Bee Gees

Heading over to the disco era of America, #3 on this list is Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees. Released in 1977, “Stayin’ Alive” peaked at #28 on the billboards and stayed on the charts for 13 weeks. This song is most famously known from the 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever, which stars John Travolta. An album with only one song on it, The Bee Gees was still able to pull platinum on it, selling more than 3 million copies.

Next: Best disco songs of all time (top list)

4. “I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor

One of the most beloved and well-known songs of all time, repeated by artists like Cake and Demi Lovato, coming down next to the best playlist of all time is Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” Released in 1978 on her album Love Tracks, “I Will Survive” tells the story of being able to move on after a bad relationship. Originally written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris, Gloria Gaynor ended up singing this song because her record company called Perren to see if they had any songs for them.

Next: Best songs about breaking up with people of all time

5. “Whole Lotta Love” – Led Zeppelin

One of the most well-known bands to date, Led Zeppelin with their song “Whole Lotta Love” created a whirlpool of fanaticism at the height of their popularity. “Whole Lotta Love” came out in 1969 and was featured in the movie ‘The Song Remains the Same.’ An interesting fact about Led Zeppelin and how they got their name: one time while performing as the New Yardbirds, there were conversations about them saying they would “go down like a lead balloon.” From then on they named themselves Led Zeppelin and have become a household name that almost everyone knows.

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6. “Sweet Child O’Mine” – Guns N’ Roses

If you have heard of the band Guns N’ Roses before, I am willing to bet money you have heard “Sweet Child O’Mine” before. From their album Appetite for Destruction in 1987, “Sweet Child O’Mine” has won several awards, including the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video and the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single. This song was so popular in 1988 that it hit the #1 spot on the charts. If you have never listened to this song, I encourage you to get your rock on.

Next: Best classic rock songs ever made (our list)

7. “Scream and Shout” – Will.I.Am & Brittney Spears

Going into a more modern-age song, released in 2012 coming in on this list is a song by Will.I.Am and Brittney Spears, “Scream and Shout.” A common sound now used on social media for their intro which ends in “bring the action,” “Scream and Shout” reached the #1 spot on the US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Billboard. Not only that but “Scream and Shout” hit the #1 spot in 29 different countries around the world. This is a perfect song to party to and jam out to. Whether you are hanging out with friends, creating a social media post, or working out at the gym, you should check out “Scream and Shout” and find out for yourself.

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8. “Santeria” – Sublime

Moving over to a slower pace, written by the hit 1990s rock band Sublime, we have Santeria at #8 for the playlist. Originally formed in Long Beach California, Sublime is a rock band that also dabbled in performing reggae and pop, hence their song “Santeria.” “Santeria” was one of their last songs released, which was in 1996. After that, the band broke up following the tragic death of one of its members. Other prominent songs to listen to by Sublime include “Smoke Two Joints,” “5446/Ball and Chain,” “Pawn Shop,” “40oz to Freedom,” and “Summertime.”

Next: Best reggae songs ever made (our list)

9. “Alright” – Kendrick Lamar

Changing genres once again, we start with our first rap song on this playlist. In 2015, Grammy award-winning artist Kendrick Lamar came out with his song “Alright” from his album To Pimp a Butterfly. Lamar’s song “Alright” peaked on the charts at #14 and lasted for 17 weeks there. Whether you like listening to Pop Smoke, Ski Mask the Slump God, or Drake, Kendrick Lamar should be at the top of your list, especially with this banger.

Next: The best hip hop songs ever made (our list of favorites)

10. “Thrift Shop” – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Sliding in with another rap song, this time from 2012, we have “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. From their album The Heist, “Thrift Shop” became a sensation not only within the United States but within over twenty countries as well. Thrift shop even was the #1 spot on 4 US billboards. Macklemore received a Grammy award in 2014 for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. If you have got five minutes to spare, check out their music video on YouTube!

Next: The best music videos of all time (our list of favorites)

11. “Blurred Lines” – Robin Thicke & Pharrell Williams

Moving forward one year into 2013, we have “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams. This suggestive song centered around “getting lucky,” (not to be confused with Daft Punk’s song “Get Lucky”) was released in 2013 and had some initial backlash from the populace for being misogynistic. There was even a lawsuit regarding this song due to the singers’ “noticeably ripping off Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up.” Despite all of the bad press this song received, it still hit the #1 position on the billboards and stayed on the billboards for 51 weeks.

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12. “Stairway to Heaven” – Led Zeppelin

Commonly known as the forbidden riff in guitar stores, “Stairway to Heaven” is one of the most known songs in the entire world. A little just over 8 minutes of guitars, drums, and singing, Stairway to Heaven has been debated by multiple people what its true meaning actually is. And this is the true beauty of art when there are multiple meanings to the same lyrics everyone has heard before. Another huge hit for Led Zeppelin, Stairway surprisingly never hit the charts, yet is one of the most iconic songs to date.

13. “Iron Man” – Black Sabbath

Not to be confused with Marvel’s character Iron Man played by Robert Downy Jr., this Iron Man comes from another huge rock band that started in 1968 and is still going strong. Black Sabbath released “Iron Man” in 1970, a whopping amount of years in the distance! Among the original members of Black Sabbath were Ozzy Osbourne (singer), Tony Lommi (guitarist), Geezer Butler (bassist), and Bill Ward (drummer). Over the course of many years though, the band cycled through 21 more people, replacing each other. Ozzy Osbourne was fired from the band in 1979. It would not be until 1998 that Osbourne would reunite with his fellow original members of the band. Iron Man at its peak time placed in #52 and was on the charts for 10 weeks. Today, it is one of the most known songs of Black Sabbath, along with “War Pigs” and “Paranoid.”

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14. “September” – Earth, Wind, & Fire

Played in several movies throughout the 2000s and more disco clubs than anyone can count, “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire were some of the hottest songs throughout the disco era. Released in 1978, “September” hit the #1 spot on the US Hot Songs Billboard. With over 530 million views on YouTube, this song is now most celebrated in, you guessed it, the month of September. Specifically, on the 21st night of the month.

15. “Come As You Are” – Nirvana

Back with another Kurt Cobain song, “Come As You Are” basically tells the audience that even if you are messed up and confused, you are still welcomed. Some argue the song is about substances, and others argue it is about what people are expected to act like. Overall though, the meaning is up to the person listening. From the album Nevermind (which was almost called Sheep), Cobain wooed audiences with his song, making the album become platinum by selling millions of copies. Nevermind’s album picture is one of the most-known album covers in music history with a naked baby underwater fishing for a dollar bill. The other famous song from Nevermind is “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, which was previously mentioned on this list.

Next: Best sad songs of all time

16. “Welcome to The Jungle” – Guns N’Roses

Another hit Guns N’ Roses song, “Welcome to The Jungle” comes from the same album as #6 “Sweet Child O’Mine.” In the 2017 movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the producers decided to add Guns N’ Roses #7 hit song on the charts. After all, this song is the movie’s namesake.

17. “Mirrors” – Justin Timberlake

If you are a Justin Timberlake fan, you’ll love the next song on this playlist. Justin Timberlake’s 2013 “Mirrors” is a love song that shows that your significant other, whoever they may be, ends up being your other half. That the person who you did not know for a long time has now become so important in your life that you are not complete without them. “Mirrors” is without a doubt a good song to get you in your feels. If you are having one of those nights, or even if you are madly in love with someone and want to relate to them how much they mean to you, this is the song for that.

Next: Greatest love songs of all time

18. “Let’s Groove” – Earth, Wind, & Fire

Back into the disco era, another hit by the beloved Earth, Wind, and Fire, is #18 “Let’s Groove.” Now a famous audio clip on social media platforms, everyone is partaking in the “spice of life” that the band sings about. Released in 1981, “Let’s Groove” peaked at #3 on the charts and stayed on the charts for 24 weeks. Let’s Groove also managed to take the #1 spot on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles. In spite of all the backlash that was happening to the disco industry, Earth, Wind, and Fire still managed to create a hit piece that is still listened to today. Now, it has been put onto social media and has millions of new listeners.

19. “Despacito” – Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee

Coming on as our first foreign language song, “Despacito,” meaning “slowly” in Spanish, became a huge hit among younger generations. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee originally sang this song when it came out in 2017, and a later version came out with Justin Bieber singing along, creating an English-Spanish version of the song. “Despacito” is all about desiring a relationship with someone but in a romantic way. Both the Spanish and English versions can be found on YouTube and are fun to dance to.

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20. “Kashmir” – Led Zeppelin

Moving on back to 1970s rock, we have another hit from Led Zeppelin, which, like “Stairway to Heaven,” is also around 8 minutes long. Not to be confused with the rock band Kashmir, the song “Kashmir” has been known not only to be replayed by many cover bands but even high school orchestras. Although at first, the lyrics might seem a bit overwhelming, once they are broken down, you learn that the song is about a journey through the roads of Southern Morocco. The next time you listen to “Kashmir,” try to imagine yourself driving along a sandy long stretch of road with desert on either side.

Next: The best songs of the 1970s (70s hit tracks)

21. “War Pigs” – Black Sabbath

Moving back to Black Sabbath but still staying in the 1970s, “War Pigs” is the ultimate anti-establishment song meant for everyone. Released in 1970 in protest to the Vietnam War raging on, “War Pigs” addressed the problem with society. That being that the rich have the poor fight their battles and the ones who start the wars never fight in them, but instead send young men in their stead to die, and for what? “War Pigs” was one of the songs that made Black Sabbath so famous because they were able to get the anti-war activists and some of the counterculture people on their side, which gave them rising fame and popularity.

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22. “Shake Your Groove Thing” – Peaches and Herb

If you are looking to hype your night up and release some endorphins, you should listen to “Shake Your Groove Thing.” Recorded and released in 1978, Peaches and Herb show people how to shake their groove thing (their rear ends). Peaches and Herb’s “Shake Your Groove Thing” at its height reached the #5 spot on the U.S. Hot 100 Billboard. The same people that wrote #4, “I Will Survive,” which was Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris also wrote this popular disco song.

23. “Jailhouse Rock” – Elvis Presley

From the 1957 film Jailhouse Rock also comes to the classic song “Jailhouse Rock”. In both the movie and the song, Elvis Presley absolutely crushes his performance. Known as the “King of Rock and Roll”, how can we go down this playlist without mentioning the essential listen piece from the talented Elvis Presley. Even though Elvis Presley died in 1977, his music still lives on today.

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24. “Hey Jude” – The Beatles

Likewise with the Late Elvis Presley, one cannot possibly go through a list of the best songs ever and not mention something from one of the most famous bands of all time, The Beatles. The Beatles formed in Liverpool, England in 1957. It was only until 1960 they cemented their name into history which we all know them as today. Even though The Beatles were only active for 10 years until 1970, they made massive shockwaves throughout the world with their songs, including “Hey Jude.” “Hey Jude” earned the #1 spot in 18 countries and the #1 spot on 3 different US billboards. Like many of the most iconic Beatles songs, “Hey Jude” was and still is a sensational hit.

Next: Greatest bands of the 1960s (60s bands list)

25. “New York, New York” – Frank Sinatra

Originally recorded by Liza Minelli in 1977 for the movie New York, New York, Frank Sinatra recorded a cover of the song in 1979 and now is most notable for the person who sings this song. Among the most well-known of singers from the 1900s, Frank Sinatra has had his songs and covers in many movies throughout the decades. This is one of the most well-known songs about New York of all time!

Next: The best cover songs of all time

26. “I Shot the Sheriff” – Bob Marley

A common phrase that used to be used, “I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy,” Bob Marley’s 1973 song “I Shot the Sheriff” is a combination of rock, reggae, soft rock, and pop all in one. Throughout the years there have been many covers of this song, but none other so famous than the Eric Clapton version. Bob Marley is a legend in the reggae world and is considered the king of reggae. “I Shot the Sheriff” hit the #1 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 as well as many other countries.

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27. “Chop Suey” – System of a Down

This list is full of all types of genres, from rap to reggae, pop to rock. One genre that has not been mentioned yet though is metal/heavy metal. That is until now. Up next on our list is “Chop Suey” by System of a Down. System of a Down has been active from the years of 1994-2006 and 2010 to the present. Some of System of a Down’s other prominent songs include “B.Y.O.B.,” “Ariels,” “Toxicity,” and “Spiders.” “Chop Suey” now has over 1 billion views on YouTube and is headed by lead singer Serj Tankian. The other members of the band include Daron Malakian (guitarist), Shavo Odadjian (bassist), and John Dolmayan (drummer).

Next: The best 2000s songs (our list of picks)

28. “American Pie” – Don McLean

The last 8-minute song in the queue of best songs of all time, “American Pie” is up next on the list. “American Pie” came out in 1971 by Don McLean. “American Pie,” tells the story of the tragic deaths of Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper), and Ritchie Valens. As McLean mentions many times in the song, it was “the day the music died.” A somewhat somber song in its meaning, the song has an upbeat and catchy tune to sing along to.

Next: Best songs about death (our list)

29. “Buffalo Soldier” – Bob Marley

Another hit by “King of Reggae” Bob Marley, is the song “Buffalo Soldier.” “Buffalo Soldier” is a term given to African Americans by Native Americans, who thought their hair and dreadlocks felt like that of a buffalo’s pelt. Although the late king of reggae is no longer with us, no matter what song he sang, he always kept the same chill vibe throughout.

30. “Come Together” – The Beatles

Back to the table is The Beatles. This time, with their song, “Come Together.” “Come Together” was released in 1969 as a single on the album Abbey Road. Similar to #11 “Blurred Lines,” there was a lawsuit regarding “Come Together” because it sounded too similar to Chuck Berry’s “You Can’t Catch Me.”

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31. “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen

If you would like to know what existentialism sounds like, look no further. The late Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) wrote “Bohemian Rhapsody” for Queen’s album A Night at the Opera in 1975. Bohemian Rhapsody was able to sell more than a million copies, making it Queen’s most famous song. The song is split up into 6 sections, consisting of the intro, ballad, guitar solo, opera, hard rock, and outro.

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32. “Smooth Criminal” – Michael Jackson

From the movie This Is It, the king of pop strikes again on this list with his absolute banger “Smooth Criminal.” Not only is this song famous for its catchy tune and words, but for its dancing, choreographed by Jeffery Daniel. The move that catches people off guard and that always amazes people is Michael Jackson’s leaning trick where he stands on the floor and leans more than 45 degrees. For scale, the normal human body cannot usually lean more than 30-35 degrees without a considerable amount of training.

Next: The full meaning of “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson

33. “Ring of Fire” – Johnny Cash

Changing genres again, this list has not hit on a country song. All the way back in 1967, Johnny Cash released his song “Ring of Fire” in his album Greatest Hits, Vol. 1. Even though “Ring of Fire” only peaked at #45 on the US Hot Country Songs, Johnny Cash is a staple of country music in America, and “Ring of Fire” is short, relatable, and all-around fun to jam out to.

Next: Best songs about fire ever made (our list)

34. “Latch” – Disclosure & Sam Smith

Jumping forward about 50 years, a more modern piece of music that is among the best of all time is “Latch.” Here, Disclosure and Sam Smith in their album Settle sing “Latch,” which is a love song focused on truly loving someone to the point of never wanting to let go of that person.

Next: Best love songs for him (our list)

35. “Bad and Boujee” – Migos & Lil Uzi Vert

Moving on to another rap song that most people have probably heard before is none other than Migos’ “Bad and Boujee.” “Bad and Boujee” features Lil Uzi Vert, most notable nowadays for putting a 24 million dollar diamond on his forehead to wear as jewelry. If you are a fan of rap or Migos, this song is a must on any playlist.

36. “Lean on Me” – Bill Withers

Shifting to a different genre and slower pace of the song, “Lean on Me” is the perfect feel-good song to get the emotions going and want to help others out in your life. Bill Withers wrote and released Lean on Me in 1972, and won a Grammy for Best R&B Song. Recently deceased (1938-2020), Bill Withers lives on in his songs, especially this one.

37. “Dream On” – Aerosmith

Aerosmith released “Dream On” in 1973 and it has become known for its iconic loud scream near the end. Dream On is sung by the vocalist Steven Tyler, who also plays the piano. Other members of the original band include Joe Perry (lead guitarist), Brad Whitford (guitarist), Tom Hamilton (bassist), and Joey Kramer (drummer). Other songs by Aeormsith include Livin’ On The Edge, Cryin’, Crazy, and What It Takes.

Next: The absolute best songs about dreaming

38. “Paint It, Black” – The Rolling Stones

An oldie but a goodie, this 1966 hit became a sensation among most generations alive today and without a doubt belongs on this list. The Rolling stones wrote and released “Paint It Black” in 1966 in their album Aftermath. Over the years, “Paint It Black” became associated as a song relating to the Vietnam War. Since “Paint It Black” was played at the end credits of the 1987 movie Full Metal Jacket, which was about the Vietnam War, this made the song guilty by association one may say.

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39. “Hotel California” – The Eagles

A classic song if ever there were any is “Hotel California.” In 1976, the Eagles released “Hotel California” from their album Hotel California. They ended up winning a Grammy award for Record of the Year. Supposedly, “Hotel California” is about a first-hand experience at a mental hospital. Some argue it is about substance addiction, and others argue it is about the world below. I will leave that meaning up to you though based on what you hear.

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40. “Somebody That I Used To Know” – Gotye

“Somebody That I Used To Know” is one of the best-known one-hit wonders of the Gen Z generation. Released in 2011, Gotye sang the iconic song that became a sensation across the U.S. and over twenty countries. In the U.S. alone, it hit the #1 spot for 10 separate billboards! Gotye is a Belgian-Australian musician born in 1980. His full name is Wouter De Backer.

41. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is one of those feel-good songs you put on when you are just enjoying life or want to rally up your spirits. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was sung by the late Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (1959-1997). Unfortunately, Kamakawiwo’ole passed away due to respiratory failure at the age of 38, but he lives on through his ukulele-played song.

41. “Fortunate Son” – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Another solid gold oldie and one of the most famous songs in existence is “Fortunate Son.” “Fortunate Son” is a 1969 rock song written by Creedence Clearwater Revival and is most notorious for being associated with the Vietnam War. The song is a protest song that tells the story of rich people starting wars but never having to experience the horrors of war, so much so that even their children are guarded against it. However, the rich will make the poor fight their wars. It has the same theme as “War Pigs,” but is sung a bit more upbeat.

Next: The best rock bands of all time (our list)

43. “Let Her Go” – Passenger

Transitioning into a more somber song is #43 “Let Her Go.” In 2012, Passenger wrote “Let Her Go” in his Album All the Little Lights. “Let Her Go’s” meaning is exactly what it sounds like. If you are not in a good spot with your significant other and constantly fight then you will let them go because you two are not good for each other. It is only after you let them go that you realize you loved them. It happens to the best of us.

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44. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” – John Denver

A signature song is still sung today, Artist John Denver wrote “Take Me Home, Country Roads” all the way back in 1970. This song has been bringing joy to millions over the past so many decades. The best part about this song is that it is based on the real geography of roads that lead into West Virginia. The road is known as Clopper Road which leads into West Virginia from Maryland.

Next: Best songs about home and going home

45. “What A Wonderful World” – Louis Armstrong

If you’ve ever watched the original Toy Story Movie, then you have most likely heard Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” Louis Armstrong always had a positive outlook on life, and this song is exactly about that. There is nothing but positive vibes that come from this song and we all need happiness in our lives, so if you’re feeling a bit down, I encourage you to listen to this.

46. “Africa” – Toto

Most notably a meme song as of 2018, Toto’s “Africa” was already a popular song before its revival back in the late 2010s. “Africa” originally came out in 1982 and hit the #1 spot on the US Billboard Hot 200. Toto ended up selling over 6 million albums in the US alone and millions more worldwide.

47. “Beat It” – Michael Jackson

Our final king of pop songs for this playlist, Michael Jackson kills it again with his 1982 hit “Beat It.” On the same album as “P.Y.T.,” “Billie Jean,” and “Thriller,” “Beat It” is a song that tells you to basically be the bigger person and avoid fights as much as you can. A key strategy from Sun Tzu’s Art of War, Jackson sings us the same principle of the best fight is no fight.

48. “Thunder” – Imagine Dragons

Coming in with a more modern song as we draw near the end of our list is #48 “Thunder.” One of the biggest bands of today, Imagine Dragons released “Thunder” in 2017 and it did not take long for the song to hit not 1, but 3 US billboards. This song is all about coming over all of the challenges in your life and being able to achieve the lifelong goals you have set for yourself. In order to reap the rewards of life, one must face great trial and tribulation, hence the lightning and thunder that is constantly referred to.

Next: Best songs about strength and overcoming difficulties

49. “Can’t Help Falling In Love” – Elvis Presley

“Can’t Help Falling in Love” is a song that has been played countless times at weddings, I can assure you that. In his 1961 song, Elvis Presley sang this little tune that conveys all of the love someone might have for someone as if they were in a perpetual honeymoon phase. This song has become so popular, it has had cover after cover done on it. One of the most famous covers is by Pentatonix.

Next: Top songs about falling in love with somebody ever made

50. “Piano Man” – Billy Joel

Another infamous wedding song that we can’t get out of my head anymore: up next is Billy Joel’s, “Piano Man.” Billy Joel released “Piano Man” all the way back in 1973 and it is still going strong as ever. At its peak, “Piano Man” hit the #1 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100. In the current years, there is a joke going around about “Piano Man,” which states something along the lines of “for a song that’s called Piano Man the guy with the harmonica seems to never shut up.” Still though, nothing can truly deteriorate the epic nature of this classic hit.

51. “Careless Whisper” – George Michael

Last, but certainly not least by a long shot, we have on our list of best songs of all time George Michael’s “Careless Whisper.” “Careless Whisper” was able to snatch the #1 spot on the US Billboards and stayed on for 22 weeks in 1985. Sadly, like many of the great artists in this lineup, George Micheals died on Christmas day in 2016 in Goring, United Kingdom. He passed away due to heart and liver disease at the age of 53.

That’s it for our list of the best songs of all time, from a wide variety of genres. Did we miss any that you think deserve to be up there (of course we did!). This list is certainly not perfect and we’re probably missing 100s of classic hits that need to have some recognition and love.

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The best Christmas songs of all time

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• Kanye West, ‘Stronger’

  

  Explaining the tighter, broader-reaching songs on his third album, Graduation, Kanye West said, “I applied a lot of the things I learned on tour [in 2006] with U2 and the Rolling Stones, about songs that rock stadiums. And they worked!” West found the inspiration for his most grandiose statement to date from Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” which he sampled and reshaped. West is a big fan of the French duo: “These guys really stick with the whole not-showing-their-faces thing. Just amazing discipline — that’s straight martial-arts status.”

• The Supremes, ‘Baby Love’

  

  Diana Ross wasn’t the strongest vocalist in the Supremes, but as the Motown production team discovered, when she sang in a lower register, her voice worked its sultry magic. Berry Gordy instructed the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team to come up with something that replicated “Where Did Our Love Go,” the Supremes’ first Number One single. He thought the result wasn’t catchy enough and sent the group back into the studio. The result: the smoky “Oooooh” at the start. “Baby Love” went to Number One too, the first time a Motown group had topped the charts twice.

• Townes Van Zandt, ‘Pancho and Lefty’

  

  An epic story-song about a bandit and the friend who betrays him, “Pancho and Lefty” became a country hit thanks to Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard’s 1983 duet. But it’s the songwriter’s own forlorn reading, on 1972’s The Late Great Townes Van Zandt, that best conveys the doomed fates of the main characters. It begins with what might be one of the most descriptive opening verses in the country-folk canon: “Living on the road my friend/was gonna keep you free and clean/now you wear your skin like iron/your breath as hard as kerosene.” “It’s hard to take credit for the writing,” Van Zandt said in 1984, “because it came from out of the blue.”

• Lizzo, ‘Truth Hurts’

  

  “That song is my life and its words are my truth,” Lizzo wrote at the time. She had to tack on a writing credit to British singer Mina Lioness, who had tweeted its iconic line “I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100 percent that bitch,” but the power of this gale-force breakup banger was pure Lizzo, uproariously swaggering and endearingly soulful. “Truth Hurts” was originally released in 2017, but the song got a big boost two years later, when Gina Rodriguez day-drunkenly sang it in the Netflix show Someone Great, and it became Lizzo’s signature hit.

• Harry Nilsson, ‘Without You’

  

  “We did it because my career was on the wane and we wanted something to make a hit,” Harry Nilsson bluntly told an interviewer when asked why he covered Badfinger’s near-despondent ballad: “I heard it and searched through every Beatles album for two and a half weeks, trying to find out which one of their tunes it was.” Producer Richard Perry agreed, piling on the strings to showcase Nilsson’s desperate lunge of a vocal. Both were right — the song went to Number One and earned a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.

• Carly Simon, ‘You’re So Vain’

  

  The holy mother of all diss tracks, “You’re So Vain” contains one of the most enduring musical mysteries of all time. Just who is so vain that he probably thinks the song is about him? Simon previously revealed that actor Warren Beatty inspired the second verse of the song (“Oh, you had me several years ago/When I was still naive”), but speculation abounds regarding the other man (or men) behind the ire. Either way, the track — boasting omnipresent Seventies arranger Paul Buckmaster’s orchestration and Mick Jagger’s background vocals — is pure soft-rock fire.

• Cyndi Lauper, ‘Time After Time’

  

  Cyndi Lauper was nervous about “Time After Time” — the aching ballad she wrote in the studio with keyboardist Rob Hyman to finish off her blockbuster solo debut, She’s So Unusual. “I asked them to please not put ‘Time After Time’ out as the first single,” Lauper said. “People would never have accepted me. If you do a ballad first, and then a rocker, that doesn’t work.” Her instincts were right: Following the jaunty “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “Time” became her first Number One.

• The Pixies, ‘Where Is My Mind?’

  

  No song typifies the freakish pop instincts that made the Pixies stand out in a sea of gloomy Reagan-era bands better than “Where Is My Mind?” Joey Santiago’s lead guitar is catchier than most Top 40 hooks, and by the time Fight Club made this song iconic a decade after its release, it had already formed part of the DNA of countless alternative-radio hits in the years between, from Nirvana to Korn. When an interviewer in 1988 asked about his unique ability to crank out great songs, Black Francis’ answer was typically cryptic: “It’s nice to have space. How much can one brain deal with?”

• Miles Davis, ‘So What’

  

  It’s likely that no song on this list has soundtracked more dinner parties than Kind of Blue’s warm, welcoming first track. But at the time it was a jarring departure, trading bebop chord changes for a more open-ended modal style. According to pianist Bill Evans, the trumpeter worked up his material just hours before recording dates, but the all-star band here sounds like it’s been living with “So What” for years: Saxophonists John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley turn in solos that have since become as iconic as any in jazz history, and the rhythm section of Evans, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Jimmy Cobb swings like it’s dancing on air.

• Guns N’ Roses, ‘Welcome to the Jungle’

  

  Released as the first single from Appetite for Destruction, “Welcome to the Jungle” stiffed at first — it took the massive crossover success of “Sweet Child o’ Mine” to ready radio for GN’R at their most unvarnished. The song’s inspiration, according to Axl Rose, was a hitchhiking trip that landed him in the Bronx, where a stranger approached him and said, “You know were you are? You’re gonna die, you’re in the jungle, baby!” Rose took this mockery and turned it into an anthem.

• Lil Nas X, ‘Old Town Road’

  

  Montero Hill was an Atlanta college dropout sleeping on his sister’s couch and looking to break into music when he came across a track he liked by a Dutch 19-year-old called YoungKio that was based around a banjo sample from a Nine Inch Nails track. “I was picturing, like, a loner cowboy runaway,” he told Rolling Stone. Within a year “Old Town Road” was the longest-running Number One song of all time, seeming to sum up eons of American cross-cultural love and theft in just one minute and 53 seconds.

• The Breeders, ‘Cannonball’

  

  Notified by fax that her services in the Pixies were no longer required, Kim Deal called up her twin sister, Kelley, to be her new guitarist (never mind that she didn’t know how to play guitar) and had the last laugh when this absurdist gem became an MTV phenomenon in 1993. “When people were talking about the Breeders being a one-off,” Kelley told Rolling Stone, “I was like ‘No, actually … the Pixies are a side project.’” A little over a year later, the Breeders were on an extended break of their own, but the effortlessly fun trampoline bounce of “Cannonball” is one for all time.

• The Weeknd, ‘House of Balloons’

  

  Far from the international superstar he’d become, Toronto singer-songwriter Abel Tesfaye didn’t even send out photos or do any interviews when he released the first Weeknd album. “The whole ‘enigmatic artist’ thing, I just ran with it,” he said. “No one could find pictures of me. It reminded me of some villain shit.” But the title track of House of Balloons nevertheless set the course for his career, both thematically — drugs and sex, meet depression — and musically, with its sample of Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Happy House” announcing a new direction for R&B.

• Solange, ‘Cranes in the Sky’

  

  In an interview with her sister Beyoncé, R&B innovator Solange Knowles described how this song was inspired, in part, by overzealous real estate development she noticed around Miami: “This idea of building up, up, up that was going on in our country at the time, all of this excessive building, and not really dealing with what was in front of us.” She turned the metaphor inward to examine her own feelings about change, self-doubt, and aspiration, finishing the song years after it was originally conceived with producer Raphael Saadiq to create a lavish moment of neo-soul introspection.

• Lil Wayne, ‘A Milli’

  

  Producer Bangladesh looped the opening chords from Gladys Knight and the Pips’ “Don’t Burn Down the Bridge,” then segued to a drill-like volley of trap drums. He gave the beat to his friend Shanell — a onetime R&B singer on Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment — to pass along. Wayne initially had grand plans for “A Milli”: He wanted to use the instrumental as skits for rappers like Tyga, Hurricane Chris, Corey Gunz, and Lil Mama. In the end, though, “A Milli” is just Weezy solo, blacking out in the booth and dazzling everyone who hears him.

• Azealia Banks, ‘212’

  

  In 2011, Azealia Banks was a teenage rapper-singer whose clear talent yielded a development deal with XL Recordings but little else. “She had been working on a collection of tracks and there was one Dutch house-sounding one that was just absolutely insane,” producer Jacques Greene recalled. Banks freestyled ferociously about her New York hometown and, uh, cunnilingus over the jittery beats of Belgian house duo’s Lazy Jay’s “Float My Boat.” Initially released in 2011 as a viral track, “212” was a hip-house banger that earned Banks a deal with Interscope and served notice that this uninhibited provocateur would not be constrained.

• Weezer, ‘Buddy Holly’

  

  Never has geek been so chic as in Weezer’s 1994 breakout single, “Buddy Holly.” Written for frontman Rivers Cuomo’s girlfriend, the poppy ode to nerdy romance was almost left off the band’s self-titled debut, also known as the Blue Album, due to Cuomo and now-ex-member Matt Sharp’s reticence. “We had the sense that it could be taken as a novelty song, and people aren’t going to take the album seriously,” Sharp told Rolling Stone. After producer Ric Ocasek heard the receptionist at the recording studio humming it, he insisted they keep it in.

• The Four Tops, ‘I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)’

  

  One of Motown’s most rousing anthems, “I Can’t Help Myself” was inspired by songwriter Lamont Dozier’s grandfather, who’d call the women his hairdresser wife fixed up “sugar pie” and “honey bunch.” During the recording, engineer Harold Taylor recalled, “People were banging on the door of the studio; they were so ecstatic about what they heard.” Nevertheless, Levi Stubbs asked Brian Holland if he could do another take. Holland promised him they’d do it soon — and Stubbs’ first pass hit Number One.

• Lady Gaga, ‘Bad Romance’

  

  Shortly after Gaga had established herself as a star, she catapulted to a next level of weirdness with this Nadir “RedOne” Khayat production, which drew upon the electronic music Gaga had been inundated with while touring Europe. “I want the deepest, darkest, sickest parts of you that you are afraid to share with anyone because I love you that much” is how she summed up the idea behind the song. Fittingly, she debuted the hit-to-be at Alexander McQueen’s show at Paris Fashion Week.

• Robert Johnson, ‘Cross Road Blues’

  

  The primal terror in the Mississippi bluesman’s voice, and his mystifying slide guitar playing, transfixed the Sixties generation of British rockers: “I could take the music only in very small measures because it was so intense,” said Eric Clapton. Recorded during a session at a San Antonio hotel room in 1936, two years before Johnson was murdered at 27, “Cross Road Blues” is a mythmaking statement of spiritual desolation and scorched-earth betrayal — even if the legend that it’s about Johnson selling his soul to the devil in exchange for his monster guitar chops is, as far as we know, apocryphal.

• Biz Markie, ‘Just a Friend’

  

  Nobody beats the Biz (1964-2021), an impossibly good-natured DJ, rapper, producer, human beatboxer, and hip-hop personality who broke big with this ode to the friend zone off his second album. Built on a fat beat, plinking piano, and his charmingly off-key singing, “Just a Friend” interpolates Freddie Scott’s 1968 song “(You) Got What I Need” as Biz warbles about a love that will never come to pass. It was based on real life. As he told Rolling Stone in 2000, “I was talking to this girl from L.A., and every time I called her, this dude was at her house, and she’d say, ‘Oh, he’s just a friend.’ I hated that.”

• Santana, ‘Oye Como Va’

  

  Growing up in San Francisco, Carlos Santana was shaped by the city’s psychedelic explosion. “You cannot take LSD and not find your voice,” he once claimed, “because there is nowhere to hide.” And while his early heroes were bluesmen, he changed history with this foundational Latin-rock reworking of a 1962 salsa number by Cuban percussionist Tito Puente. Santana kept the original’s cha-cha pulse but replaced its horns with Greg Rolie’s organ and Carlos’ lysergic guitar flares. Said Puente years later, “He put our music, Latin rock, around the world, man.”

• Juvenile feat. Lil Wayne and Mannie Fresh, ‘Back That Azz Up’

  

  In the late Nineties, Mannie Fresh’s diamond-sharp productions for Cash Money Records helped put New Orleans in the center of the hip-hop map. The title of this hit was so reminiscent of local artist DJ Jubilee’s single “Back That Thang Up” that Jubilee sued (unsuccessfully) for infringement, and the beat rode the “Triggerman” rhythm that is foundational to New Orleans bounce. Juvenile freestyled his best shit-talking bounce rhymes, and Lil Wayne shut it down with a “drop it like it’s hot” hook. As Mannie said, “[He] immediately was just like, ‘Shit, I’m getting a piece of this.’”

• The Go-Gos, ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’

  

  The radiant first hit of the Go-Go’s was influenced, according to writer Jane Wiedlin, by “the Buzzcocks and Sixties girl-group stuff.” It was also inspired by a clandestine relationship she was having with Terry Hall, of U.K. ska group the Specials, who got a co-writing credit because Wiedlin based the lyrics on some poetry he’d written her in a letter. “It was pretty personal,” Wiedlin recalled. “I mean he had a fiancee at the time — nowadays I wouldn’t touch that with a 10-foot pole, but I was 19, and I was like ‘fiancee shmiancee.’”

• Kris Kristofferson, ‘Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down’

  

  The desolation of spirit in Kris Kristofferson’s “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” is so heavy, so apparent, that it’s almost hard to listen to. But that despair is exactly what drew Johnny Cash to sing it on his TV variety show in 1970. Kristofferson cut his own stunning studio version that same year for his debut album, Kristofferson. Cash’s interpretation, more shuffling and accessible, is the one most listeners turn to, but listen to them back-to-back if you can, and marvel at how Kristofferson’s lyrics about being hung over, alone, and desperate shake your soul.

• Janet Jackson, ‘Rhythm Nation’

  

  Jackson’s socially conscious Number Two hit came together late in the sessions for her blockbuster LP Rhythm Nation 1814. Co-producer Jimmy Jam recalled being in the studio and “switching between MTV and CNN. Watching music videos on one side and watching atrocities on the other. Somehow they all merged together. The idea for ‘Rhythm Nation’ was you can dance, but we can also do something more intelligent.” When Jam heard Sly and the Family Stone’s “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” at a restaurant, he raced to the studio to sample it.

• Curtis Mayfield, ‘Move On Up’

  

  Mayfield’s irresistible “Move On Up” was politically empowering, morally demanding, and effortlessly propulsive, powered by swinging horns and tangy congas — the nine-minute LP version, with its powerful drum break, laid a foundation for disco and hip-hop alike. Mayfield’s message was just as steadfast: that pride and dignity were paramount for Black America to rise. “I’m not trying to say anything to make you think, ‘Well, this is the way, this is the only way,’” Mayfield said. “I’m trying to cover the whole subject.”

• Tammy Wynette, ‘Stand by Your Man’

  

  From the start, this pledge of wifely devotion, the first song Wynette ever co-wrote, was a cultural lightning rod. Feminists recoiled from its pledge of unquestioning fidelity in the Seventies, and Hillary Clinton defined herself a modern woman by slamming the song during Bill Clinton’s first presidential run. But the recording itself steamrolls over ideological objections, as the catch in Wynette’s voice on the verses gives way to a vocal swell that rises to meet the epic sweep of Billy Sherrill’s production.

• Peter Gabriel, ‘Solsbury Hill’

  

  Shortly after Gabriel quit Genesis in 1975, he climbed to the top of Little Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England, to reflect on his life-changing decision. It inspired his debut solo song, in which he explained to fans why he felt the need to go out on his own. Musically, it was a departure too, a pastoral tune with a 12-string acoustic guitar lead that was pointedly different from Genesis’ prog-rock. The song has since become ubiquitous in movies and film trailers. “Maybe I’ve let it go too much,” he admitted to Rolling Stone in 2011.

• The Animals, ‘The House of the Rising Sun’

  

  “We were looking for a song that would grab people’s attention,” said Animals singer Eric Burdon. They found it with the old American folk ballad “The House of the Rising Sun.” In 1962, Bob Dylan had sung this grim tale of a Southern girl trapped in a New Orleans whorehouse. The Animals, from the English coal town of Newcastle, changed the gender in the lyrics, and keyboardist Alan Price created the new arrangement (and grabbed a composer’s credit). Price also added an organ solo inspired by Jimmy Smith’s hit “Walk on the Wild Side.”

• Gladys Knight and the Pips, ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’

  

  Songwriter Jim Weatherly originally composed this as “Midnight Plane to Houston,” only to change it for Cissy Houston (Whitney’s mom) to something “more R&B … in order to get it onto Black radio.” Weatherly had already penned “Neither One of Us,” Knight and the Pips’ Number Two hit, and when they heard “Midnight Train,” they took it to the top. “I never really imagined writing R&B songs,” Weatherly admitted. “I really thought I was writing country songs.” It reflected the times; the 1970s were the first decade since after World War I in which more African Americans were moving to the South than leaving it.

• Dixie Chicks, ‘Goodbye Earl’

  

  A murder ballad with a modern, feminist twist, this jaunty song about poisoning an abusive husband spawned disparate reactions. Some stations banned it, apparently concerned that it would spawn a rash of hubby offings; others shared the number for domestic-abuse hotlines. When the label reps listened to the Chicks’ Fly album, though, they were more concerned with another song: “Sin Wagon,” with its reference to “mattress dancing.” “You can’t say [that],” Natalie Maines recalls their manager’s relayed message from the execs, “but they love the song about premeditated first-degree murder.”

• Mazzy Star, ‘Fade Into You’

  

  Singer Hope Sandoval and guitarist Dave Roback, the prime movers behind Mazzy Star, were active in the 1980s neo-psychedelic Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles. After Sandoval replaced singer Kendra Smith in the band Opal, David Roback and Sandoval reconstituted the band under the name Mazzy Star. Their second album yielded this spaced-out hit, perhaps dream pop’s ultimate statement of blurry desire. “We’re not so concerned about the outside world,” said Roback. “[Each song] is its own world unto itself.”

• Nirvana, ‘Come as You Are’

  

  “It’s just about people and what they’re expected to act like,” Kurt Cobain said. “The lines in the song are really contradictory. They’re kind of a rebuttal to each other.” The song is driven by a simple riff that Butch Vig goosed with a flanged, subaquatic guitar effect. Cobain apparently lifted it from a 1984 song by U.K. art-metal band Killing Joke, who Dave Grohl paid back 12 years later by drumming on their 2003 album. In the wake of Cobain’s suicide, though, the most haunting lyric would become, “And I swear that I don’t have a gun.”

• Luther Vandross, ‘Never Too Much’

  

  The Eighties’ major male R&B balladeer’s solo debut was financed in part from money he made singing jingles for KFC and 7UP. Vandross had been pushed to do his own thing by Roberta Flack, for whom he’d sung background. Said Vandross: “She said, ‘Luther, you’re too comfortable sitting on that stool singing “ooh and aaah.”‘ Roberta was single-handedly responsible for me starting my own career.” What pushed her was hearing the demo of “Never Too Much” — one of the most buoyant love songs of the Eighties, with Vandross’ high notes as delicate as soap bubbles.

• Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams, ‘Get Lucky’

  

  When Pharrell Williams volunteered to appear on Daft Punk’s fourth album, he told them he’d been thinking about Chic legend Nile Rodgers musically; fortuitously, the French dance producers could play him a track they had on hand that they’d made with Rodgers himself. The result was “Get Lucky,” which, as the lead single from their disco-flavored album Random Access Memories, rose like a phoenix to become the song that defined its year. “I think the robots are leading,” Williams told Rolling Stone. “Daft Punk, they’re definitely leading.”

• Joni Mitchell, ‘Help Me’

  

  Mitchell’s 1974 album, Court and Spark, her biggest-selling ever, was also the one that she held the tightest amount of musical control over to date. “I guided everything into place on Court and Spark — even though I didn’t play it, I sang it, and then they played it from that, and it was pretty much as writ,” she said. (Her next album, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, was looser and more jazz-oriented.) “Help Me,” recorded with the jazz group Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, features one of Mitchell’s sultriest vocals and most brocaded arrangements, inspiring Prince, 13 years later, to pay the song lyrical tribute in his “Ballad of Dorothy Parker.”

• John Lee Hooker, ‘Boom Boom’

  

  Hooker, whose canny blues boogie became a root integer for early rock & roll, said this swinging, swaggering bit of primal thump was inspired by his inability to get to a regular gig on time. “There was a young lady named Luilla,” Hooker said. “She was a bartender [at the Apex Bar in Detroit]. I’d always be late, and whenever I’d come in she’d point at me and say, ‘Boom Boom, you’re late again.’ One night she said, ‘Boom boom, I’m gonna shoot you down.’ She gave me a song, but she didn’t know it.” Keith Richards said of Hooker, “Even Muddy Waters was sophisticated next to him.” That was a compliment.

• Van Morrison, ‘Into the Mystic’

  

  Delectably arranged, transportingly sung, this may be the definitive Morrison song — an evocation of “the days of old” that feels like a lover’s whisper. The highlight of 1970’s classic Moondance, “Into the Mystic” benefited from a new, more organic way of recording for him: “It was more like working with an actual band rather than a bunch of session guys,” Morrison said. As for the lyrics, he’d admit, “So many of my songs from that Seventies period, I haven’t a clue what they’re about. A lot of the time, I was just picking up on a vibe.”

• Roy Orbison, ‘Crying’

  

  Orbison said he wrote this lush, dreamy ballad after an encounter with an old flame: “Whether I was physically crying or just crying inside is the same thing.” His near-operatic performance culminated in a high, wailing note, which Orbison never lost the capacity to hit before his death, in 1988. “He sounded like he was singing from an Olympian mountaintop and he meant business,” Bob Dylan wrote in Chronicles. “He was now singing his compositions in three or four octaves that made you want to drive your car over a cliff. He sang like a professional criminal.”

• Steel Pulse, ‘Ku Klux Klan’

  

  The first great British reggae band — and some of the style’s finest songwriters — made their Island Records debut with this incendiary look at the rising tide of racist violence in late-Seventies Britain: “The Ku Klux Klan/Here to stamp out Black man.” They underlined the lyric by actually performing the song live — including a memorable BBC appearance — wearing white Klan headgear. “The hoods seemed extreme at the time, but that’s what we are in a way,” vocalist Michael Riley said. “When we wore them, people started questioning what the song was about instead of just dancing to it.”

• Sade, ‘No Ordinary Love’

  

  Helen Adu’s small but fully inhabited range has been her secret weapon from the beginning. “I decided that if I was gonna sing, I would sing how I speak, because it’s important to be yourself,” she said. Her voice cracks before she reaches the first chorus of this 1992 hit, playing up the romantic drama of the lyric. Even better, so does Stuart Matthewman’s guitar; in the middle of this otherwise mellow groove, he overdubs a seriously moody and low-key noisy part that gives the whole thing a welcome edge. Sade — it’s not just the singer’s name, it’s also a band.

• Beck, ‘Loser’

  

  In 1992, 22-year-old Beck Hansen was scraping by as a video-store clerk while performing bizarro folk songs at L.A. coffeehouses. After friends offered to record some songs, Beck cut “Loser” in his producer’s kitchen. It became the centerpiece of the album Mellow Gold. At first people took “Loser” to be a mere novelty hit, but Beck knew better. “You’d have to be a total idiot to say, ‘I’m the slacker-generation guy. This is my generation.… we’re not gonna fuckin’ show up,’” he said. “I’d be laughed out of the room in an instant.”

• Bon Jovi, ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’

  

  Like his New Jersey model Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi concentrates on working-class heroes and heroines. “Livin’ on a Prayer,” co-written with guitarist Richie Sambora, pumped the everyday struggles of Tommy and Gina full of grandeur — guitar-pick slides, dramatic pauses, the inevitable key change — and continues to resonate today. “It’s great that we wrote songs so long ago that people can still relate to,” Bon Jovi said in 2005. “When I hear ‘Livin’ on a Prayer,’ I think to myself, ‘We wrote that. That song has really made its mark. I guess that works.’”

• Lana Del Rey, ‘Summertime Sadness’

  

  For her second album, Del Rey went for a sound even more lush than on her debut, and the relentless strings of “Summertime Sadness” recall the soundtracks Angelo Badalamenti composed for David Lynch’s films. She wrote the song in Santa Monica. “I would sit under the telephone wires and listen to them sizzle in the warm air,” she recalled. “I felt happy in the warm weather, and started writing about how sad and gorgeous the summertime felt to me.” A year after its first release, Cedric Gervais’ dance remix turned the song into a Top 10 hit.

• Jefferson Airplane, ‘White Rabbit’

  

  The song that brought acid rock to Middle America was a heady rock bolero written by vocalist Slick, reportedly after taking LSD and listening to Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain. She first recorded it with her earlier band, the Great Society, before rebooting it with the Airplane. “Our parents read us stories like Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz,” Slick said. “They all have a place where children get drugs, and are able to fly or see an Emerald City or experience extraordinary animals and people.… And our parents are suddenly saying, ‘Why are you taking drugs?’ Well, hello!”

• Sister Nancy, ‘Bam Bam’

  

  Nancy (a.k.a. Ophlin Russell) was the DJ (mic controller) for Kingston’s Stereophonic sound system when she met reggae producer Winston Riley in the late Seventies. “I really admired how he took recording serious,” Nancy said. “You couldn’t go into his studio and do any foolishness.” Their peak, “Bam Bam,” is one of the great early dancehall anthems, booming but bright, tough but playful — and it’s been sampled extensively by everyone from Lauryn Hill to Kanye West.

• Missy Elliot, ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’

  

  As producers, Elliott and Timbaland had already made their rhythmic impact on hip-hop and R&B before Missy’s first single. And some high-profile features had even introduced Elliott’s bobbing, whizzing rap style to audiences. But still, no one could have predicted “The Rain,” with its ghostly sample of Ann Peebles’ “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” memorable Beenie Man misquote (“Who got the keys to the jeep?”), and twitchy yet sleek beat. It made Elliott a star, and she and Tim the producers to beat.

• Toto, ‘Africa’

  

  “It’s funny,” Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro said in 1985. “We thought ‘Africa’ was bold, and it did pretty good, but lyrically it didn’t make a dime of sense.” No matter — that instantly calming synthesizer riff, played on a Yamaha GS-1 “dialed in [to] those kalimba, marimba kind of sounds,” as Porcaro described it, does most of the talking, along with that soaring chorus. It hit Number One and has lived on as a yacht-rock touchstone; in 2019, Weezer’s affectionate cover made it ubiquitous all over again — a favor Toto returned by covering Weezer’s “Hash Pipe.”

• Migos feat. Lil Uzi Vert, ‘Bad and Boujee’

  

  If cellphones gave rise to ringtone rap, social media gave us meme rap. The Atlanta trio Migos’ opus “Bad and Boujee” has become the latter’s keynote anthem, its “Raindrop, drop-top” hook inspiring scores of Twitter memes and Vine clips, and even showing up at the 2017 Women’s March on Washington, D.C. The trio’s Offset wrote the song’s hook, he told Rolling Stone, while “I had some little situations going on with life, family stuff going down, so I went downstairs to record. Sometimes that’s the best time to get music off — you might be mad, make some crazy shit.”

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