La lista dei 500 migliori brani musicali secondo Rolling Stone è un elenco pubblicato dalla rivista specializzata statunitense Rolling Stone.
Pubblicata l'11 dicembre 2003 e successivamente aggiornata più volte nel corso degli anni di pari passo con l'uscita di nuovi brani ritenuti meritevoli di farne parte, fu redatta da una giuria scelta dalla redazione composta da 172 musicisti, critici musicali ed esperti dell'industria discografica statunitense, per determinare le 500 migliori canzoni di tutti i tempi. La lista è simile alle altre redatte dalla stessa rivista dei 500 migliori album e dei 100 migliori chitarristi.
Gli aggiornamenti di cui sopra sono stati apportati alla lista rispettivamente nel 2010, nel 2021 e nel 2024, anno a cui risale l'ultima versione.
Prime 40 posizioni (edizione 2003)
Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan (1965) (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Rolling Stones (1965) Imagine - John Lennon (1971) What's Going On - Marvin Gaye (1971) Respect - Aretha Franklin (1967) Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys (1966) Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry (1958) Hey Jude - The Beatles (1968) Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana (1991) What'd I Say - Ray Charles (1959) My Generation - The Who (1965) A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke (1964) Yesterday - The Beatles (1965) Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan (1963) London Calling - The Clash (1979) I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles (1963) Purple Haze - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967) Maybellene - Chuck Berry (1955) Hound Dog - Elvis Presley (1956) Let It Be - The Beatles (1970) Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen (1975) Be My Baby - The Ronettes (1963) In My Life - The Beatles (1965) People Get Ready - The Impressions (1965) God Only Knows - The Beach Boys (1966) (Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding (1968) Layla - Derek and the Dominos (1971) A Day in the Life - The Beatles (1967) Help! - The Beatles (1965) I Walk the Line - Johnny Cash (1956) Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin (1971) Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones (1968) River Deep - Mountain High - Ike & Tina Turner (1966) You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - The Righteous Brothers (1965) Light My Fire - The Doors (1966) One - U2 (1992) No Woman, No Cry - Bob Marley & The Wailers (1975) Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones (1969) That'll Be the Day - The Crickets (1957) Dancing in the Street - Martha Reeves and The Vandellas (1964)
Numero di canzoni per ogni decennio 1940: 2 canzoni (0.4%) 1950: 72 canzoni (14.4%) 1960: 204 canzoni (40.8%) 1970: 141 canzoni (28.2%) 1980: 57 canzoni (11.4%) 1990: 22 canzoni (4.4%) 2000: 3 canzoni (0.6%)
Aggiornamento 2010 Nel maggio 2010 Rolling Stone aggiornò la lista, che venne pubblicata in un numero speciale e in formato digitale per iPod e iPad. Questa lista differiva molto poco da quella del 2004: vennero infatti aggiunte solo canzoni degli anni 2000. La top ten rimase uguale e la migliore nuova canzone fu Crazy di Gnarls Barkley, aggiunta in posizione 100. Oltre a questo brano, vennero aggiunte le seguenti 25 nuove canzoni: Crazy in Love di Beyoncé insieme a Jay-Z (numero 118) Moment of Surrender degli U2 (numero 160) 99 Problems di Jay-Z (numero 172) Rehab di Amy Winehouse (numero 194) Paper Planes di M.I.A. (numero 236) Mississippi di Bob Dylan (numero 260) Jesus Walks di Kanye West (numero 273) Seven Nation Army dei White Stripes (numero 286) One More Time dei Daft Punk (numero 307) Take Me Out dei Franz Ferdinand (numero 327) Beautiful Day degli U2 (numero 345) Maps degli Yeah Yeah Yeahs (numero 386) Umbrella di Rihanna insieme a Jay-Z (numero 412) Juicy di The Notorious B.I.G. (numero 424) American Idiot dei Green Day (numero 432) In da Club di 50 Cent (numero 448) Get Ur Freak On di Missy Elliott (numero 466) Big Pimpin' di Jay-Z insieme a UGK (numero 467) Last Nite di The Strokes (numero 478) Since U Been Gone di Kelly Clarkson (numero 482) Cry Me a River di Justin Timberlake (numero 484) Clocks dei Coldplay (numero 490) Time to Pretend di MGMT (numero 493) Ignition (Remix) di R. Kelly (numero 494) The Rising di Bruce Springsteen (numero 497)
Aggiornamento 2021 Il 18 settembre 2021 Rolling Stone ha aggiornato nuovamente la classifica, questa volta stravolgendola, aggiungendo 254 brani non presenti nella precedente lista.
Di seguito la lista completa:
1. Aretha Franklin, Respect 2. Public Enemy, Fight the Power 3. Sam Cooke, A Change Is Gonna Come 4. Bob Dylan, Like a Rolling Stone 5. Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit 6. Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On 7. The Beatles, Strawberry Fields Forever 8. Missy Elliott, Get Ur Freak On 9. Fleetwood Mac, Dreams 10. Outkast, Hey Ya! 11. The Beach Boys, God Only Knows 12. Stevie Wonder, Superstition 13. The Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter 14. The Kinks, Waterloo Sunset 15. The Beatles, I Want to Hold Your Hand 16. Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z, Crazy in Love 17. Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody 18. Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain 19. John Lennon, Imagine 20. Robyn, Dancing on My Own 21. Billie Holiday, Strange Fruit 22. The Ronettes, Be My Baby 23. David Bowie, "Heroes" 24. The Beatles, A Day in the Life 25. Kanye West feat. Pusha T, Runaway
26. Joni Mitchell, A Case of You 27. Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run 28. Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime 29. Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg, Nuthin' But a "G" Thang 30. Lorde, Royals 31. The Rolling Stones, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction 32. Notorious B.I.G., Juicy 33. Chuck Berry, Johnny B. Goode 34. James Brown, Papa's Got a Brand New Bag 35. Little Richard, Tutti Frutti 36. The White Stripes, Seven Nation Army 37. Prince and The Revolution, When Doves Cry 38. Otis Redding, (Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay 39. Outkast, B.O.B. 40. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, All Along the Watchtower 41. Joy Division, Love Will Tear Us Apart 42. Bob Marley and the Wailers, Redemption Song 43. The Temptations, My Girl 44. Michael Jackson, Billie Jean 45. Kendrick Lamar, Alright 46. M.I.A., Paper Planes 47. Elton John, Tiny Dancer 48. Radiohead, Idioteque 49. Lauryn Hill, Doo Wop (That Thing) 50. Daddy Yankee, Gasolina
51. Dionne Warwick, Walk On By 52. Donna Summer, I Feel Love 53. The Beach Boys, Good Vibrations 54. Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Tracks of My Tears 55. Madonna, Like a Prayer 56. Missy Elliott, Work It 57. Sly and the Family Stone, Family Affair 58. The Band, The Weight 59. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, The Message 60. Kate Bush, Running Up That Hill 61. Led Zeppelin, Stairway to Heaven 62. U2, One 63. Dolly Parton, Jolene 64. Ramones, Blitzkrieg Bop 65. Earth, Wind and Fire, September 66. Simon and Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water 67. Bob Dylan, Tangled Up in Blue 68. Chic, Good Times 69. Taylor Swift, All Too Well 70. Elvis Presley, Suspicious Minds 71. Tracy Chapman, Fast Car 72. The Beatles, Yesterday 73. Beyoncé, Formation 74. Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah 75. Pulp, Common People
76. Johnny Cash, I Walk the Line 77. The Modern Lovers, Roadrunner 78. The Four Tops, Reach Out (I'll Be There) 79. Amy Winehouse, Back to Black 80. Ray Charles, What'd I Say 81. The Velvet Underground, I'm Waiting for the Man 82. Adele, Rolling in the Deep 83. Bob Dylan, Desolation Row 84. Al Green, Let's Stay Together 85. Prince, Kiss 86. The Rolling Stones, Tumbling Dice 87. LCD Soundsystem, All My Friends 88. Guns N’ Roses, Sweet Child o' Mine 89. The Beatles, Hey Jude 90. Aretha Franklin, (You Make Me Feel like) A Natural Woman 91. UGK feat. Outkast, Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You) 92. Little Richard, Good Golly, Miss Molly 93. Kelly Clarkson, Since U Been Gone 94. Whitney Houston, I Will Always Love You 95. Oasis, Wonderwall 96. Jay-Z, 99 Problems 97. Patti Smith, Gloria 98. The Beatles, In My Life 99. Bee Gees, Stayin' Alive 100. Bob Dylan, Blowin' in the Wind
101. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Maps 102. Chuck Berry, Maybellene 103. Alanis Morissette, You Oughta Know 104. The Jackson 5, I Want You Back 105. David Bowie, Life on Mars? 106. The Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil 107. Wu-Tang Clan, C.R.E.A.M. 108. The Cure, Just like Heaven 109. Sly and the Family Stone, Everyday People 110. The Beatles, Something 111. Bruce Springsteen, Thunder Road 112. R.E.M., Losing My Religion 113. Stevie Wonder, Higher Ground 114. Britney Spears, Toxic 115. Etta James, At Last! 116. Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, It Takes Two 117. Aretha Franklin, I Say a Little Prayer 118. Radiohead, Creep 119. Marvin Gaye, I Heard It Through the Grapevine 120. X-Ray Spex, Oh Bondage Up Yours! 121. The Beatles, Let It Be 122. The Impressions, People Get Ready 123. Talking Heads, This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) 124. Buddy Holly, That’ll Be the Day 125. Sex Pistols, Anarchy in the U.K.
126. George Michael, Freedom! '90 127. TLC, Waterfalls 128. Led Zeppelin, Whole Lotta Love 129. Drake feat. Majid Jordan, Hold On, We're Going Home 130. Martha and the Vandellas, Dancing in the Street 131. Ben E. King, Stand by Me 132. Eric B. & Rakim, Paid in Full 133. Journey, Don't Stop Believin' 134. Tina Turner, What's Love Got to Do with It 135. The Beatles, She Loves You 136. Otis Redding, Try a Little Tenderness 137. Ariana Grande, Thank U, Next 138. Blondie, Heart of Glass 139. Madonna, Vogue 140. Bob Marley and the Wailers, No Woman, No Cry 141. Rod Stewart, Maggie May 142. George Jones, He Stopped Loving Her Today 143. The Clash, London Calling 144. The Rolling Stones, Jumpin' Jack Flash 145. Outkast, Ms. Jackson 146. James Taylor, Fire and Rain 147. Fats Domino, Blueberry Hill 148. Led Zeppelin, Kashmir 149. Elton John, Rocket Man 150. Green Day, Basket Case
151. The Shirelles, Will You Love Me Tomorrow 152. Creedence Clearwater Revival, Proud Mary 153. Rick James, Super Freak 154. Howlin' Wolf, Spoonful 155. The Strokes, Last Nite 156. The Kingsmen, Louie Louie 157. Sonic Youth, Teenage Riot 158. The Meters, Cissy Strut 159. The Who, Baba O'Riley 160. R.E.M., Nightswimming 161. Madonna, Into the Groove 162. Nick Drake, Pink Moon 163. Fleetwood Mac, Landslide 164. Bob Dylan, Mr. Tambourine Man 165. Hank Williams, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry 166. Mott the Hoople, All the Young Dudes 167. Eminem, Lose Yourself 168. Dusty Springfield, Son of a Preacher Man 169. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, American Girl 170. The Five Satins, In the Still of the Night 171. Louis Armstrong, What a Wonderful World 172. Nina Simone, Mississippi Goddam 173. Television, Marquee Moon 174. R.E.M., Radio Free Europe 175. The Flamingos, I Only Have Eyes for You
176. The Kinks, You Really Got Me 177. Van Halen, Jump 178. Billie Eilish, Bad Guy 179. Pink Floyd, Comfortably Numb 180. Lou Reed, Walk on the Wild Side 181. The Byrds, Eight Miles High 182. Simon and Garfunkel, The Sound of Silence 183. Stevie Wonder, You Are the Sunshine of My Life 184. Sinéad O'Connor, Nothing Compares 2 U 185. Michael Jackson, Beat It 186. The Staple Singers, I'll Take You There 187. Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues 188. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Little Wing 189. David Bowie, Space Oddity 190. N.W.A, Fuck tha Police 191. Bobbie Gentry, Ode to Billie Joe 192. Geto Boys, Mind Playing Tricks on Me 193. The Rolling Stones, Wild Horses 194. PJ Harvey, Rid of Me 195. Patsy Cline, Crazy 196. James Brown, Get Up (I Feel like Being a) Sex Machine 197. Ann Peebles, I Can't Stand the Rain 198. Marvin Gaye, Sexual Healing 199. Aerosmith, Dream On 200. David Bowie, Changes
201. Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire 202. Elton John, Your Song 203. Stevie Wonder, Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours 204. David Bowie, Young Americans 205. Britney Spears, ...Baby One More Time 206. Glen Campbell, Wichita Lineman 207. Rage Against the Machine, Killing in the Name 208. Hole, Doll Parts 209. Don Henley, The Boys of Summer 210. Funkadelic, One Nation Under a Groove