# Best song of all time **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 30, 2000, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932 "2000-05-30T20:20:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932/61 "2000-06-06T01:01:23Z")
The entire album “Bookends” by Simon & Garfunkel. Perfect Circle - R.E.M. Spain - Chick Corea Gut Feeling - Hunters and Collectors (Australian Dopers will know who I’m talking about) The Longing - Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Further to Fly - Paul Simon ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932/62 "2000-06-06T05:51:42Z")
My favorites are: Classic: Clair da Lune-Debussy Ninth Symphony-Beethoven Piano Concerto #1–Tchaiskovsky Tocatta in D–Bach Brandenberg Concerto #5–Bach Piano Concerto–Schoenberg (one of the hardest pieces ever composed to play) Jazz/Swing/Tin Pan Alley era Take the ‘A’ Train–Strayhorn/Ellington Mack the Knife–as performed by Louis Armstrong Rhapsody in Blue–Gershwin Cocktails for Two–as performed by Spike Jones Beautiful Dreamer–Cole Porter Rock n roll/Neo-folk/Motown Soul era Bo Diddley I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You–Elvis Rainy Day Women #12 and #35–Dylan if I Were a Carpenter–Bobby Darin Creeque Alley–Mommas and Pappas I am the Walrus–Beatles Get Back–Beatles Respect–Aretha Franklin The Big Payback–James Brown Someday We’ll Be Together–by HDH, performed by the Supremes The High-Concept pop era Pinball Wizard–The Who Won’t be Fooled Again–The Who Fame–D. Bowie Happy Xmas (War is Over)–John Lennon End of part one. ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932/63 "2000-06-06T05:55:59Z")
Here is part two: Disco–skip that New Wave/Punk/Grunge–now known as Alternative Loser–Beck Jeremy–Pearl Jam Black–Pearl Jam Relax–Frankie Goes to Hollywood Hip Hop era The Message-Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five Gonna Make You Sweat–C&C Music factory Don’t Believe the Hype–Public Enemy 911 is a Joke–Public Enemy My Name Is…–Eminem Peter Gunn–Art of Noise Latino Anything by Carlos Santana or Tito Puente Reggae Bad Boys–Inner Circle A La La La La Long–Inner Circle Redemption Songs–Bob Marley Could You Be Loved–Marley ---
**Author:** ![Rock-n-Rolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/22d042/32.png) [@Rock-n-Rolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rock-n-Rolga)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932/64 "2000-06-06T06:22:09Z")
“Monolith” - Redd Kross “So It Goes” - Nick Lowe “Shelly My Love” - Nick Lowe “From Here To Eternity” - The Only Ones “12 Days Of Rain” - October Tide “Baby Please Don’t Go” - Thin Lizzy “Shoot Shoot” - UFO “Lights Out” - UFO “Reputation” - Dwarves “Diamond Meadows” - T. Rex “Sway” - The Rolling Stones Nothing fancy, just good 'ol guitar-based RAWK! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932/65 "2000-06-06T12:01:35Z")
Miserlou by Dick Dale Green Onions by Booker T and the MG’s coolest songs ever ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2000, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932/66 "2000-06-07T00:20:58Z")
How come a thread asking for the best song _ **of all time** _ hardly contains any mentions of songs written more than 40 years ago?! My vote for best song of all time goes to “Er, Der Herrlichste Von Allen” from _Frauen Lieben und Leben_, lyrics by Antonio von Chamisso, music by Robert Schumann (1840). Although I gotta admit, there have been some _great_ settings of the Requiem Mass over the centuries. ---
**Author:** ![GreenEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f9ae1b/32.png) [@GreenEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenEyes)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2000, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932/67 "2000-06-07T00:23:41Z")
Let It Be… The Beatles ---
**Author:** ![SilentKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e8cbc/32.png) [@SilentKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SilentKnight)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2000, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932/68 "2000-06-07T01:21:51Z")
Touch of Grey – Grateful Dead ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2000, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932/69 "2000-06-07T01:41:00Z")
You’re right. The best song _was_ by Dylan - the cover version of **All Along the Watchtower** by **Jimi Hendrix**. The second best is **She’s Leaving Home** by **The Beatles**. Exquisite. ---
**Author:** ![galadriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@galadriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galadriel)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2000, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932/70 "2000-06-07T02:20:08Z")
There’s no way anyone could choose just one favourite song/piece of music, and to list all mine would take forever and I’d still forget some. So here’s just the first few that come to mind, chosen mainly for the lyrics (where there are any!): “The Sound of North America” Beautiful South “Something Inside (So Strong)” Labi Siffre “1812 Overture” (Apparently, when I was a baby, this was the only thing that would stop me crying and send me to sleep!) “Enter from the East” Jewel “American Pie” Don Henly “Hotel California” The Eagles There’s a song by John Mellancamp (sp?) but I can never remember what it’s called - I can’t even remember how it goes at the moment. “Fever” Peggy Lee “(Take a Little) Piece of My Heart” Erma Franklin “Ain’t No Sunshine” Bill Withers" “A Queston of Lust” Depeche Mode Just about anything by REM “Inkanyezi Nezazi” Ladysmith Black Mambazo I could go on forever… But I won’t 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Girlbysea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Girlbysea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girlbysea)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2000, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932/71 "2000-06-07T10:12:15Z")
Hello In There… John Prine From A Distance… Julie Gold And the winner is!!! Wind Beneath My Wings… Larry Henley & Jeff Silbar ---
**Author:** ![HomeSlice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9d8465/32.png) [@HomeSlice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HomeSlice)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2000, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932/72 "2000-06-08T05:33:09Z")
3 way tie Stairway-by you know who Freebird-Lynyrd Skynyrd Black-Pearl Jam [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-of-all-time/20932.md?page=3)