# Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 500: As Cutting Edge As The Saturday Evening Post **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282 "2004-11-17T16:12:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/21 "2004-11-17T19:53:20Z")
Tunes younger than all but two of these entries that I would put in the top 20 that not only do I, personally, think should be on there, but I would include even if I were the editors are: – Comfortably Numb – Another Brick in the Wall, part 2 – Birthday (sugarcubes) – and on preview, NOT one of my top 20, but I’d put in How Soon is Now, not only better but more famous than some of these _every single track_ on The Wall is better than all of the listed top 20, and half of them are better than all the Top 20 combined! Furthermore all of my top 10 favorite songs are from 1979 onward. (I don’t really have a personal top 20, but that might include some earlier stuff, especially by The Pink Floyd Sound.) But I disagree with **John** …wait, actually I agree with him. 16 of the 20 songs also wouldn’t make my Top 5000 songs. In fact, I haven’t even heard 4 of them, and I have shelled out money for none of them, which is what really matters, right? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/22 "2004-11-17T20:04:05Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > So, Rolling Stone created a list designed to appeal to their target demographic. Huh? I first subscribed to Rolling Stone in 1970 (for $5 and a got a free copy of Jefferson Airplane’s _Volunteers_ album to boot.) That means I haven’t been a part of their “target demographic” for a quarter of a century. I find it hard to imagine that any more than a tiny handful from my generation read Rolling Stone or would ever even know the existence of such a list, if not for someone much younger pointing it out. Which means that Rolling Stone has a lot of integrity pointing out the obvious truth despite the certain condemnation of those who are truly in their target demographic. ---
**Author:** ![Paisley\_Park](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Paisley\_Park](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paisley_Park)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/23 "2004-11-17T21:24:11Z")
Weird. I can’t find that **Rolling Stone** _500 Greatest Songs of All Time_ list anywhere on the net (the link in the OP goes to a registration page). 😕 In any event, I did find these interesting lists: **New Musical Express** - _100 Greatest Singles of All Time_ (2002) Top 20 1. Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart 2. Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Sprit 3. Sex Pistols – Anarchy In The Uk 4. The Rolling Stones – Paint It Black 5. David Bowie – Heroes 6. The Stone Roses – Fools Gold 7. The Smiths – This Charming Man 8. Oasis – Live Forever 9. The Clash – London Calling 10. Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy 11. The Jam – Going Underground 12. The Beatles – Paperback Writer 13. The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations 14. The Verve – Bittersweet Symphony 15. Lou Reed – Walk On The Wild Side 16.Underworld – Born Slippy 16. Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen In Love… 17. Stevie Wonder – Superstition 18. Kinks – Waterloo Sunset 19. New Order – Blue Monday **Q Special Edition** - _100 Songs That Changed the World_ (2003) Top 20 1. Elvis Presley – That’s All Right 2. The Beatles – I Wanna Hold Your Hand 3. Sex Pistols – God Save The Queen 4. Sugerhill Gang – Rappers Delight 5. Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Sprit 6. Billie Holiday – Strange Fruit 7. Bob Dylan – Like A Rolling Stone 8. Run DMC – Walk This Way 9. New Order – Blue Monday 10. Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas 11. The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations 12. Bill Haley – Rock Around The Clock 13. The Beatles – Helter Skelter 14. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 – The Message 15. The Kinks – You Really Got Me 16. Kraftwerk – Autobahn 17. The Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive 18. The Tornados – Telstar 19. David Bowie – Starman 20. Aretha Franklin – Think **Uncut Magazine** - _100 Greatest Singles of the Post- Punk Era_ (2001) Top 20 1. Public Enemy – Rebel Without A Pause – 1987 2. Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Sprit – 1991 3. Joy Division – Atmosphere/She’s Lost Control – 1980 4. Primal Scream – Higher Than The Sun – 1991 5. Kraftwerk – Trans Europe Express – 1977 6. The Sex Pistols – God Save The Queen – 1977 7. Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy – 1991 8. My Bloody Valentine – You Mad Me Realise – 1988 9. The Stone Roses – Fool’s Gold – 1989 10. The Smiths – This Charming Man – 1983 11. Donna Summer – I Feel Love – 1977 12. The Clash – White Man (In Hammersmith Palais) – 1978 13. Dinosaur Jr. – Freak Scene – 1988 14. Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax – 1983 15. Chic – Good Times – 1979 16. David Bowie – Heroes – 1977 17. The Jesus And Mary Chain – Never Understand – 1985 18. Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five – The Adventures Of GF On The Wheels Of Steel - 1981 19. New Order – Blue Monday – 1983 20. Radiohead – Paranoid Android – 1997 Those are some pretty good lists, even _if_ **Prince** is nowhere to be found. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/24 "2004-11-17T21:31:47Z")
Let me guess: Nirvana is in the top 50. _looks at list_ I was right. I’m not surprised. Nirvana is always high on the Rolling Stone or MTV lists. ---
**Author:** ![Paisley\_Park](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Paisley\_Park](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paisley_Park)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/25 "2004-11-17T21:31:52Z")
Err a, I just noticed the second link in the OP, but that goes to **[About.com](http://About.com)**, and is not the **Rolling Stone** list, unless I am missing something. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/26 "2004-11-17T21:49:24Z")
> [@Gamaliel](#): > > I’m outraged about Rolling Stone’s oversight of “Sumer Is Icumen In”. It’s gone and gotten itself on the banned list. People have been singing “coo coo” rather too lewdly. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/27 "2004-11-17T23:51:47Z")
I’m a big ELO fan (which should be obvious) and while I usually dismiss lists like this, I was pleased to see 7 ELO songs on the list. However, “Don’t Bring Me Down” (#100) is NOT the best of those 7 by a long shot. “Strange Magic”, “Telephone Line”, and most certainly “Turn to Stone” are far superior. ---
**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:** [November 18, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/28 "2004-11-18T00:34:58Z")
From somone who’s not on the list: > [@](#): > > Most people wouldn’t know music if it came up and bit them on the ass. > > - Frank Zappa ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/29 "2004-11-18T00:56:51Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > From somone who’s not on the list: The late great Frank Zappa, who defined rock 'journalistsl as: > [@](#): > > People who can’t write, doing interviews with people who can’t think, in order to prepare articles for people who can’t read Re #2: (Which I thought was a) link to all 500 (revised for 2004) - Sorry, that [About.com](http://About.com) link was to Rolling Stone magazine’s top 500 rock songs, not the entire list of the tracks referred to in the OP or in link #1. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/30 "2004-11-18T00:57:05Z")
> [@Stricker van Gogh](#): > > I mean, come on, it’s been 400 years. If you can’t think of anyone who you think is at least as good as Shakespeare, then it seems to me that you’re just not looking. Ben Jonson. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/31 "2004-11-18T01:54:10Z")
Real interesting to see the British list (New Musical Express). I always thought ‘Live Forever’ by Oasis was an incredibly underrated song. In fact that whole album “Definetly Maybe” is very underrated on this side of the pond. ---
**Author:** ![Paisley\_Park](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Paisley\_Park](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paisley_Park)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/32 "2004-11-18T02:36:25Z")
> [@JohnBckWLD](#): > > Re #2: (Which I thought was a) link to all 500 (revised for 2004) - Sorry, that [About.com](http://About.com) link was to Rolling Stone magazine’s top 500 rock songs, not the entire list of the tracks referred to in the OP or in link #1. **JohnBckWLD** , the links you gave in your OP do not point to a **Rolling Stone** magazine _500 Greatest Songs of All Time_ list. One points to a registration page for [theage.com](http://theage.com), and the other points to [about.com](http://about.com)’s _classic rock_ Top 500 songs (this list has nothing to do with Rolling Stone magazine). I search the NET and could not find anything for **Rolling Stone’s** _500 Greatest Songs of All Time_. If anyone has a link, please post it. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/33 "2004-11-18T03:34:30Z")
> [@Uvula Donor](#): > > How long will it take \*\*Roland Orzabal \*\* to find this thread and telling us all how \*Tears for Fears \* should have a place \*at least \* in the Top 5? They didn’t even make the top 500. 🙂 On the other hand, neither did Pearl Jam. I’d really like to hope they’re gonna stand the test of time, but their releases are getting increasingly obscure (I loved “Riot Act”, damnit!), and most people seem to have lost interest several albums ago. Hmm… I swear I ain’t gonna change my name to “Eddie Vedder”! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/34 "2004-11-18T03:49:33Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > They didn’t even make the top 500. 🙂 > > On the other hand, neither did Pearl Jam. I’d really like to hope they’re gonna stand the test of time, but their releases are getting increasingly obscure (I loved “Riot Act”, damnit!), and most people seem to have lost interest several albums ago. Hmm…! Irrespective of the fact that they’ve been up and down for awhile, a list of 500 greatest songs that does not include “Corduroy,” “Dissident” or “Daughter” is in error. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/35 "2004-11-18T05:48:56Z")
> [@Uvula Donor](#): > > How long will it take \*\*Roland Orzabal \*\* to find this thread and telling us all how \*Tears for Fears \* should have a place \*at least \* in the Top 5? Man, **UD** …with everything that’s been going on regarding my supposed “obsession” with TFF over the past couple days, you don’t know how close I came to taking that personally and snapping at you for it. A brief pause over “Submit Reply” was all that saved me from overreacting to what was obviously a joke. Not sure why I’m telling you this; I guess it’s a roundabout way of saying “sorry for almost yelling at you for no reason”. On the bright side, I see that Radiohead _has_ secured their rightful place on one of the top 20 lists. 😉 😃 Actually, as far as lists go, these aren’t half bad. Dunno about “Stayin’ Alive”, and I’m loathe to accept The Kinks on a list of the top 20 most influential anything, but other than that, the lists are as good as any other I’ve seen. The only place on any of these where I can see even conceivably making an argument for TFF would be for placing “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” on the first list, but I certainly don’t begrudge its exclusion. I would be interested to see the full **Rolling Stone** list, though. ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/36 "2004-11-18T06:20:43Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > It’s gone and gotten itself on the banned list. People have been singing “coo coo” rather too lewdly. I thought the problem was a few too many buckes fertyng. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/37 "2004-11-18T08:28:45Z")
Yeah, that Rolling Stone is sure one cutting edge magazine. But come on, seriously, they couldn’t take out one Beatles song and replace it with, say, a Pixies song? That band is like the main influence over so much of today’s rock. Even if you’re a diehard Beatlemaniac, you have to admit that giving them a fifth of the list–a quarter if you count John Lennon–is a little much. I’ll concede that the Beatles are an Important Band in Rock even if I don’t like them very much, but come on, four songs? Especially when there’s nothing from the eighties or later except Nirvana? Does anyone actually think there’s only one song made in the last twenty-four years that’s going to stand the test of time? I would also like to read the top 500 list if someone would like to post it. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/38 "2004-11-18T15:39:13Z")
of _course_ Like A Rolling Stone is going to be #1 … just look at the name of the magazine that published this list! ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/39 "2004-11-19T15:55:05Z")
[Rolling Stones Top 50 Songs](http://www.thebostonchannel.com/entertainment/3929635/detail.html) 1. Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan 2. Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones 3. Imagine - John Lennon 4. What’s Going On? - Marvin Gaye 5. Respect - Aretha Franklin 6. Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys 7. Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry 8. Hey Jude - The Beatles 9. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana 10. What’d I say? - Ray Charles 11. My Generation - The Who 12. A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke 13. Yesterday - The Beatles 14. Blowin’ In The Wind - Bob Dylan 15. London Calling - The Clash 16. I want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles 17. Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix 18. Maybellene - Chuck Berry 19. Hound Dog - Elvis Presley 20. Let It Be - The Beatles 21. Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen 22. By My Baby - The Ronettes 23. In My Life - The Beatles 24. People Get Ready - The Impressions 25. God Only Knows - The Beach Boys 26. A Day In The Life - The Beatles 27. Layla - Derek and the Dominoes 28. Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding 29. Help - The Beatles 30. I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash 31. Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin 32. Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones 33. River Deep, Mountain High - Ike and Tina Turner 34. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling - Righteous Brothers 35. Light My Fire - The Doors 36. One - U2 37. No Woman, No Cry - Bob Marley and The Wailers 38. Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones 39. That’ll Be the Day - Buddy Holly and the Crickets 40. Dancing in the Street - Martha and the Vandellas 41. The Weight - The Band 42. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks 43. Tutti Frutti - Little Richard 44. Georgia On My Mind - Ray Charles 45. Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley 46. Heroes - David Bowie 47. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel 48. All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix 49. Hotel California - The Eagles 50. The Tracks of My Tears - Smokey Robinson and The Miracles ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282/40 "2004-11-19T16:03:50Z")
> [@Talon Karrde](#): > > Let me guess: Nirvana is in the top 50. > > _looks at list_ > > I was right. I’m not surprised. Nirvana is always high on the Rolling Stone or MTV lists. I know! And here’s the thing – anybody who isn’t completely lying to themselves will admit that Nirvana had basically reached the end of its shelf life by 1994. Their music was increasingly not as well-received by the time Cobain killed himself, and their popularity was easily overshadowed by Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins. Then Kurt kills himself. All of a sudden, Nirvana was “the voice of a generation” and we’d lost a true revolutionary. And none of this is anything less than revisionist history. I don’t deny that Nirvana helped usher the grunge movement to the masses, but they were hardly the only torch-bearers. They were just the ones whose faces adorned the banners after-the-fact. IMO, Nirvana didn’t leave any quality work unfinished. Their best work had already been on the shelves by the time Incesticide was released. The only band I can think of that left good music unfinished was Sublime. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stone-magazines-top-500-as-cutting-edge-as-the-saturday-evening-post/275282.md?page=3)