Art Tatum, dude. This is just superhuman. The purest, most precise mind-to-music transmission - it’s like he’s a shaman channeling some supernatural force.
Standing the Test of Time: Your mentions of Musical hits from the '50s through the '80s of any genre
Thread relocated from IMHO to Cafe Society.
In defense of Elvis, his early recordings with Sun and first RCA releases do stand up but you’re right about his later stuff getting too slick.
You’re not wrong. The man was unreal. Didn’t Bird work as a busboy just so he could hear Art Tatum play?
Ooh child - the five stairsteps
Hey Jude - Paul McCartney
Doors - light my fire
Harry Chapin - cats in the cradle
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
What the OP is asking for is the New American Standards
- I Wanna Be Sedated
- Highway to Hell
- Life in the Fastlane
- Venus - Shocking Blue, Bananarama
Blue Cheer! 
If ‘House of the Rising Sun’ is a classic, we should include Frijid Pink’s take on it (1970).
Ray Charles’ I Can’t Stop Loving You. How many other pop/blues/country ballads can you name?
For that matter, I’ll put just about any Ray Charles song on the list.
I think it was Van Hagar that profited the Immortal Line* “Only time will tell if we stand the test of time”.
*
Indeed! That’s why they call it that.
And Loverboy gave us this: “You’ve got to start from the start…”
Impossible to argue this point.
Bobbie Gentry is kind of underrated. I know “The Ballad of Billie Joe” has worn out its welcome with a lot of people, but how about “Fancy” and her cover of “Nikki Hoeky”?
Linda Ronstadt’s 70s work is due for a critical re-evaluation.
I don’t think he has. Bud Powell and Bill Evans eclipsed him and evolved the music. But he is a legend.
Pilgrims.
If you’re gonna go deep, always go Ringo: “Time takes time.”