Memorial Day Weekend means giving thanks to those who sacrificed everything to protect our freedom. And for those about to rock, we salute you.
It also means the annual playing of the Top 500 Rock Songs of All Time on the classic rock station of your choice, as voted on by no one in particular. I assume that the tradition started to coincide with the Indy 500, also scheduled for this holiday weekend. While the Midwest auto race has faded in cultural significance over the years, the annual ranking of rock songs continues to fuel heated debates across the interior of cars over this weekend, all tuned to their favorite local classic rock station.
The first 490 songs provide little in terms of lasting controversy. I mean, it is difficult to sustain the energy to argue about the merits of ranking Steve Miller’s The Joker at 375 versus The Doobie Brothers’ Long Train Runnin’ at 372. Let’s face it, without the proper science, it’s impossible to know who is right. Add to that no one cares. Styx’ Grand Illusion was a good tune, but how do you compare it empirically with Cheap Trick’s Surrender (studio version, not the live track)? Yes, both should rank behind The Byrds’ Eight Miles High and Hendrix’ Crosstown Traffic, but precisely how far behind? Is Van Halen’s You Really Got Me really better than The Kinks’ original version of the same?
No one cares, as long as all are played during a commercial free set, preferably without a lot of on-air chatter over the first few chords.
The station location skews the final list of great songs a bit. Lynyrd Skynyrd has a leg up in Virginia and points south. Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles (or is it The Eagles? I can never tell) have a West Coast advantage. Boston has home field advantage in Boston. Springsteen owns New Jersey and Philly. Tom Petty is from Florida. Journey will always get love from Detroit (specifically South Detroit).
Some stations are more severe in their rock roots than others and that impacts the final lists. Hair band stations will give more love to Guns n’ Roses and Quiet Riot than REM and Billy Joel.
It all comes down to the songs however, not the bands, in a forced rank listing such as The Top 500 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time. Pink Floyd is known for body of work that relies on an entire album of supporting songs to have meaning, and not necessarily a top 10 single track of all-time. Aerosmith is not on rock’s Mount Rushmore, but a strong case can be made for Dream On or Walk This Way on the Top 10 list.
(Editor’s Note: Mount Rushmore includes the Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, The Who, and Pink Floyd. Sadly, Elvis Presley is long forgotten on the mountain since we are more likely to hear Prince than the King on a top 500 songs list these days.)
Any Top 10 list must include some bands if it wants to be taken seriously. The final 10 has to include at least 2 Beatles songs (or is it The Beatles? I can never tell). The Rolling Stones demand representation with Satisfaction, one of the indisputable top rock and roll songs of all time. A quality list would also include one of either Jumpin’ Jack Flash or Brown Sugar, take your pick.
The correct listing has Hotel California and Freebird in the top 10. The Who must make an appearance with either My Generation or Won’t Get Fooled Again. Yes, an argument can also be made that Baba O’Riley deserves top 10 placement, but you can’t win one of those coveted spots just because you sing “teenage wasteland, they’re all wasted!”
Stairway to Heaven, the lone Zeppelin song that is guaranteed a perennial top 10 finish, has never in history, regardless of rock station, been ranked lower than #5. This is sacrosanct. So that leaves only a few slots to fill.
To review, the top 10 list has to include:
- Stairway to Heaven
- Freebird
- Hotel California
- 2 Beatles songs (any 2 will do)
- Satisfaction
- 1 other Stones’ song (again, the choices are vast)
- 1 from The Who
So that’s 8 slots spoken for. The order can be changed from year to year, but these 8 are rock solid (pardon the pun).
So what about the last 2 slots? We can add AC/DC Shook Me All Night Long without argument. Springsteen has earned consideration. Born to Run is the best option (Thunder Road could crack top 25, but never top 10). We could include a Bob Dylan selection (Like a Rolling Stone?), depending on the station’s musical leanings or generational bias. The Police’s Message in a Bottle doesn’t get the appropriate respect, but it must get some votes. We can’t forget some upstart entries like Born to Be Wild or Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Yes, that excludes many, many acts, like 2nd tier Mount Rushmore acts such as The Doors, David Bowie, Yes, U2, and Clapton. But 10 is the limit, so someone has to be disappointed. Think about the poor Beach Boys, who have been losing respect over the years. Good Vibrations used to be a top 10 lock, and now it’s an after-thought.
Rock and roll shows no mercy.
I don’t have a solid top 10 list to offer. I do have my Now Playing page on TheMSRP that celebrates the various songs that have been stuck in my head for the past several months. I encourage you to visit and listen to the eclectic mix, but remember – while all of my choices are fantastic and worthy of a full uninterrupted listen, none are destined to be played among the Top 10 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time.
I don’t care, and isn’t that the essence of rock and roll? Raging indifference? That reminds me – I forgot to mention The Ramones.