As controversial as ever.
Say what you want about Rolling Stone, but they love a good list.
The long-running publication’s ‘500 Greatest Songs of All Time’ list has been going for years now and constantly manages to make headlines due to its controversial additions and omissions.
While they don’t claim to speak for everyone (the list is voted on by around 250 people), they do know a thing or two about music, and most of the songs included are certified classics.
However, the issue comes with the ranking of songs. Who is to say one song is “better” than the other? Such a subjective topic can lead to a lot of arguments.
Not phased by that, though, Rolling Stone are powering through and have now made some additions to their 2021 version of the list.
More than 250 artists, writers, and industry figures helped us choose a list full of historic favorites, world-changing anthems, and new classics.
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) February 17, 2024
Presenting: The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
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Added to the top of the page in February, an editor’s note reads:
“In the two and a half years since Rolling Stone rolled out the all-new, fully revamped version of our 500 Greatest Songs list in September 2021, artists like Beyonce, Lana Del Rey, and Taylor Swift have all released classic tracks. So we’ve updated the list.
“We kept the update light; the 2021 list covered many decades of popular music, and was the result of a vote among more than 300 artists, writers, producers and industry figures; this update covers three years, from 2021 to early 2024.”
So here’s a list of the added songs since the original release of the list in 2021.
500. Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’
491. Bad Bunny – ‘Titi Me Pregunto’
456. Lana Del Rey’s – ‘A&W’
428. Beyoncé – ‘Break My Soul’
414. Wiz Kid feat. Tems – ‘Essence’
400. Taylor Swift – ‘Cruel Summer’
402. Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma – ‘Ella Baila Sola’
377. Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Driver’s License’
267. SZA – ‘Kill Bill’
These ‘undeniable classics’ have been added to the 500 greatest songs of all time list
Starting in 2004, the list has been updated a number of times, with a full revamp in 2021.
The publication created a poll which asked 250 artists, musicians, and producers to give their top 50 songs, with over 4,000 songs being voted for at least once.
While earlier lists were made up of classic rock and soul, more modern versions have included a much wider range of genres, with Rolling Stone saying that “more than half the songs here weren’t present on the old list, including a third of the Top 100.”
There is also a ‘Top 500 Greatest Albums’ list which had a December 2023 update, including newer records like Taylor Swift‘s ‘folklore’, Harry Styles‘ ‘Harry’s House’, Olivia Rodrigo‘s ‘SOUR’ and Beyoncé‘s ‘Renaissance’.
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