Song Top 10 Mini-Lists
Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2021 4:26 am
These are generally pulled from my top 1,000 all-time list, or from a little outside it. It seems like a big oversight now, but I've never sat down before to figure out, "What are my top 10 favorite alternative rock songs," jazz songs, country songs, etc., but my all-time list has basically done the work for me. I don't know if we'll ever do formal polls for even half of these categories, so I thought I'd post these.
My excuse for which categories to use comes largely from a mid-'90s book edited by Colin Larkin, All Time Top 1000 Albums. I modified, deleted, or added some categories, too. I'm pretty sure that I pegged all the pertinent songs from my all-time list, though it’s hard to tell where some genres end and others begin (for instance, the Dance genre and the Rock & Pop genre). I was often generous when it came to the question of "Does this song really belong here?"
Rock & Pop
1 | Nirvana | Smells Like Teen Spirit | 1991
2 | Prince and the Revolution | When Doves Cry | 1984
3 | Bruce Springsteen | Tunnel of Love | 1987
4 | Nirvana | Come As You Are | 1991
5 | Sting | Be Still My Beating Heart | 1987
6 | U2 | New Year's Day | 1983
7 | Guns N' Roses | November Rain | 1991
8 | James Taylor | Never Die Young | 1988
9 | The Righteous Brothers | Unchained Melody | 1965
10 | Sting | When the Angels Fall | 1991
So many things are Rock & Pop, in a way, so I'm not surprised that my overall Top 10 is the same Top 10 here.
Alternative Rock
1 | Nirvana | Smells Like Teen Spirit | 1991
2 | Nirvana | Come As You Are | 1991
3 | Pearl Jam | Even Flow | 1991
4 | Lana Del Rey | Video Games | 2011
5 | The Magnetic Fields | Sweet-Lovin' Man | 1999
6 | Iggy and the Stooges | Search and Destroy | 1973
7 | The Cure | Burn | 1994
8 | Mazzy Star | Fade Into You | 1993
9 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Under the Bridge | 1991
10 | The Smiths | How Soon Is Now? | 1984
Blues
Because of no/low representation on my all-time list, I'm leaving out certain genres for myself. (The winner would maybe be John Lee Hooker, "Boogie Chillen." I didn’t want to count blues songs that are done as rock or jazz.)
Christmas
This is better suited for Daniel's Christmas polls, at least for me. I didn't adjust this time for a song's “Christmas spirit” factor. My top two are Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)" and the Pretenders' "2000 Miles," neither of which are very Christmas-y.
Classical
1 | Tchaikovsky | The Nutcracker: Waltz of the Flowers | 1892
2 | Richard Strauss | Also Sprach Zarathustra: Sonnenaufgang | 1896
3 | Claude Debussy | Arabesque No. 1 | 1891
4 | Tchaikovsky | Swan Lake: Introduction | 1876
5 | Georges Bizet | Carmen: Habanera | 1875
6 | Gustav Holst | Mars, The Bringer of War | 1918
7 | Richard Wagner | Tristan und Isolde: Act 3, Prelude | 1865
8 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Turkish March (Rondo Alla Turca) | 1784
9 | Léo Delibes | Lakmé: Flower Duet/Sous le dôme épais | 1883
10 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | The Magic Flute: The Bird Catcher's Song | 1791
Country
1 | Garth Brooks | The Dance | 1989
2 | Rosanne Cash | What We Really Want | 1990
3 | Stevie Nicks and Don Henley | Leather and Lace | 1981
4 | Rosanne Cash | Dance with the Tiger | 1990
5 | Hank Williams | Lost Highway | 1949
6 | Johnny Cash | Ring of Fire | 1963
7 | Hank Williams | Why Don't You Love Me | 1950
8 | Roger Miller | Oo-De-Lally | 1973
9 | Patsy Cline | You're Stronger Than Me | 1962
10 | Steve Earle | Fearless Heart | 1986
Cover Songs
1 | The Righteous Brothers | Unchained Melody | 1965 (originally Todd Duncan)
2 | Rod Stewart | Reason to Believe | 1971 (originally Tim Hardin)
3 | Marvin Gaye | I Heard It Through the Grapevine | 1968 (originally by The Miracles, with the same producer; Barry Gordy vetoed its release as a single, and it basically went unreleased)
4 | Frank Sinatra | (Theme from) New York, New York | 1980 (originally Liza Minnelli)
5 | Soft Cell | Tainted Love | 1981 (originally Gloria Jones)
6 | The Animals | The House of the Rising Sun | 1964 (traditional; first known recording as "Rising Sun Blues" by Clarence "Tom" Ashley and Gwen Foster)
7 | Whitney Houston | The Greatest Love of All | 1985 (originally George Benson)
8 | Elvis Presley | That's All Right | 1954 (originally Arthur Crudup)
9 | Madonna | Live to Tell | 1986 (originally Patrick Leonard, i.e. his instrumental was submitted for the film Fire with Fire; Leonard worked with Madonna on the new version)
10 | Frank Sinatra | Where Are You? | 1957 (originally Gertrude Niesen)
I didn't adjust for the worthwhile issue of how much the cover song improved on the original. For the iffier examples, I wanted some kind of significant personnel continuity so that someone knew that a newer and potentially better version was being made with a new performer. "What's Love Got to Do with It" was recorded around the same time or earlier by the group Bucks Fizz, but it went unreleased at the time, and as far as I know, the two versions were recorded in isolation from each other.
Dance
1 | Bee Gees | Stayin' Alive | 1977
2 | Deee-Lite | Groove Is in the Heart | 1990
3 | Pet Shop Boys | Being Boring | 1990
4 | Yazoo | Situation | 1982
5 | Grimes | REALiTI | 2015
6 | ABBA | Dancing Queen | 1976
7 | New Order | Bizarre Love Triangle | 1986
8 | Gen X/Billy Idol | Dancing with Myself | 1980
9 | Animotion | Obsession | 1984
10 | Pet Shop Boys feat. Dusty Springfield | What Have I Done to Deserve This? | 1987
Folk (and maybe Folk Rock)
The Folk category allowed for Folk Rock in Larkin's book. I personally found it hard to reliably distinguish Folk Rock from Rock & Pop. (I have low representation for just Folk.) My winner here would be Rod Stewart, "Reason to Believe."
Hard Rock
1 | Nirvana | Smells Like Teen Spirit | 1991
2 | Guns N' Roses | November Rain | 1991
3 | The Rolling Stones | Gimme Shelter | 1969
4 | Guns N' Roses | Welcome to the Jungle | 1987
5 | Queen | Bohemian Rhapsody | 1975
6 | The Who | Baba O'Riley | 1971
7 | Pearl Jam | Even Flow | 1991
8 | The Doors | Break On Through (To the Other Side) | 1967
9 | Black Sabbath | War Pigs | 1970
10 | Iggy and the Stooges | Search and Destroy | 1973
Heavy Metal
1 | Black Sabbath | War Pigs | 1970
2 | Ozzy Osbourne | Crazy Train | 1980
3 | Black Sabbath | Snowblind | 1972
4 | Metallica | Enter Sandman | 1991
5 | Metallica | One | 1988
6 | Tool | Aenema | 1996
7 | Black Sabbath | Changes | 1972
8 | Tool | Sober | 1993
9 | Black Sabbath | Children of the Grave | 1971
10 | Black Sabbath | Sabbath Bloody Sabbath | 1973
I know Led Zeppelin was considered heavy metal at the time, but I think of them these days as hard rock (which was a tougher Top 10 to get into).
Instrumental
1 | John Williams | The Raiders March (a.k.a. Indiana Jones Theme) | 1981
2 | The Chuck Mangione Quartet | Bellavia | 1975
3 | Angelo Badalamenti | Twin Peaks Theme | 1990
4 | Danny Elfman | The Batman Theme | 1989
5 | John Williams | Star Wars (Main Title) | 1977
6 | William Ackerman | Remedios | 1981
7 | Alex de Grassi | Clockwork | 1981
8 | Angelo Badalamenti | Laura Palmer's Theme | 1990
9 | Dick Dale and the Deltones | Miserlou (a.k.a. Misirlou) | 1962
10 | The Ming Ensemble | The Song of the Four Seasons | 1993
Jazz
1 | The Chuck Mangione Quartet | Bellavia | 1975
2 | Sting | Sister Moon | 1987
3 | Billie Holiday | God Bless the Child | 1942
4 | John Coltrane | Pursuance | 1965
5 | John Coltrane | My Favorite Things | 1961
6 | Kenny G | Songbird | 1986
7 | Miles Davis | All Blues | 1959
8 | Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five | Lonesome Blues | c.1926
9 | Miles Davis | Pharaoh's Dance | 1970
10 | Miles Davis | Flamenco Sketches | 1959
Live
Low representation. (My winner would be Bob Marley, "No Woman, No Cry.")
New Age
1 | William Ackerman | Remedios | 1981
2 | Alex de Grassi | Clockwork | 1981
3 | George Winston | Blossom/Meadow | 1982
4 | Enya | Shepherd Moons | 1991
5 | Enya | The Sun in the Stream | 1986
6 | William Ackerman | Processional | 1976 (though I greatly prefer the 1986 version)
7 | Kostia and David Arkenstone | The Cello's Song | 1991
8 | Enya | Lothlórien | 1991
9 | Loreena McKennitt | The Mummers' Dance | 1997
10 | Orison | The Butterfly | 1988
Punk
1 | The Sex Pistols | God Save the Queen | 1977
2 | The Clash | London Calling | 1979
3 | Ramones | Blitzkrieg Bop | 1976
4 | The Clash | The Card Cheat | 1979
5 | The Sex Pistols | Problems | 1977
6 | Green Day | Longview | 1994
7 | Gang of Four | Ether | 1979
8 | The Clash | Rudie Can't Fail | 1979
9 | The Buzzcocks | Ever Fallen in Love? | 1978
10 | The Buzzcocks | Everybody's Happy Nowadays | 1979
Rap/Hip-Hop
1 | 2pac | Keep Ya Head Up | 1993
2 | M.I.A. | Paper Planes | 2007
3 | 2pac | I Ain't Mad at Cha | 1996
4 | Sir Mix-a-Lot | Baby Got Back | 1992
5 | DMX | Ruff Ryders Anthem | 1998
6 | Dr. Dre | Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang | 1992
7 | The Notorious B.I.G. | Mo Money Mo Problems | 1997
8 | Pet Shop Boys | West End Girls | 1984
9 | Beastie Boys | So What'cha Want | 1992
10 | Dizzee Rascal | Bonkers | 2009
As you can imagine, I practically forgot about the Pet Shop Boys. But they're here because of their fairly high ranking on the top 1,000 list, not because I thought they had one of the hottest raps I've ever heard.
Reggae
1 | Stranger Cole | Crying Every Night | 1971
2 | Bob Marley | No Woman, No Cry | 1974
3 | Linton Kwesi Johnson | Making History | 1983
4 | Burning Spear | Marcus Garvey | 1975
5 | Bob Marley | Who the Cap Fit | 1976
6 | UB40 | Red Red Wine | 1983
7 | Eddy Grant | Electric Avenue | 1982
8 | The Congos | Fisherman | 1977
9 | Snow | Informer | 1992
10 | The Slickers | Johnny Too Bad | 1970
Rock & Roll
1 | Elvis Presley | That's All Right | 1954
2 | Bobby Helms | Jingle Bell Rock | 1957
3 | The Everly Brothers | All I Have to Do Is Dream | 1958
4 | Elvis Presley | Can't Help Falling in Love | 1961
5 | Elvis Presley | Suspicious Minds | 1969
6 | Darlene Love | Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) | 1963
7 | Roy Orbison | Oh, Pretty Woman | 1964
8 | The Champs | Tequila | 1958
9 | The Crickets | Oh, Boy! | 1957
10 | Little Richard | Tutti Frutti | 1955
Singer-Songwriter/Bedsitter
I found it hard to reliably distinguish Singer-Songwriter/Bedsitter from Rock and Pop. (I guess my winner would be someone like James Taylor, "Never Die Young.")
Single (i.e., non-studio album)
1 | Simple Minds | Don't You (Forget About Me) | 1985
2 | Bee Gees | Stayin' Alive | 1977
3 | Elvis Presley | That's All Right | 1954
4 | Roxette | It Must Have Been Love | 1987
5 | Cyndi Lauper | The Goonies 'R' Good Enough | 1985
6 | The Beatles | Hey Jude | 1968
7 | Phil Collins | Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) | 1984
8 | The Cure | Burn | 1994
9 | The Smiths | How Soon Is Now? | 1984
10 | Stranger Cole | Crying Every Night | 1971
Soul/R&B
1 | Prince and the Revolution | When Doves Cry | 1984
2 | The Righteous Brothers | Unchained Melody | 1965
3 | Kool & The Gang | Cherish | 1984
4 | Marvin Gaye | I Heard It Through the Grapevine | 1968
5 | The Force MDs | Tender Love | 1985
6 | Tina Turner | What's Love Got to Do With It | 1984
7 | Michael Jackson | Billie Jean | 1982
8 | James Brown | Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag | 1965
9 | Whitney Houston | The Greatest Love of All | 1985
10 | Bee Gees | Stayin' Alive | 1977
Stage Musical
1 | Camelot soundtrack | Camelot | 1960
2 | The Pirates of Penzance soundtrack | I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General | 1879
3 | The Melachrino Strings | Never Will I Marry [instrumental version] | 1960
4 | Julie Andrews | My Favorite Things | 1965
5 | My Fair Lady soundtrack | I Could Have Danced All Night | 1956
6 | My Fair Lady soundtrack | On the Street Where You Live | 1956
7 | The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack | The Phantom of the Opera | 1987
8 | Anything Goes soundtrack | Anything Goes | 1935
9 | Yvonne Elliman (Jesus Christ Superstar) | I Don't Know How to Love Him | 1970
10 | The Melachrino Strings | Faraway Boy [instrumental version] | 1960
TV/Film Soundtrack
1 | Prince and the Revolution | When Doves Cry | 1984 (Purple Rain film)
2 | Simple Minds | Don't You (Forget About Me) | 1985 (The Breakfast Club film)
3 | Bee Gees | Stayin' Alive | 1977 (Saturday Night Fever film)
4 | Roxette | It Must Have Been Love | 1987 (Pretty Woman film)
5 | John Williams | The Raiders March (a.k.a. Indiana Jones Theme) | 1981 (Raiders of the Lost Ark film)
6 | Cyndi Lauper | The Goonies 'R' Good Enough | 1985 (The Goonies film)
7 | Phil Collins | Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) | 1984 (Against All Odds film)
8 | The Cure | Burn | 1994 (The Crow film)
9 | Cliff Edwards | When You Wish Upon a Star | 1940 (Pinocchio film)
10 | Angelo Badalamenti | Twin Peaks Theme | 1990 (Twin Peaks TV show)
World Music
Not my specialty. (The winner would be... Paul Simon, "You Can Call Me Al"? Or, more strictly, Márta Sebestyén, “Love Just One”?)
My excuse for which categories to use comes largely from a mid-'90s book edited by Colin Larkin, All Time Top 1000 Albums. I modified, deleted, or added some categories, too. I'm pretty sure that I pegged all the pertinent songs from my all-time list, though it’s hard to tell where some genres end and others begin (for instance, the Dance genre and the Rock & Pop genre). I was often generous when it came to the question of "Does this song really belong here?"
Rock & Pop
1 | Nirvana | Smells Like Teen Spirit | 1991
2 | Prince and the Revolution | When Doves Cry | 1984
3 | Bruce Springsteen | Tunnel of Love | 1987
4 | Nirvana | Come As You Are | 1991
5 | Sting | Be Still My Beating Heart | 1987
6 | U2 | New Year's Day | 1983
7 | Guns N' Roses | November Rain | 1991
8 | James Taylor | Never Die Young | 1988
9 | The Righteous Brothers | Unchained Melody | 1965
10 | Sting | When the Angels Fall | 1991
So many things are Rock & Pop, in a way, so I'm not surprised that my overall Top 10 is the same Top 10 here.
Alternative Rock
1 | Nirvana | Smells Like Teen Spirit | 1991
2 | Nirvana | Come As You Are | 1991
3 | Pearl Jam | Even Flow | 1991
4 | Lana Del Rey | Video Games | 2011
5 | The Magnetic Fields | Sweet-Lovin' Man | 1999
6 | Iggy and the Stooges | Search and Destroy | 1973
7 | The Cure | Burn | 1994
8 | Mazzy Star | Fade Into You | 1993
9 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Under the Bridge | 1991
10 | The Smiths | How Soon Is Now? | 1984
Blues
Because of no/low representation on my all-time list, I'm leaving out certain genres for myself. (The winner would maybe be John Lee Hooker, "Boogie Chillen." I didn’t want to count blues songs that are done as rock or jazz.)
Christmas
This is better suited for Daniel's Christmas polls, at least for me. I didn't adjust this time for a song's “Christmas spirit” factor. My top two are Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)" and the Pretenders' "2000 Miles," neither of which are very Christmas-y.
Classical
1 | Tchaikovsky | The Nutcracker: Waltz of the Flowers | 1892
2 | Richard Strauss | Also Sprach Zarathustra: Sonnenaufgang | 1896
3 | Claude Debussy | Arabesque No. 1 | 1891
4 | Tchaikovsky | Swan Lake: Introduction | 1876
5 | Georges Bizet | Carmen: Habanera | 1875
6 | Gustav Holst | Mars, The Bringer of War | 1918
7 | Richard Wagner | Tristan und Isolde: Act 3, Prelude | 1865
8 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Turkish March (Rondo Alla Turca) | 1784
9 | Léo Delibes | Lakmé: Flower Duet/Sous le dôme épais | 1883
10 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | The Magic Flute: The Bird Catcher's Song | 1791
Country
1 | Garth Brooks | The Dance | 1989
2 | Rosanne Cash | What We Really Want | 1990
3 | Stevie Nicks and Don Henley | Leather and Lace | 1981
4 | Rosanne Cash | Dance with the Tiger | 1990
5 | Hank Williams | Lost Highway | 1949
6 | Johnny Cash | Ring of Fire | 1963
7 | Hank Williams | Why Don't You Love Me | 1950
8 | Roger Miller | Oo-De-Lally | 1973
9 | Patsy Cline | You're Stronger Than Me | 1962
10 | Steve Earle | Fearless Heart | 1986
Cover Songs
1 | The Righteous Brothers | Unchained Melody | 1965 (originally Todd Duncan)
2 | Rod Stewart | Reason to Believe | 1971 (originally Tim Hardin)
3 | Marvin Gaye | I Heard It Through the Grapevine | 1968 (originally by The Miracles, with the same producer; Barry Gordy vetoed its release as a single, and it basically went unreleased)
4 | Frank Sinatra | (Theme from) New York, New York | 1980 (originally Liza Minnelli)
5 | Soft Cell | Tainted Love | 1981 (originally Gloria Jones)
6 | The Animals | The House of the Rising Sun | 1964 (traditional; first known recording as "Rising Sun Blues" by Clarence "Tom" Ashley and Gwen Foster)
7 | Whitney Houston | The Greatest Love of All | 1985 (originally George Benson)
8 | Elvis Presley | That's All Right | 1954 (originally Arthur Crudup)
9 | Madonna | Live to Tell | 1986 (originally Patrick Leonard, i.e. his instrumental was submitted for the film Fire with Fire; Leonard worked with Madonna on the new version)
10 | Frank Sinatra | Where Are You? | 1957 (originally Gertrude Niesen)
I didn't adjust for the worthwhile issue of how much the cover song improved on the original. For the iffier examples, I wanted some kind of significant personnel continuity so that someone knew that a newer and potentially better version was being made with a new performer. "What's Love Got to Do with It" was recorded around the same time or earlier by the group Bucks Fizz, but it went unreleased at the time, and as far as I know, the two versions were recorded in isolation from each other.
Dance
1 | Bee Gees | Stayin' Alive | 1977
2 | Deee-Lite | Groove Is in the Heart | 1990
3 | Pet Shop Boys | Being Boring | 1990
4 | Yazoo | Situation | 1982
5 | Grimes | REALiTI | 2015
6 | ABBA | Dancing Queen | 1976
7 | New Order | Bizarre Love Triangle | 1986
8 | Gen X/Billy Idol | Dancing with Myself | 1980
9 | Animotion | Obsession | 1984
10 | Pet Shop Boys feat. Dusty Springfield | What Have I Done to Deserve This? | 1987
Folk (and maybe Folk Rock)
The Folk category allowed for Folk Rock in Larkin's book. I personally found it hard to reliably distinguish Folk Rock from Rock & Pop. (I have low representation for just Folk.) My winner here would be Rod Stewart, "Reason to Believe."
Hard Rock
1 | Nirvana | Smells Like Teen Spirit | 1991
2 | Guns N' Roses | November Rain | 1991
3 | The Rolling Stones | Gimme Shelter | 1969
4 | Guns N' Roses | Welcome to the Jungle | 1987
5 | Queen | Bohemian Rhapsody | 1975
6 | The Who | Baba O'Riley | 1971
7 | Pearl Jam | Even Flow | 1991
8 | The Doors | Break On Through (To the Other Side) | 1967
9 | Black Sabbath | War Pigs | 1970
10 | Iggy and the Stooges | Search and Destroy | 1973
Heavy Metal
1 | Black Sabbath | War Pigs | 1970
2 | Ozzy Osbourne | Crazy Train | 1980
3 | Black Sabbath | Snowblind | 1972
4 | Metallica | Enter Sandman | 1991
5 | Metallica | One | 1988
6 | Tool | Aenema | 1996
7 | Black Sabbath | Changes | 1972
8 | Tool | Sober | 1993
9 | Black Sabbath | Children of the Grave | 1971
10 | Black Sabbath | Sabbath Bloody Sabbath | 1973
I know Led Zeppelin was considered heavy metal at the time, but I think of them these days as hard rock (which was a tougher Top 10 to get into).
Instrumental
1 | John Williams | The Raiders March (a.k.a. Indiana Jones Theme) | 1981
2 | The Chuck Mangione Quartet | Bellavia | 1975
3 | Angelo Badalamenti | Twin Peaks Theme | 1990
4 | Danny Elfman | The Batman Theme | 1989
5 | John Williams | Star Wars (Main Title) | 1977
6 | William Ackerman | Remedios | 1981
7 | Alex de Grassi | Clockwork | 1981
8 | Angelo Badalamenti | Laura Palmer's Theme | 1990
9 | Dick Dale and the Deltones | Miserlou (a.k.a. Misirlou) | 1962
10 | The Ming Ensemble | The Song of the Four Seasons | 1993
Jazz
1 | The Chuck Mangione Quartet | Bellavia | 1975
2 | Sting | Sister Moon | 1987
3 | Billie Holiday | God Bless the Child | 1942
4 | John Coltrane | Pursuance | 1965
5 | John Coltrane | My Favorite Things | 1961
6 | Kenny G | Songbird | 1986
7 | Miles Davis | All Blues | 1959
8 | Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five | Lonesome Blues | c.1926
9 | Miles Davis | Pharaoh's Dance | 1970
10 | Miles Davis | Flamenco Sketches | 1959
Live
Low representation. (My winner would be Bob Marley, "No Woman, No Cry.")
New Age
1 | William Ackerman | Remedios | 1981
2 | Alex de Grassi | Clockwork | 1981
3 | George Winston | Blossom/Meadow | 1982
4 | Enya | Shepherd Moons | 1991
5 | Enya | The Sun in the Stream | 1986
6 | William Ackerman | Processional | 1976 (though I greatly prefer the 1986 version)
7 | Kostia and David Arkenstone | The Cello's Song | 1991
8 | Enya | Lothlórien | 1991
9 | Loreena McKennitt | The Mummers' Dance | 1997
10 | Orison | The Butterfly | 1988
Punk
1 | The Sex Pistols | God Save the Queen | 1977
2 | The Clash | London Calling | 1979
3 | Ramones | Blitzkrieg Bop | 1976
4 | The Clash | The Card Cheat | 1979
5 | The Sex Pistols | Problems | 1977
6 | Green Day | Longview | 1994
7 | Gang of Four | Ether | 1979
8 | The Clash | Rudie Can't Fail | 1979
9 | The Buzzcocks | Ever Fallen in Love? | 1978
10 | The Buzzcocks | Everybody's Happy Nowadays | 1979
Rap/Hip-Hop
1 | 2pac | Keep Ya Head Up | 1993
2 | M.I.A. | Paper Planes | 2007
3 | 2pac | I Ain't Mad at Cha | 1996
4 | Sir Mix-a-Lot | Baby Got Back | 1992
5 | DMX | Ruff Ryders Anthem | 1998
6 | Dr. Dre | Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang | 1992
7 | The Notorious B.I.G. | Mo Money Mo Problems | 1997
8 | Pet Shop Boys | West End Girls | 1984
9 | Beastie Boys | So What'cha Want | 1992
10 | Dizzee Rascal | Bonkers | 2009
As you can imagine, I practically forgot about the Pet Shop Boys. But they're here because of their fairly high ranking on the top 1,000 list, not because I thought they had one of the hottest raps I've ever heard.
Reggae
1 | Stranger Cole | Crying Every Night | 1971
2 | Bob Marley | No Woman, No Cry | 1974
3 | Linton Kwesi Johnson | Making History | 1983
4 | Burning Spear | Marcus Garvey | 1975
5 | Bob Marley | Who the Cap Fit | 1976
6 | UB40 | Red Red Wine | 1983
7 | Eddy Grant | Electric Avenue | 1982
8 | The Congos | Fisherman | 1977
9 | Snow | Informer | 1992
10 | The Slickers | Johnny Too Bad | 1970
Rock & Roll
1 | Elvis Presley | That's All Right | 1954
2 | Bobby Helms | Jingle Bell Rock | 1957
3 | The Everly Brothers | All I Have to Do Is Dream | 1958
4 | Elvis Presley | Can't Help Falling in Love | 1961
5 | Elvis Presley | Suspicious Minds | 1969
6 | Darlene Love | Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) | 1963
7 | Roy Orbison | Oh, Pretty Woman | 1964
8 | The Champs | Tequila | 1958
9 | The Crickets | Oh, Boy! | 1957
10 | Little Richard | Tutti Frutti | 1955
Singer-Songwriter/Bedsitter
I found it hard to reliably distinguish Singer-Songwriter/Bedsitter from Rock and Pop. (I guess my winner would be someone like James Taylor, "Never Die Young.")
Single (i.e., non-studio album)
1 | Simple Minds | Don't You (Forget About Me) | 1985
2 | Bee Gees | Stayin' Alive | 1977
3 | Elvis Presley | That's All Right | 1954
4 | Roxette | It Must Have Been Love | 1987
5 | Cyndi Lauper | The Goonies 'R' Good Enough | 1985
6 | The Beatles | Hey Jude | 1968
7 | Phil Collins | Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) | 1984
8 | The Cure | Burn | 1994
9 | The Smiths | How Soon Is Now? | 1984
10 | Stranger Cole | Crying Every Night | 1971
Soul/R&B
1 | Prince and the Revolution | When Doves Cry | 1984
2 | The Righteous Brothers | Unchained Melody | 1965
3 | Kool & The Gang | Cherish | 1984
4 | Marvin Gaye | I Heard It Through the Grapevine | 1968
5 | The Force MDs | Tender Love | 1985
6 | Tina Turner | What's Love Got to Do With It | 1984
7 | Michael Jackson | Billie Jean | 1982
8 | James Brown | Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag | 1965
9 | Whitney Houston | The Greatest Love of All | 1985
10 | Bee Gees | Stayin' Alive | 1977
Stage Musical
1 | Camelot soundtrack | Camelot | 1960
2 | The Pirates of Penzance soundtrack | I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General | 1879
3 | The Melachrino Strings | Never Will I Marry [instrumental version] | 1960
4 | Julie Andrews | My Favorite Things | 1965
5 | My Fair Lady soundtrack | I Could Have Danced All Night | 1956
6 | My Fair Lady soundtrack | On the Street Where You Live | 1956
7 | The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack | The Phantom of the Opera | 1987
8 | Anything Goes soundtrack | Anything Goes | 1935
9 | Yvonne Elliman (Jesus Christ Superstar) | I Don't Know How to Love Him | 1970
10 | The Melachrino Strings | Faraway Boy [instrumental version] | 1960
TV/Film Soundtrack
1 | Prince and the Revolution | When Doves Cry | 1984 (Purple Rain film)
2 | Simple Minds | Don't You (Forget About Me) | 1985 (The Breakfast Club film)
3 | Bee Gees | Stayin' Alive | 1977 (Saturday Night Fever film)
4 | Roxette | It Must Have Been Love | 1987 (Pretty Woman film)
5 | John Williams | The Raiders March (a.k.a. Indiana Jones Theme) | 1981 (Raiders of the Lost Ark film)
6 | Cyndi Lauper | The Goonies 'R' Good Enough | 1985 (The Goonies film)
7 | Phil Collins | Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) | 1984 (Against All Odds film)
8 | The Cure | Burn | 1994 (The Crow film)
9 | Cliff Edwards | When You Wish Upon a Star | 1940 (Pinocchio film)
10 | Angelo Badalamenti | Twin Peaks Theme | 1990 (Twin Peaks TV show)
World Music
Not my specialty. (The winner would be... Paul Simon, "You Can Call Me Al"? Or, more strictly, Márta Sebestyén, “Love Just One”?)