Watchmojo.com - Top 100 Songs of All Time (2023)

Lists of all time (or back to the early rock years) that include all genres (or rock or pop music in a broad sense).
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panam
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Watchmojo.com - Top 100 Songs of All Time (2023)

Post by panam »

https://youtu.be/JZPggWeQnbs



100. Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water
99. Daft Punk - One More Time
98. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
97. R.E.M. - Losing My Religion
96. Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - Dancing In The Street
95. Linkin Park - In the End
94. Patsy Cline - Crazy
93. Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way
92. The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
91. Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly With His Song

90. The Clash - London Calling
89. Missy Elliott - Get Ur Freak On
88. Mark Ronson; Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk
87. The Strokes - Last Nite
86. Adele - Someone Like You
85. Green Day - American Idiot
84. JAY-Z - 99 Problems
83. The Mamas & The Papas - California Dreamin'
82. The Weeknd - Blinding Lights
81. Coolio; L.V. - Gangsta's Paradise

80. Radiohead - High and Dry
79. John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads
78. Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer
77. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
76. Guns N' Roses - Welcome To The Jungle
75. Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now
74. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
73. Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode
72. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
71. James Taylor - Fire and Rain

70. Britney Spears - Oops!...I Did It Again
69. Derek & The Dominos - Layla
68. Outkast - Hey Ya!
67. Rage Against The Machine - Killing in the Name
66. Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know
65. Kanye West - Jesus Walks
64. Aerosmith - Dream On
63. U2 - Where The Streets Have No Name
62. Wu-Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) (feat. Method Man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck & Buddha Monk)
61. ABBA - Dancing Queen

60. My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
59. Eminem - Lose Yourself
58. 2Pac; Roger; Dr. Dre - California Love
57. Oasis - Champagne Supernova
56. Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
55. Foo Fighters - Best of You
54. Metallica - Master of Puppets
53. Bob Marley & The Wailers - One Love / People Get Ready
52. Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
51. Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time

50. Bee Gees - Stayin Alive
49. James Brown - I Got You (I Feel Good)
48. Céline Dion - My Heart Will Go On
47. Dolly Parton - Jolene
46. Earth, Wind & Fire - September
45. Kendrick Lamar - Alright
44. Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze
43. Carole King - I Feel the Earth Move
42. Madonna - Like a Prayer
41. Bill Withers - Lean on Me

40. Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
39. The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy
38. Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
37. Ray Charles - Georgia on My Mind
36. Beyoncé - Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
35. Black Sabbath - War Pigs
34. Frank Sinatra - My Way
33. The Temptations - My Girl
32. Ike & Tina Turner - Proud Mary
31. David Bowie - Space Oddity

30. Fleetwood Mac - Dreams
29. Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit
28. Prince - Purple Rain
27. Eagles - Hotel California
26. Ben E. King - Stand by Me
25. Nina Simone - Feeling Good
24. Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay
23. The Ronettes - Be My Baby
22. Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World
21. The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter

20. Stevie Wonder - Superstition
19. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
18. Public Enemy - Fight The Power
17. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
16. Bob Dylan - Blowin' in the Wind
15. N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
14. Elton John - Your Song
13. Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come
12. Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line
11. Etta James - At Last

10. John Lennon - Imagine
9. Aretha Franklin - Respect
8. Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven
7. Elvis Presley - Can't Help Falling in Love
6. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
5. Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
4. Michael Jackson - Beat It
3. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
2. The Beatles - Let It Be
1. Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah
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StevieFan13
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Re: Watchmojo.com - Top 100 Songs of All Time (2023)

Post by StevieFan13 »

How do you like that? From the criteria they laid out, it actually kinda-sorta sounds eligible!
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jamieW
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Re: Watchmojo.com - Top 100 Songs of All Time (2023)

Post by jamieW »

I decided to watch the video before I read through the list. My jaw literally dropped when I saw their #1. I usually don't like Mojo lists (especially their painfully mainstream movie lists, and I'm not even sure I like this one overall), but I gotta give them credit for one hell of an unconventional pick for the best song of all time - especially for them! (It's far from my favorite Leonard Cohen song, but any list with Cohen at #1 can't be all bad.) :P
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Re: Watchmojo.com - Top 100 Songs of All Time (2023)

Post by StevieFan13 »

jamieW wrote: Sat Apr 01, 2023 6:01 pm I decided to watch the video before I read through the list. My jaw literally dropped when I saw their #1. I usually don't like Mojo lists (especially their painfully mainstream movie lists, and I'm not even sure I like this one overall), but I gotta give them credit for one hell of an unconventional pick for the best song of all time - especially for them! (It's far from my favorite Leonard Cohen song, but any list with Cohen at #1 can't be all bad.) :P
See, you say that, but it reminds me of when somebody here was saying The Shawshank Redemption wasn't a good example of a standard-issue "acclaimed movie" because it wasn't the highest-ranked movie on the equivalent site for movies. "Hallelujah" may not be the most acclaimed song here, or even Leonard Cohen's most acclaimed song on the site, but to the public at large, I don't think a song that famous and widely-covered is an odd choice at all for #1.
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
panam
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Re: Watchmojo.com - Top 100 Songs of All Time (2023)

Post by panam »

StevieFan13 wrote: Sat Apr 01, 2023 4:04 pm How do you like that? From the criteria they laid out, it actually kinda-sorta sounds eligible!
Yeah. Editorial decision, not public vote and some criteria of quality and importance. And special because I think it's the first time they make a top 100 (they widely known by their everyday top 10s).
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Re: Watchmojo.com - Top 100 Songs of All Time (2023)

Post by jamieW »

StevieFan13 wrote: Sat Apr 01, 2023 6:03 pm
jamieW wrote: Sat Apr 01, 2023 6:01 pm I decided to watch the video before I read through the list. My jaw literally dropped when I saw their #1. I usually don't like Mojo lists (especially their painfully mainstream movie lists, and I'm not even sure I like this one overall), but I gotta give them credit for one hell of an unconventional pick for the best song of all time - especially for them! (It's far from my favorite Leonard Cohen song, but any list with Cohen at #1 can't be all bad.) :P
See, you say that, but it reminds me of when somebody here was saying The Shawshank Redemption wasn't a good example of a standard-issue "acclaimed movie" because it wasn't the highest-ranked movie on the equivalent site for movies. "Hallelujah" may not be the most acclaimed song here, or even Leonard Cohen's most acclaimed song on the site, but to the public at large, I don't think a song that famous and widely-covered is an odd choice at all for #1.
Oh, I respectfully disagree. Outside of this site, I don't know too many people in the mainstream who even know who Leonard Cohen is, especially when compared to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, etc. He's more of an "acclaimed" musician than a popular one. (Other versions of "Hallelujah" are better know than his own original.) "The Shawshank Redemption," conversely, was a hugely popular film amongst the mainstream. So much so that it's always near the top of the IMDB user poll, but never the critics. I'm just thrilled to see a list with Leonard Cohen at #1 for the "greatest songs of all time" instead of the usual suspects. Especially since I'm a huge fan of his...
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Re: Watchmojo.com - Top 100 Songs of All Time (2023)

Post by StevieFan13 »

jamieW wrote: Sat Apr 01, 2023 6:19 pm
StevieFan13 wrote: Sat Apr 01, 2023 6:03 pm
jamieW wrote: Sat Apr 01, 2023 6:01 pm I decided to watch the video before I read through the list. My jaw literally dropped when I saw their #1. I usually don't like Mojo lists (especially their painfully mainstream movie lists, and I'm not even sure I like this one overall), but I gotta give them credit for one hell of an unconventional pick for the best song of all time - especially for them! (It's far from my favorite Leonard Cohen song, but any list with Cohen at #1 can't be all bad.) :P
See, you say that, but it reminds me of when somebody here was saying The Shawshank Redemption wasn't a good example of a standard-issue "acclaimed movie" because it wasn't the highest-ranked movie on the equivalent site for movies. "Hallelujah" may not be the most acclaimed song here, or even Leonard Cohen's most acclaimed song on the site, but to the public at large, I don't think a song that famous and widely-covered is an odd choice at all for #1.
Oh, I respectfully disagree. Outside of this site, I don't know too many people in the mainstream who even know who Leonard Cohen is, especially when compared to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, etc. He's more of an "acclaimed" musician than a popular one. (Other versions of "Hallelujah" are better know than his own original.) "The Shawshank Redemption," conversely, was a hugely popular film amongst the mainstream. So much so that it's always near the top of the IMDB user poll, but never the critics. I'm just thrilled to see a list with Leonard Cohen at #1 for the "greatest songs of all time" instead of the usual suspects. Especially since I'm a huge fan of his...
See, THIS is more what I'm talking about. Obviously, I'm happy for you as a Leonard Cohen fan to see him top the list (and I like him too!), but I think it's more the song itself they're praising (having not seen the whole video, so I could be totally wrong) than specifically his version of it. 'Cuz you also have John Cale, who kinda set the tone for what most covers of "Hallelujah" should sound like but whose version (and the artist himself) isn't as well-known; and Jeff Buckley, who probably did the most famous version of "Hallelujah" but the artist himself doesn't carry the weight you'd want in a pick for "the greatest song of all time" (no disrespect to the late great Mr. Buckley). Leonard Cohen, meanwhile, wrote it, and even if he's not AS famous as, say, Elton John or The Beatles, his name carries weight, and I think most casual viewers would hear it and think, at least in the back of their heads, "Oh yeah! He's important, right?" Also the channel's Canadian, so that probably helps lol.
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Re: Watchmojo.com - Top 100 Songs of All Time (2023)

Post by jamieW »

StevieFan13 wrote: Sat Apr 01, 2023 6:25 pm
jamieW wrote: Sat Apr 01, 2023 6:19 pm
StevieFan13 wrote: Sat Apr 01, 2023 6:03 pm

See, you say that, but it reminds me of when somebody here was saying The Shawshank Redemption wasn't a good example of a standard-issue "acclaimed movie" because it wasn't the highest-ranked movie on the equivalent site for movies. "Hallelujah" may not be the most acclaimed song here, or even Leonard Cohen's most acclaimed song on the site, but to the public at large, I don't think a song that famous and widely-covered is an odd choice at all for #1.
Oh, I respectfully disagree. Outside of this site, I don't know too many people in the mainstream who even know who Leonard Cohen is, especially when compared to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, etc. He's more of an "acclaimed" musician than a popular one. (Other versions of "Hallelujah" are better know than his own original.) "The Shawshank Redemption," conversely, was a hugely popular film amongst the mainstream. So much so that it's always near the top of the IMDB user poll, but never the critics. I'm just thrilled to see a list with Leonard Cohen at #1 for the "greatest songs of all time" instead of the usual suspects. Especially since I'm a huge fan of his...
See, THIS is more what I'm talking about. Obviously, I'm happy for you as a Leonard Cohen fan to see him top the list (and I like him too!), but I think it's more the song itself they're praising (having not seen the whole video, so I could be totally wrong) than specifically his version of it. 'Cuz you also have John Cale, who kinda set the tone for what most covers of "Hallelujah" should sound like but whose version (and the artist himself) isn't as well-known; and Jeff Buckley, who probably did the most famous version of "Hallelujah" but the artist himself doesn't carry the weight you'd want in a pick for "the greatest song of all time" (no disrespect to the late great Mr. Buckley). Leonard Cohen, meanwhile, wrote it, and even if he's not AS famous as, say, Elton John or The Beatles, his name carries weight, and I think most casual viewers would hear it and think, at least in the back of their heads, "Oh yeah! He's important, right?" Also the channel's Canadian, so that probably helps lol.
You could be right, Stevie. I don't know what went into their decision. I was just stunned by seeing this as their #1, especially since I don't usually put much store in Mojo. (And I wasn't even aware they were Canadian.) I definitely still think it's different from "The Shawshank Redemption," though, since that's a film that's more popular with the mainstream public than cinephiles and critics. I don't know too many casual music fans that consider "Hallelujah" the greatest song of all time regardless of version, but then I live in an introvert's bubble, so I can't say for sure...
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Re: Watchmojo.com - Top 100 Songs of All Time (2023)

Post by Jackson »

This list has the vibe of what someone in high school who is just getting into music for the first time would think are the greatest songs ever. There's nothing in here that would remotely suggest deep listening or branching out to lesser known artists, songs, or genres.
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Re: Watchmojo.com - Top 100 Songs of All Time (2023)

Post by jamieW »

I'll definitely let it drop, since I'm no fan of Mojo (to put things mildly). I was just surprised by #1, but it's apparently just me...
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Re: Watchmojo.com - Top 100 Songs of All Time (2023)

Post by hayleymills728 »

Not a bad list, but there are at least 3 other covers of Leonard Cohen's OG Hallelujah that I would consider better TBH.
Best Hallelujah Covers
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