Rolling Stone mag lists top 500 songs of all time

Number 1 was Like a Rolling Stone. Obviously the wrong choice. What should have won?

On lists like this, the top few slots are reserved for those that were significant in their scene. The particular order of these is a bias of the writers/editors.

Like a Rolling Stone gets the title because of how it essentially helped define the rock sound. It was at a time where music was getting more noisy and electric, especially for Dylan as he was known as a folk musician. The drum hit in the beginning was itself a fairly big thing. His record company (I believe it was Colombia at the time) was reluctant to release it over the issues of it being too heavy.

The song provides (or probably a proper word, popularizes) the essence of rock. The chord and song structure in the song is very widely adapted and becomes familiar across musicians. Notable variety for piano/organ as it becomes adopted into more genres. Music essentially gets more gritty around this time and the song was just a good reflection on it, highlighting it and trailblazing.

I think its definitely an appropiate choice as being a song at the top of the list. As for which actually gets the crown it's a tough decision and I hate putting music in a hierarchy as so much depends on variable conditions, but maybe a Beatles.

Can - Halleluhwah

what do you mean by top?

best selling should be easy to work out. if you just mean "best", and it's a list written by someone other than yourself, you can't say it's wrong, as it's clearly a subjective matter of taste. :p

although in this case, it's clearly "anywhere i lay my head" by tom waits. 🙂

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Originally posted by PinkFloyd
Number 1 was Like a Rolling Stone. Obviously the wrong choice. What should have won?

'Here Comes The Flood' - Peter Gabriel ( the version on Robert Fripp's "Exposure" )

Originally posted by PinkFloyd
Number 1 was Like a Rolling Stone. Obviously the wrong choice. What should have won?

how is it "Obviously the wrong choice"? have you ever listened to it?

It certainly deserves the number one place, but if we were to choose another one I'd say a day in the life should be no1.

Originally posted by generalissimo
how is it "Obviously the wrong choice"? have you ever listened to it?

It certainly deserves the number one place, but if we were to choose another one I'd say a day in the life should be no1.

You have to take those Rolling Stone lists with a grain of salt. On the best guitarist of all time, a misnomer right there, since we are only 10% through the 21st century and aren't even CLOSE to the 22nd, 'of all time' is a bit of a stretch, eh.

So in that list 'best guitarist', they put Kurt Cobain higher than Andre Segovia! That is only a LITTLE bit crazy, considering the actual schools he founded and the whole Andre Segovia style where you don't even get anywhere near good till you've had 10 years of constant intstruction, tell me how many years it takes to get to the Kurt level? Not that I am saying Kurt is a poopy guitar player, not at all, but to be telling people he is a higher order of player than Segovia, get serious!

Originally posted by sonhouse
You have to take those Rolling Stone lists with a grain of salt. On the best guitarist of all time, a misnomer right there, since we are only 10% through the 21st century and aren't even CLOSE to the 22nd, 'of all time' is a bit of a stretch, eh.

So in that list 'best guitarist', they put Kurt Cobain higher than Andre Segovia! That is only a LITTLE bit c ...[text shortened]... t all, but to be telling people he is a higher order of player than Segovia, get serious!

I agree completely with your take on RS's list of best guitarists, but I stand by their decision to have like a rolling stone as no1 song of all time, there are many serious contenders but Like a rolling stone simply stands out.

also, its a mystery to me why they didn't include django reinhardt in the top 10 (best guitarists), well, Im not sure they even included him at all.

Originally posted by generalissimo
I agree completely with your take on RS's list of best guitarists, but I stand by their decision to have like a rolling stone as no1 song of all time, there are many serious contenders but Like a rolling stone simply stands out.

also, its a mystery to me why they didn't include django reinhardt in the top 10 (best guitarists), well, Im not sure they even included him at all.

Like a rolling stone deserves to be on top IMO also, just a co-incidence it was the same name as a rag. I think Django was there halfway down or something. They for sure were biased in the rock guitarist genre. For instance, there are some outstanding folk guitarists like Martin Simpson or the blues gal Rory Block. I would like to see someone like Kurt Cobain play ANYTHING that Simpson or Block plays. I don't know if you know anything about those two but Rory's coming out party was at the age of 14 years and that was at Carnegie Hall! She lives and breathes acoustic blues and is better at it than almost anyone on the planet but she wasn't even on the list. Google her, see what you think, I think she channels Robert Johnson!

Originally posted by sonhouse
Like a rolling stone deserves to be on top IMO also, just a co-incidence it was the same name as a rag. I think Django was there halfway down or something. They for sure were biased in the rock guitarist genre. For instance, there are some outstanding folk guitarists like Martin Simpson or the blues gal Rory Block. I would like to see someone like Kurt Cob ...[text shortened]... wasn't even on the list. Google her, see what you think, I think she channels Robert Johnson!

really? last time I looked I don't remember seeing django in the list.
true, but then again the magazine is based around rock music anyway, such bias is expected. I just listened to rory block playing terraplane blues, indeed she is a good guitar player, but Im not sure kurt cobain would be incapable of playing like that, it wasn't the sort of music he played but he probably could play like that if he wanted to.

Originally posted by Biffer Spice
what do you mean by top?

best selling should be easy to work out. if you just mean "best", and it's a list written by someone other than yourself, you can't say it's wrong, as it's clearly a subjective matter of taste. :p

although in this case, it's clearly "anywhere i lay my head" by tom waits. 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD5PE1Tlm5M

The actual title of the list was "The Greatest Songs of all Time". Greatest, too, can mean a lot of things, so I see your point. I wish it had said "most influential", or even "most meaningful". It didn't differentiate between genres either, as many more country songs made the list than I'd have expected. And sadly, rap, punk, hip-hop/be-bop/nose-snot, grunge and the rest of anti-music made an appearance as well.

Originally posted by generalissimo
how is it "Obviously the wrong choice"? have you ever listened to it?

It certainly deserves the number one place, but if we were to choose another one I'd say a day in the life should be no1.

A Day in the Life would be a good pick--(it's in there somewhere, with about 20-odd other Beatles' songs.) Of course I've heard the song----ya think I was born yestiddy?! 🙂 Dylan just never has done much for me, and as has been noted, these lists boil down to personal taste. I can appreciate that Dylan influenced Rock & Roll the same way I can see that Elvis did---yet neither "move" me.

Originally posted by sonhouse
You have to take those Rolling Stone lists with a grain of salt. On the best guitarist of all time, a misnomer right there, since we are only 10% through the 21st century and aren't even CLOSE to the 22nd, 'of all time' is a bit of a stretch, eh.

So in that list 'best guitarist', they put Kurt Cobain higher than Andre Segovia! That is only a LITTLE bit c t all, but to be telling people he is a higher order of player than Segovia, get serious!

Quite true. Their "greatest" instrumentalists lists I've seen leave much to be desired. And Cobain? Puh--leeeze. There were better guitarists than him in his own band. And now that you mention it, do you remember who they picked as the best drummer of all time? If it wasn't Moon, then I remember why I lost respect for RS.

Originally posted by generalissimo
really? last time I looked I don't remember seeing django in the list.
true, but then again the magazine is based around rock music anyway, such bias is expected. I just listened to rory block playing terraplane blues, indeed she is a good guitar player, but Im not sure kurt cobain would be incapable of playing like that, it wasn't the sort of music he played but he probably could play like that if he wanted to.

Is Terraplane the only piece of Rory's you have heard? She has a bunch of CD's out and that is just one example of her playing. Some of it is really incredible. So is Martin Simpson. Check him out also if you want to hear some great guitar. One of the best is his wife and other musicians on a CD called Angel Band. Awesome playing and singing.

Originally posted by PinkFloyd
Number 1 was Like a Rolling Stone. Obviously the wrong choice. What should have won?

"Tommy the cat" by Primus.
"Jambi" by Tool
"Mountain song" by Janes Addiction.
"Mercy Seat" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

But "Like a Rolling Stone" is a fine tune. Bob Dylan definately deserves the no.1 spot, by the sheer weight and influence of his work.
But musical taste is pretty whimsical , so its probaly not worth too much time in thinking about...