The 75 Best Songs of All Time, Ranked by Rolling Stone

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1. 'Like a Rolling Stone'
Artist: Bob Dylan
Year released: 1965
Label: Columbia
"Before “Like a Rolling Stone,” Bob Dylan was a folk singer. After it shot to No. 2 on the U.S. chart, he became a bonafide rock 'n' roll star. “That snare shot sounded like somebody’d kicked open the door to your mind,” Bruce Springsteen said when he inducted Dylan into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. “When I was 15 and I heard ‘Like a Rolling Stone,’ I heard a guy who had the guts to take on the whole world and who made me feel like I had to, too.”"

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2. '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Year released: 1965
Label: London
"When Keith Richards woke up one morning and noticed that his Phillips cassette player appeared to be broken, he rewound the tape in the machine, pressed play and heard a simple melody — himself singing “I can’t get no satisfaction.” After this was repeated several times, the music faded out, and 40 minutes of snoring ensued. Seemingly, Richards had woken up with a melody in his head, recorded it with his acoustic guitar and fell back asleep."

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3. 'Imagine'
Artist: John Lennon
Year released: 1971
Label: Apple
"Released barely a year after the Beatles’ split, John Lennon recorded “Imagine” in one session and launched his solo career with his biggest hit, a dreamy yet rousing call for peace. It has been covered by dozens of artists, from David Bowie to Lady Gaga, and been performed at some of the biggest events around the world. In 2017, Yoko Ono received a songwriting credit on the track. "

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4. 'What's Going On'
Artist: Marvin Gaye
Year released: 1971
Label: Tamla
"The title track of Marvin Gaye’s album “What's Going On,” released in May 1971, was inspired by Benson, a member of the Four Tops Motown group, after their tour bus arrived in Berkeley, California, on May 15, 1969. Benson told Gaye about the police brutality and violence he witnessed in the city's People's Park during a protest held by anti-war activists — what was later named “Bloody Thursday.” Sadly, “What’s Going On” remains just as relevant today."

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5. 'Respect'
Artist: Aretha Franklin
Year released: 1967
Label: Atlantic
"Is Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” the greatest cover song of all time? Many would say so. It was Franklin’s first No. 1 hit, and it’s also the name of the upcoming biopic about the legendary “Queen of Soul,” starring Jennifer Hudson as Franklin alongside Mary J. Blige, Forest Whitaker and Tituss Burgess."

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6. 'Good Vibrations'
Artist: The Beach Boys
Year released: 1966
Label: Capitol
"The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson was instrumental in some of the top hits of the 1960s, and one of his biggest legacies is “Good Vibrations,” which was actually inspired by his mom. She spoke about “cosmic vibrations” and how dogs would bark at people with bad vibrations, and thus one of the most timeless lyrics was born. It’s a true pop masterpiece. "

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7. 'Johnny B. Goode'
Artist: Chuck Berry
Year released: 1958
Label: Chess
"Chuck Berry was the first artist to record the rock 'n' roll song “Johnny B. Goode,” which peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. chart. It was originally inspired by Johnnie Johnson, the regular piano player in Berry's band, but it evolved into a song mainly about Berry himself, and the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. Berry was one of the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and he performed at New York City’s Carnegie Hall seven times. "

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8. 'Hey Jude'
Artist: The Beatles
Year released: 1968
Label: Apple
"Rolling Stone described the Beatles’ non-album single “Hey Jude” as the band’s “most open-hearted masterpiece.” Their biggest hit, it topped the U.S. chart for nine weeks, but the success was bittersweet. Cracks were beginning to show within the band — it was actually released four days after Ringo Starr officially quit, and John Lennon had walked out on his wife Cynthia and their son Julian, after falling for Yoko Ono."

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9. 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'
Artist: Nirvana
Year released: 1991
Label: DGC
"The opening track and lead single from Nirvana’s second album, 1991’s “Nevermind,” is none other than “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” It’s been a track for disenchanted youth since then, and the official video reached 1 billion views on YouTube in 2019. But lead singer Kurt Cobain wasn’t as big a fan of it as everyone else. “Everyone has focused on that song so much,” he once told Rolling Stone. “The reason it gets a big reaction is people have seen it on MTV a million times. It’s been pounded into their brains. But I think there are so many other songs that I’ve written that are as good, if not better, than that song, like ‘Drain You.’ That’s definitely as good as ‘Teen Spirit.’ I love the lyrics, and I never get tired of playing it. Maybe if it was as big as ‘Teen Spirit,’ I wouldn’t like it as much.”"

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10. 'What'd I Say'
Artist: Ray Charles
Year released: 1959
Label: Atlantic
"One of the most influential songs in R&B and rock 'n' roll history, “What’d I Say” earned Ray Charles his first gold record. It also inspired many other musical greats, including Paul McCartney, who said it made him want to become a musician. It has been covered by a huge number of artists, including Nancy Sinatra, Eric Clapton and Jerry Lee Lewis."

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11. 'My Generation'
Artist: The Who
Year released: 1965
Label: Decca
""'My Generation' was very much about trying to find a place in society," The Who’s guitarist Pete Townshend told Rolling Stone in 1987. "I was very, very lost. The band was young then. It was believed that its career would be incredibly brief.” Of course, the opposite was true, and “My Generation” is still played by Townshend and Roger Daltrey at every gig."

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12. 'A Change Is Gonna Come'
Artist: Sam Cooke
Year released: 1964
Label: RCA
"Sam Cooke’s civil rights anthem “A Change Is Gonna Come” was released posthumously, as the B-side of “Shake.” According to The New Yorker, Cooke was inspired to write it by another 1960s anthem, Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Cooke “was so carried away with the message, and the fact that a white boy had written it, that ... he was almost ashamed not to have written something like that himself,” Peter Guralnick wrote in 2005’s “Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke.” "

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13. 'Yesterday'
Artist: The Beatles
Year released: 1965
Label: Capitol
"The Beatles ballad “Yesterday” holds a Guinness World Record as the most recorded song of all time, with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Aretha Franklin putting their own spin on it. But nobody sang it quite like Paul McCartney, who described it as “the most complete song I have ever written.” It’s hard to believe it was originally called “Scrambled Eggs.”"

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14. 'Blowin' in the Wind'
Artist: Bob Dylan
Year released: 1963
Label: Columbia
"Possibly the most famous protest song ever written, Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” was first released by the Chad Mitchell Trio and was a huge hit for Peter, Paul and Mary in the summer of 1963. “There ain’t too much I can say about this song except that the answer is blowing in the wind. It ain’t in no book or movie or TV show or discussion group. Man, it’s in the wind — and it’s blowing in the wind,” said Dylan. "

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15. 'London Calling'
Artist: The Clash
Year released: 1980
Label: Epic
"“London Calling” didn’t chart for the Clash in the U.S., but the title track of their seminal 1979 album is one of their best. According to Far Out magazine, it “sums up everything great about their ethos wrapped up into 3.5 minutes as they stuck two fingers up at the establishment with their noted degree of intelligence.” It will forever be regarded as a seminal track in rock 'n' roll history."

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16. 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'
Artist: The Beatles
Year released: 1963
Label: Capitol
"In 1963, the Beatles gave their manager an ultimatum — they wouldn’t go to America until they had a No. 1 record. That came in the shape of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” which had advance orders of 1 million copies and bumped the band’s own “She Loves You” off the top of the U.K. charts. Two months later, they got their Stateside chart-topper."

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17. 'Purple Haze'
Artist: The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Year released: 1967
Label: Reprise
"Yet another smash hit song rooted in a dream is “Purple Haze.” Jimi Hendrix said he wrote the lyrics after he dreamt he could walk underwater (Actin' funny, but I don't know why / 'Scuse me while I kiss the sky.") The song is the perfect showcase of Hendrix’s musical gifts, particularly as an electric guitarist."

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18. 'Maybellene'
Artist: Chuck Berry
Year released: 1955
Label: Chess
"Stevie Wonder once called Chuck Berry the “one true king of rock 'n' roll.” His first single “Maybellene” is the perfect example of his famous guitar riff and rock 'n' roll beats. According to Rolling Stone, co-producer Leonard Chess came up with the title, inspired by a Maybelline mascara box lying on the studio floor."

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19. 'Hound Dog'
Artist: Elvis Presley
Year released: 1956
Label: RCA
"“Hound Dog" was a hit before it went to No. 1 for Elvis Presley. Teenagers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (who also wrote Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock”) wrote the song in 1952 for R&B singer Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, and it was a smash for her. Thereafter, it was covered by several other artists, including Presley. "

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20. 'Let It Be'
Artist: The Beatles
Year released: 1970
Label: Apple
"A No. 1 hit for the Fab Four, “Let It Be” is yet another song that came from a dream. Paul McCartney dreamt that late mother, Mary, offered him comfort and advice during a difficult time, assuring him that everything would be fine in the end. "I'm not sure if she used the words 'Let it be,'" McCartney said, "but that was the gist of her advice.""

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21. 'Born to Run'
Artist: Bruce Springsteen
Year released: 1975
Label: Colombia
"“Born to Run,” Springsteen’s third studio album, was his breakout hit and biggest seller to date. Its title track is widely considered to be the song that launched Springsteen’s career, and it allegedly came from a dream. The story goes that Springsteen woke up during a 1973 tour with the title of the song in his head, and it turned into a love song (of sorts) for a girl named Wendy."

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22. 'Be My Baby'
Artist: The Ronettes
Year released: 1963
Label: Philles
"The first song produced by prolific writer and producer Phil Spector, “Be My Baby” was a smash hit for the Ronettes. Ronnie Spector spent three days recording her vocals for "Be My Baby," revealing in her memoir that she did all her vocal rehearsals in the studio’s ladies room. She also wrote that after the release of “Be My Baby,” the Ronettes were “bigger than ever with the kids on the street.""

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23. 'In My Life'
Artist: The Beatles
Year released: 1965
Label: Capitol
"From the “Rubber Soul” album, “In My Life” went through some major changes before the version we know and love was recorded. John Lennon called it — in his last major interview — “a remembrance of friends and lovers of the past.” It originally included a list of Liverpool landmarks, including Penny Lane, the Abbey pub in Childwall and the Old Dutch café, but the final version lists no places by name. "

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24. 'People Get Ready'
Artist: The Impressions
Year released: 1965
Label: ABC-Paramount
"Written by lead singer Curtis Reading, "People Get Ready" was a hit song for the Impressions, and the single also had a big impact on the civil rights movement. Civil rights activist Gordon Sellers described it as “warrior music.” Mayfield based the lyrics of the R&B track on sermons he heard in church and wrote it just before Martin Luther King Jr.'s march on the band’s hometown of Chicago."

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25. 'God Only Knows'
Artist: The Beach Boys
Year released: 1966
Label: Capitol
"Paul McCartney once called “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys “the greatest song ever written.” And in 2002, he finally got the chance to perform it with Brian Wilson at the Adopt-A-Minefield Benefit Gala in Los Angeles. More recently, Wilson played the much-loved tune on his home piano for "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.""

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26. '(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay'
Artist: Otis Redding
Year released: 1968
Label: Volt
"A posthumous No. 1, Otis Redding finished writing “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay” only a few days before he died in a plane crash at age 26. After the tragedy, guitarist Steve Cropper added the sound of seagulls and waves to the background, as Redding had requested. The song won two Grammy Awards and was declared the sixth-most performed song of the 20th century by BMI."

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27. 'Layla'
Artist: Derek and the Dominos
Year released: 1970
Label: Atco
"Eric Clapton was one side of a love triangle with George Harrison and Patti Boyd Harrison when he wrote what is arguably his best song, “Layla.” Originally recorded by the short-lived band Derek and the Dominoes, the track reached No. 16 in the U.S., but didn’t chart in the U.K. on its first release. However, it’s now considered one of the most epic songs of all time. “You never really get used to having ownership of something that powerful, and it still knocks me out every time I play it,” Clapton revealed in 2018."

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28. 'A Day in the Life'
Artist: The Beatles
Year released: 1967
Label: Capitol
"One of the last Lennon-McCartney collaborations before the band’s demise, “A Day in the Life” was the final track of the album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” In 2011, Rolling Stone named it as the group’s best song. “I dug it. It was a good piece of work between Paul and me,” Lennon himself told the magazine in 1968."

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29. 'Help!'
Artist: The Beatles
Year released: 1965
Label: Capitol
"The title song for the 1965 film and its soundtrack album, “Help!” was, literally, a cry for help. “I just wrote the song because I was commissioned to write it for the movie,” John Lennon said. “But later, I knew I really was crying out for help. So, it was my fat Elvis period. You see the movie: he — I — is very fat, very insecure, and he’s completely lost himself. And I am singing about when I was so much younger and all the rest, looking back at how easy it was.”"

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30. 'I Walk the Line'
Artist: Johnny Cash
Year released: 1956
Label: Sun
"Years before Johnny Cash set foot in a studio, when he was in Germany with the Air Force, he started work on “I Walk the Line.” When he went back to it later, he realized that the original tape was distorted, but he liked the effect it produced. He added more interest by winding a piece of wax paper through his guitar strings."