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There is no single, objective catalogue called the “500 best songs of all time.” The phrase usually points to Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, an editorial ranking that has appeared in several editions. The most defensible version to discuss here is Rolling Stone’s 2021 list as displayed on the accessible official licensed page.
That distinction matters. This is not a ranking of the 500 biggest sellers, the most-streamed tracks, or the songs with the highest chart peaks. It is the result of a poll of musicians, producers, artists, critics, journalists, and other music-industry figures. Its value is as a map of cultural influence and critical opinion—and as an invitation to debate.
What the Rolling Stone list actually measures
Rolling Stone first published its ranking in 2004, updated it in 2010, and rebuilt it completely for the edition published on September 16, 2021. For that 2021 edition, more than 250 invited voters submitted ranked lists of 50 songs. Nearly 4,000 songs received at least one vote.
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The result is an editorial poll, not a scientific measurement of musical quality. A song’s position reflects the voters chosen, the eras and genres they represent, and the magazine’s editorial priorities. A famous recording can rank below a less commercially successful one because of its historical impact, songwriting, production, performance, or political meaning.
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Rolling Stone said that 254 songs in the 2021 ranking had not appeared in the previous version. The new list also broadened its coverage of hip-hop, modern country, indie rock, Latin pop, reggae, and R&B. It remains, however, a list focused mainly on modern popular music rather than a genuinely global or complete history of song.
Rolling Stone’s 2021 top 10
| Rank | Artist | Recording |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aretha Franklin | “Respect” |
| 2 | Public Enemy | “Fight the Power” |
| 3 | Sam Cooke | “A Change Is Gonna Come” |
| 4 | Bob Dylan | “Like a Rolling Stone” |
| 5 | Nirvana | “Smells Like Teen Spirit” |
| 6 | Marvin Gaye | “What’s Going On” |
| 7 | The Beatles | “Strawberry Fields Forever” |
| 8 | Missy Elliott | “Get Ur Freak On” |
| 9 | Fleetwood Mac | “Dreams” |
| 10 | Outkast | “Hey Ya!” |
The selection shows what the list rewards: landmark performances, songs that changed a genre, recordings tied to social movements, and tracks whose production or structure became widely influential. It also demonstrates how far the canon has moved from a list dominated by early rock and classic pop.
Why “Respect” is listed as Aretha Franklin’s song
The first entry is a useful example of the difference between a composition and a recording. Otis Redding wrote and first recorded “Respect.” Rolling Stone’s No. 1 entry refers to Aretha Franklin’s recording, which transformed the song through its arrangement, vocal delivery, rhythm, and connection to the civil-rights and women’s-rights movements.
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That precision is important throughout a ranking like this. The list is generally evaluating identifiable recordings, not just abstract pieces of songwriting. Different performances of the same composition can therefore appear as separate entries. The 2021 list includes separate versions of “Walk On By,” “Gloria,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song.”
How to find all 500 entries
The official licensed page divides the ranking into ten sections rather than presenting one compact table. The sections run in descending blocks:
- 500–451
- 450–401
- 400–351
- 350–301
- 300–251
- 250–201
- 200–151
- 150–101
- 100–51
- 50–1
This structure is useful for exploring the list in stages. Start with the top 50 if you want the central canon, then work through the lower sections to find the less obvious choices and newer additions. For documentary viewing or music-history research, comparing adjacent sections can also reveal how the editors balance familiar classics against genre-specific landmarks.
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2004, 2010, and 2021: three different lists
| Edition | What changed |
|---|---|
| 2004 | The original Rolling Stone ranking. |
| 2010 | An update that added 26 songs, mostly from the 2000s; the original top 25 remained unchanged. |
| 2021 | A complete rebuild based on a new voter survey, rather than a minor revision of the earlier ranking. |
Some online references describe a further Rolling Stone update in February 2024, with songs from the early 2020s added. The editorial status of that version is not consistently documented across available sources. The accessible Rolling Stone Australia/New Zealand licensed page still labels the article September 16, 2021 and displays the 2021 introduction and top 10.
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Rolling Stone versus NME
Rolling Stone is not the only publication to publish a 500-song canon. NME released its own 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list in February 2014. Its top five were:
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- Nirvana — “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
- Joy Division — “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
- Donna Summer — “I Feel Love”
- The Smiths — “How Soon Is Now?”
- The Strokes — “Last Nite”
NME used a different process. Its journalists, past and present, submitted top-50 lists, which were combined with songs drawn from the magazine’s historical year-end polls. NME described the result as a snapshot of opinion at a particular time, not a permanent or objective musical verdict.
The contrast between the two lists is the point. Rolling Stone’s 2021 ranking begins with “Respect,” while NME’s 2014 list begins with Nirvana. Neither result proves that one publication has discovered the final answer. They reflect different voters, editorial cultures, dates, and ideas about what belongs in the popular-music canon.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteImportant limitations of an “all time” ranking
- It is historically narrow. Despite the phrase “all time,” the list concentrates on modern popular music and contains relatively few works from before the 1950s.
- “Song” is used broadly. Instrumental tracks are eligible, so the word does not always mean a vocal composition with lyrics.
- Release information can be imperfect. For example, the 2021 list is reported to have identified Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” as a 2010 release, although the song was released in 2004.
- Popularity and greatness are different categories. A chart-topping single may be absent, while an influential recording with modest commercial reach may rank highly.
- The electorate shapes the canon. A poll of selected industry and media figures cannot represent every country, genre, generation, or listening community.
How to use the list as a music-history guide
The most rewarding way to approach the 500 is not to treat the numbers as commandments. Treat each entry as a starting point. Listen to the ranked recording, then compare it with the original version, notable covers, and other work from the same artist or scene.
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- Identify the recording. Check the artist and version, especially when a song has several famous interpretations.
- Place it in context. Note its release year, genre, production style, and the social or technological changes around it.
- Compare the influence with the sales. Ask whether the song mattered because it was popular, innovative, politically important, or later copied by other artists.
- Challenge the ranking. Write down songs you would remove, songs that seem missing, and artists represented too heavily or too lightly.
- Build outward. Follow writers, producers, labels, scenes, and musical traditions connected to each track.
That approach makes the list particularly useful for documentary audiences. A ranking alone cannot explain why a recording mattered, but it can provide 500 entry points into stories about technology, race, protest, youth culture, migration, radio, recording studios, and changing ideas of identity.
FAQ
Is there one official list of the 500 best songs of all time?
No. The phrase most often refers to Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, but Rolling Stone has published multiple editions and NME has produced a separate ranking. These lists reflect different voters and editorial methods.
What is the highest-ranked song on Rolling Stone’s 2021 list?
Aretha Franklin’s recording of “Respect” is No. 1 on Rolling Stone’s 2021 list as displayed on the accessible official licensed page.
Is Rolling Stone’s list based on sales or streaming figures?
No. It is an editorial poll based on ranked ballots from invited artists, musicians, producers, industry figures, critics, and journalists. It is not a chart, sales, or streaming ranking.
Why can different versions of the same song appear on the list?
The ranking evaluates recordings as well as compositions. A cover can become culturally or artistically distinct from the original, so different artists’ versions may receive separate entries.
The Bottom Line
Rolling Stone’s 2021 500 Greatest Songs of All Time is best read as a documented snapshot of influential modern popular music, not an objective final scorecard. Its top 10 ranges from Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke to Missy Elliott and Outkast, while the full ranking offers 500 starting points for exploring how recordings shape culture. Always identify the edition you are using, distinguish songs from specific recordings, and remember that another publication—or another listener—can reasonably produce a different canon.
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