Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll

Source: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Year: 2006
659 songs
20 voters

Weight: 35%

How much this list influences our overall rankings. Higher weight means more reliable data.

Penalties Applied:

Voters: are mostly from a single country/location: 10%
Voters: Unknown Names: 10%
Voters: Estimated Count: 5%
List: only covers 1 specific genre: 40%

“Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll” is an unranked, influence-based exhibit list from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, originally 500 songs and later expanded to roughly 660, spanning recordings from the 1920s into the 2000s; it was compiled by chief curator Jim Henke with input from the Hall’s curatorial staff and numerous outside critics and music experts, but aside from Henke the Hall has not published contributor names, so a reasonable estimate of participants is about 20–40 people in total.

Rank Song Artists Year
- Iron Man Black Sabbath 1970
- Paranoid Black Sabbath 1970
- Turn On Your Love Light Bobby "Blue" Bland 1961
- Heart of Glass Blondie 1978
- The Breaks Kurtis Blow 1982
- Quarter to Three Gary "U.S." Bonds 1960
- Green Onions Booker T. & the MG's 1962
- Changes David Bowie 1971
- Space Oddity David Bowie 1969
- Ziggy Stardust David Bowie 1972
- The Letter The Box Tops 1967
- Rocket 88 Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats 1951
- Driftin' Blues Charles Brown 1991
- Sex Machine (Get Up I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine) James Brown 1972
- Say It Loud, I'm Black I'm Proud James Brown 1968
- (Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean Ruth Brown 1953
- For What It's Worth Buffalo Springfield 1966
- Train Kept A' Rollin' Johnny Burnette and the Rock 'n' Roll Trio 1956
- Ever Fallen in Love Buzzcocks 1979
- Eight Miles High The Byrds 1966
- Hickory Wind The Byrds 1968
- Mr. Tambourine Man The Byrds 1965
- How Long, How Long Blues Leroy Carr 1928
- Keep on the Sunny Side The Carter Family 1928
- Folsom Prison Blues Johnny Cash 1955
- I Walk the Line (Walk the Line) Johnny Cash 1972
- Tequila The Champs 1958
- Duke of Earl Gene Chandler 1988
- Pipeline The Chantays 1962
- Maybe The Chantels 1957
- Hallelujah I Love Her So Ray Charles 1982
- I Gotta Woman Ray Charles 1958
- What'd I Say Ray Charles 1965
- The Twist (Yo Twist!) Chubby Checker 1998
- Good Times Chic 1979
- Have You Seen Her The Chi‐Lites 1976
- Sh‐Boom The Chords 1954
- After Midnight Eric Clapton 1970
- Glad All Over The Dave Clark Five 1963
- London Calling The Clash 1979
- (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais The Clash 1978
- Atomic Dog George Clinton 1982
- Love Potion No. 9 The Clovers 1973
- Yakety Yak The Coasters 1959
- Young Blood The Coasters 1957
- Cmon Everybody Eddie Cochran 1958
- Suzanne Leonard Cohen 1967
- Yellow Coldplay 2000
- Straighten Up and Fly Right Nat King Cole 1964
- Think (About It) Lyn Collins 1972
- Do You Love Me The Contours 1962
- Bring It On Home to Me Sam Cooke 1962
- A Change Is Gonna Come Sam Cooke 1964
- Eighteen Alice Cooper 1970
- Pump It Up Elvis Costello 1980
- (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding Elvis Costello 1992
- Fish Cheer & I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag Country Joe and the Fish 1967
- Mercy, Mercy Don Covay 1966
- Yesterday The Beatles 1965