The Greatest Music The Greatest Music

1001 Best Songs Ever

Source: Q (Magazine)
Year: 2003
1,001 songs
12 voters

Weight: 38%

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%
List: contains over 500 items(Quantity over Quality): 10%
Voters: Voter Count: 6.9%
Voters: Unknown Names: 10%
Voters: Estimated Count: 5%
List: number of years covered: 19.9%

Published in late 2003 as a one-off special, Q’s 1001 Best Songs Ever is a cheeky, sweep-all-eras ranked survey of pop and rock that doubles as a buy-this-now jukebox: U2’s “One” tops a list that runs from 1950s standards to millennial hits, each entry tagged with punchy “best for…” recommendations and punctuated by celebrity/artist mini-lists. Compiled by Q’s editorial team (with guest contributions) rather than a readers’ poll, the 146–148-page “bookazine” aimed to be an instant library you could beg, borrow, or download right then and there.

View Original List
Rank Song Artists Year
#601 Fool's Gold (9.53) The Stone Roses 1989
#602 I'm a Believer The Monkees 1966
#603 Stay Together Suede 1994
#604 With a Little Help From My Friends Joe Cocker 1968
#605 Confetti The Lemonheads 1992
#606 Buffalo Stance Neneh Cherry 1988
#607 Brick House Commodores 1977
#608 Tainted Love Soft Cell 1981
#609 Ray of Light Madonna 1998
#610 Venus as a Boy Björk 1993
#611 Teenage Kicks The Undertones 1978
#612 Chop Suey! System of a Down 2001
#613 No One Knows Queens of the Stone Age 2002
#614 Used for Glue Rival Schools 2001
#615 Back to School (Mini Maggit) Deftones 2000
#616 Juneau Funeral for a Friend 2003
#617 I'll Find You Hundred Reasons 2002
#618 Diamonds and Guns Transplants 2002
#619 Salt Sweat Sugar Jimmy Eat World 2008
#620 The Taste of Ink The Used 2001
#621 The Rock Show blink‐182 2001
#622 Move On Up Curtis Mayfield 1970
#623 I'm Not in Love 10cc 1975
#624 Wichita Lineman Glen Campbell 1968
#625 Unbelievable The Notorious B.I.G. 1994
#626 It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) R.E.M. 1987
#627 Transmission Joy Division 1981
#628 Who Do You Love? Bo Diddley 1958
#629 Babylon David Gray 1998
#630 Sincere MJ Cole 1998
#631 Do You Realize?? The Flaming Lips 2002
#632 Local Boy in the Photograph Stereophonics 1997
#633 Alone Again Or Love 1967
#634 Peaches The Stranglers 1977
#635 Tonite It Shows Mercury Rev 1998
#636 In Too Deep Sum 41 2001
#637 Inheritance Talk Talk 1988
#638 It's Not Right, but It's OK Whitney Houston 1998
#639 After The Goldrush Neil Young 1970
#640 I Know It's Over The Smiths 1985
#641 I'm Like a Bird Nelly Furtado 2000
#642 The Boys Are Back in Town Thin Lizzy 1976
#643 Rock With You Michael Jackson 1979
#644 Bad Michael Jackson 1987
#645 P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) Michael Jackson 1982
#646 Beat It Michael Jackson 1982
#647 Scream Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson 1995
#648 Bills Bills Bills Destiny's Child 1999
#649 Caught Out There Kelis 1998
#650 Shit, Damn, Motherfucker D'Angelo 1995
#651 Right Here/Human Nature (remix) SWV 1992
#652 Fill Me In Craig David 2000
#653 Your Body's Callin' R. Kelly 1992
#654 U Blow My Mind Blackstreet 1994
#655 Nice & Slow Usher 1997
#656 Cry Me a River Justin Timberlake 2002
#657 Unpretty TLC 1999
#658 Dark End of the Street James Carr 1967
#659 Summer Babe Pavement 1991
#660 Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel 1970
#661 Street Spirit (Fade Out) Radiohead 1994
#662 If I Was Your Girlfriend Prince 1986
#663 If It Makes You Happy Sheryl Crow 1996
#664 20th Century Boy T. Rex 1973
#665 Public Image Public Image Ltd 1978
#666 Bat Out of Hell Meat Loaf 1977
#667 Super Sharp Shooter DJ Zinc 1995
#668 One Armed Scissor At the Drive‐In 2000
#669 Higher State of Conciousness Wink 1995
#670 Da Funk Daft Punk 1995
#671 21 Seconds So Solid Crew 2000
#672 Life on Mars? David Bowie 1971
#673 All My Life Foo Fighters 2002
#674 I Got You Babe Sonny & Cher 1965
#675 Desire U2 1988
#676 Dance to the Music Sly & the Family Stone 1967
#677 You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) Sylvester 1978
#678 Downtown Train Tom Waits 1985
#679 Helpless Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 1970
#680 Woodstock Joni Mitchell 1970
#681 The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down The Band 1969
#682 She Gram Parsons 1973
#683 Heroes and Villains The Beach Boys 1967
#684 The Blues Is Alright Little Milton 1984
#685 Dust My Broom Elmore James 1976
#686 Smokestack Lightning Howlin' Wolf 1956
#687 Boogie Chillun John Lee Hooker 1962
#688 Voodoo Chile (slight return) Jimi Hendrix 1978
#689 Crossroads Blues Robert Johnson 1936
#690 Things That I Used to Do Guitar Slim 1953
#691 Bright Lights, Big City Jimmy Reed 1961
#692 Don't Start Me Talking Sonny Boy Williamson 1955
#693 Mannish Boy Muddy Waters 1966
#694 Can't Get You Out of My Head Kylie Minogue 2001
#695 Nuages Django Reinhardt 1991
#696 What a Wonderful World Louis Armstrong 1967
#697 Lazy Line Painter Jane Belle and Sebastian 1997
#698 White Flag Dido 2003
#699 I'm a Man The Spencer Davis Group 1967
#700 Teenage Riot Sonic Youth 1988

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