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
- Jailhouse Rock Elvis Presley 1957
- Love Me Tender (End title version) Elvis Presley 1988
- Suspicious Minds Elvis Presley 1969
- Thats All Right Mama (remastered) Elvis Presley 2020
- We Will Rock You Queen 1977
- Who Do You Love? Quicksilver Messenger Service 1968
- Prove It on Me Blues Ma Rainey's Tub Jug Washboard Band 1928
- Something to Talk About Bonnie Raitt 1991
- Sheena Is Punk Rocker Ramones 1977
- Good Lovin' The Rascals 1966
- Cry Johnnie Ray, The Four Lads 1951
- (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay Otis Redding 1964
- Big Boss Man Jimmy Reed 1961
- Bright Lights, Big City Jimmy Reed 1961
- Walk on the Wild Side Lou Reed 1972
- Heat Wave Martha Reeves and the Vandellas 1963
- Losing My Religion R.E.M. 1991
- Radio Free Europe R.E.M. 1983
- I Will Dare The Replacements 1984
- Move It! Cliff Richard, The Drifters 1958
- Red Hot Billy Lee Riley and His Little Green Men 1991
- Blue Yodel No. 9 (Standin' on the Corner) Jimmie Rodgers, Louis Armstrong 1931
- Honky Tonk Women The Rolling Stones 1969
- (I Can't Get No Satisfaction) Satisfaction The Rolling Stones 1977
- Paint It Black The Rolling Stones 1966
- Sympathy for the Devil The Rolling Stones 1968
- Be My Baby The Ronettes 1963
- Love is the Drug Roxy Music 1975
- Cherry Bomb The Runaways 1976
- Walk This Way Run‐D.M.C., Steven Tyler, Joe Perry 1994
- Brass in Pocket (I'm Special) Pretenders 1981
- Lawdy Miss Clawdy Lloyd Price 1959
- Purple Rain Prince, The Revolution 1984
- Sign o' the Times Prince 1986
- Whiter Shade of Pale Procol Harum 1975
- Mardi Gras in New Orleans Professor Longhair & His Shuffling Hungarians 1949
- Tipitina Professor Longhair & His Blues Scholars 1953
- Fight the Power Public Enemy 1989
- Bohemian Rhapsody Queen 1975
- Runaway Del Shannon 1961
- Hot Rod Race Arkie Shibley 1981
- Dedicated to the One I Love The Shirelles 1959
- Graceland Paul Simon 1986
- Cities in Dust Siouxsie and the Banshees 1985
- We Are Family Sister Sledge 1979
- Guns of Navarone The Skatalites 1965
- When a Man Loves a Woman Percy Sledge 1968
- My Boy Lollipop Millie Small 1964
- Guitar Boogie Arthur Smith 1948
- Down Hearted Blues Bessie Smith 1923
- Pine Top's Boogie Woogie Clarence "Pine Top" Smith 1929
- Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns 1959
- Crazy Blues Mamie Smith 1995
- Dancing Barefoot Patti Smith Group 1979
- Gloria: In Excelsis Deo Patti Smith 1975
- My Man Rocks Me With One Steady Roll Trixie Smith 1922
- How Soon Is Now? The Smiths 1984
- Teenage Riot Sonic Youth 1988
- By & By The Soul Stirrers 1959
- Ghost Town The Specials 1981
- Born to Run Bruce Springsteen 1975
- Streets of Philadelphia Bruce Springsteen 1995
- Respect Yourself The Staple Singers 1971
- War Edwin Starr 1970
- Reeling In the Years Steely Dan 1972
- Born to Be Wild Steppenwolf 1968
- Search and Destroy The Stooges 1973
- Set It Off Strafe 1984
- Rock This Town Stray Cats 1981
- Money (That's What I Want) Barrett Strong 1959
- Rappers Delight The Sugarhill Gang 1989
- Love to Love You Baby Donna Summer 1975
- Hippy Hippy Shake The Swinging Blue Jeans 2002
- Get It On (Bang a Gong) T. Rex 1971
- Once in a Lifetime Talking Heads 1980
- Psycho Killer Talking Heads 1977
- I Can't Quit You Baby Otis Rush 1956
- Devil With a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels 1966
- Lets Talk About Sex Salt‐N‐Pepa 1990
- Soul Man Sam & Dave 1967
- Wooly Bully Sam the Sham 1987
- Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen Santana 1970
- Needles and Pins The Searchers 1963
- Where Have All the Flowers Gone? Pete Seeger 1962
- Anarchy in the UK Sex Pistols 1977
- God Save the Queen Sex Pistols 1977
- Gloria The Shadows of Knight 1966
- California Love 2Pac, Dr. Dre, Roger Troutman 1996
- Keep Ya Head Up Tupac Shakur 2006
- Walk, Don't Run The Ventures 1976
- Be-Bop-a-Lula Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps 1956
- Shotgun Jr. Walker & the All Stars 1969
- Call It Stormy Monday T‐Bone Walker 1963
- Low Rider War 1975
- Slippin' Into Darkness War 1971
- How I Got Over Clara Ward & The Ward Singers 1992
- Am I Asking Too Much? Dinah Washington 1967
- Hoochie Coochie Man Muddy Waters 1987
- Goodnight Irene, Goodnight The Weavers 1950
- Suite: Judy Blue Eyes Crosby, Stills & Nash 1969