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
- (Undone) Sweater Song Weezer 1994
- My Guy Mary Wells 1964
- Baba O'Riley The Who 1971
- Go to the Mirror Boy The Who 1969
- I Can See for Miles The Who 1967
- My Generation The Who 1965
- It's Tight Like That Tampa Red 1928
- Little Johnny Jewel Television 1992
- Too Proud to Beg The Temptations 1966
- My Girl - MY GIRL The Temptations 1983
- Papa Was a Rollin' Stone The Temptations 1972
- This Train Sister Rosetta Tharpe 1939
- Ball 'n' Chain Big Mama Thornton 1968
- Hound Dog Big Mama Thornton 1953
- Pressure Drop Toots & The Maytals 1968
- Wild Thing The Troggs 1966
- Roll 'em Pete Big Joe Turner, Pete Johnson 1939
- Shake, Rattle and Roll Big Joe Turner 1954
- River Deep Mountain High Ike & Tina Turner 1973
- What's Love Got to Do With It Tina Turner 1984
- Happy Together The Turtles 1967
- It Ain't Me, Babe The Turtles 1965
- Teenage Kicks The Undertones 1978
- Roxanne, Roxanne UTFO 1984
- Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For U2 1987
- La Bamba (La Bamba) Ritchie Valens 1958
- Runnin' With the Devil Van Halen 1978
- Pride and Joy Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble 1983
- Jumpin' Jack Flash The Rolling Stones 1968
- She's About a Mover Sir Douglas Quintet 1965
- Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now The Smiths 1984
- You've Got a Friend Carole King 1971
- Rollin' Stone Muddy Waters 1958
- Maybe I'm Amazed Paul McCartney 1970
- If I Didn't Care The Ink Spots 1939
- You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' The Righteous Brothers 1964
- Baby, Please Don't Go Big Joe Williams 1935
- Lovesick Blues Hank Williams 1971
- Move It on Over Hank Williams 1970
- Bony Maronie Larry Williams 1957
- Packin' Up Marion Williams 1993
- Good Morning Little School Girl Sonny Boy Williamson 1937
- C. C. Rider Chuck Willis 1957
- Ida Red Bob Wills' Texas Playboys 2023
- Take Me Back to Tulsa Bob Wills' Texas Playboys 2023
- Lonely Teardrops Jackie Wilson 1959
- (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher Jackie Wilson 1967
- Fingertips, Part 2 Stevie Wonder 1963
- Superstition Stevie Wonder 1972
- Uptight (Everything's Alright) Stevie Wonder 1965
- Rumble Link Wray 1969
- Midnight Stomp Jimmy Yancey 1991
- Shapes of Things The Yardbirds 1966
- Down by the River Neil Young 1992
- My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) Neil Young 1979
- Montana Frank Zappa 1973
- Brown Shoes Don't Make It Frank Zappa, The Mothers of Invention 1971
- Walk On By Dionne Warwick 1964
- La Grange ZZ Top 1973
- Heart of Gold Neil Young 1972
- Will You Love Me Tomorrow The Shirelles 1960
- Purple Haze The Jimi Hendrix Experience 1967
- Leader of the Pack The Shangri‐Las 1964
- You Oughta Know Alanis Morissette 1995
- Dress PJ Harvey 1991
- Hungry Like the Wolf Duran Duran 1982
- Sweet Jane The Velvet Underground 1970
- Free Bird Lynyrd Skynyrd 1973
- Sin City The Flying Burrito Brothers 1969
- Norwegian Wood The Beatles 1977
- Dance to the Music Sly & the Family Stone 1967
- Lively Up Yourself Bob Marley & The Wailers 1970
- Dixie Chicken Little Feat 1973
- At Last Etta James 1960
- Heroin The Velvet Underground 1967
- Every Breath You Take The Police 1983
- You Can't Hurry Love The Supremes 1966
- Sunday Bloody Sunday U2 1983
- Many Rivers to Cross Jimmy Cliff 1969
- See Emily Play Pink Floyd 1967
- Three Little Birds Bob Marley & The Wailers 1977
- Tennessee Arrested Development 1992
- Green River Creedence Clearwater Revival 1969
- 96 Tears ? and the Mysterians 1966
- I Only Have Eyes for You The Flamingos 1959
- Chain of Fools Aretha Franklin 1967
- Miss You The Rolling Stones 1978
- With a Little Help From My Friends Joe Cocker 1968
- Sunshine of Your Love Cream 1967
- Dancing in the Street Martha Reeves and the Vandellas 1964
- Fly Like an Eagle Steve Miller Band 1976
- Shining Star Earth, Wind & Fire 1975
- Personality Crisis New York Dolls 1973
- Just the Way You Are Billy Joel 1977
- I Got You (I Feel Good) James Brown 1967
- Money Pink Floyd 1973
- Up on the Roof The Drifters 1962
- Get Up, Stand Up Bob Marley & The Wailers 1975
- Try a Little Tenderness Otis Redding 1964
- Autobahn Kraftwerk 1974