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.

Rank Song Artists Year
#501 See No Evil Television 1977
#502 Whole of the Moon The Waterboys 1985
#503 Brass in Pocket Pretenders 1979
#504 Cortez the Killer Neil Young, Crazy Horse 1975
#505 Open Up Leftfield, John Lydon 2000
#506 Rid of Me PJ Harvey 1993
#507 Pusherman Curtis Mayfield 1972
#508 Won't Get Fooled Again The Who 1971
#509 I Got You (I Feel Good) James Brown 1967
#510 Everybodys Talkin' Harry Nilsson 1969
#511 Poor Leno Röyksopp 2001
#512 This Is a Low Blur 1994
#513 Novocaine for the Soul EELS 1996
#514 Debaser Pixies 1989
#515 One Nation Under a Groove Funkadelic 1978
#516 French Kiss Lil' Louis 1989
#517 Mirror in the Bathroom The Beat 1980
#518 Song To The Siren This Mortal Coil 1983
#519 Because the Night Patti Smith 1978
#520 You Really Got Me The Kinks 1964
#521 Music Sounds Better With You Stardust 2024
#522 Israelites Desmond Dekker & the Aces 1966
#523 The Outdoor Type The Lemonheads 1996
#524 Bohemian Rhapsody Queen 1975
#525 Be My Baby The Ronettes 1963
#526 Too Much Heaven Bee Gees 1978
#527 Sail Away Randy Newman 1972
#528 Da Doo Ron Ron The Crystals 1963
#529 Why Do Fools Fall in Love Frankie Lymon 1994
#530 Street Dance Fatback 1972
#531 Papa Don't Take No Mess, Pt. 1 James Brown 1974
#532 Give It to Me Baby Rick James 1981
#533 I Love Music The O'Jays 1975
#534 Back to Life (However Do You Want Me) Soul II Soul 1989
#535 Places and Spaces Donald Byrd 1975
#536 Give Me Your Love (Love Song) Curtis Mayfield 1972
#537 Cosmic Slop Funkadelic 1973
#538 Oregano Flow Digital Underground 1996
#539 Flashlight Parliament 1977
#540 I Fought the Law The Clash 1979
#541 Maybellene Chuck Berry 1955
#542 No Scrubs TLC 1999
#543 Black Hole Sun Soundgarden 1994
#544 Wild Thing The Troggs 1966
#545 California Soul Marlena Shaw 1969
#546 White Lines (Don't Do It) Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five 1984
#547 Fuck the Police N.W.A 1988
#548 Papua New Guinea The Future Sound of London 1991
#549 All Along the Watchtower The Jimi Hendrix Experience 1968
#550 Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far) The Thrills 2002
#551 Love is the Drug Roxy Music 1975
#552 Jaded Aerosmith 2001
#553 Acperience Hardfloor 1992
#554 Master of Puppets Metallica 1986
#555 Clint Eastwood Gorillaz 2000
#556 Stacy's Mom Fountains of Wayne 2003
#557 Aht Uh Mi Hed Shuggie Otis 1974
#558 Focus Joe Budden 2002
#559 Reeling In the Years Steely Dan 1972
#560 Outdoor Miner Wire 1978
#561 Slippin' DMX 1998
#562 You Gotta Be Des'ree 1994
#563 Butterfly Mariah Carey 1997
#564 Only God Can Judge Me 2Pac, Rappin' 4‐Tay 1996
#565 If I Can't 50 Cent 2003
#566 'Reet Petite Jackie Wilson 1987
#567 I Only Have Eyes for You The Flamingos 1959
#568 Flamingo Earl Bostic 1954
#569 Move It! Cliff Richard, The Drifters 1958
#570 Yakety Yak The Coasters 1959
#571 I've Got a Woman Ray Charles 1957
#572 Night Train Jimmy Forrest 1952
#573 I Walk the Line Johnny Cash 1969
#574 Sixteen Tons Tennessee Ernie Ford 1955
#575 Wake Up Little Susie The Everly Brothers 1957
#576 Common People Pulp 1995
#577 Big Yellow Taxi Joni Mitchell 1970
#578 Night Nurse Gregory Isaacs 1982
#579 Express Yourself Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band 1970
#580 Jump Around House of Pain 1992
#581 Whip It DEVO 1980
#582 City of Angels The Distillers 2002
#583 Give Me Just a Little More Time Chairmen of the Board 1970
#584 September Gurls Big Star 1974
#585 Bad Moon Rising Creedence Clearwater Revival 1969
#586 Mercy Seat Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds 1989
#587 Pin Yeah Yeah Yeahs 2003
#588 Love Like This Faith Evans 1998
#589 You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go Bob Dylan 1975
#590 Maggie May Rod Stewart 1971
#591 Points of Authority Linkin Park 2000
#592 Wuthering Heights Kate Bush 1978
#593 Big Pimpin' JAY‐Z 1999
#594 Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) The Temptations 1971
#595 Venus in Furs The Velvet Underground 1967
#596 Stop! In the Name of Love The Supremes 1965
#597 Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me The Smiths 1987
#598 Pictures of You The Cure 1989
#599 Never Let Me Down Again Depeche Mode 1987
#600 Step On Happy Mondays 1990