All-Time Top Ten: The Readers Give Us an Earful

  • Share
  • Read Later
Thanks to all who voted. Ironically, considering the nature of the poll, almost everyone identified the song according to the performer whose version they preferred, rather than the songwriter. But then so did Mojo, who started this whole thing; besides, in the rock era (which accounted for the great majority of the submissions) the performers were usually the songwriters anyway.

In a few cases we inserted the songwriter for the sake of cultural advancement, or changed the occasional lapse (that was Whitney Houston who sang "I'll Always Love You," Carol, not Mariah Carey).

All told the Beatles did very well, as did the Stones, U2, Don McLean, Hank Williams and Willie Nelson, who wrote several of Patsy Cline's biggest hits.

Now on with the show:

John Massoud:

Great article by the way. Of course you do know that this, and who was the best team of all time, is the best way to start an argument, but it's a great and healthy way to spend time, I say.

1. Little T&A — Rolling Stones
2. Here, There and Everywhere — Beatles
3. Big Ten Inch Record — Aerosmith
4. Love Child — Supremes
5. Can't Help Falling in Love — Elvis Presley
6. Wild Horses — Rolling Stones
7. Song for America — Kansas
8. If I Can't Have You — Yvonne Elliman
9. I Will — Beatles
10. Born to Run — Bruce Springsteen


Pamela Heywood:

1. The Woman I Am — Chaka Khan
This is the amazing title track from her 1992 album, with huge production by Marcus Miller, words and music by Brenda Russell, Dyan Cannon and Chaka Khan.
2. Let's Stay Together — Al Green
3. Ain't Nobody — Rufus & Chaka Khan
4. I Don't Wanna Fight — Tina Turner
5. No Woman, No Cry — Bob Marley
(live at the Lyceum, London — I was there!)
6. Summer Breeze — Isley Brothers
7. Why Can't We Live Together — Timmy Thomas
(Lasting Peace mix)
8. Joy & Pain — Maze featuring Frankie Beverley (live version)
9. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For — U2 (live gospel version from the album "Rattle and Hum," recorded live at Madison Square Garden, September 28th, 1987, with New Voices of Freedom)
10. Sing Our Own Song — UB 40

Frederick Alfredo:

1. A Little Help From My Friends — Beatles
2. Smiling Face — James Taylor
3. The Way You Look Tonight — Tony Bennett
4. Betcha by Golly Wow — Prince
5. Faith — George Michael
6. Yesterday — Beatles)
7. With or Without You — U2
8. Suburbia — Depeche Mode
9. Do They Know It's Christmas — Band Aid
10. American Pie — Madonna

Yvonne Beebe:

1. Time Is on My Side — Rolling Stones
2. Sitting on the Dock of the Bay — Otis Redding
3. Dazed and Confused — Led Zeppelin
4. Heard It Through the Grapevine — Marvin Gaye
5. Under the Boardwalk
6. To Love Somebody — Janis Joplin
7. You've Lost that Loving Feeling — Righteous Brothers
8. Tracks of My Tears — Smokey Robinson & Miracles
9. River Deep, Mountain High — Animals
10. House of the Rising Sun — Animals

Richard Sayers:

1. Heroin — Velvet Underground
2. Comfortably Numb — Pink Floyd
3. White Room — Cream
4. Free Bird — Lynyrd Skynyrd
5. Won't Get Fooled Again — The Who
6. Hey Joe — Jimi Hendrix Experience
7. Sympathy for the Devil — The Rolling Stones
8. Subterranean Homesick Blues — Bob Dylan
9. Kozmic Blues — Janis Joplin
10. The Boxer — Simon and Garfunkel

Tom Green:

All those who believe in pyscho-kinesis raise my hand.

1. In My Life — Beatles (actually you could insert just about any later Beatles song here such as "Yesterday," "Let It Be," etc.)
2. Crazy — Patsy Cline
(written by Willie Nelson)
3. Every Breath You Take — Sting/Police
4. Satisfaction — Rolling Stones
5. Be My Baby — Ronnie Spector & Ronettes
6. Stairway to Heaven — Led Zeppelin
7. In the Mood — Glen Miller
8. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry — Hank Williams
9. Born to Run — Springsteen
10. The Times They Are a Changin'— Bob Dylan


Mike Staunton:

1. American Pie — Don McLean
2. Red Rubber Ball — Cyrkle
(written by Paul Simon)
3. A Day in the Life — Beatles
4. Father and Son — Cat Stevens
5. Honesty — Billy Joel
6. Taxi — Harry Chapin
7. Mr. Bojangles — Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
8. I Started a Joke — Bee Gees
9. Thunder Road — Bruce Springsteen
10. Alice's Restaurant — Arlo Guthrie

Dennis Harris:

1. Wildest Dreams — Moody Blues
2. The Flame — Cheap Trick
3. Peggy Sue — Buddy Holly
4. Pretty Woman — Roy Orbison
5. Dust in the Wind — Kansas
6. Barracuda — Heart
7. Money — Pink Floyd
8. D'yer Maker — Led Zeppelin
9. Stop Dragging my Heart Around — Stevie Nicks
10. Werewolves of London — Warren Zevon

Carol E. Jones:

1. When a Man Loves a Woman — Percy Sledge
2. Sweet Dreams — Patsy Cline
3. I'll Always Love You — Whitney Houston
4. Walking After Midnight — Patsy Cline
5. Are You Lonesome Tonight — Elvis Presley
6. I Did It My Way — Frank Sinatra
7. I'm So Lonesome, I Could Cry — Hank Williams
8. I Can't Make You Love Me — Bonnie Raitt
9. You've Lost That Loving Feeling — Righteous Bros.
10. It's Crying Time Again — Ray Charles

Mike Wasylycia:

1. With Or Without You — U2
2. Patience — Guns 'N Roses
3. Can't Help Falling In Love — Elvis Presley
4. Smells Like Teen Spirit — Nirvana
5. Revolution — Beatles
6. You've Lost That Loving Feeling — Righteous Brothers
7. Mysterious Ways — U2
8. Man In The Mirror — Michael Jackson
9. Paranoid — Black Sabbath
10. Sister Awake — The Tea Party

G. Perez-Arguello:

1. As Time Goes By — Tony Bennett
2. Fascination — Nat "King" Cole
3. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes — Platters
4. Yesterday — Beatles
5. Crying — Roy Orbison
6. American Pie — Don McLean
7. If I Can Dream — Elvis Presley
8. Till There Was You — Beatles
(written by Lanford Willson, from "The Music Man")
9. Young Girl — Union Gap
10. Everyday — Buddy Holly

Timothy McKernan:

1. Here Comes the Sun — George Harrison
2. Almost Blue — Miles Davis
3. I Am a Rock — Paul Simon
4. London Calling — The Clash)
5. All Along the Watchtower — Bob Dylan
6. It Don't Come Easy — Ringo
7. Tracks of My Tears — Smokey Robinson
8. Oh Boy — Buddy Holly
9. Oliver's Army — Elvis Costello
10. Age of Aquarius — 5th Dimension

Tom McMahon:

1. Like a Rolling Stone — Bob Dylan
2. Hellhound on My Trail — Robert Johnson
3. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry — Hank Williams
4. Solitude — Duke Ellington
5. This Land is Your Land — Woody Guthrie
6. Shake, Rattle and Roll — Charles Calhoun
(Joe Turner's recording)
7. Johnny B. Goode — Chuck Berry
8. I Am the Walrus — Beatles
9. Street Fighting Man — Rolling Stones
10. Amazing Grace — John Newton

Sasaki McLeod:

1. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
2. What We Did For Love — from "A Chorus Line"
3. What a Fool Believes
4. Too Long in the Wind — Rita Coolidge
5. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow — Carole King
6. Martin — Marvin Gaye
7. Friendly Persuasion — Pat Boone
8. Graceland — Paul Simon
9. Soulful Strut — Grover Washington Jr.
10. You Gotta Be Real — 3rd Force

M. G. Goodwin

1. Get Back — Lennon/McCartney
2. The Chain — Lindsey Buckingham/Mick Fleetwood
3. Aja — Donald Fagen/Walter Becker
4. Sleepwalk — Santo Farina/John Farina/Ann Farina
5. The Girl from Ipanema (The Lounge Lizard Song) — Jobim
6. You Belong to Me — Michael McDonald
7. Don't You (Forget About Me) — Forsey/Shiff (Simple Minds)
8. Superstitious — Stevie Wonder
9. Honky Tonk Women — Jagger/Richard
10. Free Falling — Tom Petty

"Vince":

1. Smoke gets in Your Eyes
2. Why? — Annie Lennox
3. Linger — Cranberries
4. Save Me — Aimee Mann
5. Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For — U2
6. In All the Right Places — Lisa Stansfield
7. Time of Your Life — Green Day
8. Streets of Philadelphia — Bruce Springsteen
9. I Can't Make You Love Me — Bonnie Raitt
10. Landslide — Fleetwood Mac

Jack Gleason:

1. The Battle Hymn of the Republic
2. In the Mood
3. Little Things Mean a Lot
4. Shanty in Old Shanty Town
5. White Christmas
6. Silent Night
7. Green Door
8. San Antonio Rose
9. Love Me Tender
10. Oh, Johnny

Peter McFadyen:

1. The Celebration of the Lizard — Doors
2. Cortez the Killer — Neil Young
3. I'm Going Home — Ten Years After
4. Tobacco Road — Edgar Winter
5. Shine On You Crazy Diamond — Pink Floyd
6. Won't You Try/Saturday Afternoon — Jefferson Airplane
7. Love Sick — Bob Dylan
8. Jam 1 — Derek and the Dominos
9. Laurel Canyon Home — John Mayall
10. White Wedding — Billy Idol

Karl Schatz:

1. "Abbey Road," side 2 (it's one long rock 'n' roll symphony in several movements)
2. Bridge Over Troubled Water — Paul Simon
3. Someone to Watch Over Me — Gershwin
4. Watching the Detectives — Elvis Costello
5. The Weight — The Band
6. Fourth of July — Aimee Mann
7. Ohio — CSNY
8. So Lonely — The Police
9. Brian Wilson — Barenaked Ladies
10. Ruby Tuesday — Rolling Stones

Steven Smith:

Not necessarily in order of importance:

1. Heartbreak Hotel — Elvis Presley
2. Rock Around the Clock — Bill Haley
3. Your Cheating Heart — Hank Williams
4. America the Beautiful
5. Amazing Grace
6. Yesterday — Beatles
7. Over the Rainbow
8. If I Fell — Beatles
9. Take Five — Dave Brubeck
10. Any of Ella Fitzgerald's major hits

John Garwig:

1. China Grove — Doobie Brothers
2. If You Leave Me Now — Chicago
3. Killin' Time — Clint Black
4. Hit Me With Your Best Shot — Pat Benatar
5. Boogie Fever — The Silvers
6. Start Me Up — Rolling Stones
7. Born To Be Wild — Three Dog Night
8. Don't Go Breakin' My Heart — Elton John/Kiki Dee
9. Signs — First National Band
10. Unbreak My Heart — Toni Braxton

"Squarebird":

1. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry — Hank Williams
2. Pretty Woman — Roy Orbison
3. Blue Moon of Kentucky — Elvis Presley
4. Memphis, Tennessee — Chuck Berry
5. Jungle Fever — Charlie Feathers
6. Blue Tattoo — Teri Joyce
(Marti Brom version)
7. Over and Over — Frank Sinatra
8. She Said — Hasil Adkins
9. Honky Tonkin' — Hank Williams
10 The Wanderer — Dion

Erika Eberle:

Ten songs from the Beatles, who are the best band that ever was or will be. And they're not even of my generation!

1. Come Together
2. In My Life
3. Revolution
4. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
6. I'll Follow the Sun
7. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
8. Eleanor Rigby
9. I Wanna Hold Your Hand
10. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Barry Wright:

1. Good Vibrations — Beach Boys
2. Witchcraft — Frank Sinatra
3. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry — Hank Williams
4. Christmas Song (Chestnuts...) — Mel Torme
5. Bring Him Home — (from "Les Miserables")
6. Beat It — Michael Jackson
7. Basics of Life — 4 Him
8. It Had To Be You — Harry Connick, Jr.
9. More Than a Feeling — Boston
10. Desperado — Eagles

Andrew Louden:

1. Is This Love — Bob Marley and the Wailers
2. With or Without You — U2
3. Head Over Feet — Alanis Morissette
4. You'll See — Madonna
5. I Can See Clearly Now — Jimmy Cliff
6. Grease — Frankie Valli
7. Oh Girl — Paul Young
8. Little Red Corvette — Prince
9. Off the Wall — Michael Jackson
10. Stir It Up — Bob Marley and the Wailers

Pipo Valderrey:

1. Hotel California — Eagles
2. A Day in the Life — Beatles
3. Sultans of Swing — Dire Straits
4. Time — Pink Floyd
5. Message in a Bottle — The Police
6. The Boxer — Simon & Garfunkel
7. Highway Star — Deep Purple
8. Jealous Guy — John Lennon
9. The River — Bruce Springsteen
10. Nights in White Satin — Moody Blues

Carol Price:

Not in any particular order:

1. Cats in the Cradle — Harry Chapin
2. A Time for Us — Barbra Streisand
3. Puff, the Magic Dragon — Peter, Paul, and Mary
4. My Song — Elton John
5. 10,000 Miles — Mary Chapin Carpenter
6. Landslide — Fleetwood Mac
7. Over the Rainbow — Judy Garland
8. Smooth — Santana
9. Classical Gas — Mason Williams
10. I Can't Make You Love Me — Bonnie Raitt

Victoria Hewell:

1. Layla — Derek and the Dominoes
2. Anything by the Allman Bros.
3. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes — CSNY
4. Gimme Shelter — Rolling Stones
5. What's Love Got to Do With It? — Tina Turner
6. Piece of My Heart — Janis Joplin
7. Cowgirl in the Sand — Neil Young
8. Love Shack — B-52's
9. Purple Haze — Jimi Hendrix
10. Chan Chan — Buena Vista Social Club

David Hannes:

1. Rhapsody in Blue — George Gershwin
2. God Only Knows — Brian Wilson
3. If I Fell — Lennnon/McCartney
4. Boys of Summer — Don Henley
5. Let's Stay Together — Al Green
6. Us and Them — Roger Waters
7. All the Way — Van Heusen/Cahn
8. Innocent Man — Billy Joel
9. American Pie — Don McLean
10. Crazy — Willie Nelson

Tan Yee Kun:

1. Final Countdown — Europe
2. Blowing In the Wind — Bob Dylan
3. Unchained Melody — Everly Brothers
4. Longer — Dan Fogelberg
5. Bitter Sweet Symphony — The Verve
6. Any Dream Will Do — Lloyd Webber/Rice
(from "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat")
7. Zombie — The Cranberries
8. Eternal Flame — Bangles
9. Jailhouse Rock — Elvis Presley
10. The Sounds of Silence — Simon and Garfunkel

Ichiro Murata:

1. Here Comes the Sun — Beatles
2. American Pie — Don McLean
3. Like a Rolling Stone — Bob Dylan
4. I Can See Clearly Now — Johnny Nash
5. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face — Roberta Flack
6. If — Bread
7. Your Song — Elton John
8. I Get Around — Beach Boys
9. Hound Dog — Elvis Presley
10. I Want to Hold Your Hand — Beatles

Steve Cohen:

1. Cherish — The Association
2. Pretty Woman — Roy Orbison
3. Hang On Sloopy — McCoys
4. The Lion Sleeps Tonight
5. Happy Together — Turtles
6. Love Potion #9 — Leiber/Stoller
7. She Loves You — Beatles
8. Bridge Over Troubled Waters — Simon & Garfunkel
9. Ride my See-saw — Moody Blues
10. Unchained Melody — Righteous Brothers

Rich Davidson:

1. Yesterday — Beatles
2. Ave Maria — Bach
3. Caribbean Blue — Enya
4. You Were On My Mind — We 5
5. White Bird — It's a Beautiful Day
6. Memory — Lloyd Webber
7. Eleanor Rigby — Beatles
8. Country Roads — John Denver
9. Desperado — Eagles
10. Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag) — Rodgers & Hammerstein

Ricardo Lassala:

1. Give Me Some Truth — John Lennon
2. Pride (in the name of love) — U2
3. Just Like a Woman — Bob Dylan
4. Walking on the Moon — The Police
5. Pets — Porno for Pyros
6. Wild Horses — Rolling Stones
7. Scorpiorising — Paul Ryan
8. The Perfectionist — Saga
9 Surrender — Cheap Trick
10. Ashes to Ashes — David Bowie

"Mayhew":

1. Jungleland — Bruce Springsteen
2. Christmas Song — Mel Torme
3. Somewhere Over The Rainbow
4. Fire and Rain — James Taylor
5. Rosalita — Bruce Springsteen
6. A Better Place to Be — Harry Chapin
7. Celebrate Me Home — Kenny Loggins
8. Thunder Road — Springsteen
9. Born to Run — Springsteen
10. Taxi — Harry Chapin

Linda A.:

1. Nights in White Satin — Moody Blues
2. White Wedding —Billy Idol
3. Layla — Derek and the Dominoes
4. Smooth — Santana
5. Broken Wings — Mister Mister
6. Here Comes the Sun — Beatles
7. Lay Lady Lay — Bob Dylan
8. Long Cool Woman — Hollies
9. Billie Jean — Michael Jackson
10. Whiter Shade of Pale — Procol Harum

Joe Tegreene:

1. A Day in the Life — Beatles
2. Satisfaction — Stones
3. Like a Rolling Stone — Dylan
4. Born to Run — Springsteen
5. Respect — Aretha
6. What's Goin' On — Marvin Gaye
7. Piece of my Heart — Janis Joplin
8. Purple Haze — Hendrix
9. Rave On — Buddy Holly
10. Tutti Frutti — Little Richard

James Scott:

1. Pretty Woman — Roy Orbison
2. I Did It My Way — Sinatra
3. Your Cheatin' Heart — H. Williams
4. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes — Irene Dunn
(Roberta)
5. Like a Rolling Stone — Dylan
6. Satisfaction — Rolling Stones
7. Memory — Lloyd Webber
8. Evergreen — Barbra Streisand
(from "A Star Is Born")
9. As Time Goes By — from "Casablanca"
10. Lily Marlene — Marlene Dietrich

Todd Hallidy:

1. Hey Jude — Lennon/McCartney
2. Imagine — John Lennon
3. The Boxer — Paul Simon
4. I Heard It Through the Grapevine — Marvin Gaye
5. Sing Sing Sing — Benny Goodman
6. Maybe I'm Amazed — Paul McCartney
7. Summertime — George Gershwin/DuBose Heyward
8. Thunder Road — Bruce Springsteen
9. God Only Knows — Brian Wilson
10. Unchained Melody

Betsy Jones:

This is hard. These are not in order. This list would be different tomorrow.

1. Tangled Up In Blue — Bob Dylan
2. Kiss — Prince
(tied with "Paisley Park")
3. Happy — Jagger/Richard
4. Jolene — Dolly Parton
5. Passionate Kisses — Lucinda Williams
6. I Fall to Pieces — Harlan Howard/Hank Cochran
7. Angel From Montgomery — John Prine
8. Tennessee Stud — Doc Watson version
9. Pretty in Pink — Psychedelic Furs
10. Avalon — Roxy Music

Bob Turner:

Well, who can pick just 10?
But how about these:

1. A Day in the Life — Beatles
2. Like a Rolling Stone — Dylan
3. Suspicious Minds — Elvis
4. Born to Run — Bruce Springsteen
5. Good Vibrations — Beach Boys
6. Baba O'Riley — The Who
7. Sense of Wonder — Van Morrison
8. With or Without You — U2
9. Satisfaction — Rolling Stones
10. Righteous Bros — You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling

Phillip Coory:

1. Little Wing — Hendrix
2. A Day in the Life — Lennon/McCartney
3. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes — Stills
4. Mais Que Nada — Jorge Ben
5. Bold as Love — Hendrix
6. She's Not There — Rod Argent
7. Eight Miles High — McGuinn/Crosby/Clark
8. Burning of the Midnight Lamp — Hendrix
9. White Room — Bruce/Brown
10. Something — Harrison

Paul Dion:

1. Stardust
2. Over the Waves
3. Rred River Valley
4. Big Bouquet of Roses
5. Bridge Over Troubled Water
6. Volare
7. Dahil Sa'Iyo (Because of You)
8. Love me Tender
9. El Paso
And who can say that "Rock a Bye Baby" isn't the best song in the world?

Roger Ababon:

1. Imagine — John Lennon
2. Yesterday — Beatles
3. It's a Good Life — Tony Bennett
4. Mack the Knife — Bobby Darin
5. La Vie en rose — Edith Piaf
6. Man in the Mirror — Michael Jackson
7. A Little Help From My Friends — Joe Cocker
8. Respect — Aretha Franklin
9. Nessun Dorma — Luciano Pavarotti
10. New York, New York — Liza Minnelli

Garry Butz:

Some songs are great for their lyrics and melody, some for what they mean to a generation, and some for what they mean to me!

1. God Bless the Child — Billie Holiday
2. Good Vibrations — Beach Boys
3. Faded Love — Bob Wills
4. Summer Wind — Frank's version
5. Stardust — Hoagy Carmichael
7. The Big Hurt — Toni Fisher
We're not talking baseball here.
8. I Can't Stop Loving You — Don Gibson
("They say that time heals a broken heart, but time's stood still since we've been apart." Gonna be a bad life.)
9. White Cliffs of Dover
If you're old and British, you'll understand.
10. Over There — George M. Cohan
Defined a mission for the first and second generations who fought a global conflict. Written and sung when patriotism was still cool.

Tim Howard:

1. Europa — Carlos Santana
2. Wooden Ships — Crosby, Stills, & Nash
3. Shine On You Crazy Diamond — Pink Floyd
4. Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys — Traffic
5. Wonderful Tonight — Eric Clapton
6. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed — The Allman Brothers
7. The Pusher — Steppenwolf
8. The Rain Song — Led Zeppelin
9. Little Wing — Jimi Hendrix
10. Down By the River — Neil Young

Mike Enright:

I feel dirty and ashamed. Yet I must still participate...

1. Someone to Watch Over Me — George & Ira Gershwin (performed by anyone except Elton John)
2. The Way You Look Tonight — Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields
(performed by Fred Astaire)
3. (Don't Fear) The Reaper — Donald Roeser
(performed, of course, by Blue Oyster Cult)
4. Your Cheating Heart — Williams by Williams
5. Round Midnight — Thelonious by Thelonious
(most particularly the solo piano version)
6. He's a Quiet Guy — Supposedly by Phil Spector with Poncia/Andreoli
Phil probably had nothing to do with it; performed by Darlene Love on the B side of "Stumble and Fall"
7. Telstar — Joe Meek
(performed by the Tornados in Meek's production)
8. Stroll On — Sort of by the Yardbirds
(plagiarized from Johnny Burnett and His Rock and Roll Trio's "Train Kept A-Rollin'"; the Yardbirds' performance in Antonioni's "Blow Up" is the one that changed the course of human events)
9. Cherry Cherry Coupe — Brian Wilson and Roger Christian
10. I'll Be Around — Alec Wilder
(performed by Sinatra; the one my wife calls "the stalker song": "I'll be around/no matter how/you treat me now/I'll be around from now on")

Francis Desiderio:

1. Bridges — Kevin Lethau
2. Fly Me to the Moon — Frank Sinatra
3. Moon River — Perry Como
4. All Out of Love — Air Supply
5. Daisy Jane — America
6. Perhaps Love — John Denver
7. The Only One — Lionel Ritchie
8. If I Fell — Beatles
9. House at Pooh Corner — Kenny Loggins
10. Hero — Mariah Carey

Amylou3:

1. I've Got You Under My Skin — Cole Porter
2. And I Love Her — Lennon/McCartney
3. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You? — Van Morrison
4. I Can Love You Like That — All-4-One
5. Crazy — Patsy Cline
6. So Far Away — Carly Simon
7. Just the Way You Are — Billy Joel
8. They Can't Take That Away From Me —
Gershwin
(Amy is working on the last two, we hope)