Michael Gallucci of Ultimate Classic Rock must have known he was embarking on a hopeless mission. Trying to choose the 100 greatest rock songs of all-time is a no-win proposition. Rock fans – and by rock fans, I mean me – were bound to take shots at the choices.
So let me begin with a compliment. On the whole, as an attempt to capture the sprawling landscape of rock over forty years, Gallucci compiles a pretty good list of titles.
But maybe you already see a problem. Forty years? If we trace the proper birth of rock music back to the mid-1950s, that should give us seventy years from which to choose. The fact that this particular list restricts itself to songs released before the dawn of the 21st century may be justified if you believe that no good classic rock has been produced since the Clinton administration.
I don’t share that view. I don’t think anyone would argue that the heyday of classic rock was indeed a long time ago, but to essentially say that nothing of great repute has been released since 1995 (the date of the most recent song on the UCR list) sounds just a bit curmudgeonly to my ears.
One music fan’s edits to Ultimate Classic Rock greatest rock songs list
It isn’t merely the inverse of a recency bias at play. Gallucci only found three songs post-1986 worthy of inclusion.
Fifty percent of the list comes from the ten years from 1968 to 1977. That may well have been a golden age of classic rock, but fifty percent? That strikes me as high, especially when you further consider that twenty songs – which by my math is twenty percent of the list – were released in 1975, ’76, and ’77.
I was in my musical prime during those years, and even I can’t say they were as good as all that.
79 artists – bands or solo acts – are cited. That means a lot of them received multiple mentions. 13 of those acts were recognized twice and four others show up three times. You might assume that the artists who got three songs on the list represent rock and roll royalty. Two of them do.
Elvis Presley and Led Zeppelin are honored with three selections. No argument there. The other two – the Who and Aerosmith – I’m not so sure. I say that as a big fan of both groups. I saw them both live several times. They were right in my wheelhouse. But to elevate them to that degree – over Dylan, Hendrix, the Beatles, the Stones? That doesn’t feel right.
As for the acts with two songs, I’ll just say this. Def Leppard is one of them. That makes no sense to me.
Since Gallucci never spells out his grading scale, I’ll simply take it as a given that he ruled out all hip hop music, even the most rock-friendly types. That seems a little odd considering he had plenty of other rock-adjacent artists like ABBA, Smokey Robinson, and the Jackson 5, included, but so be it.
It is harder for me to accept the virtual absence of punk rock from the list. “Anarchy in the U.K.” shows up at number 96. “You Really Got Me” and “London Calling” come in higher, but you can debate whether they are actual punk songs. Whatever decision you come to, it doesn’t change the fact that there are no Ramones songs on the list.
Let’s run through some other changes I would make to my own version of this list. I’ll try to keep this from being a simple list of my favorite songs. For instance, unlike most people with ears, I’ve never really liked Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Gallucci’s 14th-ranked song. But I understand why it is beloved and have no objection to its presence on such a list.
However, since I want to add a bunch of better choices, let me identify the songs that I think should not be included.
“Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne (number 100)
Good song, good album. But only somebody totally enmeshed in late ‘70’s soft rock road tunes would consider this one of the 100 greatest rock songs. I’m not sure it’s one of the five greatest Jackson Browne songs.
“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac (92)
I appreciate Rumors as much as the next guy, but with “Go Your Own Way” showing up at number 85, Fleetwood Mac is properly recognized.
“Dark Star” by the Grateful Dead (86)
I know I cannot win this argument with Deadheads, so I will just say that the studio version of this song does not stand out. If you have not heard it live, there’s no justification for its presence here, and I don’t really think that is the standard for this list.
“Bringing on the Heartbreak” by Def Leppard (79)
Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath are on the list twice. Def Leppard should not be. I’ll accept “Photograph,” even though I think it’s ranked too high at number 31, but “Heartbreak” is just kind of whiny.
“Jump” by Van Halen (77)
“Runnin’ With the Devil” is appropriately recognized in the top 40. But this? This song is what is wrong with rock and roll in the 1980s. Guitar bands are trying to sound cool by drenching themselves in synths. NOOOOO!
“Kiss” by Prince (71)
“Purple Rain” is 66. No argument. “When Doves Cry” is not listed. Big argument, especially when “Kiss” appears to be taking its place.
“Wonderwall” by Oasis (53)
Oasis was huge. This was their best-known song. That doesn’t make it their best. It’s kind of treacly.
“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey (52)
Journey was huge. This was their best-known song. That doesn’t make it their best. It’s kind of saccharine. (I changed the adjective to reflect Journey’s American heritage.)
“Won’t Get Fooled Again” by the Who (38)
I know, it’s iconic. My problem is that Gallucci gives two consecutive spots to “Won't Get Fooled Again” and “Baba O’Riley.” They are indeed very similar songs, but the Who can’t get double credit, especially with “My Generation" also on the list. “Teenage wasteland” is even more iconic than Daltrey’s scream, so I’m going with Baba.
“Night Moves” by Bob Seger (1976)
I don’t really know how to phrase this. This simply isn’t a top 500 songs, let alone top 100.
“Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith (13)
If you want to keep this song, shift it back to number 40 and drop “Dream On.” Aerosmith still gets two entries with “Walk This Way “ showing up at 98.
OK – that’s eleven songs I’ve erased. Now I get to choose eleven new ones to replace them. Hmm, this is going to be tough.
To set some kind of parameters, I will adopt the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rule and not pick anything younger than 25 years old. That cuts my pool of songs off at 2001. I should have enough perspective on those songs. Otherwise, I’d have the Bobby Lees’ “New Self” on my list even though it only came out a few months ago.
Here’s what should be on the 100 Greatest Rock Songs list.
- “Blank Generation” by Richard Hell & the Voidoids
- “I Wanna Be Sedated” by Ramones
- “Louie Louie” by the Kingsmen
- “Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin
- “The Passenger” by Iggy Pop
- “Love Shack” by the B-52s
- “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden
- “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill
- “Basket Case” by Green Day
- “Friday I’m in Love” by the Cure
- “Loser” by Beck
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