VH-1's top 100 songs of the last 25 years

[Craptacular]

Yikes! It doesn't take long to find any absurd rankings ... how 'bout #1? Then again, this is VH-1.

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Nirvana
2. "Billie Jean," Michael Jackson
3. "Sweet Child O' Mine," Guns N' Roses
4. "Lose Yourself," Eminem
5. "One," U2
6. "Walk This Way," Run-D.M.C.
7. "When Doves Cry," Prince
8. "I Will Always Love You," Whitney Houston
9. "Every Breath You Take," The Police
10. "Like a Virgin," Madonna
11. "Jump," Van Halen
12. "You Oughta Know," Alanis Morissette
13. "Waterfalls," TLC
14. "Nothing Compares 2 U," Sinead O'Connor
15. "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)," Pink Floyd
16. "Don't Speak," No Doubt
17. "Photograph," Def Leppard
18. "Losing My Religion," R.E.M.
19. "Fight the Power," Public Enemy
20. "You Shook Me All Night Long," AC/DC
21. "With or Without You," U2
22. "Time After Time," Cyndi Lauper
23. "Little Red Corvette," Prince
24. "My Heart Will Go On," Celine Dion
25. "Super Freak," Rick James
26. "Livin' on a Prayer," Bon Jovi
27. "The Message," Grandmaster Flash
28. " . . . Baby One More Time," Britney Spears
29. "Born in the U.S.A.," Bruce Springsteen
30. "Nasty," Janet Jackson
31. "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg
32. "Jeremy," Pearl Jam
33. "What's Love Got to do With It," Tina Turner
34. "In Your Eyes," Peter Gabriel
35. "Rapper's Delight," The Sugarhill Gang
36. "I Love Rock 'n Roll," Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
37. "Fallin'," Alicia Keys
38. "London Calling," The Clash
39. "Free Fallin'," Tom Petty
40. "Beat It," Michael Jackson
41. "Under the Bridge," Red Hot Chili Peppers
42. "Heart of Glass," Blondie
43. "Our Lips Are Sealed," The Go-Go's
44. "I Will Survive," Gloria Gaynor
45. "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," Aerosmith
46. "Under Pressure," Queen and David Bowie
47. "You're Still the One," Shania Twain
48. "O.P.P.," Naughty By Nature
49. "Don't Stop Believin'," Journey
50. "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" Lenny Kravitz
51. "Faith," George Michael
52. "Start Me Up," The Rolling Stones
53. "Sexual Healing," Marvin Gaye
54. "Iris," Goo Goo Dolls
55. "Once in a Lifetime," Talking Heads
56. "All I Wanna Do," Sheryl Crow
57. "Tears in Heaven," Eric Clapton
58. "Mo Money Mo Problems," The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy & Mase
59. "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," Meat Loaf
60. "Smooth," Santana featuring Rob Thomas
61. "I Want It That Way," Backstreet Boys
62. "Brass in Pocket," Pretenders
63. "Loser," Beck
64. "My Sharona," The Knack
65. "Hot in Herre," Nelly
66. "Tempted," Squeeze
67. "Jack and Diane," John Mellencamp
68. "Good Times," Chic
69. "Real Love," Mary J. Blige
70. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," Culture Club
71. "Crash Into Me," Dave Matthews Band
72. "(Just Like) Starting Over," John Lennon
73. "Mama Said Knock You Out," LL Cool J
74. "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)," Hall & Oates
75. "I Wanna Be Sedated," The Ramones
76. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," Eurythmics
77. "Work It," Missy Elliott
78. "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," Green Day
79. "Say My Name," Destiny's Child
80. "Hungry Like the Wolf," Duran Duran
81. "Ms. Jackson," OutKast
82. "Tainted Love," Soft Cell
83. "Do They Know It's Christmas," Band Aid
84. "Creep," Radiohead
85. "My Name Is," Eminem
86. "Fast Car," Tracy Chapman
87. "Who Are You," The Who
88. "Enter Sandman," Metallica
89. "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," Pat Benatar
90. "Roxanne," The Police
91. "Come to My Window," Melissa Etheridge
92. "Push It," Salt-N-Pepa
93. "Closer," Nine Inch Nails
94. "Surrender," Cheap Trick
95. "Wonderwall," Oasis
96. "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)," Beastie Boys
97. "Whip It," Devo
98. "MMMBop," Hanson
99. "Don't Know Why," Norah Jones
100. "Ray of Light," Madonna

[KWhit]

Eminem at #4!?!?!? Give me a [expletive deleted] break!

[bbor]

No Avril???

[pjstp20]

Actually, it looks like No. 1 is the only one they got right.

[thesloppy]

Man, this list is crap.

"Lose Yourself" is better than "The Message", how? I'd like to hear Eminem define 'sacroiliac', let alone drop a rhyme with it.

[Kodos]

I'd be curious to know what they are basing any of this on. Waterfalls?!? Number 13?

[Swaggs]

"Born in the USA" being edged out by "...Baby One More Time" is pretty funny.

[Easy Mac]

because obscure words mean a song is great

[Happy29]

Where the hell is Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Grateful Dead in that list ? And what the hell is Eminem (he's basically the vice versa of Michael Jackson) doing on that list? Oh, I get it, VH-1 is run by a bunch of eskimoes with an agenda !

[thesloppy]

Originally posted by Easy Mac
because obscure words mean a song is great

Don't be ridiculous. Obscure words, fancy outfits, AND zodiac-themed-nicknames are what makes a song great.

[thesloppy]

Originally posted by Happy29
Where the hell is Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Grateful Dead in that list ?

It's the last 25 years, which pretty much removes all Lynyrd Skynyrd, and leaves you with the Arista 'Disco' Dead years.

[Happy29]

Dang.

[Mantle2600]

Originally posted by Happy29
Dang.

Are u really Joe Dirt in drag?

[Happy29]

I don't know what that is.

[Mantle2600]

Drag: to dress in womens clothing, being of the male gender.

[Happy29]

In that case, no.

[Mantle2600]

Oh...

[Mantle2600]

Dang.

[Happy29]

Shouldnt we keep those one word answers on the thread kill ?

[Mantle2600]

Probaly.

[Happy29]

Aye.

[cthomer5000]

Is as if they just wrote down the first 100 songs they could think of, and never re-organized or edited the list. From top to bottom the thing just seems to arbitrary...

[QuikSand]

I kno everyone's first instinct with any list is to start yelping about the specifics... I'll just say that I don't have any wholesale problem with this list. I'd definitely defend the #1 choice.

No, I wouldn't put every sing in the same spot as they did... but I think they hit most genres pretty fairly, and the list overall makes pretty god sense to me.

[cthomer5000]

Originally posted by QuikSand
I kno everyone's first instinct with any list is to start yelping about the specifics... I'll just say that I don't have any wholesale problem with this list. I'd definitely defend the #1 choice.

No, I wouldn't put every sing in the same spot as they did... but I think they hit most genres pretty fairly, and the list overall makes pretty god sense to me.

I dare you to defend "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls.
If anything, "Name" should be the one song they put on there.
But most of all, none of there songs were ever all that popular. The band has always just kind of been there, and not doing anything too spectacular.

[Fritz]

if I tried to listen to those songs in that order I would burst into flames.

[cthomer5000]

and I just realizes the Ramones clock in at #75 !!! C'mon!

When we look at back at musical history, are we going to forget the Ramones and realize what genius we overlooked in the Goo Goo Dolls or Shania Twain?

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by cthomer5000
I dare you to defend "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls.
If anything, "Name" should be the one song they put on there.
But most of all, none of there songs were ever all that popular. The band has always just kind of been there, and not doing anything too spectacular.

Well, I'm hardly an apologist for the Goo Goo Dolls, in fact, I am almost completely indifferent to their music. I think I know this song from the radio, but I'm not very familiar with them overall. Not really my cup of tea.

That said, some clown with a website did an analysis of the top songs from 1990-2002 (by some measurements indicated)... and determined that this song (which sat at #1 for four weeks) ranked as the #1 song from that period.

Here's a link:
Some Clown with a Website


Again - not exactly my personal defense of the pick (nor did I suggest that I personally agreed with every song on the list), but that particular song was clearly very popular, and got a lot of airplay. Whether it's great art, I'll pass... but whether it can be defended doesn't seem too tough.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by cthomer5000
When we look at back at musical history, are we going to forget the Ramones and realize what genius we overlooked in the Goo Goo Dolls or Shania Twain?

Was this a list of the greatest artists? Or songs?

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by QuikSand
Was this a list of the greatest artists? Or songs?

Good point....

I think "greatest" needs some qualifiers on their part. I wouldn't say these are the greatest in terms of musical quality (Hansen? Backstreet Boys), but arguably all had some significance in the pop music timeline.

[cthomer5000]

Originally posted by QuikSand
Was this a list of the greatest artists? Or songs?

My real problem with the list is that there is no discernable 'angle' to it. Some songs are on the list, or placed higher than they should be due to deaths (TLC, Clash), some songs are very suspect choices for the artists listed (Aerosmith - I don't want to miss a thing, Janet Jackson - Nasty).

If they were basing this off how popular these songs were, there is no way Public Enemy would be at #19. And I can't even believe these are just opinions on the 'best' songs of the period because of suspect selections for artists (like the examples already given). So if there doesn't appear to be a basic principle behind the list, why make it?

Also, about the Goo Goo Dolls. If anyone is going to compile airplay numbers, they are always going to be slanted in the favor of light rock. Light rock songs have the widest range on radio, and can be played on true rock stations, pop stations, and make it to adult contemporary stations. Since the sound of the music makes it eligible for formats other types of music are not, it's dangerous to use air play as a true measurement of the popularity (and certainly quality) of a song.

[DeToxRox]

AHHHHHH!

Smells Like Teen Spirit is a horrible song.
Nirvana is not a talented band.
Grohl was the one saving grace.

Seattle Bands were overlooked because of Nirvana and Peral Jam, but Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Mudhoney were MUCH better.

Where is "Rooster" by AiC. Thats a song that owns.

[albionmoonlight]

These lists are made to get people talking about and watching VH1. I think that they make some "bad" choices on purpose.

"Lose Yourself" at #4, if I had to guess, was the result of a deliberate decision to make sure that one very recent song was placed in the top 5. It is the most popular, I would argue, of all of the very recent songs, so it made the cut.

[QuikSand]

Of course nobody looks at the list and says "yep, that's just how I would have put them myself." Obviously anyone might disagree on our own personal choices of what we like, or even what we recognize as important, meaningful, meritorious, or otherwise "great."

And of course, there is no "correct" answer as to what defines a great song. Sales? Airplay? Enduraing popularity? Simple brilliance, regardless of the preceding? Overall effect on music or culture? Who knows.

You're right - some songs are here for very different reasons. "The Message" is an obvious example.

But popularity and airplay certainly factor into the mix at some level. You might not like TLC, and you might think they don't even belong here - suspecting it's a "charity case" due to an untimely death. But keep in mind that the all-time best-selling all-woman group in music history is TLC. Not the Supremes, but TLC. Sombody liked them, somebody listened to them, somebody bought their records. Maybe it wasn't you, and I know it wasn't me, but somebody did al those things. "Waterfalls" is undeniably their biggest single, and I susect there's a mountain of evidence supporting its inclusion here.


Again, it's not my list, and mine would be very different. But just because we might be able to pick nits with one pick here or there doesn't necessarily mean that it is all bullshit. These things are inherently subjective (perhaps even completely so) - the only way to get around subjectivity is to make it a formula-driven analysis based on sales, airplay, or some other distinctly measureable quantity - which leaves out any element of discussion, and makes the exercise completely pointless.

[Samdari]

Meanwhile, there have been a ton of great U2 songs in the past 25 years. Why did none of them make the list, while perhaps their crappiest two ("One" and "With or Without You") made the list. Rating either of them ahead of "Pride" could only mean you have never listened to any of the three songs.

Ok, cuervo, in 50 words or less, describe any impact Hanson had on anything other than getting Tulsa mentioned on radio stations across the country?

[GrantDawg]

Worst. List. Ever.

[pjstp20]

Originally posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle
AHHHHHH!

Smells Like Teen Spirit is a horrible song.
Nirvana is not a talented band.
Grohl was the one saving grace.

Seattle Bands were overlooked because of Nirvana and Peral Jam, but Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Mudhoney were MUCH better.

Where is "Rooster" by AiC. Thats a song that owns.

I'll have to agree and disagree. Smells Like Team Spirit was the right type of song by the right type of band at the right time. Thats why it took off so ridiculously. Whatever you think of the band or the song itself, it's hard to argue this fact.

I agree that it seems like the only Seattle bands that get any credit are Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but if Alice in Chains got any credit for anything, it would be the first time. I like Mudhoney too, as well as The Screaming Trees, but I realize both lead singers don't have the distinctive voice you need to hit it big.

[thesloppy]

I think they went out of their way to represent every genre, and time period.

When I think back on the last 25 years of music, and what songs were truly great, be it because of their popularity, breaking new ground, or just general 'buzz' these are a few that I think got shafted:

Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes
Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
Straight Outta Compton - NWA
Me Myself and I - De La Soul
A Message To You Rudy - The Specials
My Best Friend's Girl - The Cars
It's Still Rock and Roll To Me - Billy Joel
Ace of Spades - Motorhead
You've Got Another Thing Coming - Judas Priest

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by Samdari
Meanwhile, there have been a ton of great U2 songs in the past 25 years. Why did none of them make the list, while perhaps their crappiest two ("One" and "With or Without You") made the list. Rating either of them ahead of "Pride" could only mean you have never listened to any of the three songs.

Ok, cuervo, in 50 words or less, describe any impact Hanson had on anything other than getting Tulsa mentioned on radio stations across the country?

Hmm, that's a challenging one, considering I stopped listening to new music (save some exceptions) and stopped paying attention around '95 or so

"Hansen made an instant splash on the pop scene with their breakthrough hit 'MMMBop in May 1997. Young heartthrobs for legions of starry-eyed teen and pre-teen girls, the popularity of 'MMMBop', along with the Backstreet Boys' first US chart-climber in June 1997, touched off the boy band craze of the late 90's and early 00's."

How's that?

[GrantDawg]

Originally posted by thesloppy
I think they went out of their way to represent every genre, and time period.

When I think back on the last 25 years of music, and what songs were truly great, be it because of their popularity, breaking new ground, or just general 'buzz' these are a few that I think got shafted:

Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes
Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
Straight Outta Compton - NWA
Me Myself and I - De La Soul
A Message To You Rudy - The Specials
My Best Friend's Girl - The Cars
It's Still Rock and Roll To Me - Billy Joel
Ace of Spades - Motorhead
You've Got Another Thing Coming - Judas Priest

Your listing of the "Joy Division" made me wonder, have you seen the movie "The Twenty-Four Hour Party People?" It is a good flix.

[thesloppy]

I think we should all take solace from the fact that there is no crapass Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, or other 'Nu-metal' that surely would've crept on if the list were compiled 2-3 years ago,

[Ksyrup]

It's almost impossible for me to comment since I've either not heard a number of these songs, or I'm emotionally tied to hating a number of these songs. That said:

I'm kinda surprised that Enter Sandman is only #88. That song is arguably the most popular hard rock/metal (depending on how you define post-90's Metallica) song of the 90's. For better or worse, it was the defining moment in hard rock in the move from 80's heavy metal (the thrash-based kind) to the radio-friendly, 4 minute, one riff metal/hard rock (the AC/DC kind) that became the staple of hard rock for the decade. And on a less genre-specific basis, it served as the first step in the move away from 80's metal toward grunge (TBA was released a month before Nevermind and Nevermind didn't really take off until the next spring, anyway).

Some early 80's stuff seemed to get the shaft, while others seemed to be high in the rankings. Not sure why, for example, Every Breath You Take is #9, and Whip It is #97.

Ultimately, it's impossible to rate different genre songs from different decades against each other. I can't tell if they are just ranking songs according to how "good" they are, and not factoring in importance (which is why I mentioned Enter Sandman), or whether they really believe Smells Like Teen Spirit - completely disregarding the context in which it was released and its importance to music history - is the most well-written/performed song of the last 25 years. If it's the latter, than I find it hard to vote for it as #1. If they are putting it in context, than I agree.

[thesloppy]

Originally posted by GrantDawg
Your listing of the "Joy Division" made me wonder, have you seen the movie "The Twenty-Four Hour Party People?" It is a good flix.

No, but it's been on my radar for the last couple months. Hopefully it can bump "Captain Ron" or "About Last Night" off the Starz playlist sometime in the near future.

[thesloppy]

Originally posted by Ksyrup

Ultimately, it's impossible to rate different genre songs from different decades against each other. I can't tell if they are just ranking songs according to how "good" they are, and not factoring in importance (which is why I mentioned Enter Sandman), or whether they really believe Smells Like Teen Spirit - completely disregarding the context in which it was released and its importance to music history - is the most well-written/performed song of the last 25 years. If it's the latter, than I find it hard to vote for it as #1. If they are putting it in context, than I agree.

Clearly, the most well written and well performed song of the last 25 years is 'You Say He's Just a Friend' by the Diabolical Biz Markie.

[mckerney]

'Top 100 Songs' and no Weezer when there should be at least 3 Weezer songs. No Ben Folds, no Smashing Pumpkins, no Gin Blossoms, no Everclear. Not even Rhett Miller, No Motiv, All American Rejects, Dishwalla, Coldplay, or John Mayer. And why don't I watch VH1?


But oh! There Eminem multiple times, I suppose all hope is not lost . and Like a Virgin by Madonna. You know what Like a Virgin is about? Like a Virgin is about a girl who digs a guy with a big dick. And no list of 'top songs' could be complete with trendy pop shit like Brittany Spears, Nelly, Missy Elliot, and Destiny's Child. Definately seems like they just took the first 100 songs they could think of without listening to any of them.

[ISiddiqui]

It's not a bad list. I may disagree with some, but definetly all the people on it were very popular, especially during their times. I see nothing to greatly complain about. I may have liked 'Closer' by NIN to be higher, but hey, NIN wasn't that popular even though I might have liked them, so in the 80s is fine by me. Though 'Wonderwall' should probably be higher. That one year it was all over the place.

[ShagVT]

Rush: Tom Sawyer?

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by ShagVT
Rush: Tom Sawyer?

Hmm, I guess VH1 doesn't deem Rush relevant.

[Samdari]

You know, at the rate VH-1 is generating lists, don't be surprised to see "Top 100 Rush songs of 1983" (shown in 5 one hour espisodes, hosted by William Shatner) hitting the airwaves soon.

[Qwikshot]

And VH-1 is credible because...

[KWhit]

Originally posted by thesloppy
I think we should all take solace from the fact that there is no crapass Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, or other 'Nu-metal' that surely would've crept on if the list were compiled 2-3 years ago,

So we get Eminem instead.

Yippie.