Rolling Stone updates "Best 500 songs" list; Rhiannon cut from list
 

This month, Rolling Stone updated its "500 Best Songs of All time," which it first published in 2004, cutting "Rhiannon" - among others - to make room for some pretty ghastly songs. I know I shouldn't take any Rolling Stone list seriously since this is the magazine that awarded the new Britney Spears album 4 stars to Stevie's 3 and a half, but cutting "Rhiannon" to make room for a song by Rihanna is just uncivilized.

The entire top 25 remained unchanged. Although certain songs had changed their rank in the top 100, the only new entry was Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" at number 100.

The songs added in the update are as follows. U2 and Jay-Z both have two songs added to the list, however Jay-Z is also featured in an additional two other new songs on the list, "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé, and "Umbrella" by Rihanna:

"Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley (#100)
"Crazy in Love" by Beyonce featuring Jay-Z (#118)
"Moment of Surrender" by U2 (#160)
"99 Problems" by Jay-Z (#172)
"Rehab" by Amy Winehouse (#194)
"Paper Planes" by M.I.A. (#236)
"Mississippi" by Bob Dylan (#260)
"Jesus Walks" by Kanye West (#273)
"Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes (#286)
"One More Time" by Daft Punk (#307)
"Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand (#327)
"Beautiful Day" by U2 (#345)
"Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs (#386)
"Umbrella" by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z (#412)
"Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G. (#424)
"American Idiot" by Green Day (#432)
"In da Club" by 50 Cent (#448)
"Get Ur Freak On" by Missy Elliott (#466)
"Big Pimpin'" by Jay-Z featuring UGK (#467)
"Last Nite" by The Strokes (#478)
"Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson (#482)
"Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake (#484)
"Clocks" by Coldplay (#490)
"Time to Pretend" by MGMT (#493)
"Ignition (Remix)" by R. Kelly (#494)
"The Rising" by Bruce Springsteen (#497)

The songs dropped from the list in the update are as follows. The Crystals are the only artist to have had two songs dropped from the list:

"Da Doo Ron Ron" by The Crystals (#114)
"Lose Yourself" by Eminem (#166)
"Sh-Boom" by The Chords (#215)
"Band of Gold" by Freda Payne (#391)
"Kicks" by Paul Revere & the Raiders (#400)
"I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly (#406)
"Crossroads" by Cream (#409)
"Lola" by The Kinks (#422)
"Devil With A Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly" by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels (#428)
"Keep A-Knockin'" by Little Richard (#442)
"By the Time I Get to Phoenix" by Glen Campbell (#450)
"Stagger Lee" by Lloyd Price (#456)
"One Fine Day" by The Chiffons (#460)
"Search and Destroy" by The Stooges (#468)
"It's Too Late" by Carole King (#469)
"Free Man in Paris" by Joni Mitchell (#470)
"On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson (#471)
"One Nation Under a Groove" by Funkadelic (#474)
"Graceland" by Paul Simon (#485)
"Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac (#488)
"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" by Dusty Springfield (#491)
"Then He Kissed Me" by The Crystals (#493)
"Desperado" by Eagles (#494)
"Rainy Night in Georgia" by Brook Benton (#498)
"The Boys Are Back in Town" by Thin Lizzy (#499)
"More Than a Feeling" by Boston (#500)

:lol: I agree with this statement wholeheartedly - but at the same time I think Umbrella is a great, great song - definitely worthy of a 'top 500 of all time' list.

I agree too! :eek: Oh my Gawd................not Rhiannon..................going to have to protest this one! :mad:

I must be getting OLD at 31. I would take the DUMPED list of the additions ANY day!

Whatever, it doesn't matter. It's just an editor's list. They have to adjust it to make room for some more current songs. I don't half of them.

As much as I agree with some of the songs being added to the list I don't think that the as many songs that were dumped needed to be dumped! I agree with Penguinhead that they are just trying to be more current to appeal to more veiwers. I'm upset about Rhiannon though as I think that is one of my favorite songs of all time!! I don't get it :distress:

They are probably just as sick of it as we are.;)

oh Curt! you're too much!! :p

Call me what you will......but i did a little happy dance knowing Rhiannon is Finally dumped from something:lol::sorry:

Mick

Blasphemy!

I'm actually not sure it's so much about current appeal as it is the need to drum up interest with more drastic cuts. Really, no one is going to get excited about "Revised Greatest 500 Songs!" if only 3-5 songs trickle on and off annually. Clearly it wouldn't make much sense to add bunches of old songs: if Jessie's Girl wasn't one of the greatest 500 last year, why would it be markedly greater now? They need to sell copy and a flood of new songs certainly makes sense, but I am still livid that they sliced my beloved Rhiannon:distress:

*LOOKS UP* God please help this chile.

Rhiannon bowed out some really great songs. I don't feel all that bad about it.

I think it's too early to consider any of these as among the "500 Best Songs". That kind of list requires time to pass.

That does make a lot of sense. I just feel that not all of the new songs added deserved to be on the list. Some of the songs they took off were downright classics! And "Rhiannon" could have probably remained on the list. I guess I'm just fiercely protective over FM/Stevie songs and want them to get the most recognition possible :nod:.