The Greatest Songs of All Time
Led Zeppelin Classic Tops the Charts Again After 37 Years
Jul 22, 2008
The exercise was conducted in the following manner: The top 100 tracks from each chart were allotted points for their positions. The number 1 song on each chart was given 100 points, the number 2 allotted 99 points, 98 points for the number 3, etcetera, culminating with a single point awarded to the number 100 song. The total number of points per individual song over the 40 charts were then added together to establish a grand total for each. The songs were then ranked according to those totals, with the highest total being awarded top spot and the title of Best of the Best.
Top Songs
Stairway to Heaven (2732 pts.) was followed in the rankings by The Eagles’ Hotel California (2635 pts.), Hey Jude (2542 pts.) by The Beatles at number 3, The Rolling Stones in position number 4 with (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (2467 pts.) and Imagine (2377 pts.) by John Lennon slotting in at number 5.
The only stipulation when compiling the chart was that a song had to be at least 5 years old at the date of compilation to qualify. A total of 1031 songs qualified for the chart, with Sugar Magnolia by The Grateful Dead ending in the final position with a solitary point.
Prolific Artists
The Beatles ended up as the most prolific band in the chart with 33 songs, with the next best being The Rolling Stones with a total of 17 songs and Led Zeppelin in third position with 14. The most prolific male solo artist was Elvis Presley with 18 songs included, although his highest ranked song, Can’t Help Falling in Love (312 pts.), only managed number 150 in the chart. Female solo artists did not fare as well, with Barbra Streisand, Dusty Springfield and Madonna all listing 4 times. The top song by a female solo artist was, however, Aretha Franklin’s Respect (1229 pts.) which charted at no. 24.
The Top 20 Songs on the chart were as follows:-
- Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin (2732)
- Hotel California – The Eagles (2635)
- Hey Jude – The Beatles (2542)
- (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – Rolling Stones (2467)
- Imagine – John Lennon (2377)
- Layla – Derek & The Dominos (2193)
- Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen (2170)
- A Day in the Life – The Beatles (1809)
- Sympathy for the Devil – Rolling Stones (1744)
- Yesterday – The Beatles (1677)
- Let It Be – The Beatles (1630)
- Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen (1627)
- Light My Fire – The Doors (1559)
- Like a Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan (1529)
- All Along the Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix (1407)
- American Pie – Don McLean (1398)
- Won’t Get Fooled Again – The Who (1333)
- Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd (1305)
- Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd (1290)
- Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd (1288)
