500 Greatest Songs of All Time

April 7, 2011

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ByJayZ
Agreatsongdoesn'tattempttobeanythingitjustis.
Whenyouhearagreatsong,youcanthinkofwhereyouwerewhenyoufirst
heardit,thesounds,thesmells.Ittakestheemotionsofamomentandholdsit
foryearstocome.Ittranscendstime.Agreatsonghasallthekeyelements
melody;emotion;astrongstatementthatbecomespartofthelexicon;andgreat
production.Thinkof"BohemianRhapsody,"byQueen.Thatsonghad

everythingdifferentmelodies,opera,R&B,rockanditexploredallof
thosedifferentgenresinanauthenticway,whereitfeltnatural.
WhenI'mwritingasongthatIknowisgoingtowork,it'safeelingofeuphoria.
It'showabasketballplayermustfeelwhenhestartshittingeveryshot,when
you'reinthatzone.Assoonasyoustart,yougetthatmagicfeeling,anextra
feeling.Songslikethatcomeoutinfiveminutes;ifIworkonthemmorethan,
say,20minutes,they'reprobablynotgoingtowork.
ReadJayZ'sfullessayhere.
500

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, 'Shop

Around'

Writers:BerryGordy,Robinson
Producer:Gordy
Released:Dec.'60,Tamla
16weeks;No.2
RobinsonthoughtBarrettStrongshouldrecord"ShopAround,"butGordy
persuadedSmokeythathewastherightmanforthesong.Afteritcameout,
Gordyhearditontheradioandfounditwaytooslow.HewokeRobinsonat3

a.m.andcalledhimbacktothestudiotorecutitfasterandwithRobinson's
vocalmoreprominent.Thatoneworked.
Appearson:TheUltimateCollection(Motown)
RELATED:
The100GreatestArtistsofAllTime:SmokeyRobinsonandtheMiracles
The100GreatestSingersofAllTime:SmokeyRobinson

499

Weezer, 'Buddy Holly'

Writer:RiversCuomo
Producer:RicOcasek
Released:Aug.'94,DGC
21weeks;No.18
Intheearly1990s,Cuomohadanawkwardgirlfriendwhowasroutinelypicked
on.HiseffortstostickupforherinspiredWeezer'sbreakthrough,atrackwhose
bubblegrungehooksandlinessuchas"IlookjustlikeBuddyHolly/Andyou're
MaryTylerMoore"helpedthebandreachanationofpopmindedsuburban
punks.ItalsoearnedWeezerautographedphotosfromtherealMaryTyler
Moore.
Appearson:Weezer(Geffen)

498

The Rolling Stones, 'Miss You'

Writers:MickJagger,KeithRichards
Producers:TheGlimmerTwins
Released:May'78,RollingStones
20weeks;No.1
TheStoneswereinToronto,rehearsingfortheirclassicgigsattheElMocambo
Club,whenJagger,jammingwithR&BlegendBillyPreston,cameupwith
"MissYou."Withadiscogrooveandatouchofthebluesviaaharmonicaplayer
theyfoundinaParissubway,itbecametheband'sfirstNumberOnehitinfive
years."It'snotreallyaboutagirl,"Jaggersaid."Thefeelingoflongingiswhat
thesongis."
Appearson:SomeGirls(Virgin)
RELATED:
100GreatestSingersofAllTime:Number16,MickJagger
100GreatestGuitaristsofAllTime:NumberTen,KeithRichards

100GreatestArtistsofAllTime:NumberFour,TheRollingStones
500GreatestAlbumsofAllTime:Number269,TheRollingStones'

SomeGirls

497

Bruce Springsteen, 'The Rising'

Writer:Springsteen
Producer:BrendanO'Brien
Released:July'02,Columbia
11weeks;No.52
Springsteenwrotethetrackabout9/11,takingtheviewpointofafirefighter
enteringoneoftheTwinTowers("Can'tseenothin'infrontofme")before
unleashingthegospeltingedchorus.Itwasthetitletrackfromanalbumintended
tohelphisfanscopewiththetragedy."ThefundamentalthingIhearfromfans
is,'Man,yougotmethrough'whateveritis,"hetoldRollingStonein2002.
Appearson:TheRising(Columbia)
RELATED:
100GreatestArtistsofAllTime:BruceSpringsteen

100GreatestSingersofAllTime:BruceSpringsteen

496

Jackson Browne, 'Running on Empty'

Writer:Browne
Producer:Browne
Released:Jan.'77,Asylum
17weeks;No.11
TheRunningonEmptyalbumwasBrowne'sgrandexperiment:asetofallnew
songsrecordedonstage,inhotelroomsandonthetourbus.Thetitletrackwas
actuallywrittenwhileBrownewasdrivingtothestudioeachdaytomakeThe
Pretender."Iwasalwaysdrivingaroundwithnogasinthecar,"hesaid."Ijust
neverbotheredtofillupthetankbecausehowfarwasitanyway?Justafew
blocks."
Appearson:RunningonEmpty(Elektra)

495

The Rolling Stones, 'Brown Sugar'

Writers:MickJagger,KeithRichards
Producer:JimmyMiller
Released:April'71,RollingStones
12weeks;No.1
TheStonestakeonslavery,sadomasochism,interracialsexandmakeit
catchyashell.AtMuscleShoalsstudios,Jaggerscrawledthreeversesonapad,
andRichardssuppliedanimpossiblyraunchyriff.Addsomeexultant
punctuationsandyouhaveaStonesconcertstaple.
Appearson:StickyFingers(Virgin)
RELATED:
100GreatestSingersofAllTime:MickJagger
100GreatestGuitaristsofAllTime:KeithRichards
100GreatestArtistsofAllTime:TheRollingStones

500GreatestAlbumsofAllTime:TheRollingStones'

StickyFingers

494

R. Kelly, 'Ignition (Remix)'

Writer:Kelly
Producer:Kelly
Released:Oct.'02,Jive
42weeks;No.2
R.Kelly'sautomotivemetaphorsforbootyknockin'in"Ignition"aresubtlerthan
theymight'vebeen;thelyricsweretoneddownattherequestofaChicagoradio
station.OnChocolateFactory,theoriginalversionofthesongsegued
immediatelyintothehitremix.
Appearson:ChocolateFactory(Jive)

493

MGMT, 'Time to Pretend'

Writers:BenGoldwasser,AndrewVanWyngarden
Producer:DaveFridmann
Released:Jan'08,Columbia
DidNotChart
Therhythmwasinspiredbythewrigglingofaprayingmantisthat
VanWyngardenandGoldwasserkeptincollege.VanWyngardenwroteabout
rockstarfantasies("I'llmovetoParis,shootsomeheroin"),thoughit'sunclear
howfacetiousthewordsare."Somethinkwe'redruggies.Othersseethetongue
incheekelement,"hesaid."That'swhatIhopeforasalyricist:confusion!"
Appearson:OracularSpectacular(Columbia)

492

Gloria Gaynor, 'I Will Survive'

Writers:DinoFekaris,FreddiePerren
Producers:Fekaris,Perren
Released:Dec.'78,Polydor
27weeks;No.1
In1979,Gaynor'scareerwasfallingapart.DonnaSummerhadreplacedheras
theleadingdiscodiva,andthe32yearoldGaynorhadrecentlysufferedthe
deathofhermotherandhadundergonespinalsurgery.Sowhenshebeltedout"I
WillSurvive,"shebroughtextraattitude.ThetrackwasoriginallyaBside,but
afterenterprisingDJsstartedtoplayitatdiscos,itturnedintoasmash.
Appearson:IWillSurvive:TheAnthology(Polygram)

491

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, 'I Love Rock 'N

Roll'

Writers:JakeHooker,AlanMerrill
Producers:RitchieCordell,KennyLaguna
Released:Jan.'82,Boardwalk
20weeks;No.1
AttemptingtojumpstartasolocareerafterherstintintheRunaways,Jetthad
herdemotapeto"ILoveRock'NRoll"rejectedby23recordlabels.Tiny
BoardwalkRecordsfinallybit,butthelabelsoldhertheradiorightstothetrack
for$2,500.Today,thesongisworthnearly$20million.
Appearson:ILoveRock'NRoll(Blackheart)

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