Best 20 Songs of the Past 20 Years.

[Justin24]

I dont know if I agree with some of the Songs.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2682023&page=1

Achieving Nirvana: Grunge Band's 'Teen Spirit' is Top Song of Past Two Decades

Nov. 27, 2006 — Nirvana's iconic 1991 single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" beat out hits from Madonna, Britney Spears and U2 to be named the best pop song in 20 years by Britain's Q Magazine.

In its November issue, which celebrates Q's 20th anniversary, the publication set out to identify the top 20 singles of the past two decades. Their picks range from pop sensations like Britney Spears' " … Baby, One More Time," and Outkast's "Hey Ya" to The Prodigy's punk/techno mix "The Firestarter" and Guns N' Roses' hard-edged rock ballad, "Sweet Child O' Mine."

"The thing about 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' it was a watershed moment in rock music. It changed everything," said Q magazine deputy editor Gareth Grundy of the iconic Nirvana hit. "It put heavy music back on the map in the early 90's, really, that combination of punk-rock anger and the heavy Black Sabbath 70's metal. It was something new. Sulky kids everywhere loved Nirvana and continue to do so."


During its relatively hype-free release, few guessed that front man Kurt Cobain's sound and lyrics would become the defining one of an era. To this day, nearly 15 years after its release, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" remains MTV Europe's most played video and continues to strike a chord with angst-ridden teenagers everywhere.

The songs were chosen by the staff of Q, and while the tunes have little in common, Grundy said they are all "instantly memorable."

"The song just basically had to be a good song," Grundy added. "We took a poll of all our writers and the staff of the magazine and we counted the vote and the list came in as you see it in the magazine."

These hits sparked dance trends (head banging and hip-hop grooves), infused teen culture with new lingo (as with Outkast's "shake it like a Polaroid picture,"), and served as anthems for youths across the world.

"You can't put your finger on what specifically makes a song great," Grundy said. "You know it when you feel it."
Continued

Take Madonna's 1989 hit "Like A Prayer," for example. Ranked at number 16 on Q magazine's list, Grundy said it's "the definitive late 80's, early 90's Madonna song."



"[It] actually is probably Madonna's best pop song. It's proof that there is more to her than the visual element," he said.



And while Madonna is an easy pick for a list of classic songs from this time period, there are other daring choices which make the Q magazine list noteworthy. The list ends with the Arctic Monkeys' eclectic guitar funk single "I Bet You Look Good On the Dance Floor," and at number 12 is this summer's hip-hop smash "Crazy," by the virtually unknown Gnarls Barkley.



"'Crazy' is one of those songs which blends hip-hop and old soul. It's one of those things that's just an all-time classic song. In future years, people will be covering that song," Grundy said. "As soon as you heard it, you felt instantly that this was a massive record."



Something which even the savviest of record producers may not be able to predict. "Great songs are often a happy accident," admits Grundy. "You can't predict necessarily what makes a hit despite the music business trying and continuing to try."



Whatever their appeal, these songs reflect the music that defined a generation.



The full list:



1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Nirvana, 1991



2. "Hey Ya!" OutKast, 2003



3. "Sweet Child O' Mine" Guns N' Roses, 1987



4. "Unfinished Symphony" Massive Attack, 1991



5. "One" U2, 1991



6. "Live Forever" Oasis, 1994



7. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" The Verve, 1997



8. "Common People" Pulp, 1995



9. "There She Goes" The LA's, 1990



10. "7 Nation Army" The White Stripes, 2003



11. "Song 2" Blur, 1997



12. "Crazy" Gnarls Barkley, 2006



13. "Angels" Robbie Williams, 1997



14. "&Baby One More Time" Britney Spears, 1999



15. "Personal Jesus" Depeche Mode, 1990



16. "Like A Prayer" Madonna, 1989



17. "Firestarter" The Prodigy, 1997



18. "Brimful of Asha" Cornershop, 1997



19. "Stan" Eminem, 2000



20. "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" Arctic Monkeys, 2006

 

[LMP]

I remember this list.

Any list with Arctic Monkeys on it immediately should be flushed down the nearest toilet.

I can't even begin to say how awful that list is other than that.

 

[Axver]

Wow. Almost every list like this is worthless, but this one takes being worthless to a whole new extreme.

 

[Zooropean103]

That's probably worst ranking I've ever seen. Especially big at Outkast's Hey Ya.

 

[HolyMeximofoJoe]

absolutley pathetic list

 

[waynetravis]

Especially big at Outkast's Hey Ya.

Agreed.

what the heck

 

[Earnie Shavers]

You might have missed the bit where it says best POP song. Hey Ya was a huge song, and gained extra thumbs up for being a huge worldwide catchy pop hit while being quite clever and not a written by committee formulaic boy band generic piece of crap. The songs on this list have to have a cultural impact while also being good, and this is a pop list so think a bit about the criteria. I think it's probably a pretty accurate list.

 

[Aygo]

^Yeah, but... "I bet you look good on the dancefloor"???

 

[phillyfan26]

Wow. Three words:

Tear-uh-bull

 

[Caroni]

That's probably worst ranking I've ever seen. Especially big at Outkast's Hey Ya.

Totally agree

 

[LyricalDrug]

Thanks for the link and stuff but this list is awful

 

[LMP]

Where's "Fergalicous"?

I want this list redacted.

 

[ozeeko]

strange list. Props for including Depeche Mode and Massive Attack tho.

 

[corianderstem]

Am I the only one who thinks it's a great list? I'd take off Prodigy and Arctic Monkeys, but think it's great for pop songs.

 

[Lancemc]

I can't wait until 2012 when the come out with this exact same list again, and that shitty Nirvana song can no longer top the list, yet U2 will still be putting out amazing records worthy of a spot on here.

 

[angelordevil]

Am I the only one who thinks it's a great list? I'd take off Prodigy and Arctic Monkeys, but think it's great for pop songs.

It's a pop list.

 

[corianderstem]

I think Nirvana is horribly overrated, but still love Smells Like Teen Spirit.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

It's a pop list.

Thank you. It's not "the Greatest Songs Ever Written By Man or Monkey" it's a POP list.

& remember it's a British list, and that Prodigy song was the breakthrough (chart wise) song for a whole genre that almost dominated for a few years there. Arctic Monkeys though, I agree, shouldn't be there.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Prodigy not only deserves to be in there, but deserves to be a lot higher.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Robbie Williams is the one I'd take issue with and Madonnas awful like a prayer, doesnt even deserve to be in the top 20 Madonna songs!!

 

[PookaMacP]

Perhaps they should sack their researcher - last time I checked it was 'Unfinished Sympathy' by Massive Attack.

 

[WinnieThePoo]

actually , except for numeros 14 ,19 & 20 , it's a very good list
and oh please , firestarter deserves to be higher then that
it's the best rock song of the 90's
never heard of 8 ,9 &18

 

[Aygo]

Robbie Williams is the one I'd take issue with and Madonnas awful like a prayer, doesnt even deserve to be in the top 20 Madonna songs!!

I think that "Like A Prayer" is one of Madonna's best songs, which lyrics doesn't have to necessarily apply to sex or religion. You should pay attention to the album version and not to those shitty remixes on the Best Of and that have radio airplay.

 

[vaz02]

Im quite pleased that "7 Nation Army" The White Stripes, is gettingthe credit it deserves

 

[An Cat Gav]

I think that "Like A Prayer" is one of Madonna's best songs, which lyrics doesn't have to necessarily apply to sex or religion. You should pay attention to the album version and not to those shitty remixes on the Best Of and that have radio airplay.

I respect what you're saying but she still has 20 better songs than that piece of crap.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Im quite pleased that "7 Nation Army" The White Stripes, is gettingthe credit it deserves

Quite right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But you must admit that Black Mathis the most rocking track on the "Elephant" album!!!

 

[1stepcloser]

Common People deserves it's place in there. An almost flawless pop song in my opinion.

 

[Aygo]

I respect what you're saying but she still has 20 better songs than that piece of crap.

It's pne of her most original songs. Too bad you can't appreciate it. And if you think is crap, you should listen to more pop music.

 

[pepokiss]

I can't wait until 2012 when the come out with this exact same list again, and that shitty Nirvana song can no longer top the list

DEATH IS A CARRER MOVE

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

'Unfinished Sympathy'
'Brimful of Asha'

What's wrong with the list again? Oh right places 1-20 aren't filled with U2 songs.