With The List, American Songwriter details the best, the brightest, the most enduring, the worst, the most hated, and the most surprising songs ever–among many other qualifiers. If you’re looking for our definitive rankings on music, you’ll find them below.
UNSPECIFIED – CIRCA 1970: Photo of Simon and Garfunkel Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 16: Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs during Pearl Jam: MTV Unplugged at Kaufman Astoria Studios on March 16, 1992 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
British-born Australian Pop singer Olivia Newton-John (1948 – 2022) performs onstage at Forest Hills Stadium, Queens, New York, New York, August 13, 1982. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift performs on stage as part of her Eras Tour in Lisbon on May 24, 2024. (Photo by ANDRE DIAS NOBRE / AFP) (Photo by ANDRE DIAS NOBRE/AFP via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 20: 2026 Inductee, Paul Overstreet speaks onstage at the Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee Press Conference at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on March 20, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
