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.
Tommy Heath and Jim Keller of the rock band 'Tommy Tutone' pose for a studio portrait session in 1981 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Megan Moroney at The 59th Annual CMA Awards held at the Bridgestone Arena on November 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Billboard via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – SEPTEMBER 19: American singer Stevie Nicks of the group Fleetwood Mac sings on stage during the Mirage Tour on September 19, 1982 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Ross Marino/Getty Images)
FEB 5 1973; Students Get Into Swing of Things to Fight Dystrophy; Colorado State University students participate in a 48-hour dance marathon over the weekend on the Fort Collins campus to help raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The dance, held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, raised $15,563. Sponsor of the dance, held at the student center ballroom, was the Chi Omega sorority. Eighty couples entered the competition, 52 couples in the marathon and the rest in a 16-hour high-school-age dance Saturday. Winners Kathery Melendez of Northglenn and Clifford Lopez, Denver, won a trip to Las Vegas, Nev., by raising $908.86 through pledges. An $8 entry fee and 50 cent admission also helped.; (Photo By Jane Tester/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 08: Toby Keith performs onstage for the BMI Icon Award during the 2022 BMI Country Awards at BMI on November 08, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for BMI)
