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.
1963: Pop group The Beatles take a bow on stage after performing in the Royal Command Performance at the Prince of Wales Theatre. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – Caleb Followill, Zach Bryan, and Bruce Springsteen perform "Atlantic City" at MetLife Stadium on July 20, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images for ABA)
The Beatles posing for a group photo, London, May 19th 1967. The band were standing outside former manager Brian Epstein's house to promote the release of "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". (Photo by John Downing/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
