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.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 25: Kelsea Ballerini performs live for SiriusXM and Pandora at The Riviera Theatre on September 25, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Kevin MazurGetty Images for SiriusXM)
American Country musician George Strait plays guitar as he performs onstage at the Tweeter Center, Tinley Park, Illinois, May 5, 2001. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN – AUGUST 28: Eddie Vedder of the band Pearl Jam performs at Lollapalooza at Harriet Island in St. Paul, Minnesota on August 28, 1992. (Photo by Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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)
Carlos Santana (born in 1947), Mexican-born American guitarist, composer and singer, during a concert at the Palais des Sports de Saint-Ouen (France), September 24, 1981. (Photo by Christian Rose/Roger Viollet via Getty Images)
