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.
English musician and singer Paul McCartney of the Beatles and his wife Linda (1941 – 1998) outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, UK, 19th February 1971. McCartney is bringing a lawsuit against his former bandmates, to dissolve the Beatles' partnership. (Photo by Jones/Daily Express/Getty Images)
Los Angeles, California – Miley Cyrus attends the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton on Jan. 5, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David Fisher/Shutterstock)
ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY – The Weeknd performs onstage during the Michael Rubin REFORM Alliance Casino Night Event on September 13, 2025 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for REFORM Alliance)
John Lennon filming Magical Mystery Tour at the Atlantic Hotel in Newquay 12 September 1967 (Photo by Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
VIENNA, AUSTRIA – MAY 24: Pop singer Taylor Dayne performs May 24, 2003 at the 11th annual Life Ball charity ball in Vienna, Austria. Life Ball is one of the largest AIDS charity events in Europe and started in 1993, and since 2001 has been affiliated with the Elton John AIDS Foundation. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Kate Bush – Peter's Pop Show – 1985 – Kate Bush performt in der ZDF Sendung "Peter's Pop Show" am 30.11.1985 Ihren Song "Running up that Hill". (Photo by kpa/United Archives via Getty Images)
