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.
1987: Singer, songwriter and teen idol Tiffany performs during 'The Beautiful You: Celebrating The Good Life Shopping Mall Tour '87' in 1987. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 19: EDITORIAL USE ONLY Chris Stapleton performs onstage during the 59th Annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on November 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Astrida Valigorsky/WireImage)
Robert Plant (left) and Phil Collins as they attend an after party at Greenwich Village's Be Bop Club, New York, New York, September 12, 1983. They had performed earlier, during Plant's 'Principle of Moments' tour, at Madison Square Garden. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
LAKE TAHOE, NV – 1980: Country singer, Dolly Parton, performs at Harrah's Club in this 1980 Lake Tahoe, Nevada, photo. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
BIRMINGHAM, AL – OCTOBER 16: Loretta Lynn performs at the Alys Stephens Center on October 16, 2009 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
