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.
Bill Berry, Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck of REM at the Aragon Ballroom In Chicago, Ilinois, July 7, 1984. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
Former duet partners, American singer-songwriter, actress, and businesswoman Dolly Parton and American country music singer Porter Wagoner (1927-2007), sing on stage circa 1990's at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Ron Davis/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MAY 18: Tracy Lawrence performs at the Ryman Auditorium on May 18, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 11: Musician Miranda Lambert performs during the 43rd Annual CMA Awards at the Sommet Center on November 11, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Tony R. Phipps/FilmMagic)
American rock band Alice in Chains during a video shoot in Los Angeles, August 1990. Left to right: singer Layne Staley (1967 – 2002), drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Starr (1966 – 2011) and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)
