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.
Dire Straits in concert at Wembley Arena, London, Brittain – 1985 (Photo by Ilpo Musto/Shutterstock)
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)
The members of music group Deee-Lite (left to right): Jungle DJ Towa Towa, Super DJ Dmitry, and Lady Miss Kier. (Photo by Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 19: EDITORIAL USE ONLY Luke Combs performs onstage during the 59th Annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on November 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
