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.
American country musician Merle Haggard performing at the Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, 13th February 1976. (Photo by Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
American Country musician Kenny Rogers (1938 – 2020) performs onstage at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, September 26, 1980. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
The Doors L-R Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger pose for a portrait circa 1968 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Edmund Teske/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
BERKELEY, CA – SEP 24: Elton John performs at the Berkeley Community Theater in Berkeley, California on September 24, 1979. (Photo by Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images)
American Folk and Pop musician Paul Simon plays guitar as he performs onstage at the Auditorium Theater, Chicago, Illinois, September 25, 1980. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 23: Patti Smith performs during the Democracy Now! 30th Anniversary Event at Riverside Church on March 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)
