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.
Southern rock band the "Allman Brothers" including Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Butch Trucks, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, and Jaimoe Johanson pose for a portrait ouitside a church on May 5, 1969 in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JANUARY 01: Rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot performs prior to the game between the Seattle Kraken and the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Park on January 01, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Circa 1967, American singer Janis Joplin (1943 – 1970) closes her eyes and outstretches her arms during a performance, late 1960s. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – MAY 7: (L-R) Drummer Steven Adler, Duff McKagan, vocals Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and guitarist Izzy Stradlin of the music group Guns N' Roses pose for a portrait on May 7, 1988, at the Detroit State Theater in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Ross Marino/Getty Images)
28th July 1992: American musician Bruce Springsteen sits on a trunk with his feet up backstage at the Brendan Byrne Arena in the Meadowlands sports complex, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Springsteen wears a casual shirt with faded jeans and a pair of cowboy boots with chains and metal tips. (Photo by Keith Meyers/New York Times Co./Getty Images)
Tammy Wynette And George Jones, Wembley Arena, London – 1981, Tammy Wynette And George Jones, Wembley Arena, London – 1981 (Photo by Brian Rasic/Getty Images)
