Day 300, Oct. 27: The Top 300

My Favorite 300 Songs

of All Time

This list includes almost all genres of songs going back 61 years. Many have special meaning; others are just so much fun to listen to. I admit the words to songs don't have a big impact on my liking them or not - although some on this list carry very special stories. And, many of the most popular songs of all-time didn't make it, partly because they've been played so much, I got kind of sick of them. The 1970s are by far my favorite, but the 2000s (thanks to iTunes, not the radio) are like a 1970s Renaissance. Anyway, here's the list. 

Songs in red are "probable" Top 25 songs. Songs in blue are "probable" Top 100 songs. 

+ Denotes an instrumental.

Cold, Cold Heart, Hank Williams, 1950

The Tennessee Waltz, Patti Page, 1950

Kawlija, Hank Williams, 1953

Secret Love, Doris Day, 1954

Let Me Go Lover, Joan Weber, 1955

Moments to Remember, The Four Lads, 1955

Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be), Doris Day, 1956

Wayward Wind, Gogi Grant, 1956

Tammy, Debbie Reynolds, 1957

Chipmunk Song, David Seville/Chipmunks, 1958

Come Softly to Me, The Fleetwoods, 1959

Til I Kissed You, The Everly Brothers, 1959

El Paso, Marty Robbins, 1960

I’m Sorry, Peggy Lee, 1960

Crazy, Patsy Cline, 1961

When I Fall in Love, The Lettermen, 1962

Don’t Say Nothing Bad, The Cookies, 1963

Ring of Fire, Johnny Cash, 1963

500 Miles Away from Home, Bobby Bare, 1963

A Summer Song, Chad & Jeremy, 1964

Baby Don’t Go, Sonny & Cher, 1965

Day Tripper, The Beatles, 1966

Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You, Frankie Valli, 1967

Darlin’, The Beach Boys, 1967

Fool on the Hill, The Beatles, 1967

Happy Together, Turtles, 1967

Heroes and Villains, The Beach Boys, 1967

My Cup Runneth Over, Ed Ames, 1967

Chain of Fools, Aretha Franklin, 1968

Honey, Bobby Goldsboro, 1968

+Love is Blue, Paul Mauriat, 1968

+Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desire, Leo Kottke, 1969

Wedding Bell Blues, The Fifth Dimension, 1969

Cecilia, Simon & Garfunkel, 1970

El Condor Pasa (If I Could), Simon & Garfunkel, 1970

For the Good Times, Ray Price, 1970

Give Me Just a Little More Time, Chairmen of the Board, 1970

I Don’t Believe in If Anymore, Roger Whittaker, 1970

Montego Bay, Bobby Bloom, 1970

(They Long to Be) Close to You, The Carpenters, 1970

Two of Us, The Beatles, 1970

Which Way You Goin’ Billy? The Poppy Family, 1970

Go Away Little Girl, Donnie Osmond, 1971

Got to Be There, Michael Jackson, 1971

Have You Seen Her, Chi-Lites, 1971

I Woke Up in Love This Morning, Partridge Family, 1971

Lucky Man, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, 1971

No One to Depend On, Santana, 1971

She’s a Lady, Tom Jones, 1971

That’ll Be the Day, The Partridge Family, 1971

Alone Again (Naturally), Gilbert O’Sullivan, 1972

Beautiful Sunday, Daniel Boone, 1972

Black & White, 3 Dog Night, 1972

Burning Love, Elvis Presley, 1972

Crazy Mama, J.J. Cale, 1972

Day by Day, Godspell, 1972

Dialogue, Chicago, 1972

Easy Livin, Uriah Heep, 1972

Family of Man, 3 Dog Night, 1972

Garden Party, Rick Nelson, 1972

Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues, Danny O’Keefe, 1972

Guitar Man, Bread, 1972

Horse With No Name, America, 1972

I Just Want to Make Love to You, Foghat, 1972

I’ll Take You There, Staple Singers, 1972

I’m Still In Love With You, Al Green, 1972

Let’s Stay Together, Al Green, 1972

Long Dark Road, The Hollies, 1972

Mary Had a Little Lamb, Paul McCartney & Wings, 1972

Mother and Child Reunion, Paul Simon, 1972

Oh Girl, The Chi-Lites, 1972

Operator, Jim Croce, 1972

Rock ‘n’ Roll Soul, Grand Funk, 1972

Run, Run, Run, Jo, Jo Gunne, 1972

Run to Me, The Bee Gees, 1972

Saturday in the Park, Chicago, 1972

Space Truckin, Deep Purple, 1972

Too Late to Turn Back Now, Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose, 1972

Ventura Highway, America, 1972

Whiskey in the Jar, Thin Lizzy, 1972

And I Love You So, Don McLean, 1973

Angie, The Rolling Stones, 1973

Big City Miss Ruth Ann, Gallery, 1973

The Cisco Kid, War, 1973

D’yer Maker, Led Zeppelin, 1973

Dancing in the Moonlight, King Harvest, 1973

Do It Again, Steely Dan, 1973

For My Lady, The Moody Blues, 1973

Free Ride, Edgar Winter Group, 1973

Higher Ground, Stevie Wonder, 1973

Killing Me Softly, Roberta Flack, 1973

+LaGrange, ZZ Top, 1973

Living in the Past, Jethro Tull, 1973

Love I Lost, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, 1973

Never Before, Deep Purple, 1973

Oh Babe, What Would You Say? Hurricane Smith, 1973

Peaceful Easy Feeling, The Eagles, 1973

Pieces of April, 3 Dog Night, 1973

Playground in My Mind, Clint Holmes, Please Mr. Postman,1973

Reeling in the Years, Doobie Brothers, 1973

Showdown, Electric Light Orchestra, 1973

Takin’ Care of Business, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, 1973

That Lady (Part I), The Isley Brothers, 1973

Annie’s Song, John Denver, 1974

Another Park, Another Sunday, Doobie Brothers, 1974

Carefree Highway, Gordon Lightfoot, 1974

Clap for the Wolfman, Guess Who, 1974

Everything’ll Turn Out Fine, Stealers Wheel, 1974

I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song, Jim Croce, 1974

I’ve Got to Use My Imagination, Gladys Knight & the Pips, 1974

Laughter in the Rain, Neil Sedaka, 1974

Let it Ride, Bachman-Turner Overdrive,1974

Living for the City, Stevie Wonder, 1974

Lookin for a Love, Bobby Womack, 1974

+MFSB, TSOP, 1974

Never Been Any Reason, Head East, 1974

Pinky, Elton John, 1974

Sundown, Gordon Lightfoot, 1974

When Will I See You Again? The Three Degrees, 1974

Carolina in the Pines, Michael Murphy, 1975

I’m Sorry, John Denver, 1975

Junior’s Farm, Paul McCartney & Wings, 1975

Listen to What the Main Said, Paul McCartney & Wings, 1975

Mandy, Barry Manilow, 1975

Medicine Man, Michael Murphy, 1975

Monday Morning, Fleetwood Mac, 1975

Our Last Song Together, Neil Sedaka, 1975

Please Mr. Postman, The Carpenters, 1975

Stand By Me, John Lennon, 1975

The Immigrant, Neil Sedaka, 1975

The Last Farewell, Roger Whittaker, 1975

Trampled Underfoot, Led Zeppelin, 1975

You, George Harrison, 1975

Boogie Fever, Sylvers, 1976

Fernando, ABBA, 1976

Moonlight Feels Right, Starbuck, 1976

Right Back Where We Started From, Maxine Nightingale, 1976

The First Cut is the Deepest, Rod Stewart, 1976

Got to Give It Up (Part One), Marvin Gaye, 1977

I Wanna Get Next to You, Rose Royce, 1977

Lonely Boy, Andrew Gold, 1977

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Clash, 1977

Year of the Cat, Al Stewart, 1977

Ebony Eyes, Bob Welch, 1978

Forever Autumn, The Moody Blues, 1978

Here You Come Again, Dolly Parton, 1978

Imaginary Lover, Atlanta Rhythm Section, 1978

Just What I Needed, The Cars, 1978

Never Let Her Slip Away, Andrew Gold, 1978

Reminiscing, Little River Band, 1978

Sentimental Lady, Bob Welch, 1978

Thank You for Being a Friend, Andrew Gold, 1978

Two Tickets to Paradise, Eddie Money, 1978

Angeliou, Van Morrison, 1979

Bright Side of the Road, Van Morrison, 1979

I Have a Dream, ABBA, 1979

Lady, Little River Band, 1979

Life During Wartime, Talking Heads, 1979

My Sharona, The Knack, 1979

Shattered, The Rolling Stones, 1979

Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy), John Lennon, 1980

Chiquitita, ABBA, 1980

Crazy Train, Ozzie Osbourne, 1980

Misunderstanding, Genesis, 1980

Sara, Fleetwood Mac, 1980

Sailing, Christopher Cross, 1980

You Shook Me All Night Long, AC/DC, 1980

Don’t Stop Believing, Journey, 1981

In Your Letter, REO Speedwagon, 1981

Talking Out of Turn, The Moody Blues, 1981

Too Much Time on My Hands, Styx, 1981

Winning, Santana, 1981

Can’t Go Back, Fleetwood Mac, 1982

Eyes of the World, Fleetwood Mac, 1982

Gloria, Laura Branigan,1982

Leather and Lace, Stevie Nicks & Don Henley, 1982

Trouble, Lindsey Buckingham, 1982

Waiting on a Friend, The Rolling Stones, 1982

867-5309/Jenny, Tommy Tutone, 1982

Every Breath You Take, The Police, 1983

Human Nature, Michael Jackson, 1983

Love is on a Roll, Don Williams, 1983

Maniac, Michael Sembello, 1983

Mary Had a Little Lamb, Stevie Ray Vaughn, 1983

One Thing Leads to Another, Fixx, 1983

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” The Eurythmics, 1983

Got a Hold On Me, Christine McVie, 1984

Some Guys Have All the Luck, Rod Stewart, 1984

And She Was, Talking Heads, 1985

Close to Me, The Cure, 1985

Smooth Operator, Sade, 1985

Strut, Sheena Easton, 1985

Would I Lie to You, The Eurythmics, 1985

Nikita, Elton John, 1986

Your Wildest Dreams, The Moody Blues, 1986

Got My Mind Set on You, George Harrison, 1987

I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, U2, 1987

Finish What Ya Started, Van Halen, 1988

Simply Irresistible, Robert Palmer, 1988

When Love Comes to Town, B.B. King & U2, 1988

I Just Don’t Care, The Moody Blues, 1989

+Ashokan Farewell, Jay Unger/Civil War, 1990

Julie’s House, Leo Kottke, 1991

Any Dream Will Do, Donnie Osmond, 1992

Constant Craving, k.d. Lang, 1992

Jack-Ass, Beck, 1993

Linger, The Cranberries,1993

Over the Rainbow, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, 1993

All I Wanna Do, Sheryl Crow, 1994

Oh What a Thrill, The Mavericks, 1994

What a Crying Shame, The Mavericks, 1994

Lemon Tree, Fools Garden, 1995

Macarena, Bayside Boys Mix, 1995

Edgar the Party Man, John Gorka, 1996

Lovefool, The Cardigans, 1996

Perhaps, Perhap, Perhaps, Cake, 1996

You’ll Be Sorry Now, The Bent Scepters, 1996

Everything is Broken, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, 1997

How Bizarre, OMC, 1997

I Met a Girl, Wheat, 1997

Tubthumping, Chumbawamba, 1997

Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? Paula Cole, 1997

Your Woman, White Town, 1997

Babylon, David Gray, 1998

Crush, Jennifer Paige, 1998

Happy, Travis, 1998

The Way, Fastball, 1998

I Need to Know, Marc Anthony, 1999

Livin’ La Vida Loca, Ricky Martin, 1999

Someday, Sugar Ray, 1999

Bohemian Like You, The Dandy Warhols,2000

Emma Blowgun’s Last Stand, Beulah, 2000

One By One, Enya, 2000

Only Time, Enya, 2000

Don’t Want to Know Why, Whiskeytown, 2001

Everything Hits at Once, Spoon, 2001

I Can Only Imagine, Mercy Me, 2001

Last Nite, The Strokes, 2001

You and Your Heart, Jack Johnson, 2001

Harder to Breath, Maroon Five, 2002

Our Great God, Fernando Ortega, 2002

Traveler, Fernando Ortega, 2002

Are You Gonna Be My Girl, Jet, 2003

Bleed to Love Her, Fleetwood Mac, 2003

Hey Ya, Outkast, 2003

Hit ‘Em Up Style, Blu Cantrell, 2003

Hypnotise, The White Stripes, 2003

Remember When, Alan Jackson, 2003

Roll Over DJ, Jet, 2003

Seven Nation Army, The White Stripes, 2003

Caught Up, Usher, 2004

Closer, Matt Pond PA, 2004

Float On, Modest Mouse, 2004

Glass, Concrete and Stone, David Byrne, 2004

Mary, Scissor Sisters, 2004

Where is the Love? The Black Eyed Peas, 2004

Be Gentle With Me, The Boy Least Likely to Succeed, 2005

Devil in the Water, Matt Pond PA, 2005

Oh Mandy, The Spinto Band, 2005

Over and Over Again (Lost and Found), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, 2005

Save the Last Dance for Me, Michael Buble, 2005

Someday, The Strokes, 2005

Sovay, Andrew Bird, 2005

Speed of Sound, Coldplay, 2005

Such Great Heights, The Postal Service, 2005

This Year, The Mountain Goats, 2005

Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood, Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah, 2005

Chasing Cars, Snow Patrol, 2006

Couldn’t You Tell, B.C. Camplight, 2006

Crazy, Gnarls Barkley, 2006

Give Me Jesus, Jeremy Camp, 2006

I Will Follow You into the Dark, Death Cab for Cutie, 2006

Is It Any Wonder, Keane, 2006

+Overland Blues, Yoshida Brothers, 2006

Steady as She Goes, The Raconteurs, 2006

Years and Years, Lylas, 2006

The Perfect Crime #2, The Decemberists, 2006

Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then), The Decemberists, 2006

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, The Flaming Lips, 2006

Am I Just One, Carey Ott, 2007

Eddie’s Ragga, Spoon, 2007

Everyone Gets a Star, Albert Hammond Jr., 2007

Falling Down, Duran, Duran, 2007

Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop, Landon Pigg, 2007

Finally Home, Mercy Me, 2007

Gone, Gone, Gone, Robert Plant &Alison Kraus, 2007

Mansard Roof, Vampire Weekend, 2007

Missed the Boat, Modest Mouse, 2007

Rhythm and Soul, Spoon, 2007

Silver Lining, Rilo Kiley, 2007

Closer, Ne-Yo, 2008

Mercy, Duffy, 2008

No Sunlight, Death Cab for Cutie, 2008

Skinny Love, Bon Iver, 2008

You Don’t Know Me, Ben Folds and Regina Spektor, 2008

Hey Soul Sister, Train, 2009

Home, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, 2009

I Gotta Feeling, Black Eyed Peas, 2009

Crash Years, The New Pornographers, 2010

Rolling in the Deep, Adele, 2010

Pumped Up Kicks, Foster the People, 2011