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.
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 18: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Sir Paul McCartney performs at The O2 Arena during his 'Got Back' world tour on December 18, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
Atlanta – April 15: Singer/Songwriter Tom Petty of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers perform at Lakewood Amphitheater in Atlanta Georgia April 15, 1995 (Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – JUNE 1980: American singer-songwriter, composer, and pianist Billy Joel plays Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, June 1980. (Photo by Don Aters/Icon and Image/Getty Images)
American rock singer and songwriter Bruce Springsteen stands onstage, holding an electric guitar at his side during a concert, 1980s. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
American musician Stevie Nicks of the group Fleetwood Mac perform onstage at the Los Angeles Forum, Inglewood, California, December 6, 1979. In the foreground is American musician Lindsey Buckingham. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)
Spinning back into the London scene again are The Four Tops, the pop-group from America, seen here at Mayfair Hotel London. (l-r top) Abdul (Duke) Fakir, Levi Stubbs (front) Renaldo (Obie) Benson and Lawrence Payton. They follow up British disc and concert successes with a full tour opening at the Royal Albert Hall. They will also appear in Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow, Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham and Leicester. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)
American Disco and R&B singer Donna Summer (born LaDonna Gaines, 1948 – 2012) performs onstage at the Poplar Creek Music Theater, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, July 12, 1983. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – CIRCA 1968: Folk-Rock Group "The Byrds" perform at the Grand Ol' Opry in Nashville, Tennessee circa 1968. Left to right: Kevin Kelly, Gram Parsons, Jim (Roger) McGuinn and Chris Hillman. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
