Top 100 of the past 300 years that influenced Rock and Roll (A completely pointless subjective ranking of various songs)

First of all, some ground rules. The way this list was compiled was by searching my record collection and combing through my old DJ list for songs that may possibly be able to be in my top 100. The first rule that I created was that once an artist has been listed, said artist may not appear again. The reason is because this list is so subjective positions 20-80 might have only consisted of four bands (Pixies, Nirvana, White Stripes, and Weezer). This rule allows for the greatest variety. However, the song chosen does not purport to be that artists “best” song, but merely an influential song that may or may not be popular.

It might be the song that you listen to when you borrow a record from a friend that makes you want to purchase that record for yourself. Or, it may be the song that you play on repeat when the blonde in biology cheats on you with your best friend. Or, it may simply be the song that makes you happy you saw the sun today.

Either way, this list is nothing more than a compilation of songs I think are good. That is, if I were stranded on the proverbial island with only 100 songs to listen to for the rest of my life, these would be the ones I would take….as of today. The hard thing about this list was narrowing down an artist I love and admire like Johnny Cash into one song. Also, those artists who reinvent themselves often it was difficult to choose which “version” to include. Oh, there will be no 80’s hair metal or Pink Floyd. No Apologies need be made.


100 – “Lawyers, guns, and money” – Warren Zevon
Any list has to start somewhere, I choose Warren Zevon. Not because I love him, but because this song is pretty cool and I didn’t want to start a list about music while in law school anywhere else. Humor in Rock in Roll has always been in two different forms. There is the silly (Monkees, some would argue Kiss) and there is the sardonic. Some would say the distinction is between stupid and smart, but I think it can be smart to be silly sometimes. Anyway, great song to start of with.

99 – “Devil Got My Woman” – Skip James

This song should be on any list about music. The man was a pimp, a bootlegger and then was reformed. His voice is so odd for a blues musician and it is truly unique. The world is in this song and the man behind it the song says it all.

98 – “Kisses Sweater than Wine” – Jimmy Rodgers

A good song takes you somewhere you weren’t before the song began. It can do that by either the melody or rhythm or in this case the lyrics. The story that is told (in a very late 50’s folk style is of a man who is looking back on his life and can discover the main catalyst for all of the major points of his life. The kiss of a woman. The romantic in me loves that statement that it is the kiss of a woman that marks the major parts of a man’s life. What is a wedding without a kiss? But these weren’t just any kisses, they were kisses sweeter than wine. The song is triumphant in that “We had a lot of kids a lot of trouble and pain, but, Oh Lord, we’d do it all again”. Now that I think about it, it is a similar statement to something the shock band Butthole surfers said, it’s better to regret something you did than something you didn’t do. I’m still struggling with the truth of that statement on a grand level, but I think on a small scale the statement rings true, especially with something like kisses. Do you regret kissing someone? But I truly bet you regret NOT kissing someone, but I digress, great story type song, great artist.

97 - “It Don’t Mean a thing (If it ain’t got that swing)” – Duke Ellington

One of my favorite quotes about music is attributable to Duke Ellington when he said, “There are only two kinds of music, good and bad”. What truth and beauty are in that statement. A song either has got it or it don’t, there ain’t no middle ground. This song has it and it is an amazing journey within the bars of this orchestral poem. My first contact with this song was oddly enough in a movie called “Swing kids”. Some girl told me I reminded her of a character in the movie so, vanity being what it is, I had to watch the movie. Quite a good film, but I really couldn’t see the comparison. However, this song has always stuck with me and I believe it is influencial to rock and roll because of a. it’s rolling bassline that introduces the main theme, but disappears during other melodic verses. The contrast is also wonderful in this song. Oh ya, it’s pretty catchy to. Finally, the title itself is a type of statement about life that could be considered a type of “rock attitude”. It’s a great piece of work and it’s a shame I am limiting myself to just one inclusion per artist because this cat would be a regular.

96 – “Roadrunner” – The Modern Lovers

If you were ever in a band, this two chord early punk classic was one of the easiest songs to play and thus one of the first songs mastered. I first heard this song when I was about 14 on the Sex Pistols “soundtrack” “The great Rock and Roll Swindle” and it was just the band mucking around during studio time. Of course, Johnny Rotten didn’t know the (incredibly simple) lyrics and had to have Steve Jones chime them in and he would repeat them. What I loved when I heard this song was that it developed seamlessly into a misguided interpretation of “Johnny B. Goode”. Where once again, Mr. Rotten laughed off not knowing the lyrics. While not the greatest song, I believe it is a fantastically influential song and deserves to be on the list.

95 – “Miserlou” – Dick Dale

Pulp Fiction, surf rock genius are the first things I think about when the opening notes of this original heart thumping album come a blazin’ in. Here’s a little history about Dick Dale and his completely original sound.

Dick Dale invented surf music in the 1950's. Not the '60's as is commonly believed. He was given the title "King of the Surf Guitar" by his fellow surfers with whom he surfed with from sun-up to sun-down. He met Leo Fender the guitar and amplifier Guru and Leo asked Dale to play his newly creation, the Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar. The minute Dale picked up the guitar, Leo Fender broke into uncontrolled laughter and disbelief, he was watching Dale play a right handed guitar upside down and backwards, Dale was playing a right handed guitar left handed and changing the chords in his head then transposing the chords to his hands to create a sound never heard before.

Leo Fender gave the Fender Stratocaster along with a Fender Amp to Dale and told him to beat it to death and tell him what he thought of it. Dale took the guitar and started to beat it to death, and he blew up Leo Fender's amp and blew out the speaker. Dale proceeded to blow up forty nine amps and speakers; they would actually catch on fire. Leo would say, 'Dick, why do you have to play so loud?' Dale would explain that he wanted to create the sound of Gene Krupa the famous jazz drummer that created the sounds of the native dancers in the jungles along with the roar of mother nature's creature's and the roar of the ocean. -- Source

94 – “Washington Post March” – John Phillip Sousa

In 1889, Sousa wrote "The Washington Post" march to promote an essay contest sponsored by the newspaper; the march was soon adapted and identified with the new dance called the two-step. "The Washington Post" became the most popular tune in America and Europe, and critical response was overwhelming. A British band journalist remarked that since Johann Strauss, Jr. was called the "Waltz King" that American bandmaster Sousa should be called the "March King." With this, Sousa’s regal title was coined and has remained ever since – Source – www.marineband.usmc.mil

93 – “96 Tears” - ? and the Mysterians

Garage rock perfection. As a little bit of trivia this song was originally titled 69 tears but was changed for the obvious sexual overtones. This is on the list because it represents what simplicity there is to rock and roll and how four guys in a garage can truly have at least one hit song. Rock and roll is a representation of the American dream where if you create something good you will succeed. The “If you build it they will come” dream that surrounds most of what we Americans desire.

92 – “1979” Smashing Pumpkins

This song represents what I believe will be the legacy of the Smashing Pumpkins. They will be remembered as a time rather than as a band. They will be synonymous with “90’s” retro music and this song is definitely a highlight. With cryptic lyrics and rave beats, this song combines elements of 90’s über-cool with classic rock and what is left is a transition song of sorts.

91 – “Bittersweet Symphony” – the Verve (1997)

This is a really great song from a really great band. This song samples heavily from an orchestral version of “The Last Time” by the Rolling stones and without this sample I don’t believe the song works. Mick and Keith must have agreed because they ended up getting a ton of money to sell the rights to this sample in order for the Verve to release it. The diagram, Band A writes song #1 which is not a hit and never released on a proper album. Band B uses a sample from the song #1 and makes millions of dollars. Band A therefore makes millions of dollars from the ingenuity and creativity of Band B. Gotta love American Music! What follows is a legal explanation from superswell.com

In 1997, The Verve's album "Urban Hymns" peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Charts. What ensued was a bitter (and not sweet) legal battle resulting in The Verve turning over 100% of the royalties to the Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones argued that The Verve had violated the previous licensing agreement by using too much of the sample in their song. The Verve argued that The Rolling Stones got greedy when the song became successful. Herein lies the issue of moral rights of a samplist.

"The last thing I ever wanted was for my music to be used in a commercial. I'm still sick about it", The Verve's lead singer Richard Ashcroft said in a recent interview. So, that's exactly what Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein did. Capitalizing off the success of the song, Klein licensed The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" to Nike, who proceeded to run a multi-million dollar television campaign using The Verve's song over shots of its sneakers. Klein also used the song to hawk Vauxhall automobiles. Additionally, though the song was authored by The Rolling Stones, the Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra performed the sampled recording and also filed suit upon the success of the song. (Herein lies a fine caveat to license both the recording and composition rights from whomever maintains them.) To add even more insult to injury, when "Bittersweet Symphony" was nominated for a Grammy, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were named the nominees and not The Verve. What could be more "Bittersweet" than your song reaching the top of the charts and not being able to enjoy a cent of its success? "

90 – "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson

The opening guitar crawl seems to bleed into this voice that screams with the high pitch of the 78rpm recording. He’s talking about a pain I think we can all relate to, the pain of making a choice and then regretting it. Of crossing the road and wishing that at the time you went the other way. Some believe this man is the father of modern rock and roll. More believe the legend that he sold his soul to the devil in order to secure musical legend. There is something so believable about that story. That if one did sell their soul, the result would be this music. The sounds of pain, regret, hope and sometimes silliness characterize this genre and Robert Johnson is a key player in the genre. He is also the first on the list to die at the mythical age of twenty-seven.