10. OutKast - "Hey Ya!" (2003)
Courtesy LaFace Records
"Hey Ya" was released as one of the two lead singles, along with "The Way You Move," from OutKast's double disc set Speakerboxxx / The Love Below. Its catchy uplifting pastiche of Rock, Pop, Hip Hop and R&B was instantly celebrated as brilliant work. The song reached #1 on the pop singles chart and ended the year as a frequent mention in critics' choices for the top single of the year. The video that accompanies the song references the Beatles's historic appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. The song's memorable line, "Shake it like a Polaroid picture," was later used in advertising by Polaroid.
9. Carly Simon - "You're So Vain" (1972)
Courtesy Elektra
Despite the fact that the true subject of this song is still not known, it is one of the most devastating portraits of conceit ever recorded. Speculation of whom Carly Simon was thinking about include Mick Jagger, Warren Beatty, Kris Kristofferson and James Taylor. Various clues to the identity have come out over time. Musically, "You're So Vain" is one of the best examples of a confessional style of singer-songwriter pop. The song is Carly Simon's only #1 pop single.
8. Rod Stewart - "Maggie May" (1971)
Courtesy Mercury Records
Rod Stewart's tale of a manipulative romance with an older woman is believed to be autobiographical. It became Stewart's first #1 pop single and is given credit for launching his career as a solo star. "Maggie May" brought a British folk-pop style and Stewart's trademark raspy vocals into the pop mainstream. Rod Stewart has said he's not sure why it became such a big hit because it has no melody.
7. Righteous Brothers - "Unchained Melody" (1965)
Courtesy Philles
"Unchained Melody" began its recorded life as a theme song for an obscure 1955 prison film Unchained. It hit the pop charts shortly after in an instrumental version by Les Baxter and a vocal version by Al Hibbler. The song was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Song from a Motion Picture. Produced Phil Spector recorded the best known version of "Unchained Melody" as a solo performance by the Righteous Brothers' Bobby Hatfield but it was still credited to the duo upon release. Their version of the song was a top five pop hit, and it returned to the charts in 1990 after being included on the soundtrack to the film Ghost. "Unchained Melody" remains one of the most romantic pop songs of all time.
6. Beach Boys - "Good Vibrations" (1966)
Courtesy Capitol Records
"Good Vibrations" is the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson's magnum opus. It became the band's third #1 pop single. Some consider the song to be a mini-symphony of sorts in multiple sections. Production of the song is reported to have taken seventeeen sessions and ultimately cost over $50,000, a phenomenal cost at that time. The final segments of the song feature the electronic instrument the theremin. "Good Vibrations" is considered to have broken entirely new ground in what could be done in the recording studio with splicing together a wide range of discreet recorded components to create the final work.
5. Beatles - "Yesterday" (1965)
Courtesy Capitol Records
The Guinness Book of Records claims no song has inspired more cover versions than "Yesterday." It is a melancholy ballad recorded with simply the voice of Paul McCartney over a string quartet. It details the aftermath of a relationship gone sour. However, when something so simple is done so perfectly it becomes a classic. The other Beatles members were at first adamantly against including the song on a Beatles album because the sound was so different from their other work. They did veto its release as a single at home in the UK. In the US the song was a #1 hit. A 1999 BBC poll voted "Yesterday" the Best Song of the 20th Century.
4. Judy Garland - "Over the Rainbow" (1939)
Courtesy Decca
"Over the Rainbow" was written specifically for the movie The Wizard Of Ozby Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Judy Garland singing the song was originally deleted from the movie, but insistence from Harold Arlen and executive producer Arthur Freed lobbied to get it back in the film. The version from the Wizard of Oz remains the best known recording, but other cover versions, particularly the one by Hawaiian musician Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, are well known. The "Songs of the Century" list compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts listed "Over the Rainbow" as #1 based on its historical significance.
3. Rolling Stones - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965)
Courtesy London Records
The Rolling Stones topped the US pop singles chart for the first time with this song. It has all of the components of a classic Rolling Stones hit including an arresting guitar introduction from Keith Richards as well as classic preening vocals from Mick Jagger. The song was recorded at the Chess Studios in Chicago. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was seen as subversive and threatening due to its sexual suggestiveness and attacks on commercialism. It was the song that turned the Rolling Stones into superstars.
2. Bruce Springsteen - "Born to Run" (1975)
Courtesy Columbia Records
Bruce Springsteen has stated that he wrote "Born to Run" as a last-ditch effort to become a true star. His first two albums had been critically acclaimed but didn't sell particularly well. The song is essentially a passionate, heroic love letter to a girl named Wendy. The imagery in the song is powerful with "kids huddled on the beach in a mist" and "highways jammed with broken heroes." The song, along with the rest of the albumBorn to Run did help make Bruce Springsteen into a star. He appeared on the covers of Time and Newsweek and the album hit #3 on the charts. Neither of his first two albums had placed inside the top 50. The song itself reached #23 on the pop singles chart in the US.
1. John Lennon - "Imagine" (1971)
Courtesy Apple Records
John Lennon himself stated that "Imagine" is as good as anything he wrote with the Beatles. The song remains one of the most powerful and poignant requests in song to imagine a peaceful world. It reached the top 10 in both the US and the UK upon initial release.
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