The Best Songs of All Time for Every Music Lover’s Playlist
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Music is one of humanity’s oldest art forms, and today, it’s a career path that can help you amass millions if you’re fortunate and talented enough. Artists of the digital age have been venting about the struggles they face with pressure from labels to go viral on TikTok and other platforms– something artists of past generations, like Nina Simone and Louis Armstrong never had to worry about. As some leading creatives explore new ways of releasing things outside of the traditional DSPs, we’ve put together a list of some of the best songs of all time that help illustrate how far the industry has come.
Across every genre, the transition to streaming and other technological evolutions have impacted both listeners and creators, not always for the better in either case. Still, no matter what’s happening in the world, musicians continue to share their work – sometimes just to make a quick buck, and other times with the hope of creating profound change. Go back in time with us from 1939 to present day as we reflect on those whose impact continues to be felt throughout the culture long after their studio sessions and tours.
Pre-60s
Through the 30s, 40s and 50s, several Black artists left their mark with tracks that continue to be used as samples in modern music. “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday is a great example, as well as the late Harry Belafonte‘s “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song),” which was initially released in 1956. Nat King Cole made reference to one of the world’s most famous paintings on “Mona Lisa,” Marilyn Monroe made it known that she’s a woman with expensive taste on “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” and Chuck Berry injected vivacious energy into every live performance of his late ’50s classic, “Johnny B. Goode.” To close out the decade, The Flamingos gave us one of the most romantic love ballads of all time, “I Only Have Eyes for You,” prominitely featured in season two of Netflix’s The Crown.
“Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday (1939)
“Swinging on a Star” by Bing Crosby (1944)
“It’s Too Soon to Know” by The Orioles (1949)
“Mona Lisa” by Nat King Cole (1950)
“Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” by Marilyn Monroe (1953)
“Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard (1955)
“Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” by Harry Belafonte (1956)
“Johnny B Goode” by Chuck Berry (1958)
“I Only Have Eyes for You” by The Flamingos (1959)
1960s
In the 60s there were a notable number of anthems promoting the vibrations of peace and love that were flowing in the air amid the hippie movement. “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” from James Brown, Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” and “What a Wonderful World” all come to mind immediately, as well as “Come Together,” just one of The Beatles’ many hits. Nancy Sinatra’s 1966 classic, “These Boots Are Made For Walkin'” is a hot topic in 2024 as Beyoncé just sampled it on her stunning COWBOY CARTER LP.
“Georgia on My Mind” by Ray Charles (1960)
“Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley (1961)
“Stand By Me” by Ben E. King (1962)
“I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (1964)
“Feeling Good” by Nina Simone (1965)
“These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” by Nancy Sinatra (1966)
“What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong (1967)
“Come Together” by The Beatles (1969)
1970s
The same passion we felt loud and clear in the 60s only became clearer in the 1970s. Early on that decade, Marvin Gaye encouraged his fans to question “What’s Going On,” and the next year, Bill Withers shared his empowering song “Lean On Me,” reminding us all to look to our community for support in times of struggle. Country icon Dolly Parton was a woman scorned on 1974’s “Jolene” (also recently repurposed by Beyoncé), meanwhile Roberta Flack likely had no idea how often her “Killing Me Softly With His Song” would go on to be sampled. Other noteworthy names from this era of music include Stevie Wonder, Donna Summer and Blondie, not to mention Earth, Wind and Fire, who kept the groove going with “September” in 1978.
“What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye (1971)
“Lean On Me” by Bill Withers (1972)
“Killing Me Softly With His Song” by Roberta Flack (1973)
“Jolene” by Dolly Parton (1974)
“Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder (1976)
“I Feel Love” by Donna Summer (1977)
“September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire (1978)
“Heart of Glass” by Blondie (1979)
1980s
The 80s is when hip-hop groups like Public Enemy pushed boundaries with their hard-hitting raps, though that wasn’t until later on in the decade. In the first year, Bob Marley and the Wailers shared their “Redemption Song,” and Michael Jackson’s solo career continued to flourish thanks to “Billie Jean.” Female voices continued to shine, especially Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” (repopularized by Stranger Things in the 2020s). Both women are talented singers, but they have nothing on Whitney Houston, whose powerhouse vocals struck fear into her competitors in 1987 on “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” On the more mellow end of Black artists at that time was Tracy Chapman, whose soulful “Fast Car” is a karaoke favorite to this day.
“Redemption Song” by Bob Marley and the Wailers (1980)
“In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins (1981)
“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson (1982)
“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper (1983)
“Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush (1985)
“Kiss” by Prince & The Revolution (1986)
“I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston (1987)
“Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman (1988)
“Fight the Power” by Public Enemy (1989)
1990s
Now we move into the MTV era, when music videos were almost more important than the songs being released. Besides reflecting on how much things have changed sonically since Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole, it’s also amazing to connect with artists more closely through visual storytelling. Even in 1992 Ice Cube knew how to put together a fire video well ahead of its time, as we saw with “It Was a Good Day,” and Biggie Smalls made sure to keep things turnt up while filming “Juicy” a few years later. As for his biggest competitor, Tupac Shakur had all eyes on him before his tragic death.
Another trendsetter, Aaliyah, reminded us that she really was “One in a Million” in her 1996 visual; it’s hard not to wonder what other creative boundaries she could’ve pushed, or other entries she could’ve had on our best songs of all time list had her life not been lost. In the latter half of the 90s saw a surge in girl groups, such as the Spice Girls and TLC. The former’s “Wannabe” was everywhere in 1996, and in 1999 it was TLC who had us in a chokehold with “No Scrubs.” At the same time, R&B artists began coming to the forefront of the industry, such as Lauryn Hill and Ginuwine, both of whom are popular sample choices.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana (1991)
“It Was a Good Day” by Ice Cube (1992)
“Juicy” by the Notorious B.I.G. (1994)
“Don’t Speak” by No Doubt (1995)
“One in a Million” by Aaliyah (1996)
“Hit ‘Em Up” by Tupac Shakur (1996)
“Wannabe” by the Spice Girls (1996)
“Doo Wop (That Thing)” by Lauryn Hill (1998)
“So Anxious” by Ginuwine (1999)
“No Scrubs” by TLC (1999)
2000s
People expected mass shifts to occur as we moved into the new millennium, and one of the most obvious places that’s happened is in the entertainment industry. The 2000s is the last time when creatives weren’t relying on the virality of their content, meaning that instead, many were focused on making music for the masses to shake their booties to as Black artists finally began getting more acknowledgement and opportunities. Wu-Tang Clan set the tone for many of today’s MCs, and Eminem carved out space for White rappers to feel more confident in spitting rhymes on 2002’s “Lose Yourself.”
The further into the decade we move, the more upbeat and infectious the songs become – Kanye West and Jamie Foxx’s “Gold Digger,” “Umbrella” from Rihanna and Jay-Z and M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” are all virtually impossible not to sing along to. In the realm of emotional ballads, we have Amy Winehouse’s 2006 classic “Back to Black,” yet another beloved karaoke choice.
“Gravel Pit” by Wu-Tang Clan (2000)
“Get Ur Freak On” by Missy Elliott (2001)
“Lose Yourself” by Eminem (2002)
“Milkshake” by Kelis (2003)
“Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes (2003)
“Gold Digger” by Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx (2005)
“SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake feat. Timbaland (2006)
“Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse (2006)
“Umbrella” by Rihanna feat. Jay-Z (2007)
“Paper Planes” by M.I.A. (2008)
2010s to Now
We’ve looked back on several decades worth of the best songs of all time, leading us up to modern day. It’s already been over a decade since Lorde’s “Royals” and Frank Ocean’s “Pyramids” soundtracked the rise of the Tumblr era. Daft Punk and Pharrell uplifted our spirits on “Get Lucky,” and Bruno Mars took a similar approach on “Uptown Funk” with Mark Ronson. By 2015, Compton’s Kendrick Lamar was knocking out the competition with titles like “Alright,” and the next year, it was Beyoncé who made sure her BeyHive was poised in “Formation.” More recently, the internet has dictated which songs are hits and flops, with Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” and Doja Cat’s “Say So” falling in the former category. Beyond that, The Weeknd, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Bad Bunny, Lil Nas X, Drake, Future, Tems, SZA, Pinkpantherss and Ice Spice are just a few of the tastemakers who continue to inspire us.
As mentioned, some labels won’t let today’s biggest singers release music unless their certain it’ll blow up on social media, leaving some listeners dissatisfied with the current sonic landscape. Not only are the artists who’ve always been around struggling to share what’s authentic to them, but they’re also competing with “SoundCloud rappers,” or people who go viral without already having a record deal, allowing them to find success in the independent space. The industry is more oversaturated than ever before, but if you’re willing to dig through the countless New Music Friday arrivals each week, you’ll likely find a few new artists worth following. What are your favorite songs of all time? Let us know in the comments!
