For over half a century, Rolling Stone have had their finger on the pulse of the music world. Now, the US publication have put their thinking caps on once again and delivered a list of what they reckon the 100 best songs of the 21st century are.
Over the years, Rolling Stone have been known to drop a few lists from time to time, ranking things such as the greatest songs of all time, the greatest albums of all time, or even the greatest songs of the ’90s. Of course, many of these lists are met with great debate from fans, especially those who ask the inevitable question of, “But what about…?” Now, the publication has delivered its latest list, ranking the best tracks of the 21st century so far.
Consulting with a vast array of artists (including The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne, Diplo, Mark Ronson, Courtney Love, and Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello) and journalists (including Kurt Loder, and Stephen Thomas Erlewine to name a few), Rolling Stone have now unveiled what they deem to be the greatest songs of the century so far.
Of course, they do acknowledge the fact that the century might only be 17-and-a-half years old, but their list serves as a rather fine way to reacquaint yourself with some of the greatest tracks to hit our ears since we waved goodbye to the ’90s.
As you would expect though, the list has been met with controversy, with Beyoncé & Jay-Z’s ‘Crazy In Love’ topping the poll, two spots above one of the three ‘rock’ tracks to make the top ten.
Interestingly though, ‘Crazy In Love’ hit #3 on the publication’s ‘100 Best Songs of the 2000s‘ list back in 2011, with the #2 song, ‘Jay Z’s ’99 Problems’, charting four spots lower this time, and the #1 song, Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’, charting a full 15 spots lower this time around.
While only two Aussie artists make the cut (Kylie Minogue and Sia, if you were wondering), the highest-ranking rock song on the list (The White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’) does include a riff that was written in Melbourne back in the day, so we’ll chalk that one up as a win.
Love Rage Against The Machine?
Get the latest Rage Against The Machine news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
Notably, only one song out of the top six on the list was not released in 2003, indicating that 2003 may have actually been the greatest year for music this century (at least according to Rolling Stone).
If you’re keen on checking out the full list, you can do so by heading to the Rolling Stone website here. Otherwise, check out the top ten below, and let us know what you think is missing from the list.
Check out Beyoncé & Jay-Z’s ‘Crazy In Love’:
Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Songs of the Century – So Far
10. ‘Last Nite’ – The Strokes (2001)
9. ‘Royals’ – Lorde (2013)
8. ‘Rolling In The Deep’ – Adele (2011)
7. ‘Runaway (feat. Pusha T)’ – Kanye West (2010)
6. ‘Maps’ – Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003)
5. ’99 Problems’ – Jay-Z (2003)
4. ‘Hey Ya!’ – Outkast (2003)
3. ‘Seven Nation Army’ – The White Stripes (2003)
2. ‘Paper Planes’ – M.I.A. (2007)
1. ‘Crazy In Love (feat. Jay-Z)’ – Beyonce (2003)
