Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs (part 1)

I have started listening through all 500 of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs. I have decided that for the blog to work i need a focus. My focus is the media and arts I consume like water. I have started with this project to see which songs are most overrated, underrated, or surprising.

Here are the 50 songs I started with:

001 - Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone

002 - Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

003 - John Lennon - Imagine

004 - Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

005 - Aretha Franklin - Respect

006 - Beach Boys - Good Vibrations

007 - Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode

008 - Beatles - Hey Jude

009 - Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

010 - Ray Charles - What'd I Say

011 - Who - My Generation

012 - Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come

013 - Beatles - Yesterday

014 - Bob Dylan - Blowin' In The Wind

015 - Clash - London Calling

016 - Beatles - I Want To Hold Your Hand

017 - Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze

018 - Chuck Berry - Maybellene

019 - Elvis Presley - Hound Dog

020 - Beatles - Let It Be

021 - Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run

022 - Ronettes - Be My Baby

023 - Beatles - In My Life

024 - Curtis Mayfield - People Get Ready

025 - Beach Boys - God Only Knows

026 - Beatles - A Day In The Life

027 - Derek And The Dominos - Layla

028 - Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay

029 - Beatles - Help!

030 - Johnny Cash - I Walk The Line

031 - Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven

032 - Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil

033 - Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep, Mountain High

034 - Righteous Brothers - You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'

035 - Doors - Light My Fire

036 - U2 - One

037 - Bob Marley - No Woman, No Cry

038 - Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter

039 - Buddy Holly And The Crickets - That'll Be The Day

040 - Martha And The Vandellas - Dancing In the Streets

041 - Band - The Weight

042 - Kinks - Waterloo Sunset

043 - Little Richard - Tutti Frutti

044 - Ray Charles - Georgia On My Mind

045 - Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel

046 - David Bowie - Heroes

047 - Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water

048 - Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along The Watchtower

049 - Eagles - Hotel California

050 - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Tracks Of My Tears

SO here is what i think

Overrated/Worst Song: Hotel California

This song is terrible and overrated. I cannot stand the pretension that it is and the faux folk feeling. It is so overdone that I can't stand it. The fact that it rates so high shows how terrible some people's taste is.

Surprise: How many of these hold up over the years. I actually enjoyed listening to the elvis songs.

Underrated:

1. One by U2 - their best song and it is pretty great overall. I am not huge U2 fan but this is great.

2. My Generation by The Who - How can you not listen to this and hear this hints at the future of punk rock? This song should be higher on the list.

Ok readers, what other lists and popculture things you want to hear me talk about? Stay tuned for part 2 of this with the next 50 songs and more thoughts as I hear more new songs.