What’s The Greatest Song Ever Recorded?

Gimme shelter, Rolling Stones

Op that's their worst song, seriously. Try something off Presence or Physical Graffiti, it you want to hear Zep's greatness.

R3 I fucking HATE that song.

What song is best then?

"Stairway to Heaven' was way overplayed back when I was a teenager. It just annoyed me. I didn't learn to like it, to listen to the lyrics, and finally get it, until later on in life, with the Kennedy Center Honors.

Sympathy for the Devil or The Passenger - Iggy Pop

Indian Lake (don't laugh) by the Cowsills. One of the first hit singles that I ever bought. Not really my favorite but it popped into my head.

R8 Back in the day before things got drenched in PC. Very catchy song.

Comfortably Numb

Favorite Zep Songs: In the Light, In my Time of Dying - for the 'statement' songs. Tehre are a lot of more modest songs that are great. Dancing Days, Rain Song - I've always liked Boogie with Stu.

When I first did acid, I had a LZ in my WALKMAN even though it was the '90s. I would have to painfully zoom back to consciousness just to hit the rewind button before the first notes of Stairway came on - that's how much I couldn't bear to hear it. But then those first few notes got through and I listened to the whole thing in the canyons and got teary eyed.

Still wouldn't listen to it afterward though.

Sing, Sing,Sing

"Can't Get You Out of My Head"

Moritat - Lotte Lenya

My favorite song from the 1970's.

Nothing else matters: "Edge Of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks, of course.

L'amour est bleu performed by Vicky Leandros.

"Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush.

R3, I was watching Ken Burns's documentary on the Vietnam War the other day and 'Let It Be' played over the closing credits. I was immediately struck by the thought that as much as people love to venerate John Lennon as the true genius of the Beatles (and simultaneously denigrate McCartney as a sentimental hack), Lennon never wrote anything that approaches the simple, moving greatness of 'Let It Be'.

More Cowsills: The Rain, The Park, and Other Things

Black Dog by Led Zeppelin. Raw, sexy testosterone.

Promised Land by Chuck Berry

R20 And their biggest hit single "Hair" from the famous Broadway play.

That crazy, fantastic song, Wooly Bully, the #1 best selling single of 1965!

Surfing Bird by the Rivington’s

Bird bird bird, the bird is the word

King Oliver's Wa Wa Wa

This song. What other classic song has Ginger, Maryanne and Mrs. Howell dancing off key?

I think “We Can Fly” by the Cowsills is their best. Post the video please?

OP - that's the most cliche and overrated pick for best song ever.

You should be ashamed.

Let's go with the official best song of the 20th century, There certainly hasn't been anything in the 21st century to displace it, so it remain the greatest song ever recorded.

Does Stairway to heaven have a meaning? I never understood it if it did.

Purple Rain

Funeral For A Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding ... Elton John

The Way You Look Tonight

trifecta of Heart, Barracuda, Magic Man and Crazy on You

Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac

R1 is correct.

Stairway to heaven is boring and over rated. Kashmir was Zep's best song. Not sure what the "greatest song ever written" was though? Quite a few songs fit that title.

Since everyone is posting the great, underrated Cowsills, here's my favorite song of theirs, the best of the Christian and pseudo-Christian rock songs of the late 60s and early 70s:

Great song by Jimi.

Excuse me while I kiss the sky!

Kashmir- Led Zeppelin (Remastered)

R1 = Marty Scorsese

Go-Go's - Head Over Heels

Ok, it's 80s, but great combo of piano, drums, bass, fun harmonies, crunchy guitars.

Fleetwood Mac - Gypsy

The Circle Game

The most powerful song ever put on vinyl is Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Chile (Slight Return). It still blows everything else away.

Most beautiful song? Anything by Smokey Robinson. Let's say Tracks of My Tears.

VERY CLOSE Runners up in Greatness: Beatles - A Day in the Life; Stevie Wonder - Living For The City; Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone; Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy

Beware of Darkness and Isn't it a Pity by George Harrison.

Van Morrison MOONDANCE

For me it's The Beatles" A Day in the Life.

But I also want to mention a couple of runners up:

The Stones' Satisfaction

The longer version of Donna Summer's I Feel Love

and for sheer ballsiness: The Sex Pistols' Bodies

LOVE STINKS by J. GEILS BAND

Bohemian Rhapsody usually gets mentioned in these discussions. For me it just might be Under Pressure. Bowie and Freddie together was magic.

^Clooney’s desert island list.

Ashes & Pearls - Debi Nova

I don’t know, OP, if you’re looking for something from the ‘60s or ‘70s, I think it might be “Days” by the Kinks.

There are so many great Elton John songs, but his early ones, produced by the late, great Gus Dudgeon, are the best...Tiny Dancer, High Flying Bird, Friends, Mona Lisa's and Mad Batters, Blues for Baby and Me, Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, Someone Saved My Life Tonight, We All Fall in Love Sometimes, Skyline Pigeon (piano version)...and still many others. The combination of Bernie's lyrics, Elton's compositions, singings and musicianship, Davey, Dee, and Novel's musicianship hand harmonizing, all so elegantly put together by Dudgeon, are outstanding.

Just seen in the news that Radiohead are suing Lana Del Rey for "copying" Creep on her album Lust for Life (the offending song being Get Free)....which is interesting considering Radiohead's Creep was copied from the Hollies "The Air That I Breathe."

I like all three songs, so it's win win for me.

Non, je ne regrette rien

This is OP I just chose that song based on verbiage from Internet. No my choice. OP is feeling sensitive about all the ridicule. I let you all down.

The Beatles - In My Life

List

Barbra Streisand - "He Touched Me:" A Happening in Central Park

Liza Minelli "New York New York" Live Best Performance Of This Song

"Stairway to Heaven" Total drek as is 90% of the nominees here.

Ohhh r58, you were watching that dove chocolate commercial too. Werncha!?Werncha?!

HELLO guys! IT’S ALL ABOUT BEACH BOYS GOD ONLY KNOWS, SIGUR ROS SVEFN G ENGLAR, AND THIS MORTAL COIL SONG TO THE SIREN!

Lady Gaga - Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)

Years ago when I was a kid detasseling corn in the fields (we had radios with us) I kept on hearing this new song called "The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA" by Donna Fargo. Cute, winning, catchy, and nice, little song. That memory still stays in my mind decades later. And I have the single, and the album (below).

It's from 1967, R15.

How did the Cowsills get in this thread?

Excellent choice, R55.

R70 Because we're Special.

"Stairway to Heaven" is just a little plagiarized.

r63 Most of all, why did he fuck it up with his "A-number one" shit? If I hadn't already hated him, I'd hate him just for that.

Someone else mentioned The Circle Game. I imagine he meant Joni Mitchell's version. I heard it by Tom Rush first, in 1967. Either way, for me it is the greatest song ever recorded.

R75 I have The Circle Game by Native Indian singer Buffy Sainte Marie. Very unusual lady and vocalist. Love her.

You've Got a Friend - James Taylor

Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen

American Pie - Don Maclean

You Are the Sunshine of My Life - Stevie Wonder

I'll Be There - Four Tops

What's Going On - Marvin Gaye

Hey Jude - The Beatles

Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel

Thunder Road

HOW SOON IS NOW? The Smiths

R19 couldn't agree more.

His solo career gets a lot of shit too, but Band on the Run is one of the best.

This one

‘Let It Be’ bores me to tears. Easy to play on piano, too. McCartney used very easy chords back then. ‘Hey Jude’ has too many na-naas but it is a classic.

Still, quite seriously prefer Happiness Is A Warm Gun. That’s Lennon. And I never get sick of Come Together and don’t consider it all tgatvpkagiarized. Across the Universe is more of the classic.

*all that plagiarized

R83 r84 I haven't been able to like John Lennon since hearing "How Do You Sleep?" What does "not all that plagiarized" mean? Only a little bit plagiarized? I never heard that "Come Together" was plagiarized to any degree.

Thank you r27. I do not remember that clip.

[This song. What other classic song has Ginger, Maryanne and Mrs. Howell dancing off key?]

Not sure what you mean by dancing off key? I think Ginger and Mary Anne are dancing to the beat. Mrs Howell is doing the less common dancing to the words.

Well it has to be from the great American songbook and from one its great composers so

Cole Porter-Begin the Beguine

Irving Berlin-Let's Face the Music and Dance

Arlen-Over the Rainbow

Gershwin-Embraceable You

Rodgers-Out of My Dreams

Kern-Old Man River

Of course from these it's impossible to choose

Stevie Wonder

"SATURN"

This one!

"Sunshine (go away today)" by Jonathan Edwards, an anti Richard Nixon song from back in the day.

Thank you for being a friend.

"Oranges Poranges" by The Thre Oranges.

H R Pufnstuf at its best!!!

Op's question is: What’s The Greatest Song Ever Recorded?

If we're talking about "in English" or American, it's "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". Judy Garland's original 1939 performance.

It's iconic.

Others are: Bing Crosby's White Christmas.

Bob Dylan's "The times they are a changing" and "Blowing in the Wind".

Gershwin's "Summertime"

You need songs that are iconic, or that changed culture, or that represent an era.

There are more but I'd start with these.

I have never liked any of r93s picks that much. Except for "White Christmas," I don't dislike them, exactly, or even disagree that they are iconic. They're just not songs I like enough to call "great."

R94 Personally, I loathe Bing Crosby's White Christmas. But it's not about my personal tastes.

Stardust

Patti Smith-Birdland Lou Reed-Heroin The Doors-The End

Millions have never recovered from the tragedy of June 22, 1969!

R77 listed 3 songs I absolutely loathe..lol

R77 listed 5 songs I love and 3 that are meh. But at least you used "loathe" correctly, R99.

Which are the three you loathe, R99?

R23, the original soundtrack to Hair was the first album I ever bought., having purchased only a few miscellaneous 45s previously.

R56, excluding Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, I was disappointed by every Elton John album after and including Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player. My personal favorite is Tumbleweed Connection.

I feel very lucky that the soundtrack on my life well lived sparkled with the shine of many talented artists.

R24 Wooly Bully was the name of Sam's cat. I love that song too.

R99 is too cool for school!

Yesterday Once More

For What It's Worth - by Buffalo Springfield (classic anthem for the late 1960's)

And Stephen Stills was all kinds of HOTNESS back then.

That kick-ass song, These Boots Are Made For Walkin' by rockin' Nancy Sinatra.

R39 I think you misread the title of this thread. It isn't WORST song ever recorded.

R75 I love Joni Mitchell but those lyrics don't make any sense.

We can't return to where we came -- but we keep going around in a circle, which means we are constantly returning to where we came.

Grandma got run over by a reindeer.

"Stairway" was plagiarized from Spirit's "Taurus" and "Dazed and Confused" was totally ripped off from NYC singer/songwriter Jake Holmes, who later went on to write for Streisand!

IIRC, Jake was later paid by Zeppelin.

Sun King - The Beatles

Marcia Balla - Les Ritas Mitsouko

This question is impossible without at least several separate genre categories from which to pick a candidate (cue the ‘genre is arbitrary’ trolls, but you know I’m right).

Heavy metal stalwarts have been known to say that Iron Maiden’s ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ is the best metal song ever penned. I can agree, but could easily choose two dozen other Maiden songs that live up to the acclaim. One of the few bands who truly deserve every word of praise they garner.

Btw, the Maiden Abbey Road live session might be the most powerfully beautiful set ever recorded in metal. ‘Hallowed’ is in it.

R106 ‘Expecting To Fly’ is greater by far. Come on, now.

This.

Somebody Else’s Guy by Jocelyn Brown for what it meant to me at the time.

It’s one of the following:

“Boy From the Arab Strap” by Belle & Sebastian

“Cherchez la Femme” by Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band

“Don’t Leave Me This Way” by Thelma Houston

“Free Man in Paris” by Joni Mitchell

“Gentle on My Mind” by Glen Campbell

“Dancing Queen” by ABBA

“Hey Ya” by OutKast

C'mon you're just randomly naming songs you like. Most are surely not "the greatest song ever recorded"!

Let's not forget, there are songs from other genres besides pop and rock.

This is one of DL's silliest threads ever.

The Rock Show by Blink 182.

Not really possible to choose just one...I'll just go for the one that I keep replaying in 2018

It wouldn't be complete without cutie Rick Springfield.

Bop Til You Drop.

You've gotta hear The Duck Song!

Yes.

Honey Bear - cute, good message.

This one!

This

Cheers Theme

[/bold]

Look what you started, r119.

The first time I ever saw your face

Diamanda Galas - Wild Women With Steak Knives

WITCH DOCTOR

This one.

Someone suggested music other than rock-pop-soul. The greatest piece of classical music ever recorded:

THREAD CLOSED:

This:

Let It Be/The Long and Winding Road, Bridge Over Troubled Water/Sound of Silence, Proud Mary/Who'll Stop the Rain

Bitch Betta Have My Money

R139 Yes, that was quite a medley!

"Mony Mony" by Tommy James and the Shondells, a great sex song from the late 1960's.

What a lot of crap in this thread. No music program in your high schools?

Here. The subject to this thread is awfully broad, but no matter what, Casta Diva belongs at or near the top.

R136 I love you. And Tennstedt! Wow, great choice. I love Abbado's Mahler, too--esp the early Chicago SO recordings.

I'd chime in that the original cast album of Pippin is one of the greatest recordings of all time--it was done at Motown records for some reason that now escapes me. But highly unusual that it was done there, and the recording is out of this world. So intimate and delicate. The album is better than the show!

disturbed's cover of sounds of silence

Imagine

OK R143, I'll tell you my personal 'greatest'. In the pop genre, it's the lovely symphonic rock fusion from the 60's, Nights in White Satin - Moody Blues. Just slays me every time. And a tip of the hat to the late Ray Thomas for his contributions to the track.

At Seventeen - Janis Ian

The Love I saw in You Was Just A Mirage - Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

r144 Would that feature Jill Clayburgh singing?

[quote][R136] I love you. And Tennstedt! Wow, great choice. I love Abbado's Mahler, too--esp the early Chicago SO recordings.

Hi, r144. So glad you liked it. My first choice for the Mahler 6 is actually Bernstein's first recording (CBS), but they don't have that on You Tube. I also love Abbado's Mahler, particularly 3, 7, 8, and 2 (all versions). Tennstedt is not usually my favorite, but his live recordings, like the one I posted, are quite nice to listen to. Here's his final version of 3, with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra.

^ I made a mistake. That's Abbado's final version of 3, with Lucerne, not Tennstedt's. ^

No Stairway--denied, OP!

The best Jackson

[quote]The best Jackson

No such thing.

The best Jackson

The best Jackson:

r149, that's sublime...it always reminds me of Richard Gere in American Gigolo.

Seriously....

The best pop song evah!!

One of the all-time greats, period!

Whitney 's "I Will Always Love You"

In The Disco by Deen

Jeff Buckley --Eternal Life

Tori Amos--Mother

Pj Harvey-- Missed

DJ Shadow--Midnight in a Perfect World

Love--Alone Again Or

Moody Blues--knights in White Satin

I meant Jeff Buckley --Dream Brother instead, but any song off of "Grace" will do.

Piss

Had the title read "what's the greatest aria or symphony etc., composed" I too would have offered a classical piece, but as the title is asking about songs recorded, most people would suggest something nonclassical. So the snobs who snickered at peoples' choices can fuck off.

Personally, in terms of classical music, I think Wagner's Liebestod has never been surpassed. The last three minutes in particular are utterly sublime.

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out — The Smiths and I’ll second I Feel Love — Donna Summer

Behold:

Thread semi-closed:

Joe Cocker's cover of "With A Little Help From My Friends". Elevates the lyrics and tune into something incredibly powerful.

Any song that results in an extended investigation by the FBI deserves at least a honorable mention. Kingsmen and "Louie Louie"

Keep the faith...

Rhapsody in Blue

Let me help you out, R175.

Since r135 already posted my first pick I choose The Velvet Underground's All Tomorrow's Parties.

Spellbound by Siouxsie & The Banshees

The B-52's - Roam

Natacha Atlas - One Brief Moment

....

Fun is fun, but I hope everybody understands that, in reality, trying to name "the greatest song ever recorded" is completely ridiculous, and the only purpose it serves is as a conversation starter -- or an argument starter.

WTF...182 replies and no mention of my masterpiece? You bitches are slipping.

The idea is preposterous, but for the most part, I loved this thread for reintroducing me to a lot of great songs I've forgotten about , or haven't heard in awhile. Also, the ridiculous songs made me smile a bit. I loved this Kennedy Center Honors production of "Stairway to Heaven" for those who like this song.

This gets me every time:

Or me R183

stairway to heaven? plese. How about Highway to Hell??

OK, for real?? : It Was A Very Good Year. Sinat.

Or, R187.......

The version at R188 is on speed. This one sounds more mellow.

I agree, OP.

Though Kashmir is awesome as well.

IM really surprised by these responses, you'd almost believe that you all were straight. I thought the first response would be fucking Judy Garland or Barbara Streisand. At least it's obvious that you're all white men

not all of us are white

not all of us are men

what's YOUR story??? you don't sound like anyone the rest of us want to know.

I dare you to get this song out of your head...

Vocals begin at the 1:27 mark. Enjoy!

Re: R193 - bonus points for the gay couple at 2:52. There may be a few lesbian couples shown but it's hard to tell old fashioned affectionate female friends from actual lesbian couples.

THIS is the greatest song ever recorded. BOW DOWN, BITCHES

(i do love this song)

'This Woman's Work' by Kate Bush

Linda Perry & Grace Slick - Knock Me Out

FANTASTIC

Do I have to do all of the work? Behold a masterpiece:

How did we miss the greatest Cowsills song of all?

[quote]the greatest Cowsills song of all

The musical equivalent of best turd in the toilet.

What is happy, R199? I'll tell ya what's happy. A good Cowsills song. A good one dammit.

I. Just. Can't. Stop. Too Many Choices...

The acid queen meets Wagner

Joe Cocker - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

R118 Gentle on my mind - John Hartford wrote it.

It wouldn't be a rock song. It would be something from the Great American Songbook. My nominees:

"The Nearness of You"

"The Song is You"

"Where or When"

"September Song"

"Over the Rainbow"

"Someone to Watch Over me"

R205, the thread title is "What's the Greatest Song Ever RECORDED. I think it's more about the song and the artist than its origins.

Chris Rea's contribution to teenage angst...Lorde ain't got nothin' on you, sir.

Turning Japanese means what?!?! *gasp*

[quote] [R205], the thread title is "What's the Greatest Song Ever RECORDED.

And all the songs I listed were recorded, multiple times.

R207 R210, understood. I prefer Hartford over Campbell, a matter of personal taste. Also prefer Kashmir to Stairway and Rhapsody to Rainbow, but room for all. Thanks

Upside Down - Miss Ross

R92- that is so unfair and will turn off another generation to the beauty of THIS!

Boots

Freebird!

"Clint Eastwood" by Gorillaz

An impossible question, which clearly cannot be answered.

Had the question been asked of a specific genre of music, then fine, but people are posting music from rock, pop, R'n'B, classical and, well, a lot of different genres.

Let's not forget The Divine Miss M Bette Midler

Erasure - Oh L'Amour

No, r218, let’s.

Nothing was hotter or dirtier than this song...still hot. Love this live version