The Full List: Rolling Stone's Top 500 Songs of All-Time (2021 Updated) - stuarte (2023)

FAQs

Who has the most songs on Rolling Stone Top 500? ›

Rolling Stone updated its list of the 500 greatest songs of all-time – its first update in 17 years. The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, took home the top spot for her version of "Respect," which was originally recorded by Otis Redding. Snagging second place was Public Enemy's "Fight the Power."

It was never a hit single and got almost no play on Top 40 radio. There's even a dispute over the exact title. Yet “It's a Small World,” also known as “It's a Small, Small World” and “It's a Small World (After All),” is very likely the most played song in music history — nearly 50 million times.

According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) as performed by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.

Chart history

Canadian singer Justin Bieber topped the chart for eight weeks, aided by "Peaches" and the Kid Laroi collaboration "Stay". "Easy on Me" by English singer Adele, her first single in nearly six years, topped the chart for seven weeks in 2021.

What is the most played song ever 2021? ›

The top song of 2021 globally is Olivia Rodrigo's runaway “drivers license,” which garnered over 1.1 billion streams.

The Beatles

The Beatles are unquestionably the best and most important band in rock history, as well as the most compelling story.

'(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction': The Rolling Stones' First US No. 1.

1. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon. After the initial Syd Barrett-inspired success of their debut album The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, it took a while for Pink Floyd Mk II to find their feet.

1: Aretha Franklin

Topping our list of the best female singers of all time, Aretha Franklin also stands as the most-charting female singer in history. Starting out in the gospel choir at her Baptist church, in Detroit, Franklin began her career as a recording artist in 1960, aged just 18.

Who is World No 1 pop singer? ›

BTS currently holds the record for most consecutive weeks at number one with 180. Justin Bieber has spent 163 weeks at number one on the Billboard Social 50. Taylor Swift have spent 28 weeks at number one, the most by any female artist.

Her real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina but people know her as the stage name Lady Gaga. She is the richest singer and person in Hollywood and her net worth is almost 275 million dollars.

Climb Ev'ry Mountain is best known as the finale song of The Sound of Music, but it is also performed by Mother Abbess, who is a mentor to Maria. After Maria returns to the abbey, Mother Abbess sings the song to her. It is an inspirational tune and encourages Maria to return to the von Trapps.

For Billboard's year-end Hot 100 Songs of 2022, “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals — which dropped in 2020 — ranked No. 1.

"Heat Waves", the 2020 single by British indie-pop band Glass Animals, topped the Hot 100 in 2022 for five weeks. It became the best-charting song of the year.

Most cumulative weeks at No. 1

Sources: The Beatles (132)

Most weeks at number one by single

The longest unbroken run at number one is "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams, which spent 16 consecutive weeks in 1991.

What is the most listened to song in America 2021? ›

The most popular song in the United States in 2021 based on the number of audio streams was “Levitating” by Dua Lipa, which accumulated over 720 million streams that year.

The most widely held belief is that the first rock'n'roll single was 1951's Rocket 88, written by Ike Turner, sung by Jackie Brenston (the saxophone player from Turner's backing band The Kings of Rhythm), and recorded by Sam Phillips, who later went on to found Sun records and discover Elvis Presley.

The Rolling Stones have had eight number one singles.

The Rolling Stones have scored 37 top-10 albums (9 No. 1 albums) on the Billboard 200 and 8 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

The real best selling live album of all-time is one that is rarely talked about as a huge seller. Eric Clapton's Unplugged. It is estimated to have shifted 26 million worldwide.

1. Exile on Main Street (1972) This record marks a signature statement by THE rock & roll band of the time, one that never lets up in intensity from beginning to end. And even when the songs are not four-on-the-floor rockers, there's a certain dark potency watching over the proceedings.

The Beatles are the most represented musical act, with 23 songs on the list. John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison are also represented as solo artists.

Who has written most of the Rolling Stones songs? ›

The songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards is one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in history which still continues today. Their musical collaboration has produced the majority of the Rolling Stones catalog and Jagger/Richards songs have been recorded by artists across all genres.

The Beatles, as individuals or as the band, have appeared over 30 times. Madonna has appeared on more covers than any other female with a total of 23 times as of 2018, either alone or in a "collage" cover; or dozen alone between 1984 and 2009.

While the Beatles maintained the shorter career span, the Rolling Stones were certainly the more prolific of the two bands. Some of the Rolling Stones best-known albums, including Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street, Goat's Head Soup, Some Girls, and Tattoo You all came out after the Beatles broke up.

1 Sticky Fingers - 22.13 Million

You know the album, the one with the zipper on it. Sticky Fingers represents the best-selling Rolling Stones album of all time as it celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021.

The Beatles

The Beatles are unquestionably the best and most important band in rock history, as well as the most compelling story.

The cover of Rolling Stone — Tina Turner was the first black female cover star in 1967 — was a key moment in Bonet's liberation: her bohemian rhapsody, but above all, her declaration of independence.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales. Second is Garth Brooks with over 157 million units sales, followed by Elvis Presley with 139 million units.

What is the most played song of all time 2022? ›

For Billboard's year-end Hot 100 Songs of 2022, “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals — which dropped in 2020 — ranked No. 1.

J Balvin Now Has the Most Videos in the Billion Views Club – Billboard.