VH1's Top 100 Greatest Songs - Of the Past Quarter Decade

[Doot]

THE WHOLE COUNTDOWN will air over five nights, starting at 10 p.m. ET Monday on the video music channel. The series will feature clips of videos and performances by the artists along with interviews from musicians and celebrities discussing why the songs matter. Here is the full list:

1. Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
2. Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean”
3. Guns N’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
4. Eminem, “Lose Yourself”
5. U2, “One”
6. Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way”
7. Prince, “When Doves Cry”
8. Whitney Houston, “I Will Always Love You”
9. The Police, “Every Breath You Take”
10. Madonna, “Like a Virgin”
11. Van Halen, “Jump”
12. Alanis Morissette, “You Oughta Know”
13. TLC, “Waterfalls”
14. Sinead O’Connor, “Nothing Compares 2 U”
15. Pink Floyd, “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)”
16. No Doubt, “Don’t Speak”
17. Def Leppard, “Photograph”
18. R.E.M., “Losing My Religion”
19. Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”
20. AC/DC, “You Shook Me All Night Long”
21. U2, “With or Without You”
22. Cyndi Lauper, “Time After Time”
23. Prince, “Little Red Corvette”
24. Celine Dion, “My Heart Will Go On”
25. Rick James, “Super Freak”
26. Bon Jovi, “Livin’ on a Prayer”
27. Grandmaster Flash, “The Message”
28. Britney Spears, “... Baby One More Time”
29. Bruce Springsteen, “Born in the U.S.A.”
30. Janet Jackson, “Nasty”
31. Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg, “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang”
32. Pearl Jam, “Jeremy”
33. Tina Turner, “What’s Love Got to do With It”
34. Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”
35. The Sugarhill Gang, “Rapper’s Delight”
36. Joan Jett, “I Love Rock ’n Roll”
37. Alicia Keys, “Fallin”’
38. The Clash, “London Calling”
39. Tom Petty, “Free Fallin”’
40. Michael Jackson, “Beat It”
41. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Under the Bridge”
42. Blondie, “Heart of Glass”
43. The Go-Go’s, “Our Lips Are Sealed”
44. Gloria Gaynor, “I Will Survive”
45. Aerosmith, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”
46. Queen and David Bowie, “Under Pressure”
47. Shania Twain, “You’re Still the One”
48. Naughty By Nature, “O.P.P.”
49. Journey, “Don’t Stop Believin”’
50. Lenny Kravitz, “Are You Gonna Go My Way?”
51. George Michael, “Faith”
52. The Rolling Stones, “Start Me Up”
53. Marvin Gaye, “Sexual Healing”
54. Goo Goo Dolls, “Iris”
55. Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime”
56. Sheryl Crow, “All I Wanna Do”
57. Eric Clapton, “Tears in Heaven”
58. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Puff Daddy & Mase, “Mo Money Mo Problems”
59. Meat Loaf “Paradise By the Dashboard Light”
60. Santana feat. Rob Thomas, “Smooth”
61. Backstreet Boys, “I Want It That Way”
62. Pretenders, “Brass in Pocket”
63. Beck, “Loser”
64. The Knack, “My Sharona”
65. Nelly, “Hot in Herre”
66. Squeeze, “Tempted”
67. John Cougar Mellencamp, “Jack and Diane”
68. Chic, “Good Times”
69. Mary J. Blige, “Real Love”
70. Culture Club, “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”
71. Dave Matthews Band, “Crash Into Me”
72. John Lennon, “(Just Like) Starting Over”
73. LL Cool J, “Mama Said Knock You Out”
74. Hall & Oates, “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)”
75. The Ramones, “I Wanna Be Sedated”
76. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
77. Missy Elliott, “Work It”
78. Green Day, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”
79. Destiny’s Child, “Say My Name”
80. Duran Duran, “Hungry Like the Wolf”
81. OutKast, “Ms. Jackson”
82. Soft Cell, “Tainted Love”
83. Band Aid, “Do They Know It’s Christmas”
84. Radiohead, “Creep”
85. Eminem, “My Name Is”
86. Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car”
87. The Who, “Who Are You”
88. Metallica, “Enter Sandman”
89. Pat Benatar, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”
90. The Police, “Roxanne”
91. Melissa Etheridge, “Come to My Window”
92. Salt-N-Pepa, “Push It”
93. Nine Inch Nails, “Closer”
94. Cheap Trick, “Surrender”
95. Oasis, “Wonderwall”
96. Beastie Boys, “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)”
97. Devo, “Whip It”
98. Hanson, “MMMBop”
99. Norah Jones, “Don’t Know Why”
100. Madonna, “Ray of Light”


OK, so VH1's lists are not always by far perfect. So if you disagree, who would you put on the top 100 of the past 25 years (1978-present)? (When I think about it - it would be the Top Greatest Songs of my entire life - shiver)

[GAAZ]

The hell is Wierd AL Least he's been releasing albums for the past 25 years. Nirvana let himself out with 12 guage Buckshot and Mike Jackson hasn't really turned heads except if they saw him head on and that freaky nose freaked them out.

And Meatloaf was popular for that one song not that one they got.

I'm just glad to see Sublime didn't make the list.

*Wishes to gouge portion of brain that remembers their HORRIBLE music*

[Ming]

Alright...What the HELL is Eminem doing in slot number 4?! Does anyone else see something wrong with this? I will admit, despite not liking rap AT ALL, that Lose Yourself is probably his best song, and probably one of the best rap songs ever, and probably even deserving of this list, but not at 4! How could this songs POSSIBLY be better than say, Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton?! How can you even classify Eminem in the same category as Clapton?! The man is a living legend!

And Guns 'n Roses should have Welcome to the Jungle, or maybe even November Rain up there, instead of Sweet Child 'o Mine...better songs in my opinion...

But, that is just my opinion...

[Mika]

OOOOO Glad to see John Lennon made the list. And I agree Ming Eminem should not have made the fourth spot! I dont like rap music and I think its yucky I know some peoples like it but not in the fourth slot! LOL! Thanks for sharing Doot! I'd never known about this unless you had brought it up! There are a lot of good songs on this list!

[GAAZ]

TLC Water Falls id on there and Bon Jovi's (One isn't even ON the list) song "It's my Life" (I think that's Bon Jovi) Ain't even ON the list?

A flippin song about aids contracted for being STUPID is on the list over "It's my" Flippin "Life" Not to mention Emenem Graces the list TWICE! It's good to see a guy who STEALS other peoples music and sounds and then just talks about doing Dr Dre in the ass (Yes he has MANY songs about this so I am in fact not just calling him a homo for all you PC's out there) or shooting bank tellers in the face (He has that one too)

Fuggin SNOOP DOG beat "Jack and Diane"?! The hell is wrong with these people? Oooh, Journey made the list ONCE?! And it wasn't even one of their best songs.

Well, least Doot knows how to piss people off by pointing out others idiocrity...hehehe

[Righty The Wonder Ghoul]

a few comments...

4. Eminem, “Lose Yourself”
what idiot put that there? seriously. i mean i dont like him that much, and thats not even one of his good songs (sorry ming). that was just an overplayed piece of crap that got annoying after.... 2 minutes? less? really, what the hell were they smoking, cus that musta been some hard ass ****

28. Britney Spears, “... Baby One More Time”
ok, so by now i guess it would be safe to assume that this list was made by 12 year old girls and really horny pedophiles with school girl fetishes.

35. The Sugarhill Gang, “Rapper’s Delight”
it was funny in the wedding singer, its just plain sad here

58. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Puff Daddy & Mase, “Mo Money Mo Problems”
not gonna complain about this one, cus i dont dislike it, but it isnt worthy of this list.

61. Backstreet Boys, “I Want It That Way”
i reiterate. 12 year old girls... and really horny pedophiles

65. Nelly, “Hot in Herre”
so the point that they are trying to prove is that overplayed bad songs are the tops of all time? thats what im hearing.

73. LL Cool J, “Mama Said Knock You Out”
look ma, its an 80's rap song about boxing!!!

88. Metallica, “Enter Sandman”
if you are gonna put a semidecent band on their, get a good song (this is not a good song, no leaf clover is good, st. anger is good, ummm other than those im not too crazy about them, but they have better songs)

98. Hanson, “MMMBop”
is this some sick sick joke played on us by the COTYOGOA (Coalition of twelve year old girls of america, yes they do exist!)

100. Madonna, “Ray of Light”
ummm wow... a crappy finish to the list of crappiest songs ever.

ok there were some good things on there, like...
5. U2, “One”
21. U2, “With or Without You”
41. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Under the Bridge”
58. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Puff Daddy & Mase, “Mo Money Mo Problems :nana:
73. LL Cool J, “Mama Said Knock You Out”
75. The Ramones, “I Wanna Be Sedated”
76. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
84. Radiohead, “Creep” (great song)
85. Eminem, “My Name Is”
96. Beastie Boys, “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right

[Ming]

As much as I love Nirvana, especially Smells Like Teen Spirit, I think that VH1 must have their foot up Kurt Cobain's dead ass because this song is always 1 or 2 on what seems like whatever the hell list it qualifies for. Seriously, it's a GREAT song, but I can't see it beating out some of the legends on this list...like Clapton...

As for Enter Sandman...I think this is an awesome song, the problem is that its too overplayed, at least in my mind. Its sort of boring to listen to now. St. Anger, however, is a freakin' amazing song. So was I Disappear, which was off of the Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack, and didn't get enough credit, in my opinion.

But yeah, whatever...

[Doot]

[GAAZ]

Well, Least Beck made the list for loser.

I'm tryin to figure out why Snoop Dogs "I ain't no Cop Killer" wasn't on the list? You know cause like 2 months later he almost killed a cop I'm sure THAT was a turning point in music history.

[Righty The Wonder Ghoul]

doot, i understand that these songs served some purpose, but calling them the 100 GREATEST songs is bad. maybe 100 biggest chart toppers of the last 25 years would be a better name. i mean seriously there are a lot greater songs that arent on this list, and it seems to me that that is only because they werent on the charts, or at least not chart toppers.