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From timeless classics to revolutionary anthems, these musical masterpieces have shaped generations! Join us as we count down the songs that absolutely everyone should experience in their lifetime. From Queen's operatic masterpiece to The Rolling Stones' dark rock classic, these tracks changed music forever.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we're counting down our picks for the top 20 songs
00:10that you absolutely should not go through life without hearing.
00:14It's been a long, long time coming.
00:22Number 20.
00:23Gimme Shelter, The Rolling Stones.
00:30If ever there was a song that was worthy of bringing the free-living ways of the 60s to
00:39an end, it was The Rolling Stones' 1969 classic Gimme Shelter.
00:51There was no upbeat, carefree, fun-loving, preachery happening here.
00:56Gimme Shelter is a dark and pessimistic track, but man, does it rock hard.
01:01Bolstered by guest vocalist Mary Clayton's powerful singing, Jagger and company manage
01:06to redefine rock music all over again with this bonafide masterpiece.
01:12Every single part of this song is iconic, and to this day, it remains an unmissable parts
01:27of rock history.
01:35Number 19.
01:36Born to Run Bruce Springsteen
01:46Bruce Springsteen was, in many ways, the artist who best defined the American working-class
01:52experience in the 1970s and 80s, and out of all of his finest moments, Born to Run is
01:58as good as it gets.
01:59If the day we sweat out on the streets of a lonely American group.
02:07Backed by the iconic E Street Band, Bruce delivered an anthem that feels completely timeless.
02:12From its opening notes, this song hits its stride almost immediately, setting a pace that only
02:18it continues to increase during its four-and-a-half-minute runtime.
02:23Springsteen had perfected his sound in the mid-70s, and though his catalogue has many other
02:33undeniable high points, Born to Run is probably his creative peak.
02:39N.W.A took the hip-hop formula and totally flipped it on its head with Straight Outta
02:59Compton.
03:00Music, as we know it today, changed forever the second Ice Cube uttered those now iconic
03:06opening bars.
03:12By the end of the 1980s, hip-hop was evolving at a steady rate, but N.W.A. cranked the genre's
03:19formula up to 11.
03:21There's an urgency to Straight Outta Compton that was unmistakable, compounded by the fact
03:25that N.W.A. were genuinely angry.
03:36Their debut album is littered with classics, but it was the title track that truly managed
03:42to capture the public's imagination.
03:5217.
03:54Imagine…
03:55John Lennon
04:04He had more than a few personal demons to battle through during the second half of his
04:08career, but to say he kicked off his solo career with a bang would be an understatement.
04:18Imagine… might just be the most essential post-Beatles song there is.
04:24The underlying message of peace calls on the listener to do away with materialism, which
04:30is as relevant a message today as it was then.
04:39But it's the chorus that truly takes this one home.
04:46It's John Lennon at his very best, delivering a timeless piece of music.
05:12Number 16 Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
05:24We very easily could have picked 10 other Bob Dylan songs here, and Blown In The Wind would
05:29have been at the very front of that list.
05:32But no song shook up the world of rock and roll quite like Like a Rolling Stone.
05:37From its opening snare hit onwards, Dylan and his band dragged the folk genre into
05:42a new era.
05:59Not only does it possess some of Dylan's sharpest lyrics, but also some of his catchiest melodies.
06:06It was the song that totally justified his transition from folk hero to full band musician.
06:12And it is without question one of the defining songs of the 1960s.
06:25Number 15 I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston
06:37Delivering a cover that outshines the original is one of the hardest things to do as a musician.
06:42Though people might be split down the middle when comparing Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston's
06:46versions of I Will Always Love You, both are undeniably classics.
06:58For our money, Houston's powerful delivery is enough to give it the edge.
07:03The song was released in 1992 as part of the soundtrack for the film The Body Gone, which had Houston
07:09in a starring role.
07:18Whereas Parton's original was a subtle country ballad, Whitney blows the roof off with one
07:23of the most unmissable vocal performances in pop history.
07:45Number 14 Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
07:55Hair metal had grown tiresome by the time the 1990s came around, and rock music was in
08:00need of a major shake-up.
08:04Enter Nirvana and the release of one of the most immediate and hard-hitting songs of the
08:14decade.
08:15Smells Like Teen Spirit was described by lead singer Kurt Cobain as the band's attempt at
08:19writing a pixie song.
08:30But the end product is something truly unique.
08:33Nirvana were right at the forefront of the grunge movement of the 90s, and this song was the
08:38anthem that best summed up the entire ethos of the genre.
08:57Though Cobain's life was cut short at the age of 27, the fact that Nirvana's music remains
09:02as relevant as ever today says it all.
09:05I deny you, I deny you!
09:14Number 13 Fight the Power Public Enemy
09:18Hip-Hop was truly never the same after Public Enemy put out Fight the Power in 1989.
09:31Chuck D was the king of socially conscious rapping, and this intense and unmissable call to action
09:37might just be his masterpiece.
09:39It's a song that demands your attention from its opening verse, refusing to let go until
09:51it's done.
09:52Samples range from church services and civil rights exhortations, to the music of James
09:57Brown coming together to create the perfect encapsulation of everything that made Public Enemy great.
10:03To this day, it's their best-known song, and with good reason.
10:18Number 12 Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin
10:27Stairway to Heaven is one of the most essential pieces of rock music ever recorded.
10:39From its iconic opening guitar phrase to its explosive bombastic finale, Led Zeppelin have
11:00truly never sounded better.
11:13Every single passing section builds the track's momentum, culminating in one of the most memorable
11:18guitar solos of all time, courtesy of Mr. Jimmy Page.
11:23To this day, do we know what the lyrics are truly about?
11:34Not really.
11:35But when the song is this good, it doesn't matter.
11:39Zeppelin were a band who had a number of creative peaks, but they never truly managed to fire on
11:44all cylinders quite like they did on this track.
11:5911.
12:03A Change Is Gonna Come
12:05Sam Cooke
12:12Sam Cooke sensed that a change in the weather was coming when he penned A Change Is Gonna
12:17Come in the early 1960s.
12:19The song was inspired by his own personal experiences with racial discrimination, particularly at
12:25a time when he and his entourage were turned away from a white-only motel.
12:30It could be argued that Cooke paints a more vivid picture of this period in American history
12:44than any of his contemporaries.
12:46But even when you remove all of the lyrical importance of the track, it's one of the most
12:51beautiful songs of its time.
13:00Cooke's voice, the masterfully woven melodies, and the gorgeous instrumentation make this one
13:05song you simply can't afford to miss.
13:10Cooke's voice, the change is gonna come
13:17look, they called him the king of pop for more than a few reasons.
13:30Just having written, co-produced, and performed this song would probably be enough for Jackson
13:36to defiably claim that title.
13:38Building on the disco and funk-inspired sounds of Off The Wall, Jackson's previous record,
13:43the former Jackson 5 member and producer Quincy Jones unknowingly stumbled upon the future
13:48of pop music with Billie Jean.
13:51A cautionary tale about the trials and tribulations of fame, Billie Jean is not only one of the
14:04best-selling singles of all time, but its iconic video helped to establish MTV as a major
14:09force in the music world.
14:11Try not to tap your foot as you listen along.
14:22Number 9, Everywhere, Fleetwood Mac.
14:33Are there any other songs that sound as much like Pure Bliss as Everywhere by Fleetwood?
14:39Admittedly, we were tempted to go with the group's earlier hit, Dreams, from the iconic
14:441977 record, Rumors.
14:46Whatever internal tensions had plagued the band, seemed to all but disappear on Everywhere,
14:51on which singer Christine McVie describes the unexpected effects that love can have.
14:56I wanna be with you everywhere.
15:04Everywhere is remarkable, not only for its exquisitely dreamy vibe and pitch-perfect take on pop
15:10music production, but for its seamless merging of disparate musical elements into a cohesive
15:16whole.
15:17These are songs everyone should hear, at least once, but good luck playing this Fleetwood Mac
15:22classic a single time.
15:23Number 8, Respect, Aretha Franklin.
15:34Would it surprise you to learn that the Queen of Soul's signature song is actually a cover?
15:48Originally written and sung by Otis Redding in 1965, Respect was part of Franklin's live
15:55repertoire before appearing on the 1967 album, I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You.
16:11While Redding was, of course, no slouch.
16:14It's hard to deny that Franklin's is the definitive version of the song, significantly altered,
16:20not only musically, but lyrically.
16:23Rewritten to comment on issues of gender disparity, Respect has emerged as a self-empowerment anthem
16:30for women, defined by that inimitable spelling out of its title through Franklin's unmistakable vocals.
16:37R-E-S-B-E-C-T.
16:39Find out what it means to me.
16:41R-E-S-B-E-C-T.
16:43Take out T-C-T.
16:45Number 7, Stand By Me, Benny King.
16:48When the night has come, and the land is dark.
16:56Later recording artists like The Beatles and Queen opened the recording studio up to new possibilities.
17:02But it's important to remember that musical complexity and technical proficiency don't necessarily make a great song in themselves.
17:09Take Stand By Me, for example.
17:11No, I won't be afraid.
17:15Oh, I won't be afraid.
17:19Inspired by the gospel hymn of the same name by Charles Albert Tinley, singer King nearly missed recording what would come to be known as his defining hit.
17:29King's powerfully expressive vocals are guaranteed to send a unique chill down your spine.
17:34Like the best ballads of its time, Stand By Me poses a simple request, but its stirring, heartfelt arrangement reinforces the scale of the emotions attached to it.
17:44And darling, darling, stand by me, hold them by me.
17:53Number 6, Unchained Melody, The Righteous Brothers.
17:57I've hungered for your touch.
18:04Sometimes, above all, all you want to know is that someone cares.
18:10That's the message behind Unchained Melody, a pop standard that has been more or less claimed by The Righteous Brothers.
18:17Appearing on their 1965 album, Just Once In My Life, Unchained Melody describes the universal feeling of longing while in a romantic relationship.
18:26And time goes by.
18:33The raw, soulful, Righteous Brothers rendition of Unchained Melody benefits significantly from singer Bobby Hatfield's soaring, pristine vocals.
18:42It's impossible not to hear the conviction in his voice.
18:46Unchained Melody makes no secret of its narrator's heart-sick pain.
18:50It's relatively simple composition hitting you right in the guts.
18:54This, combined with its grandiose sound, will have you fumbling for tissues in no time.
18:59Lonely river sigh, wait for me, wait for me.
19:06Number 5, Can't Help Falling In Love.
19:09Elvis Presley.
19:10Wise men say, only fools, only fools pray.
19:19The king of rock and roll was probably better known for animated hip-shaking and stage presence than for mellow ballads like this one.
19:27However, that didn't stop Can't Help Falling In Love from becoming one of Presley's signature songs.
19:32But I am falling in love with you.
19:41Inspired by the French love song, plaisir d'amour, this sweet, open-hearted love song may very well be the greatest of its kind.
19:49If you need a pick-me-up, you could do a lot worse than this pure, unfiltered expression of romantic love.
19:56As written by Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore and George David Weiss, the king's unmistakable vocals elevate Can't Help Falling In Love to one of the all-time great ballads.
20:08Number 4, Let It Be, The Beatles.
20:18When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me.
20:25Any chance you're familiar with the Fab Four from Liverpool?
20:28All jokes aside, there are probably a dozen Beatles songs we could have put on our list.
20:34But in the end, we had to go with Let It Be.
20:36That would be for its virtually perfect encapsulation of everything that made the Beatles, well, the Beatles.
20:43Shine until tomorrow, let it be.
20:49Inspired by a dream McCartney had in which he was visited by his late mother, Mary, Let It Be takes on an almost religious gospel quality.
20:58Its message is simple and harkens back to a theme that the Beatles hammered home countless times, but was never quite as succinct as in this song, All You Need Is Love.
21:08Let It Be, Let It Be, Let It Be, Let It Be, Yeah, Let It Be.
21:15Number 3, God Only Knows, The Beach Boys.
21:20I may not always love you, but long as there are stars above you.
21:27Leave it to Brian Wilson to take one of the most feared words in pop music, God, and turn it into a veritable smash hit for the ages.
21:36Songwriters had had an aversion to using the word to avoid any possible offense, but God Only Knows wouldn't work any other way.
21:45God only knows why I'd be without you.
21:49Far from challenging religious dogma, Wilson and Tony Asher's song invokes God as a way of expressing a love so powerful that it'd take the Almighty's wisdom to imagine the alternative.
22:01God Only Knows exemplifies the best of the Beach Boys knack for mixing enduring deceptively simple pop hooks with subtly complex arrangements and song craft.
22:11Listen to God Only Knows for a taste of what music is capable of.
22:15The world could show nothing to me, so what good would living do me?
22:23Number 2, What's Going On, Marvin Gaye.
22:27In just under 4 minutes, Marvin Gaye issued what might be the most meaningful commentary on the Vietnam War.
22:42Gaye, who'd previously been well known for his sentimental romantic ballads, found himself disillusioned with the direction that America was taking at the time, and felt that he couldn't not speak up.
22:54What's Going On was the result, inspired by conversations with Gaye's younger brother Frankie, who'd spent three years fighting the aforementioned war.
23:11Although Motown founder Barry Gordy vigorously discouraged Gaye from releasing the song due to its political implications, the musician won out.
23:19And What's Going On became a huge hit and one of his signature songs.
23:24The song remains a powerful anti-conflict statement, over 50 years since its debut.
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23:521.
23:53Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
23:57Is this the real life?
24:01Is this just fantasy?
24:04Look, maybe you saw this one coming, but can you really blame us?
24:09A crowning achievement in studio recording at the time, it's pretty much impossible to hear any other song with multiple sections and not compare it to Bohemian Rhapsody.
24:19Met with a decidedly mixed reception at the time of its 1975 release, Bohemian Rhapsody has since become renowned for its complex, non-traditional structure, intricate musicianship, and allusions to opera.
24:34With this song, Freddie Mercury and the rest of Queen blew the doors off the music industry, causing countless musicians to rethink what could be made possible in the studio.
24:49If you've never listened to Bohemian Rhapsody, what are you doing watching this video?
24:55Go put it on!
24:56What song do you think should be a must listen for any music fan?
25:06Let us know in the comments below!
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