- 6 weeks ago
Some songs don't just top the charts — they change the world. Join us as we count down our picks for the most influential and generation-defining songs in music history! Which track moved you the most? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:00Playback!
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo!
00:09And today, we're counting down our picks for the top 10 songs that had a major impact on the generation
00:14that witnessed their release.
00:23Number 10.
00:24Alright.
00:25Kendrick Lamar.
00:30All's my life I have to fight.
00:33Released as a single from his critically adored To Pimp a Butterfly LP, Kendrick Lamar's Alright was a powerful anthem
00:40that arrived at a particularly tense period in recent American history.
00:43Upon its release, it emerged as one of the defining protest songs of the 21st century, combining jazz-infused production
00:50with Kendrick Lamar's deeply personal reflections.
00:53Tell the world I know it's too late.
00:55Posing cause I think I'm concrete.
00:57Trying to set my faces all day.
01:00Its repeated refrain, We Gon' Be Alright, became a spontaneous chant at demonstrations linked to the Black Lives Matter movement,
01:07symbolizing hope in the face of systemic injustice.
01:11Like the rest of the album, it also worked remarkably well as a melting pot of genres, styles, and influences.
01:18We Gon' Be Alright.
01:19Do you hear me?
01:20Do you feel me?
01:20We Gon' Be Alright.
01:21Number 9.
01:23God Save The Queen.
01:25Sex Pistols.
01:33The punk explosion of the 1970s was never destined to peak for very long.
01:38Just as one of its biggest bands, the Sex Pistols was always doomed for a short shelf life.
01:43In that time, though, they gave us some of the defining songs of the time.
01:53God Save The Queen was, certainly, one of their boldest moves.
01:58Released during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee, God Save The Queen became punk's biggest statement of rebellion against Britain's political
02:05establishment and social hierarchy.
02:07It was impossible to ignore.
02:16It's critics despised everything about its existence, while fans of the band simply couldn't get enough of Johnny Rotten's snarling
02:24delivery.
02:24A highly important release cycle that pushed musical boundaries forward in a huge way.
02:38Number 8.
02:39What's Going On?
02:41Marvin Gaye.
02:42My mother, there's too many of you to cry.
02:49After years of playing by company rules and releasing a steady flow of Motown-approved covers and sure things, Marvin
02:56Gaye pulled off an incredible career U-turn in 1971.
02:59Feeling the weight of the various social issues that he witnessed every day, Gaye took full creative control with his
03:05next album, What's Going On?
03:14.
03:15Its title track in particular proved that soul music could address serious topics with real sophistication.
03:22Gaye, as it turned out, was an absolute natural when it came to crafting a concept album while still maintaining
03:28real pop sensibility.
03:29What's Going On did wonders for Marvin's career, while also pushing several of his contemporaries to move into different territory
03:36with their own work.
03:38Oh, what's going on?
03:40What's going on?
03:41What's going on?
03:42What's going on?
03:42What's going on?
03:43Yeah, what's going on?
03:44What's going on?
03:45Number 7.
03:46Born in the USA.
03:47Bruce Springsteen, a.k.a.
03:50The Boss.
03:51Born down in a dead-nast town.
03:59Trust us, we nearly went with Born to Run with this one, but for as much as that track was
04:04a riveting anthem, Bruce Springsteen had a lot more to say with Born in the USA.
04:09Often misinterpreted as a fiercely patriotic track, the song's triumphant chorus and its verses could not be more different.
04:23It's verses are a powerful critique of America's treatment of Vietnam veterans and working-class citizens.
04:29In a skilled display of contrast, Springsteen paired bleak, socially conscious lyrics with a stadium rock sound, creating one of
04:37music's greatest ironies.
04:39Born in the USA.
04:46It was a fitting statement at an important time for the U.S.
04:50And the fact that politicians are still misunderstanding this song to this day only proves its genius.
04:56Number 6.
04:57Rapper's Delight.
04:58The Sugarhill Gang.
05:06There are very few songs that have the honor of introducing the world to an entirely new style or genre.
05:12The Sugarhill Gang managed to do exactly that with 1979's Rapper's Delight.
05:17Using an interpolation of Chic's good times, the song was able to showcase several foundational aspects of hip-hop in
05:24a very short time.
05:33It was fun, groovy, and full of attitude.
05:36And while there were several pioneers before them who didn't make it that far into the mainstream, Rapper's Delight undeniably
05:43set things in motion.
05:44From there, record labels suddenly recognized rap's potential, opening doors for countless artists who followed.
05:59Number 5.
06:00Imagine.
06:01John Lennon.
06:10Writing a song that can convey emotion through a very simple sentiment is a lot harder than you might think.
06:16For John Lennon, he poured his soul into 1971's Imagine, forming one of the most universally beloved anthems of all
06:22time.
06:23Imagine there's no heaven.
06:29Seize if you try.
06:32Rather than preaching from a position of anger, Lennon invited listeners to picture a world without war, nationalism, or material
06:39obsession using straightforward language and a memorable melody.
06:43The fact that it was a masterfully crafted song was enough to make it stand on its own two feet.
06:54However, this is a trap that is still inspiring people.
06:58Still being performed during tragedies, celebrations, humanitarian events, and everything in between.
07:05And the world will live as one.
07:10Number 4.
07:11Fight the Power.
07:12Public Enemy.
07:141989!
07:16Another summer!
07:18Sound of a fucking drummer!
07:20When N.W.A. kicked down the door for aggressively, socially conscious hip-hop in early 1989 with Straight Outta
07:26Compton, Public Enemy very clearly picked up that baton later that year.
07:31Fight the Power became one of hip-hop's defining political statements by confronting racism, inequality, and institutional power with even
07:39more direct intensity.
07:45Chuck D was the type of lyricist who could paint a very vivid picture, and with the powerful backbeat and
07:51catchy chorus, it was the perfect recipe for success.
07:58To this day, its themes remain strikingly relevant, inspiring activists, musicians, and audiences confronting injustice across multiple generations.
08:15Number 3.
08:17Smells Like Teen Spirit.
08:19Nirvana.
08:27It's very rare to see an underground movement get catapulted into the mainstream eye the way that grunge did in
08:33the early 1990s.
08:35Nirvana very clearly did not intend for this to happen, but when that spark turned into a flame, there was
08:40no stopping it from spreading.
08:50At a time when polished glam metal dominated rock radio, Smells Like Teen Spirit brought distorted guitars, raw emotion, and
08:57unapologetic authenticity.
09:06The youth of that era saw themselves in the band's stripped-down image and in the angst and frustration that
09:12emanated from their performance.
09:13It didn't just inspire young musicians, it redefined what they believed was possible.
09:19Well, the lifestyle is so dangerous, and we are now entertainers.
09:28Number 2.
09:29A Change Is Gonna Come.
09:31Sam Cooke.
09:31I was born by the river, in a little tent.
09:40Released during the height of the American civil rights movement, A Change Is Gonna Come became one of the era's
09:45defining songs of hope and resilience.
09:47Inspired partly by Sam Cooke's experiences with racial discrimination, it transformed deeply personal pain into a universal message of perseverance.
09:56It's been a long, long time coming.
10:02Even without the context, it functions remarkably well as a heart-wrenching ballad.
10:07Cooke was, of course, one of the great singers of his time, and his ability to move listeners with his
10:12words was uncanny.
10:13It wasn't a huge commercial success at first, but it soon became one of the century's most poignant protest songs.
10:20But I know a change gonna come.
10:26Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:30Respect.
10:31Aretha Franklin.
10:32One of the most uplifting anthems ever recorded.
10:35R-E-S-B-E-C-T.
10:37R-E-S-B-E-C-T.
10:38But not what it means to me.
10:40R-E-S-B-E-C-T.
10:42Strange Fruit.
10:43Billie Holiday.
10:44A truly heart-wrenching meditation on lynching in America.
10:49Blood on the leaves, and blood at the root.
10:58My Generation.
11:00The Who.
11:01One of the defining statements about youthful defiance in the 60s.
11:05Talking about my generation.
11:09Talking about my generation.
11:13Born This Way.
11:14Lady Gaga.
11:15A major musical celebration of self-love and identity.
11:19I'm here to fall in my way.
11:22Just tell me no mistakes.
11:24I'm on the right track to say that I will fall this way.
11:27Hallelujah.
11:29Leonard Cohen.
11:30One of Leonard Cohen's greatest songwriting achievements.
11:34And every single breath that we drew was.
11:40Hallelujah.
11:42Hallelujah.
11:47Hallelujah.
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11:57Always on, always live.
11:59Are you not entertained?
12:02Number 1.
12:04Like a Rolling Stone.
12:05Bob Dylan.
12:14Bob Dylan.
12:14Although Bob Dylan made a similarly large splash with the times they are changing and blowing in the wind, our
12:20final pick could ultimately only go one way.
12:24Once upon a time you dress so fine.
12:26Do the books of time in your prime.
12:30Then you.
12:31Like a Rolling Stone wasn't just a big deal for Dylan himself as he shed his folk hero image and
12:37went electric at over six minutes long.
12:39It ignored radio conventions while combining poetic lyricism with rock instrumentation in a way few mainstream artists had attempted.
12:47How does it feel?
12:51How does it feel?
13:04How does it feel?
13:08It just makes that stage unfold in real time.
13:09A song, in the conversation, for the greatest rock and roll track of all time.
13:15Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone.
13:21But what do you consider to be the most influential and inspirational song of
13:27all time? Let us know in the comments section below.