260. “Mississippi” – Bob Dylan
I was first exposed to this song when I was new to buying music off of iTunes. Rolling Stone had listed it as one of the greatest songs of the ’00s, but the version I purchased was actually a live acoustic recording. It’s still really good, and after listening to it for years, it holds a place of sentimentality in my heart, but there’s no denying that the plugged-in version from Love and Theft, produced by Dylan himself (though signed as Jack Frost), is the superior one.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Yes

259. “Heart of Glass” – Blondie
It’s about time I heard a Blondie song that I could actually enjoy. I’d still be lying if I said I was blown away by this, but love and Disco is a pretty undeniable combination.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Yes

258. “Highway to Hell” – AC/DC
There has never been a greater anthem for the decadent Rock n’ Roll lifestyle and few lived it faster and harder than AC/DC’s own Bon Scott. His words may have proven more prophetic than even he knew; a year after this song was released, he had drunk himself to death.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Yes

257. “Paranoid Android” – Radiohead
“Paranoid Android” is definitely one of the more ambitious pieces that Radiohead has attempted clocking in at 6-and-a-half minutes and made up of three movements. But what could such an epic suite of electronic dissonance be about? “The dullest fucking people on Earth,” according to Thom Yorke.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Long Shot

256. “All the Young Dudes” – Mott the Hoople
“All the Young Dudes” was actually written by David Bowie and given to his friends at Mott the Hoople (though he didn’t intend for it to become a youth anthem). It’s a cool song, but I find that I actually like the Wavegroup cover (the one used in Guitar Hero: Aerosmith) better than the original, thanks to its extended soloing at the end.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes (Wavegroup Version)
Top 500 Consideration: Yes (Wavegroup Version)

255. “Mack the Knife” – Bobby Darin
An interesting change of pace, this jazz number about a bloodthirsty serial killer dates back to the late ’20s, but that didn’t stop Darin’s cover from going to No. 1 in 1959. I’m surprised Rolling Stone deigned to include this strange little number, but I’m glad they did. Bethesda has GOT to put this in their next Fallout game.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: No

254. “Money Honey” – The Drifters
Amazingly, I’ve decided this straight-ahead Blues Rocker about the pleasures of the all-powerful dollar is worth consideration for the Top 500. What can I say? This version is way better than the Elvis cover.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Long Shot

253. “Paranoid” – Black Sabbath
The last song to go on the album of the same name was the most important; “Paranoid” is probably the most well-known Black Sabbath song (outside of, perhaps, “Iron Man”). I like it better than “Iron Man,” but it’s still far from my favorite.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Long Shot

252. “Chain of Fools” – Aretha Franklin
I got tired of hearing this song a few years ago, but coming back to it after years apart, there is no denying that there is a lot to love about it. When this came out, Aretha was at the peak of her powers, and she channeled it all on this one.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Yes

251. “Rapper’s Delight” – The Sugarhill Gang
When I found out I was going to have to listen to a 15-minute Rap song from the ’70s, I was not pleased. But to make the best of it, my cousin Brett and I decided to set up the family Christmas tree while this song played. We ended up listening to it three times in a row and loved every second. That groovy beat featuring some Calypso-esque strumming under three dudes hitting on Lois Lane is undeniably awesome.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Yes

250. “Hot Fun in the Summertime” – Sly and The Family Stone
I prefer Winter myself, but this is still a good song. Definitely among the best Sly and The Family Stone songs I’ve heard, with its departure from R&B mastery in favor of Soulful sunniness.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Yes

249. “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” – The Band
This heartbroken ballad about trying to make sense of something senseless is powerful stuff, though Levon Helm’s vocals are a bit too backwoods for me. It’s a good song, but not quite Top 500 Material.
Burnes’ Turns: No
Top 500 Consideration: No

248. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher – Jackie Wilson
This was Jackie Wilson’s peak. The layered introduction is awesome, and by the time the choir and strings hit, this one’s already in the stratosphere. They don’t make them like this anymore.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Yes

247. “Gimme Some Lovin'” – The Spencer Davis Group
When Steve Winwood belts “Gimme Some Lovin,” the lyrics sound desperate, but the backing chorus and driving musicality convey a different emotion: jubilance. It’s infectious.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Yes

246. “Love Shack” – The B-52s
One of my favorite stories is of my friend, Keyania Campbell, downing a bit of alcohol and proceeding to get on stage and belt this one out at a karaoke bar. I didn’t see it, but it’s almost like I did. It’s an amusing song, but it’s not Top 500 material.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: No

245. “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long Time)” – Elton John
I think I was actually first introduced to this song on the one season of American Idol I ever watched (it was one of the ones with Steven Tyler). They had an Elton John night and I heard somebody sing this one. Obviously, it did no justice to the original. For a long time, this was one of my favorite songs, but it has faded significantly in my mind sense then, probably because I much prefer “Space Oddity” by David Bowie. It’s definitely a great song, though.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Long Shot

244. “Stand” – Sly and The Family Stone
I like this song, but like most songs from Sly and The Family Stone, it just doesn’t quite take that final step from good to great.
Burnes’ Turns: No
Top 500 Consideration: No

243. “The Wanderer” – Dion and The Belmonts
As a massive fan of Fallout 4 (which features this song throughout the game), it should be easy to understand why I am tickled pink that this song is on Rolling Stone‘s list. I would never even consider putting it anywhere close to my own, but the fact that they did is massive amusing.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: No

242. “Son of a Preacher Man” – Dusty Springfield
This is a quite average song, but nothing more. Dusty Springfield is supposed to have one of the greatest voices of all time, but she really doesn’t sound like anything special to me.
Burnes’ Turns: No
Top 500 Consideration: No

241. “I Fall to Pieces” – Patsy Cline and The Jordanaires
Unlike Dusty Springfield, I think Patsy Cline had a fantastic voice, but she was a bit hesitant to record this song and I can see why; it’s a fairly by-the-books, cheaper-by-the-dozen ballad. Nothing special.
Burnes’ Turns: No
Top 500 Consideration: No

240. “Don’t Stop.. Planet Rock” – Afrika Bambaataa, Soul Sonic Force
There is a great electronic undercurrent to this Hip-Hop precursor, but Bambaataa is so inept as an M.C. that any potential the song had is destroyed.
Burnes’ Turns: No
Top 500 Consideration: No

239. “I Got a Woman” – Ray Charles
This is the song that was later immortalized for a new generation by Kanye West and Jamie Foxx. It doesn’t quite hold up today, but there was no doubt that back in his day, Ray Charles was leagues ahead of his competition.
Burnes’ Turns: No
Top 500 Consideration: No

238. “Everyday” – Buddy Holly
I love Buddy Holly and this is an enjoyable, upbeat little tune, but there is no way we haven’t come up with 500 songs better than this in the last half a century.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: No

237. “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” – The Byrds
I’m not super familiar with The Byrds, but from what I have heard, this is my favorite of their work. Bob Dylan was a fan, too, which probably led to The Byrds’ cover of “Mr. Tambourine Man,” their biggest hit.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Long Shot

236. “Paper Planes” – M.I.A.
A classic. You wouldn’t think a song featuring a bunch of sound effects for its chorus would work, but M.I.A. pulled it off. That’s probably why there’s never been anybody like her (though she has claimed that Lady Gaga is a blatant copycat). According to Rolling Stone, when Paper Planes was on the charts (it peaked at No. 4), M.I.A. had this to say, “”The other songs on the chart were Katy Perry and the Jonas Brothers. “Then you saw ‘Paper Planes’ and it’s cool because there’s hope.”
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Yes

235. “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” – The Animals
This sounds a lot like Jefferson Airplane if they had a male singer. Thus, I’m not a fan.
Burnes’ Turns: No
Top 500 Consideration: No

234. “Only the Lonely” – Roy Orbison
There’s no way this should ever be considered over “In Dreams,” but it’s still a great one.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Long Shot

233. “Sexual Healing” – Marvin Gaye
It’s strange to hear the otherwise incomparable Marvin Gaye under the nasty glow of ’80s poppiness. It’s a far cry from anything on What’s Going on, that’s for sure.
Burnes’ Turns: No
Top 500 Consideration: No

232. “Just Like a Woman” – Bob Dylan
One of Dylan’s greatest triumphs, “Just Like a Woman” is an epic on his frustrations with the woman in question. Dylan never could quite hit it off with anybody for an extended period of time, possibly because he had some devilishly high standards, but mostly because he’s Bob Dylan.
Burnes’ Turns: Yes
Top 500 Consideration: Yes

231. “Moondance” – Van Morrison
Van Morrison is far from my favorite vocalist. Add that to his often subdued instrumentation, and you get some pretty grating recordings. Count this among them.
Burnes’ Turns: No
Top 500 Consideration: No