390. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – Elton John One of Elton John’s most prolific songs, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was actually more inspired by The Rolling Stones’ Goats Head Soup than Abbey Road. It’s definitely a great song, but it’s also one of those that we’ve already heard so many times, it’s hard to actively…
400. “Baby I Need Your Loving” – Four Tops The Four Tops are consistently one of those bands that are right on my fence between good but forgettable and excellent and this song is no exception. It’s certainly catchy and soulful, and I can certainly understand the appeal, but is it really one of the…
420. “The Girl Can’t Help it” – Little Richard I can’t hear this song without thinking about Fergie, but it was actually originally written about the big-breasted Jayne Mansfield. It wasn’t that big of a hit in ’57 when it was released (it peaked at the No. 49 position), so it really makes me wonder…
430. “Blue Suede Shoes” – Elvis Presley Apparently this cover was never as successful as Carl Perkins’ original, but as a kid this is the version I always heard years before I even discovered who Carl Perkins is. I”m not sure which version is superior; they both sound nearly identical. But one thing’s for sure:…
After a couple of months spent “working” on other things, I return to my countdown of Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Songs as I continue curating my own list of comparable girth (though also of much less weight in the music community). There’s nothing like cold weather to make an overly thoughtful music critic want to…
450. “I Shot the Sheriff” – Bob Marley (1973) Since I became an instant Bob Marley fan the first time I listened to Legend (like millions of others, probably) “I Shot the Sheriff” was one of my least favorite tunes. It doesn’t retain the easy-listening quality that makes Bob Marley the artist that he was…
460. “My Sweet Lord” – George Harrison (1970) Even though The Beatles were mainly focused on McCartney and Lennon, George Harrison penned some of their greatest work, most notably “Something,” the best track on the acclaimed Abbey Road. But this song, which I had never heard before now, may top them all. This is simply…
The Soundtrack Online 