The 100 greatest rock songs of all time, according to Ultimate Classic Rock magazine
24-04-2026
Ultimate Classic Rock magazine has taken on one of music criticism's classic "impossible challenges": picking the 100 greatest rock songs of all time. The editorial team introduces the full ranking by immediately underlining the sheer breadth of scope involved. As Michael Gallucci explains in the introduction, the selection isn't limited to the canonical rock'n'roll repertoire, but "extends into territory like pop, soul, disco and metal", genres the outlet folds into the wider sphere of rock or, in an even broader sense, popular music.
Seen this way, the 100 tracks chosen — as the magazine frames it — end up charting a course through the history of popular music over recent decades, lining up songs that have left their mark on the collective imagination and soundtracked different generations.
So here is the ranking of the 100 greatest rock songs of all time, according to Ultimate Classic Rock (full feature here).
100. Jackson Browne – “Running On Empty”
99. The Allman Brothers Band – “Ramblin’ Man”
98. Aerosmith – “Walk This Way”
97. Funkadelic – “One Nation Under A Groove”
96. Sex Pistols – “Anarchy In The U.K.”
95. Elvis Presley – “Heartbreak Hotel”
94. The Byrds – “Eight Miles High”
93. Ray Charles – “What'd I Say”
92. Fleetwood Mac – “Dreams”
91. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – “Ohio”
90. David Bowie – “Heroes”
89. The Police – “Every Breath You Take”
88. Pink Floyd – “Wish You Were Here”
87. Percy Sledge – “When A Man Loves A Woman”
86. Grateful Dead – “Dark Star”
85. Fleetwood Mac – “Go Your Own Way”
84. Judas Priest – “You've Got Another Thing Comin'”
83. Iron Maiden – “The Number Of The Beast”
82. Blue Öyster Cult – “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”
81. Buffalo Springfield – “For What It's Worth”
80. John Lennon – “Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)”
79. Def Leppard – “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak”
78. Bon Jovi – “Livin' On A Prayer”
77. Van Halen – “Jump”
76. Elvis Presley – “Hound Dog”
75. Don Henley – “The Boys Of Summer”
74. Chuck Berry – “Johnny B. Goode”
73. Sly & The Family Stone – “Family Affair”
72. Iron Maiden – “Run To The Hills”
71. Prince And The Revolution – “Kiss”
70. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Purple Haze”
69. The Who – “My Generation”
68. Bob Dylan – “Tangled Up In Blue”
67. Don McLean – “American Pie”
66. Prince & The Revolution – “Purple Rain”
65. Four Tops – “Reach Out I'll Be There”
64. Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
63. Carl Perkins – “Blue Suede Shoes”
62. The Ronettes – “Be My Baby”
61. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “All Along The Watchtower”
60. Steely Dan – “Reelin’ In The Years”
59. Paul McCartney And Wings – “Band On The Run”
58. Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Free Bird”
57. James Brown – “Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine”
56. Black Sabbath – “War Pigs”
55. Led Zeppelin – “Kashmir”
54. Bruce Springsteen – “Thunder Road”
53. Oasis – “Wonderwall”
52. Journey – “Don't Stop Believin'”
51. Billy Joel – “Piano Man”
50. ZZ Top – “Sharp Dressed Man”
49. Rush – “The Spirit Of Radio”
48. Procol Harum – “A Whiter Shade Of Pale”
47. Talking Heads – “Once In A Lifetime”
46. Metallica – “Master Of Puppets”
45. The Supremes – “Where Did Our Love Go”
44. Simon & Garfunkel – “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
43. The Kinks – “You Really Got Me”
42. Kiss – “Detroit Rock City”
41. Led Zeppelin – "Whole Lotta Love"
40. Aerosmith – “Dream On”
39. The Who – “Baba O’Riley”
38. The Who – “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
37. Van Halen – “Runnin’ With The Devil”
36. The Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back”
35. Smokey Robinson And The Miracles – “The Tracks Of My Tears”
34. Ozzy Osbourne – “Crazy Train”
33. Alice Cooper – “School's Out”
32. Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
31. Def Leppard – “Photograph”
30. Derek And The Dominos – “Layla”
29. The Band – “The Weight”
28. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – “Night Moves”
27. Rod Stewart – “Maggie May”
26. Elvis Presley – “Suspicious Minds”
25. Queen – “We Will Rock You”
24. Little Richard – “Tutti Frutti”
23. Black Sabbath – “Paranoid”
22. Eddie Cochran – "Summertime Blues"
21. Guns N’ Roses – “Welcome To The Jungle”
20. The Clash – “London Calling”
19. Roy Orbison – "Oh, Pretty Woman"
18. Aretha Franklin – "Respect"
17. Stevie Wonder – "Superstition"
16. Eagles – "Hotel California"
15. The Rolling Stones – “Sympathy For The Devil”
14. Marvin Gaye – "What's Going On"
13. Aerosmith – "Sweet Emotion"
12. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – “American Girl”
11. Creedence Clearwater Revival – "Fortunate Son"
10. The Beach Boys – “Good Vibrations”
9. ABBA – "Dancing Queen"
8. The Beach Boys – “God Only Knows”
7. AC/DC – "Back In Black"
6. The Rolling Stones – “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
5. Bruce Springsteen – "Born To Run"
4. The Beatles – “A Day In The Life”
3. Bob Dylan – "Like A Rolling Stone"
2. Led Zeppelin – "Stairway To Heaven"
1. The Beatles – “Strawberry Fields Forever”
Ride the wave of great music
Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.
This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Claudio Fabretti, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.
Beatles on OndaRock
Go to artist page
Reviews
Beatles
Let It Be… Naked
Beatles
Abbey Road
Beatles
The Beatles [aka White Album]
Beatles
Love
Beatles
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
Stereo Box & Mono Box
Beatles
Let It Be (50th Anniversary Edition)
Beatles
1962-1966 and 1967-1970 (2023 Edition)
Miscellaneous
News
See all
Latest News
original design & development by
Edoardo M. Cappuccio
Edoardo M. Cappuccio
redesign by
Gabriele Brombin
Anna Quaranta
Gabriele Brombin
Anna Quaranta