Cherry Pie
1989
A pizza box in a Florida Hard Rock Cafe holds the lyric Lane dashed off at the label's insistence.
★ 2.0
The Songs canon
Sourced and sung.
Every song chosen by hand, with the recording to play it.
Browse all 2,393 songs or filter by genre, subject, artist, and year.
Browse all 2,393 songs or filter by genre, subject, artist, and year.
One More Night (Maroon 5)
2012
Nine weeks at number one, Maroon 5's longest Hot 100 reign, and a reggae lilt under the ache.
★ 2.7
I Wanna Love You
Akon and Snoop Dogg
2006
Plies cut the original verses; Akon swapped in Snoop Dogg, cleaned the title, and landed his first number one.
★ 3.1
Thong Song
1999
Bruce Dukov's violin line, modelled on Wes Montgomery's Eleanor Rigby, over a track first built for Michael Jackson.
★ 3.2
(I Just) Died In Your ArmsCutting Crew
(I Just) Died In Your Arms
1986
Van Eede scribbled the title down the night it occurred to him; Terry Brown drummed it on Neil Peart's snare.
★ 4.2
Rump Shaker
1992
Teddy Riley's beat rides a Lafayette Afro Rock Band sax loop, and a nineteen-year-old Pharrell wrote Riley's verse.
★ 4.4
Always on Time
2001
By Ja Rule's account he fished the beat out of Gotti's garbage; Ashanti's hook carried it to number one.
★ 4.6
Feeling This
2003
Hoppus and DeLonge wrote in separate rooms, choruses and verses, and Barker's beat locked them together in a day.
★ 5.0
Hot BloodedForeigner
Hot Blooded
1978
One riff played idly in Jones's apartment, and Gramm making him stop and play it again.
★ 5.0
Naughty Girl
2004
Scott Storch built it on a Donna Summer interpolation, and Beyonce turns a club come-on into pure command.
★ 5.3
Good Lovin'
1967
Cavaliere heard the Olympics' version on New York radio, and the Rascals turned a number 81 into a number one.
★ 6.2
Get Low
2003
Crunk's breakthrough, produced entirely by Lil Jon, stalled at number two and drove the album past two million copies.
★ 6.3
Ms. Fat Booty
1999 · From Black on Both Sides
Ayatollah looped the chorus of Aretha's 1965 Columbia single "One Step Ahead", and Mos Def narrates a romance collapsing.
★ 6.3
Hungry Like the Wolf
1982 · From Rio
Rhodes had the backing track in mind before reaching the studio; the Sri Lanka video carried it to number three.
★ 6.7
Start Me Up
1981 · From Tattoo You
Two rock takes buried under dozens of abandoned reggae versions, dug out of the vault while assembling Tattoo You.
★ 6.9
Shake, Rattle & Roll
1954
Jesse Stone wrote it under a pen name, Atlantic cut it in February 1954, and Turner topped the R&B chart.
★ 6.9
Lady Marmalade (Labelle)
1974
The Meters on rhythm at Sea-Saint, Toussaint producing, and Patti LaBelle singing a French hook she did not understand.
★ 7.3
Good Golly, Miss Molly
1958 · From Little Richard
Little Richard lifted the piano intro straight off Rocket 88, and Earl Palmer's drums do the rest.
★ 7.4
Black Dog
1971 · From Led Zeppelin IV
Jones wrote the riff, Page took the stop-start idea from Fleetwood Mac, and a stray labrador supplied the title.
★ 7.6
I Wanna Be Your DogThe Stooges
I Wanna Be Your Dog
1969 · From The Stooges
Three chords, sleigh bells, and Cale leaning on a single piano note throughout. Punk starts here.
★ 7.7
Great Balls of Fire
1957
Lewis argued theology with Sam Phillips between takes at Sun, decided the devil could wait, and cut it anyway.
★ 7.7
Honky Tonk WomenThe Rolling Stones
Honky Tonk Women
1969
Producer Jimmy Miller opens it on cowbell, and the single arrived in Britain the day after Brian Jones died.
★ 7.8
What'd I SayRay Charles
What'd I Say
1959 · From What'd I Say
Twelve minutes left at a Pennsylvania dance, so Charles improvised it on his Wurlitzer and many stations banned it.
★ 9.0
Whole Lotta Love
1969 · From Led Zeppelin II
Page's riff, Plant's howl, and a theremin freakout in the middle that still sounds like the roof coming off.
★ 9.7