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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Naughty Girl
2004
Scott Storch built it on a Donna Summer interpolation, and Beyonce turns a club come-on into pure command.
★ 5.3
Hot BloodedForeigner
Hot Blooded
1978
One riff played idly in Jones's apartment, and Gramm making him stop and play it again.
★ 5.0
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
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
