On Wednesday we asked you to nominate and vote for the top 10 songs that changed the world.
Music has a fascinating genetic history. With a keen ear and a little research, you can often trace a song's history back through genres to particular point in time. Sometimes, you can trace entire scenes of music back to the same artists and songs.
You did a great job of voting for the most influential songs ever, because the artists in this playlist are an authentic set of musical forefathers. But it makes you wonder: who could all these artists artists trace back to?
10. Deep Purple "Smoke On The Water" (1973)
A great song by a great band, but its real influence is that so many beginner guitarists start out with its unmistakable opening riff. On the original it's actually doubled up by the late Jon Lord on a keyboard running through a guitar amp. Guitarist Richie Blackmore says most beginners play it wrong; he says it should be played with "all forths," but to newbies it's still liberating to pull it off as regular power chords.
While their British punk cousins were raging against the establishment, The Ramones were onto something far more fun and accessible. This song became and the anthemic "Hay! Ho! Let's Go!" became something of a trademark. Whether you like pop punk or not, the genre has become a rite of passage for teens in the western world, and can be traced back to this very song. Modern acts still pay tribute to it, with covers from the likes of The Misfits, Green Day, New Found Glory and Pennywise.
"'My Generation' was very much about trying to find a place in society," said guitarist Pete Townshend. The rest of his generation agreed with its hedonistic attitude. The stuttering lyrics were particularly original and showed how you could experiment with the style of a performance, though the band insist it was just an accident they decided to keep.
Some see it as an atheist anthem, others as an anti-capitalist mantra. Whichever way you read into it, the core message to simply fantasise about how a world that coexists in peace inspires millions of people to this day.
At its launch, rock music was already well established and relatively heavy compared to pop at the time. That is, until this song showed the world how dark music could be. The resulting metal genre has since fragmented into thousands of offshoots, but you can trace all of them back to this satanic hit.
The sepia-toned video for this single exploded like a bomb in the early 90s. Its sudden success forced the major labels to rethink everything they knew about popular music, and turned their attention to underground bands in a bid to find "the next Nirvana". Nowadays, sadly, the so-called "indie" genres don't sound very independent at all.
Unlike other entries, this song didn't spark off its own revolution. What it did, however, was show how far a creative band could push the limits of their instruments and recording equipment. Every band had the same tools at hand, but few could imagine its potential before this concept song (or album, depending which way you look at it). Perhaps this is the message to the world: up your game, or you're just another brick in the wall.
It's most requested song on radio of all time, with over 3 million radio plays logged by the year 2000. It's also the biggest selling piece of sheet music ever, with around 15,000 copies sold every year. Perhaps it's no wonder that so many people are sick of it, including frontman Robert Plant. But we all remember the first time we heard it, and you can ignore the haters because its poetic beauty can never be tarnished.
When Queen wanted to release this 5:55 long track as a single, everyone said it would fail - until it became one of the top selling tracks of all time. Its legacy was cemented in popular culture by the movie "Wayne's World", and a second edition of the official video was released intercutting scenes from the film. Actor Mike Myers was horrified, but the band were said to be grateful for the resurgence in its popularity.
This post has given credit to some truly great artists, but none of them could exist without the founding father of rock n' roll. This song is so highly regarded that it was included in the Voyager spacecraft to represent rock n' roll as a highlight of human culture. Rolling Stone rightly named it the greatest guitar song of all time, and so did you.
no it shouldn't teen spirit should. this list is songs that changed the world, not songs that changed music. With Smells like teen spirit a whole new generation brought on a whole new kind of sound. Chuck berry as well. But i wouldn't include the Who or even pink floyd on this list. or most of whats on here.
Bands that changed the world?
Nirvana, Berry, Hendrix, Beatles, although i like the ramones i think sex pistols made a bigger splash in terms of changing the world. i mean what the **** UG. WHAT THE FUCK. FUCKING CLASSIC ROCK WORSHIP NEEDS TO STOP *deep breathe* okay seacrest out.
nd you do realize that sex pistols wouldn't be around if it wasn't for the ramones?
and you do realize that pink floyd with all respect to ( King Crimson, Yes, Supertramp, Jethro Tull...) are considered the fathers of psychedlic/progressive rock.
Fuck smoke on the water? dude... i'm just not gonna comment on this one... *facepalm*
I love Johnny B. Goode, and I agree that it does deserve the top spot in this list, but calling it "the greatest guitar song of all time" is way too much imo.
Rolling Stone regarded it the greatest guitar song of all time, not UG. But this is due probably more to it's social importance (both in music and society) than to it's complexity.
"Rolling Stone rightly named it the greatest guitar song of all time, and so did you."
By using the word "rightly", UG is in fact agreeing with Rolling Stone...
Where the **** are Robert Johnson, countless classical pieces, Miles Davis, Django Reinhardt, Kraftwerk, Grandmaster Flash, Rock around the Clock by Bill Haley AND THE FUCKING BEATLES etc.
Oh wait I forgot this was UG, where if it isn't rock/metal/punk then it hasn't contributed anything to music history.
It is funny, I would of thought that a website made up of primarily musicians would appreciate all kinds of music instead of just rock and metal, since y'know we have a better understanding of music concepts usually than non-musicians. Shame that isn't the case.
I feel as though this question was made to frustrate me though as I wrote a 100 page essay on the history of music as part of my university application.
We're not just musicians, we're guitarists, and because rock, punk, and metal focus on the guitar more than other genres, it's no surprise that we favor them.
I think that it is because your comment is closer to the top and you responded to a comment that agreed with the article. Really does show you the musical appreciation of some UG users though.
Man I was screaming the same thing!! How can you not have guys that like on this list. Do people on this site even know about Django in Nazi-invaded France? Do people not know of Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson? What about Muddy Waters? What about the people who came right from Africa singing "Wade in the Water"? Rock/Metal acts have not change the world in the least. How about Dylan, or Guthrie? God the ignorance of so-called music-lovers on this site pisses me off
John Lennon is on the list though to be fair. I actually think songs 7 and higher all had a legitimate reason to be on there, besides Pink Floyd (just because I don't think ABITW Part II had the same impact as some of the others), but 8-10 aren't terrible choices. I do agree that Robert Johnson would be good
YES!!!!! You're absolutely correct man. No jazz, no classical, no delta blues, just sad. It's an ok list, but I wish UG would listen to some of these other genres too.
Knowing UG readers and voters I'm rather surprised not to see any Metallica in the list...
Good thing that there are people that actually read the question and answer to it so we can see the metal fanboys fighting here for Pink Floyd and Chuck Berry being in the list.
It's so good UG actually for about the year stamp on the title in their hurry to get listening to it.
PS.If they've put it on by now then please don't dislike.
Those things can be pretty close though. Things change the world by affecting a whole lot of people, which means they are popular. Yes, UG is full of hipsters, but the truth is the songs that really change things do tend to be popular ones.
very happy to see two of the songs that practically started 2 genres of music on this list, "black sabbath" and "johnny b goode". i didnt get a chance to vote on this list so all and all, good job UG, good job.
How can you have a "top 10 songs that changed the world" and not include a single Beatles song? I think Chuck Berry at #1 is a great call but I'd put the 1st song The Beatles played on Ed Sullivan "All My Loving" at #2.
I think they've way overhyped too, but I'd be lying to myself if I didn't say their releases changed a lot about music, recorded music, and the music industry.
And as per usual 'The World' = white suburban America/UK.
Notice how they are all in English? A lot of really really good music has been made outside the realm of classic rock, you guys know that right? Maybe four of those songs had any lasting implications outside their already small musical niches.
Look outside your own little world for once
alright mr "i know all about worldy influential music" i'll bite, list for me 5 songs from bands that arent american or british that "changed the world" and then i'll agree with your comment
"alright mr "i know all about worldy influential music" i'll bite, list for me 5 songs from bands that arent american or british that "changed the world" and then i'll agree with your comment"
Tchaikovsky's Nutcraker
Beethoven's 9th
Girl From Ipanema - Jobim
Wagner's Ring Cycle
Stravinsky's Rite of Spring
I've heard of one of these... not being a retard or being ignorant but the list was compiled from comments from a previous article so what most people vote for is what technically changed the world as the majority of people sight those songs as influential.
On another note... hardly anyone plays or listens to classical music anymore, just a thought.
As much as I do agree with you (as the lists always tend to be biased here), this will happen with any website. If this were a classical forum you'd see a lot more of your list. If it were more based on hip hop you'd see a lot Me Against the World/The Chronic/Straight Outta Compton, etc. Electronic music maybe leaning against all sorts of artist from analog and digital age pioneers.
I'm sure there's a lot of people that listen to wide varieties of music, but for the most part people on this site are more knowledgeable on the classic rock or metal side of things and that's where most opinions will converge. I know myself as much as I try to listen to all styles there's still a few that lean heavier in my library.
The description for Another Brick In The Wall (Part II) is absolutely dreadful. The real reason why the song was so important at the time it was released as a single was Margaret Thatcher being England's Prime Minister and what came with her. When it came out, people associated (wrongly, but still relevant) the song as a protest against Thatcher's government policies.
Also, despite #1 being spot on, I wouldn't call most of the other songs "world-changing". Like most lists, this was pretty much a popularity contest.
Bohemian was the first video clip, which in this world is probably more important than whatever did chuck berry, since videos became the norm for every modern music gender
I'm not sure if that's true. What I know is that music through video formats already existed even before The Beatles, which were pionneers on this (Help! and Yellow Submarine are great examples). From the 40's throught the 50's, musicals were some of the most profitable films in the movie industry.
Rapper's Delight by Sugar Hill Gang (pretty much started rap), Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan (longer songs). I would probably place these instead of Bohemian Rhapsody and Smoke on the Water.
Oooh, a list! I hate lists! One item is ranked too high! Another is ranked too low! One item should be on the list instead of one of the items already on the list! Damn it all!
Hardly, The Beatles had stopped touring in 1966. To meet demands for concerts, they opted to send out videos, inventing the first music videos. Their first videos were of “Paperback Writer” and “Rain” back in 1965. They were also first to issue standard videos in color. They also created the first album video with Magical Mystery Tour in 1967.
Though some artists had made video clips to accompany songs (including Queen themselves; for example, "Keep Yourself Alive", "Seven Seas Of Rhye", "Killer Queen" and "Liar" already had "pop promos", as they were known at the time), it was only after the success of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that it became regular practice for record companies to produce promotional videos for artists' single releases.[24] These videos could then be shown on television shows, such as the BBC's Top of the Pops, without the need for the artist to appear in person. A promo video also allowed the artist to have their music broadcast and accompanied by their own choice of visuals, rather than dancers such as Pan's People. According to May, the video was produced so that the band could avoid miming on Top of the Pops, since they would have looked off miming to such a complex song.[17] He also said that the band knew they would be set to appear at Dundee's Caird Hall on tour and unable to appear on the programme anyway.[7] The video has been hailed as launching the MTV age.[7]
As much as I love Pink Floyd (one of my top 3 fav bands of all time), Another Brick in the Wall did NOT change the world. It's a great song. It's probably their most popular song. It's not revolutionary.
Honestly for me it would be Interstellar Overdive off of Piper at The Gates of Dawn, or Saucerful of Secrets. The former being mind blowing at the time and the latter due to the Ambient/Experimental influence.
ALSO Careful With That Axe Eugene, I think that song is the earliest piece I can think of where Unclean Vocals/Screaming is used as the focal point...
I agree though with Money (although I always skip it on DSOTM) because it was what really brought Floyd to the forefront. Take care my good sir
My favorite Floyd track, was gonna say that instead of Saucerful of Secrets but the experimentation is glorious in that track. Echoes is the best Floyd song though.
You sir, actually have a clue about what you are talking about. First time I have ever agreed with a comment that was longer than one sentence. Also nice for mentioning songs other than their more popular, well known hits. *golfclap.jpg*
How so? It was, after all, largely Money that really pushed Floyd into the top of the charts, and we all know what happened after that. By the time of "Brick" there was already similar music being made. The only thing particularly notable about it is the lyrics.
Yeah you've got a point. I guess I'm saying that Brick was moreso because it was arguably the theme song to The Wall. Also, a lot of people who probably aren't as big of a Floyd fan as you might see it as their "signature song." But don't get me wrong, I do like Money as well as a bunch of other Floyd songs better than Another Brick in the Wall.
Maybe Video Killed the Radio Star? Not necessarily the song itself, but the video that came with it. Representing the entire MTV revolution as a whole?
I think it was rather good list. People complaining about why isn't that jazz/classical/electronic/other rock musician here could create their own top 10 as a response, rather than bashing everything and everyone.
This list could easily be compiled with 10 Beatles songs that have more influence than any of these combined. These are just memorable hits. Where's Tomorrow Never Knows? Everything was different after it.
Any song on this list should be something that the masses hadnt really heard before, and after it was done it forever changed music from that point on. Music may not be the same without it.
The wall was an amazing album but I dont think it totally changed the way we looked at music. So i'd replace abitw with purple haze. That song changed the way alot of people looked at guitar. How many guitarists picked up a guitar after they 1st heard that? Does anything before purple haze sound anything like that? Even established guitarists like Clapton were blown away.
I love sabbath as well, but bluesy heavy rock was already established. Replace that with "You really got me" which introduced distortion to a wide audience.
Id replace Imagine with one of the more experimental beatles studio tracks like strawberry fields, Lucy in the Sky, rev #9...the biggest pop band in the world suddenly starts making music that cant be recreated live (at the time) thats extremely avant-garde? I think things like that changed the way we looked at things more than the pretty melody of imagine. There was lots of pretty songs with social messages before 1971.
Last, Eruption. Yes people did tapping before evh, but the combination of a technique the average person hadnt heard and a guitar sound that people still chase and helped kick off the "i can play faster thing" that people have now taken to insane levels.
no but it ends up that way. i myself am guilty of forgetting about early classical music and how it changed the world. this site's users are biased towards rock and metal. any of these UG lists is almost always the same in terms of what bands get featured on them
Marty McFly "playing" Johnny B Goode in Back to the Future is what made me want to pick up guitar. That and the fact my name is Jonny and I really wanted to play the guitar like ringing a bell.
Whether you like them or not these songs did change the world. I dare you to find one person who doesn't know smells like teen spirit or smoke on the water...Even people who barely listen to rock. It's 10 songs anyway and you can't fit everything.
I HATE JOHNNY B GOODE. Seriously. I loathe that song. As for the list, it's pretty meh. Nothing on here that I didn't expect. The thing about news is that it's typically meant to inform you on something you didn't know.
very hard to pick just one of this mans songs and maybe none of them "changed" the world but they sure changed mine! when i was a little kid my parents listened to Jim Croce a lot and and i was instantly drawn to music. he is the absolute reason i am a musician today. thanks jim. funny thing is i play rock and metal but i love sitting down and playing these songs when im just kicking it home. hope this turns someone who hasn't heard of him onto his music. most of his songs are so easy to relate to.
Chuck Berry didn't write the song that changed the world, MARTY MCFLY DID!! Luckily his cousin Marvin Berry held up the phone and Chuck was able to hear that little segment and replicate the song even through the crappy phone speakers.. but then again, Marty was playing Chuck's own song for him... oh god... :O
Where the **** is Nachtiviserium by Myrkskog Thothethar?!
No, I'm just kidding. Not a bad list, but I probably would have included SOMETHING by the Beatles.. but not Something. I mean, that song is a classic, but I wouldn't call it one of their "world-changing" songs.
Can people stop naming songs that obviously did NOT change the world? Like, what the actual **** are you thinking? None of those unknown songs have any meaning to most of the population; it's like you're ****ing hipsters or something. Stick to songs that revolutionized how rock was thought of and that people ACTUALLY knew. Just think about it: it changed the world, how would it make the list? PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT IT!!
I Want To Hold Your Hand by The Beatles should be on here. It's not their greatest song but it was the first one released in the US and that's how their fame spread which allowed them to create better music. Just saying
This is one of the first lists that I agree with on UG.
The List is songs that CHANGED the world.
In other words you have to think back to the time they came out and how much different these songs were for their time.
Chuck Berry is definalty worth the #1 spot and Sabbath should be higher in my opinion.
I dont really agree with the Nirvana that much though because Fugazi was doing what they did way before them,. but Nirvana did create a "Music Genre" of course called grunge and that is what the article is about.
It's not a bad top 10. If it was a top 50 you could include at least 20 Beatles songs, Rock Around The Clock, Crossroad Blues, We'll Meet Again, Alexander's Ragtime Band,St Louis Blues, Fight For Your Right, Nervous Breakdown, Fuck Tha Police and on and on...
Where is;
Robert Johnson,
The beatles,
Hendrix,
The doors,
Elvis,
Les Paul,
and so many others who REALLY influenced music today?
Even if you want to just look at rock, that's fine, but I'd replace Another brick, or Smells like teen spirit. Bot great, influential stuff, but more influential than Elvis? Hendrix? Eddie Cochran? Robert Johnson? The Beatles? Surely not!
Shouldn't something by Limp Bizkit be on the list? I don't love the band, but they are like Nrivana in a sense that they (and others) created a genre. When you say 'rap-metal', Limp Bizkit are often the first band that come to mind for most people.
I'm not a Bizkit head, but I can see what you're saying. However, Korn and RATM are still more often associated with the genre, and Faith no More were doing it before either of them.
How about teenage kicks by the undertones? I think it was the very first song ever which was recorded by a band themselves, in some ways it represents the whole DIY punk ethos.
Hendrix - Voodoo Chile is the only one I'd add to the list..... I'd probably take out Bohemian Rhapsody because whilst I love the song, I wouldn't say it was a world changer.
I wasn't on UG this week to do any nominating, but the fact that Bob Dylan "The Times They Are-A Changin'" is absent from this list is a crime. There are very deserving songs on it, but I fully expected Dylan at #1 or #2
okay yeah i think most people on this site know that, obviously he just meant that he's playing the fourth within the power chord instead of playing root, 5th, root. and i'm pretty sure ritchie blackmore knows that too, considering he's ritchie blackmore...
Nice list though.