Bryan Kerwin

Given its waning cultural profile, all rock’n’roll is rapidly becoming classic – as in, an antique. But for the time being, when we use the phrase ‘classic rock’, it conjures a few distinct images. Hippies in tie-dye. Fender Stratocaster guitars. Bandanas and beards and aviators. It’s the music your parents listened to that you probably spent much of your youth attempting to reject, before giving in and admitting that it’s awesome. Not all classic rock is created equal, though. Just because something’s from the ‘60s or ‘70s and gets played on the radio doesn’t mean it endures as an all-time jam. Here, we’ve separated the biggest gems from the large pile of rock’n’roll antiquities to create a list of the most classic of classic rock tracks – the ones that kids just picking up guitars will forever be trying to learn…as long as guitars still exist.   Listen to these songs on Amazon Music RECOMMENDED: 🎶 The best ’80s songs🏋 The best workout songs🎤 The best karaoke songs🚗 The best road trip songs💪 The best motivational songs

Nothing lifts the spirits like a good song. It’s truly what music is meant to do. Sure, not all tunes are necessarily meant to put you in a better mood - some are meant to piss you off, or offer an empathetic voice in times of sorrow. What music really, truly does better than any other artistic medium, though, is act as a dose of serotonin for the soul. No matter what’s going on in your life, hearing the right song at the right time can make everything feel better, at least for that moment.  Of course, a sad song or a mad song can make you feel happy, if it means something to you. But a happy song - one specifically written to put all pain on hold - can penetrate almost any funk. On this list of the best happy songs ever written, you’ll find modern Top 40 bangers, joyful ‘60s and ‘70s soul jams, quirky rock tunes and mellow mood enhancers. There’s even a few hits that, played at the wrong time, might be described as ‘annoying.’ But when you truly need a pick-me-up, all of these songs will instantly brighten your day.  RECOMMENDED:😂 The best funny songs😭 The best sad songs💪 The best motivational songs💫 The best inspirational songs🎉 The best party songs ever made

It’s been a long time since video killed the radio star, so all things considered, it’s kind of amazing that the music-video form is still thriving in the age of YouTube and TikTok. Now, with Beyoncé’s Lemonade and other blockbuster album-length videos on the rise, we might just be on the verge of a new music-video golden age. It’s a great time to be a fan, and it’s never been easier to cue up videos for your favorite party songs or pop songs from the comfort of your computer or phone (and there’s nothing to stop you from hitting that replay button over and over). For our money, these videos comprise the pinnacle of the art form—the best music videos of all time—so far at least. Listen to these songs on Amazon Music RECOMMENDED:📸 The best album covers of the ’90s🎸 The best cover songs🎶 The best ’80s songs🎵 The best ’90s songs🎤 The best karaoke songs

Finding the perfect patriot songs for your 4th of July or Memorial Day cookout can be surprisingly difficult. Go too heavy on the ‘rah rah rah’ and you're bound to set a mood that's more ‘insurrection’ than ‘chill backyard cookout.’ And lean too heavy on the Springsteen or Creedence and you'll have to endure another night of your friends giving you ‘well, actually’ lessons in the real meaning of subversive classics.  Patriotic songs come in all flavors, from ‘these colors don’t run’ country to choral classics, from protest songs to pledges of allegiance. For this list of the 10 best patriotic songs on the playlist, we resisted the urge to hit you over the head with messaging from either side of the aisle. We say give us your funky, your rousing, your stirring ballads and tongue-in cheek rockers. This is your patriotic starter pack. Once the national pride is stoked, feel free to switch on some Bruce and Miley once the party gets going. 

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but where does that leave reinvention? The best cover songs don’t simply repackage something familiar – they completely reinterpret the source material, dismantling the song and reassembling its parts into something exciting while keeping the core of what made it great. It’s not just a matter of taking a pop song and adding a metal twist or parodying a relic of the past (sorry/not sorry, Limp Bizkit). A good cover can be a novelty, but the best are forged in love and innovation, oftentimes surpassing the source material but always living side by side with it. The 30 artists below exemplify how to do covers right, approaching hits from the heart and leaving their own stamp on the song’s legacy. From pop reimaginings to soulful makeovers, they’re the best cover songs of all time. Listen to these songs on Amazon Music RECOMMENDED:🎶 The best ’90s songs🎉 The best party songs ever made🎸 The best classic rock songs🎤 The best karaoke songs🕺 The best pop songs of all time

Like any era, the ’90s had its share of musical phenomena—the ascendance of hip-hop as a cultural force to be reckoned with, the brief supremacy of grunge miserablism, the influx of Nordic acts adept at making the best pop songs. Many of these ’90s bands outlasted the fickle trends of a confused decade (or even predated them by writing the best ’80s songs) but whether or not they survived Y2K, their bona fides were solidified as the world was cruising towards the last New Year’s Eve of the millennium.

For the best punk bands, penning the perfect punk song is a tricky task: Often, the resulting tune will rock harder than the best classic rock songs, be more hummable than the best pop songs and make you want to lose control of your body more than the best party songs. But then, what makes it punk? To paraphrase another definition, you just know it when you see it. And there’s no doubt these bands are punk in spirit and in sound.

Let's be honest—ranking the best songs ever feels like a ludicrous endeavor. What constitutes a “song” (does Beethoven's Fifth Symphony count)? Against which qualifying rubrics do you choose to measure a song's craft (influence, emotive resonance…)? How do you compare values of quality across cultural boundaries (can you really measure a $1-million Bollywood production against a lo-fi ’50s blues riffer)? Oof! The questions go on and on. Clearly some parameters are in order. For our purposes, we selected songs with lyrics in the Western pop- and folk-music tradition—no instrumental, classical, experimental… The list needed to reflect an even distribution across time, with the best ’80s songs alongside party songs from today. The songs had to be good in their own right (nothing influential but, uh, shoddy). And for fairness, we allowed no double dipping: one song per artist.

There’s still plenty of great summer music festivals left in 2016: Central Park SummerStage and BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! are both in full swing. And don’t count out Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the three-week music-and-dance fest in its 45th season. From Wednesday, July 20 to Sunday, August 13, Lincoln Center Out of Doors brings a packed schedule of totally free, all outdoor summer concerts in NYC. Check out our highlights for what to see. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Lincoln Center Out of Doors