What is the greatest song ever written?

[Xhavenjoe]

Actually written by IRA militant Bobby Sands when he was in the Maze prison, which puts a whole different take on it

Never knew that.
Learn something everyday.

 

[GaudinosWheels]

Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen.

Greatest outro ever committed to tape.

 

[Blue and true]

Sensible side says:


or:


Not sensible side says:

Nights in White Satin. That would be my very close second. Near perfection. And astoundingly, written and composed by a teenager.

 

[BigJoe#1]

Today... maybe its to do with the way I am feeling....?

Just love the piano and the voice oh... and the lyrics.

 

[Brightwell’s left peg]

It begins with…

“Walking across the sitting room”

 

[the blue panther]

Today... maybe its to do with the way I am feeling....?

Just love the piano and the voice oh... and the lyrics.

That song has completely passed me by. Thanks for posting. Always great to hear Freddie.

 

[OB1]

Out of curiosity, how exactly was Bob Dylan innovative musically-speaking? Lyrics are only part of a song. Main reason I don’t listen to him very often is that musically, I find his songs uninteresting, though no question he has few peers as a lyricist, and maybe none. But he wrote poems to strum along to for the longest time. The Band helped but I never found them that interesting either.

I’ve grown fonder of Dylan as I’ve aged but I only own a small part of his canon. I quite like the Band too.

While I could perhaps be persuaded Dylan is the finest lyricist popular music has had, I could not be convinced that hig word count and clever words make for the best songs. But songs come in all shapes and sizes so picking a best ain’t easy.

I do think a song should be sung and have a great melody and to borrow a phrase be hooky if it is to qualify as the greatest ever. It probably should be a very popular “three minute pop song”.

I’d say the best contender out of Dylan’s catalogue is “Like a Rolling Stone” but The Rolling Stone of several superior contenders for this accolade e.g. “Satisfaction”.

 

[Fiftyyearsandcounting]

Happy Birthday to you. It’s the most sung song of all of them.

Started life as "Good Morning To You". The two sisters who wrote it, still collect royalties when played in films or TV.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Bat out of hell especially when your doing 70 per hour on the motorway

Surely it should be 90 miles an hour plus?

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Presumably he thinks it is, hence his nomination?

I have some choice words for that song on the album thread (we just finished doing “Ten” a few weeks back). Hence my comment.