You Voted and Chose The Top 5 Rock Songs Of All Time

A Labour Day tradition!

Published September 2, 2024

It's become a Labour Day tradition to countdown the Top 500 rock songs of all time based on your votes. Now that the weekend has come and gone, the 2023 results are in.

Here are the Top 5 rock songs from this year’s Top 500 Countdown, as voted by you!

5. Pink FLoyd - "Wish You Were Here"

Sitting in fifth place is "Wish You Were Here," which moved up 13 places from 2023.

"Wish You Were Here" was a defining track for Pink Floyd. Featured on their 1975 album of the same name, the song was created by guitarist David Gilmour and bassist Roger Waters. The song showcases Gilmour's haunting vocals and poignant guitar work, interwoven with themes of absence, longing, and introspection.

"Wish You Were Here" is marked by its unique introduction, which mimics the sound of a radio being tuned across stations. Listeners catch a snippet of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, before Gilmour’s iconic acoustic riff takes over. The composition reflects the collaborative synergy between Gilmour and Waters, merging emotive lyrics and a powerful instrumental backdrop.

Though often considered a tribute to former bandmate Syd Barrett, Waters has described the lyrics as introspective, focusing on being present in one’s life. Gilmour, however, never performs the song without recalling Barrett.

"Wish You Were Here" remains a classic rock staple, ranking high on various best-of lists and celebrated for its emotional depth and timeless resonance.

4. Queen – “BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY”

Queen made a big jump from #15 to #4 this year with "Bohemian Rhapsody."

"Bohemian Rhapsody" was released in 1975 as the lead single from their album A Night at the Opera. Written by Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite that defied the traditional structure of rock music with its unique blend of ballad, opera, hard rock, and reflective coda, all without a refraining chorus.

Mercury described "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a "mock opera," combining three songs he had written. The song's complex recording process took place across five studios and involved nearly 200 tracks for overdubs, a testament to its ambitious production.

Despite initial mixed reviews, it quickly became a defining work of the 1970s, ultimately earning acclaim as one of the greatest songs of all time. Its innovative promotional video is credited with shaping the future of music videos.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" topped the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks, later returning for another five weeks following Mercury’s death in 1991. It became the UK's third best-selling single of all time and reached new heights in the U.S. after its inclusion in the 1992 film Wayne's World.

In 2018, the song became the most-streamed track of the 20th century, and in 2021, it was certified diamond in the U.S.

3. Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Free bird”

“Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd is up 5 places from last year, making it #3 on our list of top rock songs.

While the radio edit of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” is usually 4:41, the full track is over 9 minutes long. The remaining track is completely instrumental with Allen Collis, Ed King and Gary Rossington jamming for extended periods. Some have argued it is the most famous instrumental in rock n’ roll history.

The opening line, “If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?” was something Allan Collin’s girlfriend (and later wife) asked him.

According to Ronnie Van Zant the song is about “what it means to be free, in that a bird can fly wherever he wants to go. Everyone wants to be free. That’s what this country’s all about.”

The song appeared on the album Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd, though their label didn’t want it to because of its length. No one had any idea it would gain so much popularity and help launch them into stardom.

This is just a small taste of the iconic rock songs that appear on this year’s Top 500 listing. We can’t wait to see what next year brings!

2. Led Zeppelin – “Stairway To Heaven”

Led Zeppelin moved up 7 positions from last year to take the 2nd place spot with “Stairway To Heaven”.

“Stairway To Heaven” was composed by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant for their untitled studio album released in 1971. The goal was to write a new song to replace “Dazed and Confused” as the main song at their concerts.

Many have tried to interpret the song. When asked why the song was so popular, Plant shared that it had to do with how abstract it was.

“Depending on what day it is, I still interpret the song a different way – and I wrote the lyrics. The lyrics take some pretty wild turns, but the beginning of the song is about a woman who accumulates money, only to find out the hard way her life had no meaning and will not get her into heaven. This is the only part Plant would really explain, as he said it was “a woman getting everything she wanted without giving anything back.” — Robert Plant

1. EAGLES – “HOTEL CALIFORNIA”

“Hotel California” by the Eagles kept it's #1 position for 2024!

The song was written by Don Felder, Glenn Frey, and Don Henley and speaks of materialism and excess in LA, though it could apply to many places. In 2007, Henley explained, “Some of the wilder interpretations of that song have been amazing. It was really about the excesses of American culture and certain girls we knew. But it was also about the uneasy balance between art and commerce.”

Fedler came up with the song while playing at the beach. He later played the chord progression and basic guitar track for Henly and Frey, who helped finish the song. A year later, they recorded the song.

This is just a small taste of the iconic rock songs that appear on this year’s Top 500 listing. We can’t wait to see what next year brings!

See the full list of Top 500 Rock songs ...

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