1977-2011
I’m not here to argue what does/doesn’t constitute a genuine single, radio hit, focus track, what have you. Basically, what I most wanted to honor, as such, is the reality of actually lived pop pleasure in my own humble—and relatively conscious—existence. Hence, my decision to limit myself to singles that had some kinda genuinely profound influence on my listening time, thought processes, etc. at the point of greatest actual impact (if not official release—tho’ the twain are united far more often than not in my experience).
So here be the 50 singles I’ve felt the greatest amount of devotion towards during the period of time encompassing late-1977 to 2011 (or so). Obvious: definitely. Honest: you betcha. Definitive: *chortles to self*
>>>Spotify Playlist<<<
(Ordered strictly according to momentary preference.)
1. Kris Kross, “Warm It Up” (1992)
2. Azealia Banks, “212” (2011)
3. Missy Elliott, “Work It” (2002)
4. M.I.A., “Paper Planes” (2008)
5. Chaba Fadela, “N’sel Fik (You Are Mine)” (1983)
6. Kylie Minogue, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (2001)
7. Three 6 Mafia, “Stay Fly” (2005)
8. Public Enemy, “Welcome to the Terrordome” (1989)
9. Geto Boys, “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” (1991)
10. Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean” (1983)
11. Naughty by Nature, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” (1991)
12. Laurie Anderson, “O Superman” (1981)
13. Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987)
14. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, “The Message” (1982)
15. Kanye West, “Runaway” (2010)
16. Pet Shop Boys, “Go West” (1993)
17. EPMD, “Strictly Business” (1988)
18. Missy Elliott, “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” (1997)
19. Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, “It Takes Two” (1988)
20. Robyn, “Dancing On My Own” (2010)
21. Missy Elliott, “Get Ur Freak On” (2001)
22. Panjabi MC & Jay-Z, “Beware of the Boys (Mundian To Bach Ke)” (2002)
23. The Clash, “This Is England” (1985)
24. Usher (feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris), “Yeah!” (2004)
25. Outkast, “Hey Ya!” (2003)
26. Madonna, “Like a Prayer” (1989)
27. Cameo, “Word Up!” (1986)
28. Van Halen, “Jump” (1983)
29. AC/DC, “You Shook Me All Night Long” (1980)
30. Nirvana, “ Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)
31. Salt-N-Pepa, “Push It” (1987)
32. Outkast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000)
33. Kris Kross, “Jump” (1992)
34. The Clash, “London Calling” (1979)
35. Madonna, “Open Your Heart” (1986)
36. Neneh Cherry, “Buffalo Stance” (1988)
37. Bee Gees, “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)
38. The Rolling Stones, “Miss You” (1978)
39. Foreigner, “I Want to Know What Love Is” (1984)
40. Prince, “When Doves Cry” (1984)
41. Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance” (2009)
42. Jay-Z, “99 Problems” (2004)
43. Prince, “Kiss” (1986)
44. Jay-Z, “Big Pimpin’” (2000)
45. The Specials, “Ghost Town” (1981)
46. Fun Boy Three, “The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)” (1981)
47. Cyndi Lauper, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (1983)
48. Prince, “Little Red Corvette” (1983)
49. Blondie, “Call Me” (1980)
50. Gary Numan, “Cars” (1979)
RockCritics.com 
Boy, this guy has great taste. Well done!
Is “Paper Planes” the most listed song thus far?
Good catch, I think you’re right, and spoiler alert: it’s at least in one other list on deck. (Despite one thing I said in my initial post, I am going to try to compile a few stats out of this. Using Excel and making the best of it. In retrospect, it would have been wise to see what WordPress offers in terms of forms/ballots, which would’ve forced all participants to enter their info using an identical format — which makes data analysis so much easier, of course — but anyway, see what I can come up with. Nate Silver will NOT approve. )
Yeah, MIA seems to be doing exceptionally well overall. And “Anarchy” got at least a couple of mentions, I think. But no “God Save the Queen” votes? 😦 I would have probably voted for at least three Pistols songs, had I not set such drastic limitations on myself (for both sanity and anti-sixties/-seventies bias really).
Btw, fully 24 of my picks wound up coming from that most misbegotten of decades (according to myselfish), the dread ‘80s. Dunno what to make of that. Maybe I like novelty? Maybe it was a great decade for singles? Maybe I’m just a lazy sod?
(Hi, Mike. I appreciate the Mongo seal of approval.)
(What? I ain’t no @%&+# anonymouse!)
If you don’t know, check out Kylie’s Hi-NRG debut, “I Should Be So Lucky.” That beat on “212” is so hot! Still love “Buffalo Stance” too. Fun list.
So far (through Howard) “Paper Planes” and “I Feel Love” have 4 picks a piece. Scott is the only participant to have picked both. I don’t think there are any with 3, though I could easily have missed them. There are a whole lot with 2.
There’s no one I have more than one in common with (though I wonder why I didn’t pick “I Wonder Why,” which’d’ve given me 2 with Chuck). Here’s what I share with you all: “I Feel Love” (Scott, Tom, Chuck), “Be My Baby” (Steven), “Beware Of The Boys” (Ioannis), “I Only Have Eyes For You” (Anthe), “Long Black Veil” (Kevin).
I have two tracks that have the word “Brother” in the title followed by a comma. As of 10/23/21 no one else has any.
I could have picked “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime” had I gone that route. Can’t think of any other possibilities. “Brothers Gonna Work It Out” comes closest, I suppose. No comma tho. ;-/
The Max Roach Quintet “Speak, Brother, Speak!” and Carole King “Brother, Brother,” also recorded by the Isleys on Brother, Brother, Brother; none of which I remember hearing but I’ll try to grab time today. I assume there are more, but unfortunately discogs search doesn’t seek out album tracks.
As of now (through Dave MacIntosh), and assuming I haven’t miscounted, “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer has what feels like an unsurmountable 8 picks, though one of these is the Patrick Cowley remix. At half that with 4 apiece are “That’s The Way Of The World” (Earth, Wind & Fire), “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nirvana), “Paper Planes” (M.I.A.), “Midnight Train To Georgia” (Gladys Knight & The Pips), and “I Only Have Eyes For You” (Flamingos). The following are the choices of 3 critics: “Work It” (Missy Elliott), “The Message” (Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five), “She Loves You” (the Beatles), “Sally Go Round The Roses” (the Jaynetts), “Maggie May” (Rod Stewart), “Like A Rolling Stone” (Bob Dylan), “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (the Rolling Stones) (one of these is paired with flip side “Child Of The Moon” – hey! I own this), “House Of The Rising Sun” (the Animals), “Fight The Power” (Public Enemy), “Be My Baby” (the Ronettes), and “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding” (Elvis Costello), which at the moment is in the lead for the coveted Offhand Award for the most-loved song the title of which begins with a parenthesis (“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” are contenders with 2 mentions each).
So far there is only one title that begins with a dollar sign ($) and only one starting with an ellipsis (…), but the night is still young…
Someone needed to do it. Thanks.
You’re quite welcome.
By the way, my streak of having no more than one in common with other critics is ended emphatically by YOU, with whom I share a mighty four picks. Three of those are solidly in the canon (“I Feel Love,” “Satisfaction,” “Anarchy In The U.K.”), but the fourth is the girl-twirl delirium of Company B’s “Fascinated”! “Smoochfaces On The Vanguard” is sitting in an unpacked Swellsville at the new digs, so I don’t remember for sure but I think “Fascinated” was in that piece, which you inspired me to write.
I also share more than one with Tom Lane (“I Only Have Eyes For You,” “I Feel Love”), Mary Dickie (“Be My Baby,” “Violet”), and Dave “This Is Not A Very Rock Critic List” MacIntosh (“I Only Have Eyes For You,” “I Feel Love”). And Mark Fichera joins the mob in the “I Feel Love” stateroom.
Thanks to Jim Esposito, the coffee klatsch at four votes a piece now includes “Like A Rolling Stone” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
Adding in Paul’s choices and a couple tracks I missed, this is where we are as of 12/21/21:
Eight
“I Feel Love” (Donna Summer)
Four
“That’s The Way Of The World” (Earth, Wind & Fire)
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nirvana)
“Paper Planes” (M.I.A.)
“Midnight Train To Georgia” (Gladys Knight & The Pips)
“Like A Rolling Stone” (Bob Dylan)
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (Rolling Stones)
“I Only Have Eyes For You” (Flamingos)
“Games People Play” (Spinners)
Three
“Work It” (Missy Elliott)
“The Message” (Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five)
“She Loves You” (Beatles)
“Sally Go Round The Roses” (Jaynetts)
“Night Moves” (Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band)
“Maggie May” (Rod Stewart)
“I Want You Back” (Jackson 5)
“House Of The Rising Sun” (Animals)
“Fight The Power” (Public Enemy)
“Be My Baby” (Ronettes)
“(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding” (Elvis Costello)
“I Feel Love” was only number 52 on the RS list. Also like how “Sally Go Round The Roses” shows up here but not apparently on the RS list. Electro disco and haunting girl group music. Also pleasantly surprised by “That’s The Way Of The World” charting, because, of course, another personal fave, and didn’t see it on the RS list either (why doesn’t RS put up a sortable list? it’d increase engagement, mine, anyway), and that I didn’t know was shared much by others. So there’s at least four of us in the world! So, yay RockCritics.com song pollsters!
Updating the list with Aaron Aradillas’s entry. He also gets added to my affinity list with “Be My Baby,” a truly excellent recording though I’m kind of sad he didn’t choose “With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm.”
Aaron very cleverly snuck 90 songs into his Top 50. For the purposes of this list I arbitrary decided to leave out his B-sides. Think the only track that I thus ended up excluding was “Get Ur Freak On,” though I didn’t do a thorough check.
Eight
“I Feel Love” (Donna Summer)
Five
“Like A Rolling Stone” (Bob Dylan)
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (Rolling Stones)
Four
“The Message” (Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five)
“That’s The Way Of The World” (Earth, Wind & Fire)
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nirvana)
“Paper Planes” (M.I.A.)
“Midnight Train To Georgia” (Gladys Knight & The Pips)
“I Only Have Eyes For You” (Flamingos)
“Games People Play” (Spinners)
“Fight The Power” (Public Enemy)
“Be My Baby” (Ronettes)
Three
“Work It” (Missy Elliott)
“Won’t Get Fooled Again” (The Who)
“Stayin’ Alive” (Bee Gees)
“She Loves You” (Beatles)
“Sally Go Round The Roses” (Jaynetts)
“Rock & Roll” (Velvet Underground)
“Night Moves” (Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band)
“Maggie May” (Rod Stewart)
“I Want You Back” (Jackson 5)
“It Takes Two” (Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock)
“House Of The Rising Sun” (Animals)
“Good Vibrations” (Beach Boys)
“(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding” (Elvis Costello)