Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is number five on Rolling Stone‘s newly updated list of the 500 Best Songs of All Time.
The publication “completely remade” its previous ranking, which was originally published in 2004 and slightly updated in 2010. On that first list, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was ranked number nine.
Naturally, a number of newer songs that weren’t out when the original list was unveiled are now included. For example, Lorde‘s breakout hit “Royals” is ranked at number 30, while Billie Eilish‘s “bad guy” comes in at number 178.
Additionally, several tracks that were eligible for the original 2004 list or the 2010 update but weren’t included now show up on the 2021 ranking, including The Killers‘ “Mr. Brightside” at 378, Foo Fighters‘ “Everlong” at 409 and Pearl Jam‘s “Alive” at 416.
Meanwhile, The White Stripes‘ “Seven Nation Army” made a big leap on the list, from its initial ranking of 286 all the way up now to 36.
As for the number-one greatest song of all time, that’d be Aretha Franklin‘s rendition of the Otis Redding-penned song “Respect.” It takes the title from Bob Dylan‘s “Like a Rolling Stone,” which now occupies the number-four spot.
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