Rolling Stone's Top 500 Songs Pool Boys Redux: Top 25 Songs of All-Time According to 3 Boys and a Magazine

 500-101 100-75 74-26

At this point in our journey, we have found all songs left to be certified bangers. Because of this, Rolling Stones original list is the deciding factor to break this arbitrary tie. Meaning, the highest song on the original list will be the number 1 song. Also, if you love Outkast, you'll love this list. Without further ado, the 25 greatest songs (sort of) according to us...and Rolling Stone.

25. "California Luv"- 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre (Originally 321)

What was said: Perhaps the boys were impressed by my ability to recite at least 65% of the lyrics accurately.

24. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"-Tears for Fears (Originally 319)

What was said: Crosby wants to listen to this song daily.

23. "Rock Lobster"-B-52s (Originally 300)

What was said: I know we've repeatedly asked why songs have to be so long, but it's only because if a song is going to be over 7 minutes long, it better be about Rock Lobsters.

22. "Can I Kick It?"-A Tribe Called Quest (Originally 292)

What was said: The boys first heard this in the most recent TMNT movie, and it's been a hit ever since.

21. "Yeah!"-Usher feat. Ludacris and Lil Jon (Originally 290)

20. "The Boys are Back in Town"-Thin Lizzy (Originally 272)

19. "Master of Puppets"-Metallica (Originally 256)

What was said: I, of course, had to tell the boys about the time I was in a car accident and then a state highway patrolman blasted this song while excessively speeding down I-75 to take me to a safe destination for my parents to come get me a new car.

18. "Blue Monday"-New Order (Originally 235)

17. "Ring of Fire"-Johnny Cash (Originally 201)

16. "What a Wonderful World"-Louis Armstrong (Originally 171)

15. "Basket Case"-Green Day (Originally 150)

14. "Ms. Jackson"-Outkast (Originally 143)

What was said: Another song frequently requested by Crosby.

13."London Calling"-The Clash (Originally 143)

What was said: Perhaps the boys like this so much because I like to randomly chase them through the house and try to mosh with them while playing Minor Threat.

12. "I Want You Back"-Jackson 5 (Originally 104)

What was said: This one's for Baby Groot.

11. "Stayin' Alive"-Bee Gees (Originally 99)

10. "Wonderwall"-Oasis (Originally 95)

9. "Fast Car"-Tracy Chapman (Originally 71)

What was said: One of their mom's favorite songs, so the boys give all the respect to Ms. Chapman and Luke Combs can kick rocks.

8. "September"-Earth, Wind, and Fire (Originally 65)

7. "Blitzkrieg Bop"-Ramones (Originally 64)

6. "The Message"-Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 (Originally 59)

What was said: They just really like to say a line from Hamilton instead of singing this actual song, but that's enough for them to love it.

5. "B.O.B.-Outkast (Originally 39)

4. "Tutti Frutti"-Little Richard (Originally 35)

3. "Born to Run"-Bruce Springsteen (Originally 27)

What was said: Just try and name a better saxophone solo.

2. "Hey Ya"-Outkast (Originally 10)

1. "Strawberry Fields Forever"-The Beatles (Originally 7)

What was said: I'm a bit surprised Crosby actually let this one get through. Apparently, Max found the record with this song on it and kept setting the needle back to play it again. Personally, my favorite Beatles song is either "Hello, Goodbye" or "Hey Jude".

Thanks for sticking around and reading about our project.

 

Rolling Stone's 500 Best Songs Pool Boy Redux: 74-26

 We're into the thick of it now and every song on the list received an A+ rating, so I'll be leaving that part off the listings. I'll still post the original rank and some things the boys said or some fun facts. With that in mind, here's part 3 of our list.

74. "Cruel Summer"-Taylor Swift (Original Rank 400)

73. "Hotline Bling"-Drake (Originally 373)

72. "Sweet Dreams"-Eurythmics (Originally 354)

71. "Ponta de Lanca Africano"-Jorge Ben (Originally 352)

What was said: This is such a fun song. I don't speak Portuguese, but who needs to when it slaps like this.

70. "I'm a Believer"-The Monkees (Originally 342)

What Was Said: This is a personal favorite for the boys to play on the jukebox at Mom's Diner.

69. "Tears of a Clown"-Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (Originally 313)

68. "I Put a Spell on You"-Scream' Jay Hawkins (Originally 299)

What Was Said: This was the very last song that we listened to and the voice, the name, the whole package was a big hit.

67. "School's Out"-Alice Cooper (Originally 293)

What Was Said: Shout out Mr. V for belting this song at the end of every school year.

66. "You Shook Me All Night Long"-AC/DC (Originally 287)

65. "Great Balls of Fire"-Jerry Lee Lewis (Originally 242)

64. "Are You That Somebody"-Aaliyah (Originally 238)

What Was Said: I told the boys to listen for a baby in the beat of the song. Instant hit.

63. "Beat It"-Michael Jackson (Originally 185)

What Was Said: This was the only song that was made into a Weird Al song that survived the harsh critique of Crosby that it wasn't by the polka king.

62. "Jump"-Van Halen (Originally 177)

61. "Baba O'Riley"-The Who (Originally 159)

60. "Hey Jude"-The Beatles (Originally 89)

What Was Said: Is there a better Side A/Side B than Hey Jude/Revolution?

59. "Sweet Child O Mine"-Guns N Roses (Originally 88)

What Was Said: Crosby loves this song because it was in a Thor movie, Max likes this song, along with many others, because they play it while he's warming up for baseball.

58. "Jolene"-Dolly Parton (Originally 63)

57. "Seven Nation Army"-The White Stripes (Originally 36)

56. "Johnny B. Goode"-Chuck Berry (Originally 55)

55. "I Want to Hold Your Hand"-The Beatles (Originally 15)

54. "Fight the Power"-Public Enemy (Originally 2)

53. "Loser"-Beck (Originally 458)

52. "In Da Club"-50 Cent (Originally 444)

51. "Sheena is a Punk Rocker"-The Ramones (Originally 434)

50. "Bring the Noize"-Public Enemy feat Anthrax (Originally 397)

What Was Said: Ok, so the original version is the one that was on the Rolling Stone's list. However, the remix with Anthrax is 100x better and that's the one we're going with.

49. "Hotel California"-The Eagles (Originally 311)

48. "Wouldn't it Be Nice"-The Beach Boys (Originally 297)

47. "Won't Get Fooled Again"-The Who (Originally 295)

46. "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"-Gill-Scott Heron (Originally 258)

45. "Fortunate Son"-Creedence Clearwater Revival (Originally 227)

44. "Jailhouse Rock"-Elvis Presley (Originally 216)

43. "Lose Yourself"-Eminem (Originally 167)

42. "Creep"-Radiohead (Originally 118)

41. "As it Was"-Harry Styles (Originally 500)

What Was Said: No song had a bigger jump than this song from the original list.

40. "Stronger"-Kanye West (Originally 493)

39. "House of the Rising Sun"-The Animals (Originally 471)

38. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"-Blue Oyster Cult (Originally 449)

What Was Said: I also showed them the more cowbell skit from SNL. Now when this comes on, they bang on their water bottles.

37. "Sugar We're Going Down"-Fall Out Boy (Originally 443)

36. "Ace of Spades"-Motorhead (Originally 442)

What Was Said: Thanks to Tony Hawk Pro Skater for the boost on this one.

35. "Rapper's Delight"-Sugarhill Gang (Originally 427)

34. "No Diggity"-Blackstreet feat Dr. Dre (Originally 424)

33. "Green Onions"-Booker T and the MGs (Originally 418)

32. "Everlong"-Foo Fighters (Originally 409)

31. "Enter Sandman"-Metallica (Originally 390)

30. "Party Up"-DMX (Originally 388)

What Was Said: The kids really loved the 15 seconds I played of this song.

29. "Mr. Brightside"-The Killers (Originally 378)

What Was Said: Good thing I didn't tell Crosby that they sing this at the end of the 3rd quarter in Ann Arbor.

28. "Could You Be Loved"-Bob Marley (Originally 363)

27. "Iron Man"-Black Sabbath (Originally 345)

26. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"-U2 (Originally 322)

What Was Said: You can thank Sing 2 for this being as high as it is.

Rolling Stone's 500 Best Songs Pool Boy Redux: 100-75

 If you missed part one click here, otherwise, welcome back to the wild and interesting take of a two children and a man nearing a midlife crisis. Together we've attacked the Rolling Stones 500 Best Songs list and retailored it to our liking. We are now in a part of the list where everything was genuinely enjoyed by all parties. Some at the top earned a B from one person but around 60 it's all A performances. No better way to start off this list than with some Jazz. I'll interject with some fun conversations, but for the most part, I'll give the original rank and our rating.

100. "A Love Supreme-Pt. 1 Acknowledgement"-John Coltrane

Original Rank: 315

Average Rating: A-

What Was Said: Crosby is a big fan of instrumentals and I appreciate what's happening. Max had the hardest time with it, but acknowledged that it was pretty good.

99. "Crazy"-Gnarls Barkley

Original Rank: 307

Average Rating: A-

98. "Closer"-Nine Inch Nails

Original Rank: 270

Average Rating: A-

What Was Said: This was not played in full at all. I did play them the instrumental part at the end. They liked that. I'm also not sure how no one stopped me from watching this music video religiously in the mid-90s.

97. "Don't Stop Believin'"-Journey

Original Rank: 133

Average Rank: A-

What Was Said: This is one of the most overplayed songs that brings me little to no joy. As everyone at Comerica Park shouts "South Detroit", I just need baseball to start back up. Sorry about it.

96. "I Will Always Love You"-Whitney Houston

Original Rank: 94

Average Rank: A-

95. "Good Vibrations"-The Beach Boys

Original Rank: 53

Average Rating: A-

94. "Billie Jean"-Michael Jackson

Original Rank: 44

Average Rating: A-

93. "Bohemian Rhapsody"-Queen

Original Rank: 17

Average Rating: A-

What Was Said: Max gave this a B...

92. "Oye Como Va"-Santana

Original Rank: 479

Average Rating: A-

91. "A Milli"-Lil Wayne

Original Rank: 486

Average Rating: A-

90. "Back That Thang Up"-Juvenile

Original Rank: 478

Average Rating: A-

What Was Said: First off, I played the edited version. Secondly, I still skipped around. But you can't deny a good beat when you hear it.

89. "Summertime Blues"-Eddie Cochran

Original Rank: 432

Average Rating: A-

What Was Said: They thought that the voice he used was funny. 5 stars!

88. "Rock N Roll All Nite"-KISS

Original Rank: 404

Average Rank: A-

87. "Bennie and the Jets"-Elton John

Original Rank: 371

Average Rating: A-

86. "Harder They Come"-Jimmy Cliff

Original Rank: 361

Average Rating: A-

What Was Said: This song is easily the best part of this movie.

85. "Paint it Black"-The Rolling Stones

Original Rank: 213

Average Rating: A-

What Was Said: Crosby, not Max, gave this an A+ when I told them that this was Joey Votto's walkup song for several years.

84. "Killing in the Name"-Rage Against the Machine

Original Rank: 207

Average Rating: A-

83. "You Really Got Me"-The Kinks

Original Rank: 176

Average Rating: A-

82. "Paid in Full"-Eric B and Rakim

Original Rank: 132

Average Rating: A-

81. "In My Life"-The Beatles

Original Rank: 98

Average Rating: A-

80. "Good Golly Miss Molly"-Little Richard

Original Rank: 92

Average Rating: A-

79."Under Pressure"-Queen and David Bowie

Original Rank: 429

Average Rating: A

What Was Said: This has been a staple in our house since they heard it in the first Sing movie.

78. "California Dreamin'"-Mama's and the Papa's

Original Rank: 420

Average Rating: A

77. "Uptown Funk"-Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars

Original Rank: 417

Average Rating: A

What Was Said: Did you know that there's a version of this video where it's just the Minions? I sure saw it a lot during COVID, so that's fun.

76. "Father and Son"-Cat Stevens

Original Rank: 408

Average Rating: A

75. "Freebird"-Lynyrd Skynyrd

Original Rank: 407

Average Rating: A

What Was Said: I told them how they should yell this song as a suggestion for every concert.