Last Updated on 6 November 2023

I searched the Internet for lists of best “classic rock” songs of all time. Criteria included the songs being ranked, not just listed, and covering all time, not just a decade. The lists were generally created by groups, whether teams or committees or based on general public voting (like Ranker.com).

I was able to find 21 lists. I took the 21 lists and added all their content into a spreadsheet, noting the rank of every song. I averaged the rankings of each song I found and divided that average by the number of lists that song was on. The lowest score meant a high ranking average on many lists. The complete spreadsheet is attached at the bottom.

The songs that were on the most lists (out of 21) were:

  • Baba O’Riley – The Who – 18 lists
  • Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen – 17 lists
  • Hotel California – Eagles – 17 lists
  • Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix – 17 lists
  • Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd – 16 lists
  • Smoke on the Water – Deep Purple – 15 lists
  • Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd – 14 lists
  • Born to Be Wild – Steppenwolf – 14 lists
  • Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin – 13 lists
  • More Than a Feeling – Boston – 13 lists

Here are links to the lists I used along with dates the lists were created:

Best-Classic-Rock-Songs-of-All-TimeDownload

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