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The Beatles crown the Top 500
Photo: Harry Benson
The Fab Four are the big winners in Virgin Radio's All Time Top 500.
The mop-topped four have no less that 28 songs in the list dominating
the choice of nearly 20,000 Virgin Radio listeners who voted. They did
miss out on the top spot to Led Zeppelinís classic "Stairway to
Heaven".
The vast output and sheer quality of Merseyside's finest in their 8
year recording career gave voters a huge number of classics to choose
from. From She Loves You and A Hard Days Night, to Let it Be and Here
Comes the Sun, via Yesterday and Penny Lane - voters obviously had a
tough time to decide exactly which song to vote for.
The Beatles domination doesn't stop there, when you add in Lennon's 5
solo entries, two from Macca's Wings and George Harrison's My Sweet
Lord, (sorry Ringo - Yellow Submarine didn't make it) it is clear that
The Beatles are still the most important and influential act in 2004,
despite finding fame over 50 years ago.
Top Ten Acts by entry
1. The Beatles (28)
=2 U2 (17)
=2 David Bowie (17)
4. Rolling Stones (16)
5. Queen (14)
=6 R.E.M. (8)
=6 The Police (8)
=6 Blondie (8)
=6 Oasis (8)
=6 Rod Stewart (8)
The other Top Ten artists form a mix of the greatest acts of rock and
pop history. U2 and David Bowie vie for second, bumping the
traditionally strong Stones and Queen down the list. Quality writing
across many years sees all these bands occupy a special place in the
nation's heart and the top five acts take nearly 100 spots in the Top
500.
"The Beatles have suffered because they were too good, people didn't
know which song to vote for and so they've missed out on the top spot
and don't even have a song in the top ten which is a travesty. But the
whole Top 500 is an amazing collection of songs, demonstrating the
great taste of the British public."
- Geoff Lloyd, Pete & Geoff at Breakfast
Led Zep claim crown in face of new band attack
Top Ten Songs
1. Led Zeppelin: Stairway to heaven
2. U2: One
3. Guns'n'Roses: Sweet child o' mine
4. R.E.M.: Everybody hurts
5. Robbie Williams: Angels
6. John Lennon: Imagine
7. Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody
8. The Verve: Bitter sweet symphony
9. Eagles: Hotel California
10. Coldplay: Trouble
Nearly 20,000 voters contributed to the Virgin Radio poll which placed
Stairway to Heaven at Number One. Led Zeppelin's finest moment,
acclaimed across the globe as a rock masterpiece when released in
December 1971, beat off the traditional song poll winners Imagine and
Bohemian Rhapsody in the rock and pop stations massive poll.
But the real story of the Top 10 is the new songs from the 90s and 00s
which take half of the prestigious spots. U2, GnR, Robbie, The Verve
and Coldplay have all penned songs which have touched the nation and
been recognised as instant classics. Great new bands are writing
timeless songs and taking on the established artists who usually
dominate top song polls.
"Classic song writing has made a comeback in the last few years with
talented bands producing quality records. U2 and REM continue to pen a
classic or two every album but Coldplay, Keane, Snow Patrol and David
Gray all make the upper reaches of the list and these are the songs
which will be tomorrow's classics."
- Pete Mitchell, Pete & Geoff at Breakfast
It's an 80s comeback
Leg warmers and big hair aren't the only things from the 80s making a
comeback. The previously unfashionable and derided decade, which gave
us everything from political pop to spandex rock, has the most entries
in the Top 500 with 158, nearly a third of the total. It beats the 70s
classics, 141 in all, dominated by legendary acts Queen, Bowie and the
Stones into second. Despite not being halfway through the new decade
the 00s fairs well with 46 entries.
"It's great to be back in fashion, although personally I have never
felt like anything but a trend setter. The 80s produced loads of great
songs from a host of talented bands, from The Specials and The Police,
from The Jam to U2 and of course Madness. Although how Baggy Trousers
was only down at 486 I don't know."
- Suggs, Virgin Radio Party Classics
Top 500 Decades
The 80s - 158 entries (31.6%)
The 70s - 141 entries (28.2%)
The 90s - 95 entries (19%)
The 60s - 60 entries (12%)
The 00s - 46 entries (9.2%)
By: Virgin Radio's Team
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