After Rolling Stone updated their greatest albums list last year, it was expected that their 500 greatest songs list would receive the same treatment. More than just a update though, it’s a complete overhaul for Rolling Stone with more representation for hip-hop, r&b, and 21st century music. The new list is a mixed bag with some welcome love for artists like OutKast, Missy Elliott, UGK, etc. and an exceeding amount of frustrating inclusions from BTS’ “Dynamite” to John Lennon’s “Imagine”. To truly measure a list like this though you have to know what was left out in favor of the likes of “Imagine”, and with only 500 choices, there were bound to be some head-scratching exclusions. Earlier this year, I listed out the 1,000 greatest songs of all time, so I had a convenient reference point to quickly judge the Rolling Stone list and point out what the list lacked in my perspective. This post is the 200 highest-ranking songs from my list that did not make Rolling Stone’s list; beside each song in parentheses is where they were ranked on my list.

  1. Nina Simone – “Sinnerman” (2)
  2. Michael Jackson – “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” (8)
  3. Michael Jackson – “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (17)
  4. Stevie Wonder – “Living for the City” (35)
  5. Daft Punk – “One More Time” (40)
  6. Radiohead – “Paranoid Android” (41)
  7. Wu-Tang Clan – “Protect Ya Neck” (44)
  8. Johnny Cash – “Folsom Prison Blues” (46)
  9. Kate Bush – “Wuthering Heights” (50)
  10. Aphex Twin – “Windowlicker” (52)
  11. The Beach Boys – “Don’t Worry Baby” (60)
  12. The Supremes – “Where Did Our Love Go” (77)
  13. Nas – “N.Y. State of Mind” (78)
  14. The Velvet Underground – “Sunday Morning” (82)
  15. Joy Division – “Transmission” (89)
  16. The Smashing Pumpkins – “1979” (91)
  17. Daft Punk – “Digital Love” (92)
  18. Grimes – “Oblivion” (93)
  19. Fugazi – “Waiting Room” (95)
  20. Big Star – “Thirteen” (98)
  21. Janet Jackson – “When I Think of You” (100)
  22. Neil Young – “On the Beach” (102)
  23. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” (104)
  24. Robyn (ft. Kleerup) – “With Every Heartbeat” (105)
  25. A Tribe Called Quest – “Scenario” (106)
  26. Dick Dale & His Del-Tones – “Miserlou” (107)
  27. Bruce Springsteen – “I’m on Fire” (110)
  28. Sade – “The Sweetest Taboo” (111)
  29. Aaliyah – “Try Again” (121)
  30. Prince – “I Wanna Be Your Lover” (126)
  31. The Supremes – “You Can’t Hurry Love” (127)
  32. Nico – “These Days” (128)
  33. The Crystals – “Then He Kissed Me” (132)
  34. The Knife – “Heartbeats” (133)
  35. OutKast – “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” (134)
  36. Björk – “Hyperballad” (138)
  37. Elvis Presley – “That’s All Right” (140)
  38. Édith Piaf – “La Vie en rose” (141)
  39. Nina Simone – “Four Women” (142)
  40. Led Zeppelin – “When the Levee Breaks” (143)
  41. New Order – “Ceremony” (144)
  42. Elliott Smith – “Waltz #2 (XO” (145)
  43. Kanye West – “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” (146)
  44. The Beatles – “Tomorrow Never Knows” (148)
  45. Jay-Z (ft. UGK) – “Big Pimpin'” (150)
  46. The Dave Brubeck Quartet – “Take Five” (155)
  47. Stan Getz/João Gilberto – “The Girl from Ipanema” (157)
  48. Jackie Wilson – “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” (158)
  49. Link Wray & the Wraymen – “Rumble” (159)
  50. The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun” (160)
  51. Althea & Donna – “Uptown Top Ranking” (165)
  52. The Velvet Underground – “Heroin” (167)
  53. Antony & the Johnsons – “Hope There’s Someone” (170)
  54. M83 – “Midnight City” (172)
  55. Wilco – “Jesus, etc.” (173)
  56. Steely Dan – “Peg” (174)
  57. Radiohead – “Everything in its Right Place” (177)
  58. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance” (178)
  59. Sky Ferreira – “Everything Is Embarrassing” (181)
  60. The Shangri-Las – “Out in the Streets” (184)
  61. Pavement – “Gold Soundz” (186)
  62. The Beatles – “I Am the Walrus” (187)
  63. George Harrison – “My Sweet Lord” (189)
  64. Burial – “Archangel” (191)
  65. Aretha Franklin – “Think” (194)
  66. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – “Tha Crossroads” (197)
  67. Belle & Sebastian – “The State I Am In” (199)
  68. Lil Uzi Vert – “XO TOUR Llif3” (200)
  69. Duke Ellington – “Take the ‘A’ Train” (201)
  70. Frank Sinatra – “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” (204)
  71. The Rolling Stones – “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” (205)
  72. Tame Impala – “Let It Happen” (206)
  73. Desmond Dekker & the Aces – “Israelites” (207)
  74. Kate Bush – “Hounds of Love” (209)
  75. CAN – “Vitamin C” (213)
  76. The Carter Family – “Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By)” (214)
  77. Slick Rick – “Children’s Story” (216)
  78. 2Pac – “Ambitionz az a Ridah” (217)
  79. Salt-N-Pepa – “Push It” (218)
  80. Taylor Swift – “You Belong With Me” (219)
  81. Bill Callahan – “Jim Cain” (221)
  82. Talking Heads – “Psycho Killer” (222)
  83. Roxy Music – “More Than This” (224)
  84. Aretha Franklin – “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” (226)
  85. My Bloody Valentine – “Only Shallow” (230)
  86. The Cure – “Boys Don’t Cry” (231)
  87. The Righteous Brothers – “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” (232)
  88. Laurie Anderson – “O Superman” (237)
  89. Del Shannon – “Runaway” (238)
  90. Built to Spill – “Car” (240)
  91. Arcade Fire – “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” (242)
  92. John Lee Hooker – “Boogie Chillen” (244)
  93. Daryl Hall & John Oates – “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” (246)
  94. The Orb – “Little Fluffy Clouds” (247)
  95. Angel Olsen – “Shut Up Kiss Me” (250)
  96. Bob Dylan – “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (251)
  97. The Verve – “Bitter Sweet Symphony” (252)
  98. 10cc – “I’m Not in Love” (254)
  99. Kraftwerk – “Computer Love” (255)
  100. Marvin Gaye – “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” (256)
  101. Radiohead – “Fake Plastic Trees” (258)
  102. Fleetwood Mac – “The Chain” (260)
  103. Deerhunter – “Nothing Ever Happened” (262)
  104. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (264)
  105. Grover Washington Jr. (ft. Bill Withers) – “Just the Two of Us” (265)
  106. Bessie Smith – “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” (267)
  107. Bill Callahan – “Riding for the Feeling” (268)
  108. Cocteau Twins – “Cherry-Coloured Funk” (269)
  109. Erykah Badu – “On & On” (272)
  110. Frank Ocean – “Nights” (273)
  111. Sufjan Stevens – “Casmir Pulaski Day” (274)
  112. Elliott Smith – “Needle in the Hay” (276)
  113. The Strokes – “Someday” (279)
  114. Daft Punk – “Da Funk” (281)
  115. Beastie Boys – “Shake Your Rump” (283)
  116. Massive Attack – “Unfinished Sympathy” (284)
  117. M.I.A. – “Galang” (285)
  118. Hole – “Violet” (288)
  119. DJ Shadow – “Midnight in a Perfect World” (289)
  120. New Order – “Age of Consent” (290)
  121. Chief Keef (ft. Lil Reese) – “I Don’t Like” (291)
  122. Underworld – “Born Slippy.NUXX” (292)
  123. The Band – “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (293)
  124. Bon Iver – “Skinny Love” (294)
  125. The Flaming Lips – “Do You Realize??” (295)
  126. Michael Jackson – “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” (296)
  127. Vampire Weekend – “Hannah Hunt” (298)
  128. Prince & the Revolution – “I Would Die 4 U” (301)
  129. Sufjan Stevens – “Chicago” (302)
  130. James Brown – “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” (303)
  131. Tom Tom Club – “Genius of Love” (304)
  132. Bob Marley & the Wailers – “Waiting in Vain” (305)
  133. Neutral Milk Hotel – “Holland, 1945” (306)
  134. The Pharcyde – “Passin’ Me By” (309)
  135. The Avalanches – “Since I Left You” (310)
  136. The Clash – “Train in Vain” (312)
  137. Kendrick Lamar – “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” (313)
  138. Kanye West (ft. Lupe Fiasco) – “Touch the Sky” (315)
  139. Kylie Minogue – “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (316)
  140. Beyoncé – “Countdown” (319)
  141. Frankie Knuckles & Jamie Principle – “Your Love” (320)
  142. LCD Soundsystem – “Someone Great” (321)
  143. Fiona Apple – “Every Single Night” (323)
  144. Weezer – “Say It Ain’t So” (324)
  145. Modest Mouse – “Float On” (325)
  146. T.I. – “What You Know” (327)
  147. Neil Young & Crazy Horse – “Down By the River” (328)
  148. OutKast – “Rosa Parks” (329)
  149. Elton John – “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (333)
  150. Sam Cooke – “You Send Me” (335)
  151. Franz Ferdinand – “Take Me Out” (336)
  152. Robyn – “Call Your Girlfriend” (338)
  153. Electric Light Orchestra – “Mr. Blue Sky” (340)
  154. Louis Armstrong – “West End Blues” (341)
  155. Three 6 Mafia – “Stay Fly” (342)
  156. Suicide – “Dream Baby Dream” (343)
  157. The Flaming Lips – “Race for the Prize” (344)
  158. Lady Gaga – “Poker Face” (346)
  159. Jimmy Cliff – “Many Rivers to Cross” (347)
  160. The Streets – “Weak Become Heroes” (349)
  161. Rae Sremmurd (ft. Gucci Mane) – “Black Beatles” (350)
  162. Janet Jackson – “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” (351)
  163. Black Sabbath – “War Pigs/Luke’s Wall” (352)
  164. MGMT – “Time to Pretend” (353)
  165. Fela Kuti & Afrika 70 – “Zombie” (354)
  166. Rihanna (ft. Drake) – “Work” (358)
  167. Funkadelic – “Can You Get to That” (360)
  168. Nancy Sinatra – “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ (361)
  169. Led Zeppelin – “Immigrant Song” (363)
  170. Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong – “Summertime” (366)
  171. Solange – “Losing You” (367)
  172. Aaliyah – “One in a Million” (369)
  173. Joanna Newsom – “The Sprout and the Bean” (371)
  174. Brian Eno – “St. Elmo’s Fire” (372)
  175. The Cure – “Close to Me” (373)
  176. Mariah Carey – “Always Be My Baby” (375)
  177. UGK – “One Day” (376)
  178. Björk – “Joga” (377)
  179. Fugazi – “Cashout” (388)
  180. Wilco – “Via Chicago” (390)
  181. Leonard Cohen – “Famous Blue Raincoat” (381)
  182. Joy Division – “Atmosphere” (382)
  183. The Velvet Underground – “Rock & Roll” (383)
  184. Stevie Wonder – “Sir Duke” (385)
  185. Lou Reed – “Perfect Day” (387)
  186. The Who – “I Can’t Explain” (388)
  187. LCD Soundsystem – “Losing My Edge” (389)
  188. Van Morrison – “Sweet Thing” (390)
  189. Caetano Veloso – “You Don’t Know Me” (391)
  190. The Isley Brothers – “That Lady” (392)
  191. Jacque Brel – “Ne Me Quitte Pas” (393)
  192. Justin Timberlake – “Cry Me a River” (394)
  193. FKA Twigs – “Two Weeks” (395)
  194. Ray Charles – “I Got a Woman” (396)
  195. Little Richard – “Long Tall Sally” (397)
  196. ANOHNI – “Drone Bomb Me” (398)
  197. Lead Belly – “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” (399)
  198. Beck – “Devils Haircut” (400)
  199. Belle Biv Devoe – “Poison” (401)
  200. Madonna – “Borderline” (402)