We have updated this page to reflect the fact that towards the end of 2006 both Virgin Radio and Q Magazine compiled lists of the 'best ever' singles based on votes from their listeners / readers.
Periodically, magazines and radio stations mount grand polls, asking readers and listeners to register their "all-time favourite" singles/songs.The most recent of these was carried out by Virgin Radio. The resulting chart was unveiled in Dec 2006.This page shows the Top 100 (and then some!) singles - obtained by combining the results of the Virgin poll with the five previous National listeners'/readers' 'Best Ever' polls. These were conducted by Q Magazine (2006), Radio 2 (2004), Guinness (2002), Radio 1 (1998) and Mojo Magazine (1997).We have calculated this chart by combining the positions in each of the individual polls, following the type of statistical distribution obtained in music listings based on public votes. A track must appear in at least two separate Top 100s to be included in our chart.By using this methodology we have largely eliminated any idiosyncrasies caused by 'fad' voting (favouring very recent releases), skewing resulting from a restrictive demographic (most radio stations/magazines aim at a relatively narrow age-band) and attempts by artist fan clubs to influence voting.Snow Patrols' "Chasing Cars" topped the Virgin poll and, whilst few people would disagree that it is a singlepar excellence it is unlikely to be occupying that slot by their next compilation. No doubt it will appear in our listing at the next update but our methodology means that it will have a more graceful and appropriate placing than would otherwise be the case..The listing illustrates the premise that short (weekly) snapshots of sales, whilst accurately reflecting the mood of the Nation at the time, do not always reveal the public's true, long-term appreciation of a song. Many singles which sell hundreds of thousands per week at the height of their chart success are relegated to the bargain bins (or consigned to waste bins!) within weeks of leaving the chart. This listing is about songs which, in theory at least, ooze quality and have longevity.
What follows is totally subjective, of course, but it is the nearest it is possible to get to the definitive "all-time best-ever" 'singles' (though, by our reckoning, the entries marked "(*)" have never been released as singles!)
All-Time 'Best Ever' Singles | Year | Virgin | Q | Radio 2 | Guin'ss | Radio 1 | Mojo | ||
1 | Queen | Bohemian Rhapsody | 1975 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 23 |
2 | John Lennon | Imagine | 1980 | 18 | 25 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 21 |
3 | Robbie Williams | Angels | 1997 | 21 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 12 | |
4 | Beatles | Hey Jude | 1968 | 12 | 23 | 11 | 3 | 7 | |
5 | Nirvana | Smells Like Teen Spirit | 1991 | 3 | 70 | 11 | 2 | 32 | |
6 | Oasis | Live Forever | 1994 | 45 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 42 | |
7 | Oasis | Wonderwall | 1995 | 4 | 2 | 40 | 30 | 29 | |
8 | U2 | One | 1992 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 21 | ||
9 | Verve | Bitter Sweet Symphony | 1997 | 19 | 9 | 38 | 3 | 60 | |
10 | U2 | With Or Without You | 1987 | 55 | 17 | 29 | 20 | 7 | |
11 | Beatles | Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever | 1967 | 49 | 31 | 66 | 7 | 1 | |
12 | Beach Boys | Good Vibrations | 1966 | 89 | 21 | 10 | 51 | 3 | |
13 | REM | Losing My Religion | 1991 | 15 | 58 | 85 | 16 | 20 | 46 |
14 | Bob Dylan | Like A Rolling Stone | 1965 | 59 | 12 | 37 | 64 | 4 | |
15 | Beach Boys | God Only Knows | 1966 | 44 | 36 | 15 | 56 | 12 | |
16 | REM | Everybody Hurts | 1993 | 41 | 28 | 68 | 32 | 6 | 98 |
17 | Kinks | Waterloo Sunset | 1967 | 96 | 38 | 19 | 91 | 2 | |
18 | Oasis | Don’t Look Back In Anger | 1996 | 29 | 20 | 82 | 12 | 85 | 100 |
19 | Procol Harum | A Whiter Shade Of Pale | 1967 | 1 | 19 | 38 | |||
20 | Led Zeppelin | Stairway To Heaven | 1971 | 47 | 8 | 7 | |||
21 | Beatles | Yesterday | 1976 | 30 | 52 | 34 | 9 | ||
22 | Beatles | A Day In The Life (*) | 1967 | 22 | 4 | 38 | |||
23 | Eagles | Hotel California | 1977 | 39 | 70 | 25 | 17 | 85 | |
24 | Massive Attack | Unfinished Sympathy | 1991 | 40 | 44 | 1 | |||
25 | Abba | Dancing Queen | 1976 | 27 | 4 | 87 | |||
26 | Madonna | Like A Prayer | 1989 | 27 | 5 | 77 | |||
27 | Jimi Hendrix Experience | All Along The Watchtower | 1968 | 68 | 41 | 88 | 99 | 5 | |
28 | Radiohead | Creep | 1993 | 30 | 5 | 82 | |||
29 | Michael Jackson | Billie Jean | 1983 | 16 | 81 | 15 | |||
30 | Who | My Generation | 1965 | 31 | 63 | 88 | 14 | ||
31 | Kate Bush | Wuthering Heights | 1978 | 36 | 61 | 30 | 40 | 88 | |
32 | Radiohead | Paranoid Android | 1997 | 10 | 24 | ||||
33 | Undertones | Teenage Kicks | 1978 | 49 | 51 | 74 | 15 | ||
34 | Joy Division | Love Will Tear Us Apart | 1980 | 7 | 39 | 95 | |||
35 | Simon And Garfunkel | Bridge Over Troubled Water | 1970 | 87 | 13 | 35 | 94 | ||
36 | Bruce Springsteen | Born To Run | 1987 | 86 | 26 | 17 | |||
37 | Bob Marley & The Wailers | No Woman No Cry | 1975 | 43 | 91 | 8 | |||
38 | Guns N Roses | Sweet Child O Mine | 1988 | 20 | 22 | 95 | |||
39 | Elvis Presley | Suspicious Minds | 1969 | 53 | 60 | 14 | 90 | ||
40 | Beatles | Let It Be | 1970 | 74 | 49 | 10 | |||
41 | Rolling Stones | (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction | 1965 | 52 | 66 | 37 | 31 | ||
42 | Meat Loaf | Bat Out Of Hell | 1979 | 85 | 8 | 59 | |||
43 | Pulp | Common People | 1995 | 44 | 90 | 16 | 83 | ||
44 | Mariah Carey | Hero | 1993 | 4 | 67 | ||||
45 | Marvin Gaye | I Heard It Through The Grapevine | 1969 | 69 | 39 | 18 | |||
46 | Derek And The Dominoes | Layla | 1972 | 82 | 53 | 46 | 25 | ||
47 | Don Mclean | American Pie | 1972 | 47 | 31 | 34 | |||
48 | Killers | Mr Brightside | 2004 | 10 | 47 | ||||
49 | Madness | It Must be Love | 1981 | 9 | 56 | ||||
50 | Rolling Stones | Paint It Black | 1966 | 17 | 36 | ||||
51 | Sex Pistols | Anarchy In The UK | 1976 | 46 | 96 | 16 | |||
52 | Green Day | Time Of Your Life (Good Riddance) | 1998 | 6 | 86 | ||||
53 | Oasis | Champagne Supernova | 1996 | 95 | 35 | 23 | |||
54 | Jam | A Town Called Malice / Precious | 1982 | 7 | 80 | ||||
55 | Spice Girls | Wannabe | 1996 | 8 | 76 | ||||
56 | Radiohead | Street Spirit (Fade Out) | 1996 | 42 | 17 | ||||
57 | Free | All Right Now | 1970 | 57 | 13 | ||||
58 | Stone Roses | Fools Gold / What The World Is Waiting For | 1989 | 67 | 22 | 52 | |||
59 | Coldplay | Yellow | 2000 | 13 | 64 | ||||
60 | Electric Light Orchestra | Mr. Blue Sky | 1978 | 70 | 18 | 77 | |||
61 | Sinead O’Connor | Nothing Compares 2 U | 1990 | 13 | 71 | ||||
62 | Smiths | This Charming Man | 1983 | 97 | 11 | ||||
63 | George Michael | Careless Whisper | 1984 | 35 | 33 | 99 | |||
64 | Clash | London Calling | 1979 | 14 | 76 | ||||
65 | Blur | Song 2 | 1997 | 71 | 15 | ||||
66 | Jam | That's Entertainment | 1981 | 25 | 43 | ||||
67 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Under The Bridge | 1992 | 24 | 45 | ||||
68 | Radiohead | Karma Police | 1997 | 33 | 33 | ||||
69 | Sex Pistols | God Save The Queen | 1977 | 18 | 65 | ||||
70 | Ottis Redding | (Stittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay | 1968 | 89 | 59 | 24 | |||
71 | Pink Floyd | Wish You Were Here (*) | 1975 | 26 | 45 | ||||
72 | Beatles | In My Life (*) | 1965 | 57 | 22 | ||||
73 | Police | Every Breath You Take | 1983 | 37 | 83 | 45 | |||
74 | Animals | House Of The Rising Sun | 1964 | 65 | 22 | ||||
75 | Stone Roses | I Am The Resurrection | 1992 | 93 | 61 | 28 | |||
76 | Bryan Adams | (Everything I Do) I Do It For You | 1991 | 91 | 18 | ||||
77 | Radiohead | Fake Plastic Trees | 1995 | 54 | 27 | ||||
78 | Pink Floyd | Comfortably Numb (*) | 1979 | 19 | 90 | ||||
79 | Van Morrison | Brown Eyed Girl | 1967 | 42 | 100 | 44 | |||
80 | Gerry Rafferty | Baker Street | 1978 | 48 | 34 | ||||
81 | Beatles | She Loves You | 1963 | 43 | 39 | ||||
82 | Dire Straits | Romeo And Juliet | 1981 | 33 | 58 | ||||
83 | Rolling Stones | Jumping Jack Flash | 1968 | 81 | 27 | ||||
84 | Celine Dion | My Heart Will Go On | 1998 | 28 | 84 | ||||
85 | Puff Daddy And Faith Evans | I’ll Be Missing You | 1997 | 36 | 60 | ||||
86 | Smiths | How Soon Is Now? | 1985 | 56 | 51 | 77 | |||
87 | Beatles | Help! | 1965 | 38 | 60 | ||||
88 | U2 | Where The Streets Have No Name | 1987 | 94 | 43 | 63 | |||
89 | David Bowie | Space Oddity | 1975 | 35 | 70 | ||||
90 | David Bowie | Heroes | 1977 | 68 | 75 | 61 | 97 | ||
91 | David Bowie | Life On Mars | 1973 | 45 | 57 | ||||
92 | LAs | There She Goes | 1990 | 90 | 47 | 70 | |||
93 | Righteous Brothers | Unchained Melody | 1965 | 52 | 51 | ||||
94 | Jam | Going Underground / Dreams Of Children | 1980 | 66 | 98 | 48 | |||
95 | Smokey Robinson & The Miracles | Tracks Of My Tears | 1969 | 98 | 35 | ||||
96 | Dexy's Midnight Runners | Come On Eileen | 1982 | 46 | 63 | ||||
97 | Moody Blues | Nights In White Satin | 1967 | 36 | 93 | ||||
98 | New Order | Blue Monday | 1983 | 69 | 43 | ||||
99 | George Harrison | My Sweet Lord | 1971 | 63 | 49 | ||||
100 | Eminem | Stan | 2000 | 59 | 54 | ||||
101 | Manic Street Preachers | Motorcycle Emptiness | 1992 | 88 | 41 | ||||
102 | Abba | The Winner Takes It All | 1980 | 72 | 47 | ||||
103 | Kylie Minogue | Can't Get You Out Of My Head | 2001 | 55 | 63 | ||||
104 | Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl | Fairytale of New York | 1987 | 54 | 96 | 84 | |||
105 | Scissor Sisters | Take Your Mama | 2004 | 79 | 50 | ||||
106 | Elvis Presley | Heartbreak Hotel | 1956 | 48 | 96 | ||||
107 | Crowded House | Don't Dream It's Over | 1987 | 78 | 55 | ||||
108 | 10CC | I’m Not In Love | 1975 | 92 | 50 | ||||
109 | Verve | The Drugs Don’t Work | 1997 | 60 | 73 | ||||
110 | Kinks | Lola | 1960 | 67 | 66 | ||||
111 | Human League | Don’t You Want Me | 1981 | 86 | 57 | ||||
112 | Nilsson | Without You | 1972 | 99 | 55 | ||||
113 | Cher | Believe | 1998 | 84 | 66 | ||||
114 | Glen Campbell | Wichita Lineman | 1969 | 87 | 72 | ||||
115 | David Gray | Babylon | 2000 | 88 | 76 | ||||
116 | Bryan Adams | Summer Of ’69 | 1985 | 95 | 75 | ||||
117 | Paul Weller | Wild Wood | 1999 | 92 | 81 | ||||
118 | Jimi Hendrix Experience | Voodoo Chile | 1970 | 85 | 93 |
No other singles have made the Top 100 in two or more of the included charts.