What’s the No. 1 song of all time? Rolling Stone releases a third version of its top 500

DETROIT — Aretha Franklin’s signature hit has another feather in its cap.

The Queen of Soul’s “Respect” is No. 1 in the latest version of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, released Wednesday, giving Franklin the top spot in two of the magazine’s high-profile, debate-generating rankings.

The magazine says 500 Greatest Songs of All Time was compiled from ballots submitted by more than 250 artists, journalists and industry figures.

Detroit music has dominated Rolling Stone’s lists in recent years:

• Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” is No. 1 on the magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, most recently updated in 2020. The title track of Gaye’s 1971 album is also No. 6 in the new songs ranking.
• Franklin is No. 1 on the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time list, published in 2008.
• Motown musician James Jamerson is No. 1 on the 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time list, published in 2020.

And now “Respect” finds itself atop the songs ranking, leading a top five featuring “Fight the Power” (Public Enemy), “A Change is Gonna Come” (Sam Cooke), “Like a Rolling Stone” (Bob Dylan) and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nirvana).

The new list is the third version of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The original edition — with “Respect” at No. 5 and Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” in the top spot — was released in 2004. It was republished six years later to incorporate 26 songs from the 2000s.

Wednesday’s No. 1 ranking is the latest accolade for Franklin’s 1967 hit: “Respect,” which placed No. 4 on “Songs of the Century,” a 2001 list produced by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts. The track was also named to the Grammy Hall of Fame and is part of the National Recording Registry administered by the Library of Congress.

In 2016, “Respect” ranked No. 1 on Detroit’s 100 Greatest Songs, a Free Press project that tabulated voting by the public, artists and music industry professionals.

Brian McCollum of the Detroit Free Press wrote this story.

©2021 www.freep.com. Visit at freep.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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