My Top 100 Songs of all time - 2013 edition

I last compiled my top 100 songs in January 2010. It was a tough task, and now 3.5 years later I have revisited it. Nearly 1/4 of the list are new songs. On another day many of the songs cut from the list might have been kept in favour of others. As you would expect, little has changed in the upper echelons, although the order is in general pretty sketchy.

These are the 100 best songs ever written. Many may not even be the best by that particular act. But when picking favourites, there is more than the musicianship at play. Memories and associations have a big influence. Songs remind you of people and places, and for that reason some of the songs on my list may seem odd choices if you don't understand the context. So alongside this list, I will post on my blog (ntfc2.blogspot.co.uk) in batches of 10 songs about what inspired me to pick these songs.

Rules. There weren't really any rules per se, except that to keep this interesting I didn't allow myself to select more than 3 songs by any act. I could easily have filled 50 slots with songs by Queen, Billy Bragg, The Beatles and Kate Bush but that would have got very dull. 

So here is the list:

Position  Song  Act  2010 Position

100 Romeo  Basement Jaxx  98

99 Epic Faith No More new

98 People Everyday Arrested Development new

97 Superstar Sonic Youth new

96 Walk Away Renee The Four Tops 70

95 Somebody That I Used To Know Gotye new

94 I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You Black Kids new

93 Forget You Cee Lo Green new

92 No Diggity Blackstreet new

91 The Boxer Simon and Garfunkel 71

90 White Room Cream 89

89 Rolling In The Deep Adele new

88 Don't Leave Faithless new

87 Somewhere In My Heart Aztec Camera 96

86 Up The Junction Squeeze 84

85 Saturn 5 Inspiral Carpets 83

84 Never Forget You Noisettes 82

83 This Is Not A Love Song Public Image Limited 85

82 Give It Away Red Hot Chili Peppers 80

81 Don't Dream It's Over Crowded House 78

80 Fascination Alphabeat new

79 You Better You Bet The Who 76

78 All The Things She Said T.A.T.U new

77 Itchycoo Park Small Faces 73

76 A Change Is Gonna Come Sam Cooke 72

75 I Want To Be Buried In Your Backyard Nightmare Of You new

74 Landslide Fleetwood Mac 69

73 Oliver's Army Elvis Costello 68

72 Dancing In The Moonlight Thin Lizzy 67

71 Purple Rain Prince 66

70 Crazy For You/Rain mashup Jane Lui new

69 Fergus Sings The Blues Deacon Blue 64

68 The Show Lenka new

67 Fix You Coldplay new

66 Friday I'm In Love The Cure 62

65 Live And Let Die Wings 60

64 Purple Haze Jimi Hendrix 59

63 Lose Yourself Eminem new

62 I Say A Little Prayer Aretha Franklin new

61 Eton Rifles The Jam 56

60 The Man With The Child In His Eyes Kate Bush 55

59 Cabaret Louis Armstrong 54

58 Wuthering Heights Kate Bush new

57 Mayor of Simpleton XTC 52

56 Johnny Come Home Fine Young Cannibals new

55 Inbetweener Sleeper 97

54 Suspicious Minds Elvis Presley 51

53 Birdhouse In Your Soul They Might Be Giants 48

52 I Am The Resurrection Stone Roses 49

51 Levi Stubbs Tears Billy Bragg 46

50 Justified And Ancient The KLF     45

49 London Calling The Clash 44

48 Crazy In Love Beyonce 43

47 Love Machine Girls Aloud 77

46 Life on Mars David Bowie 90

45 In The Lap Of The Gods (Revisited) Queen new

44 Move On Up Curtis Mayfield 40

43 Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of U2 39

42 Great Things Echobelly new

41 I'm Alive The Hollies 37

40 Mary's Prayer Danny Wilson 96

39 St Louis Blues Glenn Miller 36

38 Talking About A Revolution Tracy Chapman 35

37 10,000 Nights Alphabeat 34

36 I Think I Love You Voice Of The Beehive 33

35 Help Me Please Hard Fi new

34 Greatest Day Beverley Knight 32

33 Shirley Billy Bragg 31

32 Motorcycle Emptiness Manic Street Preachers 79

31 I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor Arctic Monkeys 30

30 Wish You Were Here Pink Floyd 29

29 2 Of Us Beatles new

28 Bohemian Rhapsody Queen 28

27 Kashmir Led Zeppelin 27

26 Subterranean Homesick Blues Bob Dylan 26

25 Rise Public Image Limited 24

24 Senses Working Overtime XTC 15

23 Alison Elvis Costello 23

22 Walls Come Tumbling Down Style Council 22

21 Don't Stop Moving S Club 7 21

20 Flight Of The Wild Geese Joan Armatrading 20

19 God Only Knows Beach Boys 19

18 Me And The Farmer Housemartins 18

17 Marlene On The Wall Suzanne Vega 17

16 What's Going On Marvin Gaye 16

15 This Is How It Feels Inspiral Carpets 25

14 Last Of The Famous International Playboys Morrissey 14

13 Absolutely Everybody Vanessa Amorosi new

12 Whatever Oasis 12

11 For What It's Worth Buffalo Springfield 11

10 A New England Kirsty MacColl 10

9 Glorious Day Amsterdam 9

8 Panic The Smiths 8

7 I Useta Love Her Sawdoctors 7

6 I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing Pet Shop Boys 6

5 Beat Surrender The Jam 5

4 Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards Billy Bragg 4

3 Mr Blue Sky ELO 3

2 Something Beatles 2

1 Yes McAlmont and Butler 1

Dropping out of the top 100

100 Free - Estelle

99 Rocket 88 - Ike Turner

94 Break from the old routine - Oui 3

93 Phantom of the opera – Iron maiden

92 Orange Crush - REM

91 Baby can I hold you - Tracy Chapman

88 Death on 2 legs - Queen 

87 Rappers Delight - Sugarhill Gang

86 Somebody told me - The Killers

81 Brothers Gonna Work It Out - Public Enemy

75 Do you really like it - Pied Piper and MCs

74 There ain't half been some clever bastards - Ian Dury and the Blockheads

65 What the world is waiting for - Stone Roses

63 Charmless Man - Blur

58 Enter Sandman - Metallica

57 I Know Where I've Been - Queen Latifah

53 Teenage Sensation - Credit to the nation

50 Closest thing to crazy - Katie Melua

47 Hounds of Love - Kate Bush

42 You & Me Song - Wannadies

41 Oh! You Pretty Things - David Bowie

38 King of the kerb - Echobelly

33 Sheriff Fatman - Carter USM

13 Vuma Dlozi Lami - Leleti Khumalo

Bubbling under - seriously considered for inclusion in the 2013 list

Numerous Queen, Beatles, Billy Bragg, Kate Bush

Karma Hotel - Spooks

LSI - The Shamen

Light and Day - Polyphonic Spree

One Way - Levellers

Lenny Valentino - The Auteurs

Rio - Duran Duran

Enola Gay - O.M.D

Kill Your television - Neds Atomic Dustbin

Respect Yourself -Bruce Willis

Nu Flow - Big Brovaz

Love has left the room - A Camp

Art for arts sake - 10cc

Honey to the bee - Billie

Higher Ground - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Songs of love - Divine Comedy

Becoming more like Alfie - Divine Comedy

Big Time Sensuality - Bjork

Black Night - Deep Purple

Photograph - Def Leppard

Bang Bang You're Dead - Dirty Pretty Things

Stars - Dubstar

Lovebirds - Dodgy

Paradise City - Guns N Roses

Living For The Weekend - Hard Fi

Monkey Gone To Heaven - Pixies

The Mighty Quinn - Manfred Mann

The Only One I Know - Charlatans

Boys Don't Cry - The Cure

Land of confusion - Genesis

Labour of love - Hue and Cry  

You might need somebody - Shola Ama

Rock the casbah - The Clash

English Civil War - The Clash

You're all I need to get by -  Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

Can't stand me now - The Libertines

Message in a bottle - The Police

Paint it black - Rolling Stones

No More Heroes - The Stranglers

Dear God - XTC

Put the message in the box - World Party

Vanishing Girl - The Dukes of Stratosphear

Straight Outta Compton - N.W.A

Still too young to remember - It Bites

The Only Living Boy in New Cross - Carter USM

Importance of being idle -Oasis

You shook me all night long - ACDC

Must I paint you a picture -Billy Bragg

Tank Park Salute - Billy Bragg

Everybody knows that I love you - Divine Comedy

Shipbuilding - Elvis Costello

A Design For Life -Manic Street Preachers

Somewhere only we know - Keane

Love and Affection - Joan Armatrading

Villa Rosie - Blur

Why can't I be you - The Cure

Love Cats - The Cure

Don't call me baby - Voice of the Beehive

Good thing - Fine Young Cannibals

Chocolate Girl - Deacon Blue

Trash-  Suede  

Don't leave - Faithless  

Step on - Happy Mondays

Goodbye Yellow Brick road - Elton John

Getting Better -The Beatles

Today - Smashing Pumpkins

Since You been gone - Rainbow