| Introduction | 13 |
| Author's Note | 17 |
1. | Terraplane Blues (1937) Robert Johnson | 19 |
2. | Rolling Stone (1950) Muddy Waters | 21 |
3. | Tutti-Frutti (1955) Little Richard | 23 |
4. | Heartbreak Hotel (1956) Elvis Presley | 25 |
5. | Fever (1956) Little Willie John | 27 |
6. | In the Still of the Nite (1956) The Five Satins | 29 |
7. | Mona (1957) Bo Diddley | 31 |
8. | Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On (1957) Jerry Lee Lewis | 33 |
9. | Peggy Sue (1957) Buddy Holly | 35 |
10. | At the Hop (1957) Danny and the Juniors | 37 |
11. | Johnny B. Goode (1958) Chuck Berry | 39 |
12. | All I Have to Do Is Dream (1958) The Everly Brothers | 41 |
13. | I've Had It (1959) The Bell Notes | 43 |
14. | Crossfire (1959) Johnny and the Hurricanes | 45 |
15. | Memphis, Tennessee (1959) Chuck Berry | 47 |
16. | Runaway (1961) Del Shannon | 49 |
17. | Stand By Me (1961) Ben E. King | 51 |
18. | I'll Try Something New (1962) The Miracles | 53 |
19. | You Belong to Me (1962) The Duprees | 55 |
20. | Please Please Me (1963) The Beatles | 57 |
21. | Sally Go 'Round the Roses (1963) The Jaynetts | 59 |
22. | Louie Louie (1963) The Kingsmen | 61 |
23. | Fun, Fun, Fun (1964) The Beach Boys | 63 |
24. | I Get Around/Don't Worry Baby (1964) The Beach Boys | 65 |
25. | Dancing in the Street (1964) Martha and the Vandellas | 67 |
26. | You Really Got Me (1964) The Kinks | 69 |
27. | Baby Please Don't Go/Gloria (1964) Them | 71 |
28. | A Change Is Gonna Come (1964) Sam Cooke | 73 |
29. | I Can't Explain (1965) The Who | 75 |
30. | The Last Time (1965) The Rolling Stones | 77 |
31. | Subterranean Homesick Blues (1965) Bob Dylan | 79 |
32. | Ticket to Ride (1965) The Beatles | 81 |
33. | Mr. Tambourine Man (1965) The Byrds | 83 |
34. | (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (1965) The Rolling Stones | 85 |
35. | In the Midnight Hour (1965) Wilson Pickett | 87 |
36. | Like A Rolling Stone (1965) Bob Dylan | 89 |
37. | Day Tripper (1965) The Beatles | 91 |
38. | Going to A Go-Go (1965) The Miracles | 93 |
39. | Oh How Happy (1966) Shades of Blue | 95 |
40. | River Deep, Mountain High (1966) Ike and Tina Turner | 97 |
41. | Reach Out I'll Be There (1966) The Four Tops | 100 |
42. | Knock on Wood (1966) Eddie Floyd | 103 |
43. | Good Vibrations (1966) The Beach Boys | 105 |
44. | Gimme Some Lovin' (1966) The Spencer Davis Group | 107 |
45. | For What It's Worth (1967) Buffalo Springfield | 109 |
46. | I Never Loved A Man (1967) Aretha Franklin | 111 |
47. | The Love I Saw in You Was Just A Mirage (1967) Smokey Robinson and the Miracles | 113 |
48. | Waterloo Sunset (1967) The Kinks | 115 |
49. | The Crystal Ship (1967) The Doors | 118 |
50. | Heroes and Villains (1967) The Beach Boys | 120 |
51. | Brown Eyed Girl (1967) Van Morrison | 122 |
52. | (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher (1967) Jackie Wilson | 124 |
53. | I Can See for Miles (1967) The Who | 126 |
54. | (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay (1968) Otis Redding | 128 |
55. | Magic Bus (1968) The Who | 131 |
56. | All Along the Watchtower (1968) Jimi Hendrix Experience | 133 |
57. | Dark Star (1968) Grateful Dead | 135 |
58. | Hey Jude (1968) The Beatles | 137 |
59. | I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1968) Marvin Gaye | 139 |
60. | Honky Tonk Women/You Can't Always Get What You Want (1969) The Rolling Stones | 141 |
61. | Green River (1969) Creedence Clearwater Revival | 143 |
62. | Foggy Notion (1969) Velvet Underground | 145 |
63. | Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) (1969) Sly and the Family Stone | 148 |
64. | Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine (Part 1) (1970) James Brown | 150 |
65. | Drowning in the Sea of Love (1971) Joe Simon | 153 |
66. | All Down the Line (1972) The Rolling Stones | 155 |
67. | Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1973) Bob Dylan | 157 |
68. | You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (1974) Bachman-Turner Overdrive | 159 |
69. | No Woman, No Cry (1975) Bob Marley and the Wailers | 161 |
70. | Hurricane (1975) Bob Dylan | 163 |
71. | Gloria (1976) Patti Smith Group | 165 |
72. | Anarchy in the U.K. (1976) The Sex Pistols | 168 |
73. | Marquee Moon (1977) Television | 171 |
74. | Handy Man (1977) James Taylor | 173 |
75. | Roadrunner (1977) Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers | 175 |
76. | Holidays in the Sun (1977) The Sex Pistols | 177 |
77. | We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions (1977) Queen | 179 |
78. | Another Girl, Another Planet (1978) The Only Ones | 182 |
79. | Take Me to the River (1978) Talking Heads | 184 |
80. | Sultans of Swing (1979) Dire Straits | 186 |
81. | Ring My Bell (1979) Anita Ward | 188 |
82. | Funkytown (1980) Lipps, Inc. | 191 |
83. | Love Will Tear Us Apart (1980) Joy Division | 194 |
84. | Walking on Thin Ice (1981) Yoko Ono | 196 |
85. | Radio Free Europe (1981) R.E.M. | 199 |
86. | When You Were Mine (1981) Prince | 201 |
87. | The Message (1982) Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five | 204 |
88. | I Melt with You (1982) Modern English | 207 |
89. | New Year's Day (1983) U2 | 210 |
90. | Atomic Dog (1983) George Clinton | 212 |
91. | Middle of the Road (1983) The Pretenders | 214 |
92. | When Doves Cry (1984) Prince | 216 |
93. | Pride (In the Name of Love) (1984) U2 | 218 |
94. | Shout (1984) Tears for Fears | 221 |
95. | Fall Down (1985) Tramaine | 223 |
96. | Sledgehammer (1986) Peter Gabriel | 225 |
97. | The One I Love (1987) R.E.M. | 227 |
98. | Fisherman's Blues (1988) The Waterboys | 230 |
99. | Rockin' in the Free World (1989) Neil Young | 232 |
100. | Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991) Nirvana | 234 |