Q104.3 Continues Thanksgiving Weekend Tradition of Rating Best 1,043 Rock Songs of All-Time For 2024

Photo courtesy of DerekVelasquez's Flickr page -  Led Zeppelin: https://www.flickr.com/photos/derekvelasquez/3072776462/in/photolist-5FwMow-6SmBSz-9HJ3ko-krzfj7-7AJeMG-gUGaR-8NNx3A-pLveuP-5W3935-kivXt-8Y2AFC-FiLb4-BeZcm-9bEc7a-7qRiYB-5FwP6o-6iWoQU-apKtaE-5Fsys6-t8rrc-ko9qQ-4aC74F-yHpJ1t-3AHnNN-eqYbJH-9oSakn-nDDLat-bMJso4-4taxtA-4c17wU-4tazky-nDE1NX-nDEso4-nW4Jfh-nVRRg2-nU7G89-nDENXG-nU7cqu-nDFfsh-5FwEm3-bpA9dM-5247zM-z9Ga1E-CTPs52-561E7G-ox4M73-oFmZ3B-uPTrdC-dqjqsS-ycekSr

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Photo courtesy of Ray MacLean's Flickr page -  stairway-to-heaven: https://www.flickr.com/photos/raymaclean/4548207141/in/photolist-bZMVU9-djdUjJ-Dkjdy2-bcucSe-a7Vv35-s673Qk-7VUKwv-71LZZm-bjRngF-3YaE5H-4BPXeh-gZhER-H3Tah-8JtSEi-vS74c9-6DA6VW-2rpAbj-89hkuj-hYHz6t-b8Ukj2-7HCw8D-68XpL8-bC3zbZ-8xj8eN-omd6SW-hF6PcQ-e2JYVD-3cWvJE-EnaYZQ-5z99Nn-753hQ7-pfeWgf-8pSM5o-heQY2c-2rkg1V-dJFAoP-yzqmy-6hi9Po-bc1DuK-5qW19P-ozVkmn-btSySs-5XTNyZ-7F3Jd9-4CgPr4-7aAYf4-4Lk2dK-6NBp1S-34bjbt-ccZfsw

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Once again, local greater New York metropolitan area classic rock station Q104.3 continued their Thanksgiving tradition of listing the 1,043 greatest rock songs of all time. The big question every year is whether or not somebody, or rather some song, will finally knock off "Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zeppelin as the number one song.

Spoiler alert: it was ranked number one yet again, and remains undefeated on this particular list, which is determined by votes.

I believe that the position of other songs have changed over time. For example, I could swear that "Hey Jude" by the Beatles used to be ranked number two. This year, it dropped to number four, although I personally feel that it should probably have remained at number two. No major arguments with any of the other songs on the top ten, although I think that some songs in the top 100 probably should not have ranked quite so high. Meanwhile, there are still other songs did not seem to make it to the rankings officially, but which should be on there (in my opinion). In some cases, in fact, I feel that they maybe should be ranked fairly high on the list (like Telegraph Road by Dire Straights). Also, Jimi Hendrix's version of "All Along the Watchtower" feels like it really should have ranked a lot higher. It was ranked number 45, which is respectable. But that one feels like it should at least be in the top 20, and possibly have a shot at the top ten, even. Just a brilliant version of that son.

Yet another song that seems strange simply because of it's absence was the beautiful "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand" by the Primitive Radio Gods. For that matter, where is "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails? And I still always felt that "Imagine" by John Lennon should rank higher than it always seems to. It was ranked number 19 this year, which was lower than in other recent years. But to me, that is such an iconic and beautiful song, with an actual vision for the best possibilities for the future that seemed to define the idealism of the era of Lennon and the Beatles, that it deserves to be in the top ten, as far as I'm concerned. 

In any case, lists like this are made for debate. That's what it's there for. So here is the link below, if you are interested in looking at it. And please feel free to debate the merit (or again, the possible lack there) here, if you are so inclined. 

Below is the Top Ten list of Q-104.3's "1043" best rock songs of all time (see link below):

https://q1043.iheart.com/featured/top-1043-songs-of-all-time/

10. Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd 

9. Baba O' Riley - Who 

8. Kashmir - Led Zeppelin 

7. Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones 

6. Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd 

5. Layla - Derek And The Dominos 

4. Hey Jude - Beatles 

3. Hotel California - Eagles 

2. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen 

1. Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin