Live Blogging the Top 20 Classic Rock Songs

Over on SiriusXM channel 30, they're counting down "the Classic Rock Top 1,000 featuring an epic countdown of the most colossal cuts from the architects of classic rock, including Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Ozzy Osbourne, the Eagles, and many more!"

If you can't hear all these songs in your head after reading each title, chances are you're at the wrong blog.

I'm here for the top twenty as they air, so click refresh every five minutes or so for an update. If the song is from My Favorite Decade, I'll comment on it.

My guess for the top three tunes are as follows:

3. "Hey Jude" by The Beatles (1968)
2. "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)
1. "Taurus" by Spirit (1968) "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin (1971)

But so far the list is skewing '70s and heavy metal so The Beatles might not make the cut, being replaced by something like "Iron Man."

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20. "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones (1969)
19. "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles (1969)
18. "Back in Black" by AC/DC (1980)
    Love it. Probably the highest song by AC/DC on this list, but at my high school, the more popular tune from that Mutt Lange produced album was "You Shook Me All Night Long." I really the dig the breakdown/guitar solo that leads back to the chorus.
17. "Pride (In the Name of Love)" by U2 (1984)
    Easily my favorite U2 track and has been since the get-go. The lyrics aren't historically accurate and that doesn't even bother me. Such passion.
16. "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen (1975)
    Not officially within the parameters of MFD; I think this rock operetta should rank higher.
15. "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin (1971)
14. "Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd (1979)
    Not my favorite Floyd tune (not even the best song on that album IMO), but it was hella popular because of its singalong chorus popular with the teens. In my little rural town, the school administration quickly let the senior class know that this song would NOT be considered for class song. I'm sure that happened all across the nation. So let's call it the unofficial class song of all high school classes for graduations in '81 and, hell why we're at it, '82 as well. If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding!
13. "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)
12. "Light My Fire" by The Doors (1967)
11. "More Than a Feeling" by Boston (1976)
    All Boston's songs sound pretty much the same, but since I dig that sound, I don't mind a bit. Brad Delp's voice is so fantastic, he should be in the Rock Hall by himself. Holy cow.

10. "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith (1975)
9. "Eruption/You Really Got Me" by Van Halen (1978)
   You might already be calling shenanigans on this list purely based on content, but I call it based on squeezing two songs together in one ranking. Nonetheless, these are both excellent and I can't tell you how many times I've played air guitar to the first and sung the second at the top of my lungs. Should I sing now? Don't mind if I do. Step aside, DLR.
8. "Hotel California" by Eagles (1976)
   Predictable. As I've written before, "I'll admit that it's a masterpiece, but it's one that I've heard enough for one lifetime."
7. "Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who (1971)
   Again, not MFD, but my favorite song by The Who.
6. "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones (1973)
5. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan (1973)
4. "All Along the Watchtower" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)
3. "Layla" by Derek & The Dominoes (1971)
   Wow. That piano coda.
2. "A Day in the Life" by The Beatles (1967)
   SiriusXM starts with the previous track, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)." Odd.
1. "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin (1971)
   Called it.

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Note: My list would be quite differently, obviously, but I would recommend that the 24 year old SiriusXM intern who threw this list together find another line of work.