Georgia is well represented in the latest Rolling Stone 500 greatest songs of all time list, the magazine’s first update in 17 years, with 27 songs by acts with state ties.
That is about the same amount of state representation as the 2004 list.
Well-regarded hip-hop duo Outkast had the highest-ranked song from the state at No. 10 with “Hey Ya!” The act’s “B.O.B.” landed at 39 after not even being on the list in 2004.
And the No. 1 song this time around has a major Georgia connection: Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” was written by Macon native Otis Redding. (Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” fell from No. 1 to 5.)
Of the 27 songs with Georgia ties, 17 were on the list in 2004.
Elton John, who still has a penthouse apartment in Buckhead but used to spend far more time in the city in the 1990s, has the most songs among Georgia-related acts with four. His song “Tiny Dancer,” featured prominently in the 2000 film “Almost Famous,” has grown in popularity over time and jumped from 397 to 47.
The oldest song from the state is Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say,” which fell from 10 to 80. The most recent song from Georgia is Lil Nas X’s breakout 2019 hit “Old Town Road” at 490.
Rolling Stone deliberately sought a more diverse mix of artists, writers and industry figures to contribute to the list, resulting in far more country, reggae and hip-hop songs. There are also more women included.
Atlanta’s TLC, for instance, has two songs (“Waterfalls,” “No Scrubs”) after not making the list in 2004.
With 17 more years of music to cover and the natural passage of time, dozens of rock classics disappeared, especially those from the 1950s and 1960s. Many older acts saw far fewer songs on the new list, including Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, Dylan, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Simon and Garfunkel. The passage of time also hurt Georgia natives James Brown, Little Richard and Ray Charles, all of whom saw songs fall off the list.
More than 250 artists, journalists and industry figures, including Megan Thee Stallion, Chris Martin of Coldplay and the Edge of U2 helped determine the list.
Here are the 27 songs from acts with Georgia connections:
490: Lil Nas X “Old Town Road”
470: Gladys Knight and the Pips” “Midnight Train to Georgia” (439)
393. James Brown ‘Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)’ (312)
383. Childish Gambino “Redbone”
371. Elton John “Bennie and the Jets”
307. Gnarls Barkley “Crazy” (100)
303. TLC “No Scrubs”
300. B-52′s “Rock Lobster” (147)
290. Usher with Lil Jon and Ludacris “Yeah!”
283. Ray Charles “Georgia on My Mind” (44)
202. Elton John “Your Song” (137)
196. James Brown, ‘Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine’ (334)
174. R.E.M. “Radio Free Europe” (389)
160. R.E.M. “Nightswimming”
149. Elton John “Rocket Man” (245)
145. Outkast “Ms. Jackson”
136. Otis Redding “Try a Little Tenderness”
127. TLC “Waterfalls”
112. R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” (170)
92. Little Richard “Good Golly Miss Molly” (94)
80. Ray Charles “What’d I Say” (10)
47. Elton John “Tiny Dancer” (397)
39. Outkast “B.O.B.”
38. Otis Redding “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay” (26)
35. Little Richard “Tutti Frutti” (43)
34. James Brown “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (71)
10. Outkast “Hey Ya!” (182)
The 10 songs from acts with Georgia ties that fell off the list from 2004:
Little Richard “Long Tall Sally” (58 in 2004)
James Brown “I Got You (I Feel Good” (78)
James Brown “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s Man’s World” (124)
James Brown and His Famous Flames “Please, Please, Please” (143)
Ray Charles “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (164)
B-52′s “Love Shack” (124)
Ray Charles “I Got a Woman” (239)
Elton John “Candle in the Wind” (356)
Ray Charles “Hit the Road Jack” (387)
Elton John “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (390)
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