Thank you to everyone for participating in the songs poll! It seems like many of us are discovering a number of great gems in the process, which makes it all worth it. Here is a summary of the poll, as well as some fun statistics.

Part 1 (includes Bubbling Under section)

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Individual Lists

The List:

1 . Beatles, The - A Day in the Life ( 1967 )
2 . Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone ( 1965 )
3 . Beach Boys, The - God Only Knows ( 1966 )
4 . Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart ( 1980 )
5 . Pulp - Common People ( 1995 )
6 . Beatles, The - Strawberry Fields Forever ( 1967 )
7 . Kinks, The - Waterloo Sunset ( 1967 )
8 . Rolling Stones, The - Gimme Shelter ( 1969 )
9 . Beach Boys, The - Good Vibrations ( 1966 )
10 . Smiths, The - There Is a Light That Never Goes Out ( 1986 )
11 . Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit ( 1991 )
12 . Ronettes, The - Be My Baby ( 1963 )
13 . Television - Marquee Moon ( 1977 )
14 . Marvin Gaye - What's Going On ( 1971 )
15 . Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run ( 1975 )
16 . David Bowie - Heroes ( 1977 )
17 . Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit ( 1939 )
18 . Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay ( 1968 )
19 . Bob Dylan - Tangled Up In Blue ( 1975 )
20 . Pixies - Debaser ( 1989 )
21 . Clash, The - London Calling ( 1979 )
22 . Love - Alone Again Or ( 1967 )
23 . Michael Jackson - Billie Jean ( 1982 )
24 . Radiohead - Paranoid Android ( 1997 )
25 . Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven ( 1971 )
26 . R.E.M. - Losing My Religion ( 1991 )
27 . Rolling Stones, The - Sympathy for the Devil ( 1968 )
28 . Stevie Wonder - Superstition ( 1972 )
29 . Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower ( 1968 )
30 . Big Star - September Gurls ( 1974 )
31 . John Lennon - Imagine ( 1971 )
32 . Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side ( 1972 )
33 . OutKast - Hey Ya! ( 2003 )
34 . La's, The - There She Goes ( 1990 )
35 . Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime ( 1980 )
36 . Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman ( 1968 )
37 . Radiohead - Let Down ( 1997 )
38 . Who, The - Baba O'Riley ( 1971 )
39 . Beatles, The - Tomorrow Never Knows ( 1966 )
40 . Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road ( 1975 )
41 . U2 - One ( 1991 )
42 . David Bowie - Life on Mars? ( 1971 )
43 . Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot ( 1988 )
44 . Velvet Underground, The - Venus in Furs ( 1967 )
45 . Derek and the Dominos - Layla ( 1970 )
46 . Beta Band - Dry the Rain ( 1997 )
47 . New Order - Blue Monday ( 1983 )
48 . Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds ( 1969 )
49 . Prince - When Doves Cry ( 1984 )
50 . Jackson 5, The - I Want You Back ( 1969 )
51 . Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues ( 1965 )
52 . Rolling Stones, The - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction ( 1965 )
53 . LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends ( 2007 )
54 . Rolling Stones, The - Paint It, Black ( 1966 )
55 . Elliott Smith - Waltz #2 ( 1998 )
56 . Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the U.K. ( 1976 )
57 . Velvet Underground, The - Sunday Morning ( 1966 )
58 . Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode ( 1958 )
59 . Radiohead - No Surprises ( 1997 )
60 . Eagles, The - Hotel California ( 1976 )
61 . Smiths, The - How Soon is Now? ( 1984 )
62 . Neil Young - After The Goldrush ( 1970 )
63 . Verve, The - Bittersweet Symphony ( 1997 )
64 . Big Star - Thirteen ( 1972 )
65 . Who, The - Won't Get Fooled Again ( 1971 )
66 . Four Tops - Reach Out (I'll Be There) ( 1966 )
67 . Undertones - Teenage Kicks ( 1978 )
68 . Beatles, The - I Am the Walrus ( 1967 )
69 . Prince - 1999 ( 1982 )
70 . Roy Orbison - In Dreams ( 1963 )
71 . Tom Waits - Downtown Train ( 1985 )
72 . Eminem feat. Dido - Stan ( 2000 )
73 . Robert Wyatt - Sea Song ( 1974 )
74 . Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine ( 1968 )
75 . Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - The Tracks of My Tears ( 1965 )
76 . Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come ( 1965 )
77 . Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees ( 1995 )
78 . Sly and the Family Stone - Family Affair ( 1971 )
79 . Nick Drake - River Man ( 1969 )
80 . R.E.M. - Fall On Me ( 1986 )
81 . Radiohead - How to Disappear Completely ( 2000 )
82 . Oasis - Wonderwall ( 1995 )
83 . Oasis - Live Forever ( 1994 )
84 . Pink Floyd - Echoes ( 1971 )
85 . Beatles, The - Eleanor Rigby ( 1966 )
86 . Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody ( 1975 )
87 . Velvet Underground, The - Heroin ( 1967 )
88 . Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space ( 1997 )
89 . Bob Dylan - Desolation Row ( 1965 )
90 . Massive Attack - Teardrop ( 1998 )
91 . Beach Boys, The - Til I Die ( 1971 )
92 . Arcade Fire, The - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) ( 2004 )
93 . Simon and Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence ( 1965 )
94 . Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg - Je t’aime… moi non plus ( 1969 )
95 . Cure, The - In Between Days ( 1985 )
96 . Bruce Springsteen - The River ( 1980 )
97 . Who, The - I Can See for Miles ( 1967 )
98 . Beach Boys, The - Don't Worry Baby ( 1964 )
99 . Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy ( 1991 )
100 . Smashing Pumpkins, The - 1979 ( 1995 )
101 . Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye ( 1994 )
102 . Echo and the Bunnymen - The Killing Moon ( 1984 )
103 . Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World ( 1967 )
104 . Pulp - This Is Hardcore ( 1998 )
105 . U2 - With Or without You ( 1987 )
106 . Talking Heads - Psycho Killer ( 1977 )
107 . OutKast - B.O.B. (bombs over baghdad) ( 2000 )
108 . Wilco - Jesus, Etc. ( 2002 )
109 . Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine ( 1987 )
110 . Beatles, The - Yesterday ( 1965 )
111 . Beatles, The - Blackbird ( 1968 )
112 . Ben E. King - Stand By Me ( 1961 )
113 . Al Green - Let's Stay Together ( 1971 )
114 . Beastie Boys - Sabotage ( 1994 )
115 . Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son ( 1969 )
116 . Pixies - Monkey Gone to Heaven ( 1989 )
117 . Strokes, The - Last Nite ( 2001 )
118 . Arcade Fire, The - Rebellion (Lies) ( 2004 )
119 . Portishead - Glory Box ( 1994 )
120 . Stan Getz with Joao and Astrud Gilberto - The Girl From Ipanema ( 1963 )
121 . Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) ( 1983 )
122 . Animals, The - House of the Rising Sun ( 1964 )
123 . R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe ( 1981 )
124 . Specials, The - Ghost Town ( 1981 )
125 . Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep, Mountain High ( 1966 )
126 . Lou Reed - Perfect Day ( 1972 )
127 . Gnarls Barkley - Crazy ( 2006 )
128 . Radiohead - Idioteque ( 2000 )
129 . James Brown - Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine ( 1970 )
130 . Arcade Fire, The - Wake Up ( 2004 )
131 . Pixies - Where Is My Mind? ( 1988 )
132 . David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes ( 1980 )
133 . Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze ( 1967 )
134 . Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here ( 1975 )
135 . New Order - Temptation ( 1982 )
136 . Iggy Pop - The Passenger ( 1977 )
137 . Prince - Let's Go Crazy ( 1984 )
138 . New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle (Extended) ( 1986 )
139 . Beck - Loser ( 1993 )
140 . David Bowie - Station to Station ( 1976 )
141 . Radiohead - Pyramid Song ( 2001 )
142 . White Stripes, The - Fell in Love with a Girl ( 2001 )
143 . Zombies, The - Hung Up on a Dream ( 1968 )
144 . Breeders, The - Cannonball ( 1993 )
145 . R.E.M. - World Leader Pretend ( 1988 )
146 . Knife, The - Heartbeats ( 2003 )
147 . New Radicals - You Get What You Give ( 1998 )
148 . Neil Young - Cortez the Killer ( 1975 )
149 . Otis Redding - Try a Little Tenderness ( 1966 )
150 . Stone Roses, The - I Am the Resurrection ( 1989 )
151 . R.E.M. - It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) ( 1987 )
152 . Del Shannon - Runaway ( 1961 )
153 . Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy, Jr. ( 2005 )
154 . Simon and Garfunkel - America ( 1968 )
155 . Pixies - Gigantic ( 1988 )
156 . David Bowie - Space Oddity ( 1969 )
157 . Mercury Rev - Godess On A Hi-Way ( 1998 )
158 . Blur - Song 2 ( 1997 )
159 . Flaming Lips, The - Do You Realize? ( 2002 )
160 . Smashing Pumpkins, The - Tonight, Tonight ( 1995 )
161 . Prince - Little Red Corvette ( 1982 )
162 . Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy ( 1994 )
163 . Smiths, The - Bigmouth Strikes Again ( 1986 )
164 . Bob Marley and the Wailers - No Woman No Cry ( 1974 )
165 . Replacements, The - Unsatisfied ( 1984 )
166 . Prince - Kiss ( 1986 )
167 . Kinks, The - You Really Got Me ( 1964 )
168 . Who, The - My Generation ( 1965 )
169 . Prince - Sign o' The Times ( 1987 )
170 . Blur - This Is A Low ( 1994 )
171 . Mamas and the Papas - California Dreamin' ( 1965 )
172 . R.E.M. - Drive ( 1992 )
173 . Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat ( 1971 )
174 . Coldplay - Yellow ( 2000 )
175 . Beatles, The - Happiness is a Warm Gun ( 1968 )
176 . Johnny Cash - Hurt ( 2002 )
177 . Band, The - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down ( 1969 )
178 . Byrds, The - Eight Miles High ( 1966 )
179 . Joy Division - Disorder ( 1979 )
180 . Beatles, The - Revolution ( 1968 )
181 . New Order - Ceremony ( 1981 )
182 . Jam, The - Going Underground ( 1980 )
183 . Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps ( 2003 )
184 . Human League - Don't You Want Me ( 1981 )
185 . Flaming Lips, The - Race for the Prize ( 1999 )
186 . Deee-Lite - Groove Is in the Heart ( 1990 )
187 . Bruce Springsteen - Jungleland ( 1975 )
188 . Thunderclap Newman - Something in the Air ( 1969 )
189 . Doors, The - The End ( 1967 )
190 . Miles Davis - So What ( 1959 )
191 . Björk - Bachelorette ( 1997 )
192 . Clash, The - Spanish Bombs ( 1979 )
193 . Beatles, The - And Your Bird Can Sing ( 1966 )
194 . Smashing Pumpkins, The - Today ( 1993 )
195 . Björk - Isobel ( 1995 )
196 . Police, The - Every Breath You Take ( 1983 )
197 . Curtis Mayfield - Move on Up ( 1970 )
198 . Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message ( 1982 )
199 . Kylie Minogue - Can’t Get You Out of My Head ( 2001 )
200 . Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out ( 2004 )

Rank of users by placement of songs in the overall top 200 (songs placed/songs included in ballot):

Mo: 90/200
Midaso: 79/200
Rocky Raccoon: 69/200
Honorio: 68/200
Otisredding: 68/200
Ozphoenix: 63/200
Ajackson: 60/200
Giuseppe: 58/200
Neoptolemos: 57/200
Andre: 52/200
Pop Elton: 52/200
Mitchell Stirling: 48/200
Nicolas: 48/200
Michel: 46/200
Schleuse: 44/200
BillAdama: 43/200
Eduard: 42/200
Rendle: 42/200
Stammer: 41/200
Lonesome Panda: 40/200
Slush: 39/200
Schwah: 37/200
Vgrd: 36/200
Anthony: 33/200
Henrik: 32/100
Rune: 32/200
John: 29/200
Mark Propp: 23/200
Miguel: 23/200
Dumbangel: 22/100
Greg: 22/200
Sonofsamiam: 22/200
Toni: 21/200
Jonah: 17/100
Moonbeam: 16/200
Fred: 15/200
Georgie: 10/200

After Henrik divulged his artist formula, I poured through the songs list and albums list (courtesy of Anthony) to derive the top 100 artists accordingly. Here are the results:

1. The Beatles
2. Bob Dylan
3. Radiohead
4. The Rolling Stones
5. David Bowie
6. R.E.M.
7. The Beach Boys
8. Bruce Springsteen
9. The Who
10. Prince
11. The Velvet Underground
12. Pink Floyd
13. Neil Young
14. Pixies
15. U2
16. The Smiths
17. Talking Heads
18. Van Morrison
19. Nirvana
20. Led Zeppelin
21. Stevie Wonder
22. Blur
23. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
24. The Kinks
25. The Flaming Lips
26. The Clash
27. Oasis
28. Elvis Costello
29. Beck
30. Tom Waits
31. Björk
32. Joni Mitchell
33. The Cure
34. Marvin Gaye
35. PJ Harvey
36. Pavement
37. Simon & Garfunkel
38. Leonard Cohen
39. Smashing Pumpkins
40. Brian Eno
41. Nick Drake
42. Belle and Sebastian
43. Sonic Youth
44. Pulp
45. Elliott Smith
46. Massive Attack
47. Joy Division
48. Arcade Fire
49. Frank Zappa
50. New Order
51. Miles Davis
52. Bob Marley & the Wailers
53. Lou Reed
54. Wilco
55. The Byrds
56. Steely Dan
57. Super Furry Animals
58. Pearl Jam
59. John Lennon
60. The White Stripes
61. John Coltrane
62. Big Star
63. The Stone Roses
64. Outkast
65. Scott Walker
66. Love
67. Michael Jackson
68. Beastie Boys
69. The Strokes
70. The Zombies
71. The Doors
72. The Band
73. The Fall
74. Jeff Buckley
75. Sly and the Family Stone
76. Robert Wyatt
77. Creedence Clearwater Revival
78. Johnny Cash
79. Coldplay
80. Madonna
81. Otis Redding
82. Curtis Mayfield
83. Eurythmics
84. Nick Cave
85. Television
86. The Replacements
87. LCD Soundsystem
88. The Stooges
89. My Bloody Valentine
90. Public Enemy
91. Roxy Music
92. Kraftwerk
93. Sufjan Stevens
94. Paul Simon
95. Mercury Rev
96. Jacques Brel
97. Elvis Presley
98. Hüsker Dü
99. Genesis
100. Tindersticks

79/200 - damn

Maybe the lower the better...

I guess it depends. The more songs you place, the more the overall list reflects your taste. However, perhaps there is a bit less to discover. That said, there is always the bubbling under list and beyond!

I think I like that I'm right in the middle.

I suppose the hipster thing to do would be to hope to be as eclectic and obscure as possible, but if I wanted that I could have just tossed in some of my brother's songs.

"Religion of no pants! Pants are against the rules!"

I would have thought I'd score higher than 57.

After Henrik divulged his artist formula, ...

My favorite artist ranking is currently based on albums only, but would like to extend that to albums and songs. So Moonbeam and/or Henrik, just out of curiosity: Where can I find this artist formula?

TIA!

ln(ln(10+album1)) + ln(ln(10+album2)) + ln(ln(10+album3)) + ln(ln(10+album4)) + ln(ln(10+album5)) + ln(ln(10+album6)) +
0.6 * (ln(ln(10+song1)) + ln(ln(10+song2)) + ln(ln(10+song3)) + ln(ln(10+song4)) + ln(ln(10+song5)) + ln(ln(10+song6)))

You're welcome.

Thanks, Stephan.

Being a mathematician, I have to admit: It's yummy, yummy

This site has given me a compulsive want to find my own formula for album ratings that normalizes the distribution before averaging anything. Any suggestions from resident mathematicians and statisticians? Maybe some kind of bootstrapping, or if there's some sort of formula scientists use when they want to factor out skew?

The reason I think skew is a problem is...well, look at it this way.

Your average publication, they think an album is 'okay', they give it a 70.

They think it's really great, they give it a 90.

They think it's really terrible, they give it a 20.

I just think the average of 'really great', 'okay', and 'really terrible' should be 'okay'. But if you average those three you get 60, which is 'fair/bad'.

Also, sometimes when something is really highly rated at first, critics start giving compensation ratings. Rating based on correcting for other people's ratings rather than what they actually think the album deserves.

If I were an actual mathematician like some of you I could write a really good formula to correct for this. Since I'm not, and I've only taken a smattering of statistics courses, I'll need to cheat.

Here's what I'm thinking. Like Henrik, compare each album to every other album just based on which album was rated higher by more publications, and give each album a won-loss record. Then run it through my genetic algorithm.

I don't agree with you on the very terrible-okay-very good theory. I think mediocre is in the middle, okay is a bit above that.

Well, you can obviously debate the exact numbers, but the point is every critic has different levels. So what happens on metacritic, if the first ten people love it and give it 80s and 90s, then one critic comes along and hates it and gives it a 10, the score drops by like 10 points. Lower scores have more weight because there's more room below what most critics consider their 'average' score than above.

I consider an album that gets 100 100 100 0 to be more acclaimed than one that gets 75 75 75 75. Because in the former case, some critics think it's amazing, but in the latter, everyone just thinks it's pretty good. I want to make a formula that reflects that.

What if the 100 pts people are the stupid ones?

You could do something like the Olympics does in sports that require judging. Throw out the high and low scores. If there are more than 20 total scores, you could throw out two high and two low scores.

Oh man theres nearly no Hip-Hop in the list