The Guardian- 1000 songs everyone must hear- part six- Life and death
Satta Massagana Abyssinians 1971 Dream On Aerosmith 1973
Fluorescent Adolescent Arctic Monkeys 2007
St James Infirmary Blues Louis Armstrong 1928
What a Wonderful World Louis Armstrong 1968
In My Room The Beach Boys 1963
Yer Blues The Beatles 1968
Yesterday The Beatles 1965
Look Up Chris Bell 1974
Paranoid Black Sabbath 1970
Happiness The Blue Nile 1996
(Don't Fear) The Reaper Blue Öyster Cult 1976
This Is a Low Blur 1994
Kooks David Bowie 1971
Never Get Old David Bowie 2003
Bertie Kate Bush 2005
Goin’ Back The Byrds 1968
Work John Cale and Lou Reed 1990
Will the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By) The Carter Family 1935
The Mercy Seat Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 1988
I’m On My Way to a Better Place Chairmen of the Board 1972
If I Could Turn Back Time Cher 1989
C’mon Everybody Eddie Cochran 1958
My Favorite Things John Coltrane Quartet 1961 School’s Out Alice Cooper 1972
Fisherman The Congos 1977
My Three Sons Elvis Costello and the Imposters 2008
Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy Kid Creole and the Coconuts 1982
My Favourite Girl King Creosote 2005
That’ll Be the Day The Crickets 1957
Killing an Arab The Cure 1978
Personal Jesus Depeche Mode 1989
Fat As a Fiddle Chris Difford 2008
Teen Angel Mark Dinning 1959
Working in a Coal Mine Lee Dorsey 1966
Black Eyed Dog Nick Drake 1986
Not On Top Herman Düne 2005
Death Is Not the End Bob Dylan 1988
Every Grain of Sand Bob Dylan 1981
Forever Young Bob Dylan 1974
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door Bob Dylan 1973
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll Bob Dylan 1964
Lonelier Than This Steve Earle 2000
Ebony Eyes The Everly Brothers 1961
Summertime Ella Fitzgerald 1959
Regulate Warren G and Nate Dogg 1994
Save the Children Marvin Gaye 1971
Glory Hallelujah, How They’ll Sing Bobbie Gentry 1969
Mind Playing Tricks On Me Geto Boys 1991
So Nice (Summer Samba) Astrud Gilberto 1966
Tired of Being Alone Al Green 1971
Spirit in the Sky Norman Greenbaum 1969
Workin’ Man’s Blues Merle Haggard 1969
All Things Must Pass George Harrison 1970
I Hear Voices Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 1962
Hey Joe The Jimi Hendrix Experience 1966
Stuck Between Stations The Hold Steady 2006
Gloomy Sunday Billie Holiday 1941
These Important Years Hüsker Dü 1987
Dead Homiez Ice Cube 1990
Good Life Inner City 1988
The Number of the Beast Iron Maiden 1982
Seasons in the Sun Terry Jacks 1974
Needle of Death Bert Jansch 1965
Gun Shot Anthony Johnson 1982
Losing My Edge LCD Soundsystem 2002
Someone Great LCD Soundsystem 2007
Gallows Pole Led Zeppelin 1970
God John Lennon 1970
Here I Come Barrington Levy 1985
Knoxville Girl The Louvin Brothers 1959
Alone Again Or Love 1967
Baggy Trousers Madness 1980
La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh) Manic Street Preachers 1993
May You Never John Martyn 1973
Safe from Harm Massive Attack 1991
Fade to Black Metallica 1984
Life’s a Bitch Nas 1994
Feel It (In the Air Tonight) Naturally 7 2006 God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind) Randy Newman 1972
Lithium Nirvana 1991
Mo Money Mo Problems The Notorious BIG 1997 Suicidal Thoughts The Notorious BIG 1994
Alone Again (Naturally) Gilbert O’Sullivan 1972 Live Forever Oasis 1994
Satan Orbital 1991
Ms Jackson OutKast 2000
9 to 5 Dolly Parton 1980
Another Brick in the Wall, Part II Pink Floyd 1979 Message in a Bottle The Police 1979
Glory Box Portishead 1994
Sour Times Portishead 1994
Stagger Lee Lloyd Price 1958
Paranoid Android Radiohead 1997
(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay Otis Redding 1968
Paint it Black The Rolling Stones 1966
I Seen a Man Die Scarface 1994
Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard Paul Simon 1972
Feeling Good Nina Simone 1965
It Was a Very Good Year Frank Sinatra 1965
Piss Factory Patti Smith 1974
Dress Sexy at My Funeral Smog 2000
100% Sonic Youth 1992
No Surrender Bruce Springsteen 1984
O Death Ralph Stanley 2000
Once in a Lifetime Talking Heads 1980
Psycho Killer Talking Heads 1977
This Is the Day The The 1983
Wish Someone Would Care Irma Thomas 1964
The End of the Rainbow Richard and Linda Thompson 1974
I Ain’t Mad at Cha Tupac 1996
Hail Mary Tupac - as Makaveli 1997
Exit U2 1987
One U2 1992
Walk Like a Man Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons 1963
Jesus The Velvet Underground 1969
Rufus Is a Tit Man Loudon Wainwright III 1975 Martha Tom Waits 1973
You in the Sky The Waterboys 2006
Frankie and Johnny Mae West 1928
23 Years Ago Paul Westerberg 2004
Grandma’s Hands Bill Withers 1971
My Death Scott Walker 1967
Moon On Your Pyjamas Paul Weller 1993
I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry Hank Williams 1949
My Son Calls Another Man Daddy Hank Williams 1950 Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing Stevie Wonder 1973
Germ Free Adolescents X-Ray Spex 1978
Old Man Neil Young 1972
Keep Me In Your Heart Warren Zevon 2003
We know music is a man's world, but LORDY- Bob Dylan has 24 songs thus far, The Beatles have 19.
The female I see with the most is Kate Bush, with five. Madonna, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell and Dolly Parton each have three. Sveral females have two.
There should be a general Best Songs- Period category. Maybe that will be the last section posted?
It's a little tough to say "if Dylan were a woman..."
Surely there are some musical female geniuses, no? It just so happens that the most revered musical acts are male- look at lists of the Greatest Artists, too- overwhelmingly male.
The world- not just rock criticism- is a man's world, that much can't be denied, at the least.