Pop Music - All-Time Top 100

Pop music is pretty much all over for me, as far as I can tell. It ended on an all-time high with The Magnetic Fields concert in the Cadogan Hall last summer. It's unlikely I'm going to rush out to buy any more albums and it is three years now since I went to see The Feeling in Southsea and was the second oldest person there.

So, for perhaps the last time, I've compiled my Top 100. It isn't a lifetime retrospective, it is how it looks at the end of 40 years of being a pop-picker, on and off.

It's a hopeless project, making such a list. Once you get beyond the top 10 or 20, it becomes a bit arbitrary and the list would be different every time one did it. But having fiddled about with this list so far, it will do as it is- a playlist of classics and slightly lesser-known favourites. Artists like Public Image Limited, Chic, Led Zeppelin and Otis Redding will be thought unlucky not to get in and there is absolutely no way of explaining how one record makes it into the top 40 while another is down in the 90's. It has to be said that Gregory Isaacs is under-represented because his best records are numerous and consistently great and, like Motown and The Magnetic Fields, he could provide a Top 30 all of his own but he doesn't have stand-out tracks and that made it hard to get high individual places. He would be in the top three singers and songwriters and top 6 artists, though.

Stephin Merritt's transcendental little masterpiece as number one was a way of opting out of a choice between the next three in the list, who were the obvious candidates for the ultimate accolade. I've almost certainly forgotten something crucial and there might be songs I haven't heard that should be in but this is the best I could do...

1. One April Day Stephin Merritt
2. Walk Away Renee The Four Tops
3. The Tracks of My Tears Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
4. Papa Was a Rodeo The Magnetic Fields
5. I Don’t Really Love You Anymore The Magnetic Fields
6. I Want You Back The Jackson Five
7. One Woman Al Green
8. Sunday Morning The Velvet Underground
9. This Old Heart of Mine The Isley Brothers
10. Get It On T. Rex
11. The Book of Love The Magnetic Fields
12. Dancing at Whitsun Tim Hart
13. I’m Still Waiting Diana Ross
14. Just My Imagination The Temptations
15. Bird Girl Antony & the Johnsons
16. God Only Knows The Beach Boys
17. All My Little Words The Magnetic Fields
18. Beast of Burden The Rolling Stones
19. I’m Still Waiting Bob Marley & the Wailers
20. She Elvis Costello
21. If I Was Your Girlfriend Prince
22. All the Umbrellas in London The Magnetic Fields
23. Massachuchetts The Bee Gees
24. Stop! in the Name of Love Diana Ross & the Supremes
25. Hot Love T. Rex
26. I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself Dusty Springfield
27. I’d Rather Go Blind Chicken Shack
28. A Chicken with His Head Cut Off The Magnetic Fields
29. The Carnival is Over The Seekers
30. Green Grow the Rushes R.E.M.
31. I Didn’t Know Al Green
32. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart Al Green
33. I Will Billy Fury
34. I’ll Never Find Another You The Seekers
35. Leaving New York R.E.M.
36. Rebel Rebel David Bowie
37. Tired of Being Alone Al Green
38. O, Babe What Would You Say Hurricane Smith
39. Come See About Me Diana Ross & the Supremes
40. Hush Darling Gregory Isaacs
41. Lady Eleanor Lindisfarne
42. Si Tu Dois Partir Fairport Convention
43. Let Off Sup’m Gregory Isaacs & Dennis Brown
44. It Will Never Be Over for Me Timi Yuro
45. Maggie May Rod Stewart
46. So. Central Rain R.E.M
47. This Woman’s Work Maxwell
48. I see you, You see me The Magic Numbers
49. Jeepster T. Rex
50. Just Like Honey Jesus & Mary Chain
51. You Got Me Jaibi
52. Refugees The Tears
53. Can’t Stand Me Now The Libertines
54. Metal Guru T. Rex
55. I’ll Be Your Mirror The Velvet Underground
56. Don’t Talk to Him Cliff Richard
57. Here, There and Everywhere The Beatles
58. I’m a Believer The Monkees
59. If I Don’t Have You Gregory Isaacs
60. The Changing of the Guard Bob Dylan
61. The Girl All the Bad Guys Want Bowling for Soup
62. Hey Ya Outkast
63. Girl The Beatles
64. Trash Suede
65. The Only One Roy Orbison
66. All the Young Dudes Mott the Hoople
67. Like Sister and Brother The Drifters
68. Drive-in Saturday David Bowie
69. I Can’t Make it Alone Dusty Springfield
70. Puff the Magic Dragon Gregory Isaacs
71. Wordy Rappinghood Tom Tom Club
72. Apollo 13 The Tears
73. Oliver’s Army Elvis Costello
74. 911 Wyclef Jean feat. Mary J. Blige
75. Do You Wanna Dance The Mamas & the Papas
76. Time for Heroes The Libertines
77. I Looked All Over Town The Magnetic Fields
78. A Case of You Joni Mitchell
79. Wild is the Wind David Bowie
80. White Man (in Hammersmith Palais) The Clash
81. Taste of Cindy The Jesus & Mary Chain
82. Baby I Love You The Ramones
83. My Friend the Sun Family
84. Carrickfergus Bryan Ferry
85. Sexuality Billy Bragg
86. Goodtime Girl Stone the Crows
87. What Becomes of the Brokenhearted Jimmy Ruffin
88. Push Matchbox 20
89. You Look So Fine Garbage
90. Jesus to a Child George Michael
91. Life on Mars? David Bowie
92. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow Carole King
93. Rave On Steeleye Span
94. Tumbling Dice The Rolling Stones
95. That’s How Heartaches are Made Baby Washington
96. Smooth Santana feat. Rob Thomas
97. Randy Scouse Git The Monkees
98. Losing My Religion R.E.M.
99. Mr. & Mrs. Untrue Candi Staton
100. The Great Beyond R.E.M.