Tag: songs

Are These the Best Rock Love Songs?

Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to argue about music rankings, and Billboard gave rock fans plenty to debate.

The magazine’s editorial staff released its list of the 50 Best Rock Love Songs of All Time, pulling from six decades of music and covering everything from classic rock staples to modern favorites.

If you are building the ultimate love song playlist, or just looking for an excuse to revisit some legendary tracks, this list has you covered.

Taking the top spot is David Bowie’s “Heroes” from 1977. Billboard’s staff crowned it the best rock love song ever, praising its emotional weight and larger than life feel. It is a love song that feels hopeful, defiant, and cinematic all at once, which is probably why it still hits just as hard today.

Right behind it at #2 is “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs from 2003. It is raw, vulnerable, and painfully honest, showing that love songs do not need to be polished to be powerful. Coming in at #3 is The Beatles’ “Something”, released in 1969, a track often described as one of the most sincere and beautiful love songs ever written.

Here are the Top 25:

  1. “Heroes”, David Bowie (1977)
  2. “Maps”, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003)
  3. “Something”, The Beatles (1969)
  4. “Just Like Heaven”, The Cure (1987)
  5. “In Your Eyes”, Peter Gabriel (1986)
  6. “Your Song”, Elton John (1970)
  7. “Still Into You”, Paramore (2013)
  8. “Because the Night”, Patti Smith (1978)
  9. “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, Guns N’ Roses (1987)
  10. “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, Elvis Presley (1961)
  11. “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)”, Talking Heads (1983)
  12. “I’ll Stand By You”, The Pretenders (1994)
  13. “Maybe I’m Amazed”, Paul McCartney (1970)
  14. “Happy Together”, The Turtles (1967)
  15. “Come to My Window”, Melissa Etheridge (1993)
  16. “All the Small Things”, Blink-182 (1999)
  17. “Harvest Moon”, Neil Young (1992)
  18. “Never Tear Us Apart”, INXS (1987)
  19. “I Want to Know What Love Is”, Foreigner (1984)
  20. “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out”, The Smiths (1986)
  21. “May This Be Love”, Jimi Hendrix (1967)
  22. “Eres”, Café Tacvba (2003)
  23. “Just the Way You Are”, Billy Joel (1977)
  24. “Lovesong”, The Cure (1989)
  25. “You Make Loving Fun”, Fleetwood Mac (1977)

The list jumps across eras and subgenres, from classic rock and new wave to pop punk and alternative. It is a reminder that rock love songs are not just slow dances and power ballads. They can be joyful, heartbreaking, awkward, or explosive, sometimes all in the same track.

If you are building a Valentine’s Day playlist or just looking for an excuse to revisit some all time greats, Billboard’s ranking makes a strong case that rock music has never been short on love.

The Five Most Dangerous Songs to Drive to, According to Science

If you have ever caught yourself accidentally speeding because a song came on a little too strong, science says you are not imagining it.

A new study suggests that certain popular songs can actually make you drive faster and take more risks behind the wheel, all because of their tempo.

Researchers at the South China University of Technology looked at how music affects driving behavior and found that songs with a tempo of 120 beats per minute or higher can encourage drivers to speed up and drive more aggressively.

Translation: If the song makes you want to drum on the steering wheel, it might also make your foot heavier on the gas.

According to the study, these are the most dangerous songs to drive to:

  1. “American Idiot” by Green Day
  2. “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus
  3. “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers
  4. “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Chainsmokers
  5. “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen

The common thread here is speed. Fast tempos can raise your heart rate and adrenaline, making you more likely to drive faster without realizing it. The researchers say it is not about the genre, it is about how your brain responds to the rhythm.

On the flip side, the study also identified songs that are far less likely to turn your commute into a Fast and Furious audition.

Least dangerous songs to drive to:

  1. “Location” by Khalid
  2. “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin
  3. “Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
  4. “God’s Plan” by Drake
  5. “Africa” by Toto

Of course, this does not mean you need to delete half your music library. It just means being aware of how music can influence your mood and behavior. If you are cruising on the highway or stuck in traffic, a calmer playlist might help keep both your speed and your blood pressure in check.

So maybe save “Mr. Brightside” for karaoke night, and let “Africa” guide you safely home.

Are These the Best Christmas Songs of All Time?

If you needed an excuse to blast Christmas music at full volume, congratulations, the calendar just handed you one.

Now that December has officially arrived, the holiday playlists are coming out, the peppermint mochas are flowing, and TimeOut.com has dropped its new ranking of the 50 Best Christmas Songs of All Time.

According to TimeOut, the top spot belongs to a song most of us have already heard at least six times today. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” continues its undefeated streak as the queen of modern holiday music. Whether you think it’s a masterpiece or a seasonal earworm, its grip on December is unshakeable.

Just behind it is Wham!’s “Last Christmas”, a synthy heartbreak anthem that somehow still feels cheerful enough to soundtrack a shopping mall. In third place is “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, a song that’s emotional, messy, and beloved in the same way an ugly Christmas sweater is beloved.

Lists like this tend to spark strong opinions, partly because the soundtrack of December is so tied to nostalgia.

For some people, Christmas music means childhood memories and family gatherings. For others, it means surviving retail shifts and trying not to lose their minds as Jingle Bell Rock repeats for the 17th time. Either way, we all have that one song we think deserves better.

If you’re building a holiday playlist or just want to know where your favorites landed, TimeOut’s full Top 50 is worth checking out. And if you disagree with their rankings, don’t worry, there’s plenty of time left for spirited holiday arguing.

Here are TimeOut’s Top 20:

1.  “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, Mariah Carey

2.  “Last Christmas”, Wham!

3.  “Fairytale of New York”, The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl

4.  “Santa Tell Me”, Ariana Grande

5.  “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”, Darlene Love

6.  “Feliz Navidad”, José Feliciano

7.  “The Power of Love”, Frankie Goes to Hollywood

8.  “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

9.  “White Christmas”, Bing Crosby

10.  “Step Into Christmas”, Elton John

11.  “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday”, Wizzard

12.  “Must Be Santa”, Kurt Vile

13.  “Christmas Will Break Your Heart”, LCD Soundsystem

14.  “Wonderful Christmastime”, Paul McCartney

15.  “Underneath the Tree”, Kelly Clarkson

16.  “Christmas Tree Farm”, Taylor Swift

17.  “Dominick the Donkey”, Lou Monte

18.  “Child’s Christmas in Wales”, John Cale

19.  “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”, The Jackson 5

20.  “River”, Joni Mitchell

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