20th Election Results! Our Most Interesting Results Yet + At Least 1 Hall of Songs Inductee

In Hall of Songs, we attempt to determine the greatest songs of all-time through listener votes. But after our listeners elected no songs to our prestigious song hall of fame the last time out, what would happen after introducing a bunch of songs from 1974? 

Would the early and mid-1970s continue to be a black hole? Could a 1967 song finally sneak into the hall after several rounds of waiting? What does this all mean?! 

Okay. Don’t scroll if you want to be spoiled.

Alright. Let’s congratulate the following song on making the Hall of Songs …

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman / Aretha Franklin – 80% (8th round)

Continuing to the next round of voting

You Can’t Always Get What You Want / The Rolling Stones – 60% (4th round)
Let’s Get It On / Marvin Gaye – 56% (2nd round)
Here Comes the Sun / The Beatles – 52% (6th round)
Ain’t No Sunshine / Bill Withers -52% (4th round)
Rocket Man / Elton John – 52% (3rd round)
Superstition / Stevie Wonder – 52% (3rd round)
Jolene / Dolly Parton – 48% (2nd round)
Won’t Get Fooled Again / The Who – 44% (4th round)
Lean on Me / Bill Withers – 44% (3rd round)
Midnight Train to Georgia / Gladys Knight and the Pips – 44% (2nd round)
Free Bird / Lynyrd Skynyrd – 44% (2nd round)
Bridge Over Troubled Water / Simon and Garfunkel – 40% (4th round)
Walk on the Wild Side / Lou Reed – 40% (3rd round)
Help Me / Joni Mitchell – 36% (1st round)
Waterloo / ABBA – 36% (1st round)
You’re the First, the Last, My Everything / Barry White – 36% (1st round)

Eliminated from the ballot

Rikki, Don’t Lose That Number / Steely Dan – 32% (1st round)
Cat’s in the Cradle / Harry Chapin – 32% (1st round)
Autobahn / Kraftwerk – 24% (1st round)
September Gurls / Big Star – 16% (1st round)
Rock Your Baby / George McCrae – 12% (1st round)
You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet / Bachman-Turner Overdrive – 12% (1st round)
Return of the Grievous Angel / Gram Parsons – 4% (1st round)
You Haven’t Done Nothin’ / Stevie Wonder – 4% (1st round)
Fire / The Ohio Players – 4% (1st round)

19th Election Results! Did We Add to Our 42-Song Hall of Songs?

After our 1972 episode, we asked you to vote for the songs that you thought were Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Bill Withers, Elton John, Dolly Parton. These are names of people. 

They’re also names of people whose songs are currently on the Hall of Songs ballot. Did any of their songs get into our prestigious Hall of Songs, joining 42 other tunes? Listen to find out!

Okay. Don’t scroll if you want to be spoiled.

Alright. Let’s congratulate the following song on making the Hall of Songs …

Nope. Nothing.

Continuing to the next round of voting

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman / Aretha Franklin – 61.53% (7th round)
Superstition / Stevie Wonder – 61.53% (2nd round)
Jolene / Dolly Parton – 61.53% (1st round)
Let’s Get It On / Marvin Gaye – 53.84% (1st round)
Lean on Me / Bill Withers – 50% (2nd round)
Midnight Train to Georgia / Gladys Knight and the Pips – 50% (1st round)
Free Bird / Lynyrd Skynyrd – 50% (1st round)
Bridge Over Troubled Water / Simon and Garfunkel – 46.15% (3rd round)
Ain’t No Sunshine / Bill Withers – 46.15% (3rd round)
Won’t Get Fooled Again / The Who – 46.15% (3rd round)
Here Comes the Sun / The Beatles – 42.3% (5th round)
You Can’t Always Get What You Want / The Rolling Stones – 42.3% (3rd round)
Rocket Man / Elton John – 42.3% (2nd round)
Walk on the Wild Side / Lou Reed – 42.3% (2nd round)

Eliminated from the ballot

All Along the Watchtower / The Jimi Hendrix Experience – 34.61% (6th round)
Layla / Derek and the Dominos – 34.61% (4th round)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road / Elton John – 34.61% (1st round)
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) / Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band – 34.61% (1st round)
You’re So Vain / Carly Simon – 30.76% (2nd round)
Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone / The Temptations – 26.92% (2nd round)
Ooh La La / Faces – 26.92% (1st round)
Dixie Chicken / Little Feat – 23.07% (1st round)
Living For the City / Stevie Wonder – 19.23% (1st round)
I Can’t Stand the Rain / Ann Peebles – 11.53% (1st round)
Personality Crisis / New York Dolls – 7.69% (1st round)
TSOP / MFSB – 3.84% (1st round)

18th Election Results! No Spoilers! But the End is Near For a Few Big Names …

After our 1972 episode, we asked you to vote for the songs that you thought were worthy of the Hall of Songs. After that election … we have results. But we’re not giving anything away. Not this time! (You’ll have to listen to find out more.)

That said, we will say that a few songs that we expected better of are either off the ballot or very close to their end. Which songs? Again, you’ll have to listen.

Okay. Don’t scroll if you want to be spoiled.

Alright. Let’s congratulate the following song on making the Hall of Songs …

Let’s Stay Together / Al Green – 66.67%

Continuing to the next round of voting

Superstition / Stevie Wonder – 56.67% (1st round)
You Can’t Always Get What You Want / The Rolling Stones – 53.33% (2nd round)
Won’t Get Fooled Again / The Who – 53.33% (2nd round)
Rocket Man / Elton John – 53.33% (1st round)
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman / Aretha Franklin – 50% (6th round)
Ain’t No Sunshine / Bill Withers – 50% (2nd round)
Layla / Derek and the Dominos – 46.67% (3rd round)
Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone / The Temptations – 46.67% (1st round)
You’re So Vain / Carly Simon – 46.67% (1st round)
All Along the Watchtower / The Jimi Hendrix Experience – 43.33% (5th round)
Walk on the Wild Side / Lou Reed – 43.33% (1st round)
Bridge Over Troubled Water / Simon and Garfunkel – 40% (2nd round)
Here Comes the Sun / The Beatles – 36.67% (4th round)
Lean on Me / Bill Withers – 36.67% (1st round)

Eliminated from the ballot

Baba O’Riley / The Who – 33.33% (2nd round)
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes / Crosby, Stills & Nash – 30% (4th round)
You Are the Sunshine of My Life / Stevie Wonder – 30% (1st round)
Thirteen / Big Star – 26.67% (1st round)
I Can See Clearly Now / Johnny Nash – 23.33% (1st round)
Suspicious Minds / Elvis Presley – 16.67% (4th round)
The Harder They Come / Jimmy Cliff – 16.67% (1st round)
Go All the Way / Raspberries – 13.33% (1st round)
Back Stabbers / The O’Jays – 10% (1st round)

17th Election Results! The Most Surprising Cut Yet

Yes, there are new inductees in the Hall of Songs. Maybe they’re the songs you most expected after listening to the 1971 episode.

But the big news is what’s on the other side of the ballot: Tim and Chris discuss some shocking cuts — songs that didn’t get enough support to stay on the ballot any longer. 

Okay. Don’t scroll if you want to be spoiled.

Alright. Let’s congratulate the following songs on making the Hall of Songs …

What’s Going On / Marvin Gaye – 66.67%
Stairway to Heaven / Led Zeppelin – 66.67%

Continuing to the next round of voting

Layla / Derek and the Dominos – 54.16% (2nd round)
Let’s Stay Together / Al Green – 54.16% (1st round)
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman / Aretha Franklin – 50% (5th round)
You Can’t Always Get What You Want / The Rolling Stones – 50% (1st round)
Ain’t No Sunshine / Bill Withers – 50% (1st round)
All Along the Watchtower / The Jimi Hendrix Experience – 45.83% (4th round)
Here Comes the Sun / The Beatles – 45.83% (3rd round)
Bridge Over Troubled Water / Simon and Garfunkel – 45.83% (1st round)
Won’t Get Fooled Again / The Who – 45.83% (1st round)
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes / Crosby, Stills & Nash – 41.67% (3rd round)
Baba O’Riley / The Who – 41.67% (1st round)
Suspicious Minds / Elvis Presley – 37.5% (3rd round)

Eliminated from the ballot

Wichita Lineman / Glen Campbell – 29.16% (1st round)
Angel From Montgomery / John Prine – 29.16% (1st round)
Imagine / John Lennon – 29.16% (1st round)
Fire and Rain / James Taylor – 25% (2nd round)
River / Joni Mitchell – 25% (1st round)
Family Affair / Sly and the Family Stone – 25% (1st round)
Without You / Harry Nilsson – 25% (1st round)
Life on Mars? / David Bowie – 25% (1st round)
Ohio / Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – 20.83% (2nd round)
Hey Jude / The Beatles – 12.50% (4th round)
No Matter What / Badfinger – 0% (1st round)

1970 Hall of Songs Nominees: The Last of the Beatles, The Best of Black Sabbath

We’re in a new decade on Hall of Songs, the podcast that attempts to determine the greatest songs of all-time. 

1970 brings us new fare from artists we’ve previously featured, like the Beatles and the Jackson 5. It also showcases some new sounds in music, from the bulky heavy rock of Black Sabbath to the rhythmic vibes of Curtis Mayfield. 

After listening, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1970, plus tunes from 1969, ’68, ’67, ’66, and ’65 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! Vote now and come back on November 19 to find out which song or songs get in!

Our 1970 nominees:

  • “Fire and Rain” as performed by James Taylor
    • Written by James Taylor; recorded December 1969; released February 1970
  • “Big Yellow Taxi” as performed by Joni Mitchell
    • Written by Joni Mitchell; recorded January 1970; released April 1970
  • “Let it Be” as performed by The Beatles
    • Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney; recorded January 1969; released May 1970
  • “War” as performed by Edwin Starr
    • Written by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield; recorded May 1970; released June 1970
  • “Ohio” as performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
    • Written by Neil Young; recorded May 1970; released June 1970
  • “Lola” as performed by The Kinks
    • Written by Ray Davies; recorded April 1970; released June 1970
  • “Paranoid” as performed by Black Sabbath
    • Written by Tommy Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward; recorded June 1970; released August 1970
  • “I’ll Be There” as performed by The Jackson 5
    • Written by Berry Gordy, Bob West, Willie Hutch and Hal Davis; recorded June 1970; released August 1970
  • “Iron Man” as performed by Black Sabbath
    • Written by Tommy Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward; recorded June 1970; released September 1970
  • “Move on Up” as performed by Curtis Mayfield
    • Written by Curtis Mayfield; recorded June 1970; released September 1970
  • “Sweet Jane” as performed by The Velvet Underground
    • Written by Lou Reed; recorded June 1970; released November 1970
  • “Layla” as performed by Derek and the Dominos
    • Written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon; recorded September 1970; released November 1970

Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. Scroll down or click here to vote. Then, come back on November 19, 2021 to find out the voting results, and November 21, 2021 for our discussion on 1971.