What is the greatest classic rock song of all time according to radio listeners?

Combining 96 all-time countdowns from 29 stations, "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin ranks first. It appeared on 91 of the countdowns and was voted number one 42 times.

How is the all-time ranking calculated?

Every appearance on an all-time countdown earns points based on its position and the length of the list: number one earns 100 points and the last position earns close to zero. A song's total is the sum of its points across every qualifying countdown.

All-time consensus · Classic Rock · 96 countdowns from 29 stations

The greatest classic rock songs of all time

Radio stations have been asking their listeners to vote for the greatest songs of all time since the 1970s. This ranking combines classic rock stations’ Top 500 and Top 1,043 countdowns: 96 countdowns in all. The result: “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin comes out on top, appearing on 91 countdowns and voted number one 42 times.

96all-time countdowns

29stations

3,873songs ranked

Top 100 of all time

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin	8,928	91	#1	42	–
2	Bohemian Rhapsody Queen	8,821	92	#1	6	–
3	Dream On Aerosmith	8,684	92	#1	1	–
4	Freebird Lynyrd Skynyrd	8,653	93	#1	4	–
5	Sweet Emotion Aerosmith	8,645	92	#1	5	–
6	Hotel California The Eagles	8,532	88	#1	1	–
7	Sweet Home Alabama Lynyrd Skynyrd	8,395	92	#1	1	–
8	More than a Feeling Boston	8,384	93	#2	–	–
9	Comfortably Numb Pink Floyd	8,362	90	#1	1	1980
10	Black Dog Led Zeppelin	8,216	91	#1	1	–
11	Sweet Child o' Mine Guns N Roses	7,988	87	#1	2	1988
12	Back in Black AC/DC	7,954	92	#1	5	1980
13	Tom Sawyer Rush	7,846	90	#6	–	1981
14	Layla Derek and the Dominos	7,818	92	#3	–	–
15	You Shook Me All Night Long AC/DC	7,797	84	#1	1	1980
16	Kashmir Led Zeppelin	7,762	85	#1	4	1997
17	Don't Stop Believing Journey	7,635	90	#1	2	1981
18	Won't Get Fooled Again The Who	7,613	92	#4	–	–
19	Sympathy For The Devil The Rolling Stones	7,602	90	#1	1	–
20	Highway to Hell AC/DC	7,533	89	#2	–	–
21	Walk This Way Aerosmith	7,489	90	#12	–	–
22	Wish You Were Here Pink Floyd	7,479	85	#2	–	–
23	Panama Van Halen	7,417	91	#1	2	–
24	Carry On My Wayward Son Kansas	7,356	88	#5	–	–
25	Crazy Train Ozzy Osbourne	7,326	88	#1	1	1980
26	Who Are You The Who	7,325	89	#5	–	1978
27	Immigrant Song Led Zeppelin	7,220	90	#6	–	2003
28	Don't Fear the Reaper Blue Oyster Cult	7,172	89	#15	–	1978
29	Money Pink Floyd	7,156	88	#2	–	–
30	Rock and Roll Led Zeppelin	7,088	83	#1	1	–
31	Whole Lotta Love Led Zeppelin	7,038	88	#4	–	–
32	Free Fallin' Tom Petty	6,989	89	#10	–	1989
33	Gimme Shelter The Rolling Stones	6,987	89	#4	–	–
34	Baba O'Riley The Who	6,897	81	#1	1	–
35	Pour Some Sugar On Me Def Leppard	6,884	86	#6	–	–
36	Paranoid Black Sabbath	6,845	87	#4	–	–
37	All Along the Watchtower Jimi Hendrix	6,817	87	#2	–	–
38	Welcome to the Jungle Guns N Roses	6,810	78	#1	2	1997
39	Over the Hills and Far Away Led Zeppelin	6,730	86	#7	–	–
40	Paradise City Guns N Roses	6,613	83	#2	–	1989
41	Livin' on a Prayer Bon Jovi	6,572	82	#5	–	–
42	Sharp Dressed Man ZZ Top	6,503	89	#11	–	1983
43	I Can't Get No Satisfaction The Rolling Stones	6,501	74	#4	–	–
44	Limelight Rush	6,490	87	#30	–	1981
45	Photograph Def Leppard	6,453	84	#13	–	1983
46	Ramble On Led Zeppelin	6,437	85	#17	–	–
47	Barracude Heart	6,431	86	#24	–	–
48	In the Air Tonight Phil Collins	6,351	83	#10	–	1981
49	Jump Van Halen	6,327	82	#8	–	–
50	We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions Queen	6,299	72	#1	1	–
51	Behind Blue Eyes The Who	6,206	81	#24	–	–
52	Wanted Dead or Alive Bon Jovi	6,198	85	#5	–	–
53	Smoke on the Water Deep Purple	6,190	89	#4	–	–
54	La Grange ZZ Top	6,167	88	#5	–	–
55	The Joker Steve Miller Band	6,165	84	#9	–	–
56	Time Pink Floyd	6,165	84	#2	–	–
57	Refugee Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers	6,150	84	#18	–	1980
58	Running Down a Dream Tom Petty	6,135	86	#34	–	1989
59	Hey You Pink Floyd	6,120	85	#39	–	–
60	I Love Rock-N-Roll Joan Jett	6,077	83	#5	–	1981
61	Come Together The Beatles	6,073	78	#8	–	–
62	Start Me Up The Rolling Stones	6,069	83	#8	–	1981
63	Foreplay/Longtime Boston	6,005	85	#16	–	–
64	Another One Bites the Dust Queen	5,991	75	#9	–	1980
65	Feel Like Makin Love Bad Company	5,974	88	#22	–	–
66	Renegade Styx	5,928	86	#21	–	1978
67	Turn the Page Bob Seger	5,909	66	#1	1	–
68	Bad Company Bad Company	5,899	86	#19	–	–
69	Under Pressure Queen	5,893	81	#4	–	1981
70	I Won't Back Down Tom Petty	5,858	81	#10	–	–
71	Rock You Like a Hurricane Scorpions	5,850	81	#11	–	–
72	Thunderstruck AC/DC	5,849	76	#1	1	1990
73	Enter Sandman Metallica	5,843	68	#2	–	1991
74	Money for Nothing Dire Straits	5,808	84	#21	–	1985
75	Iron Man Black Sabbath	5,807	81	#1	1	1997
76	Sultans of Swing Dire Straits	5,795	78	#9	–	1978
77	Runnin' With The Devil Van Halen	5,778	81	#4	–	1978
78	Purple Haze Jimi Hendrix	5,773	76	#16	–	–
79	Take It Easy The Eagles	5,761	79	#14	–	–
80	Life's Been Good Joe Walsh	5,757	87	#11	–	1978
81	Peace of Mind Boston	5,756	81	#10	–	–
82	Paint It Black The Rolling Stones	5,737	82	#9	–	1990
83	Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap AC/DC	5,705	77	#19	–	–
84	Hells Bells AC/DC	5,702	79	#18	–	1980
85	Hey Jude The Beatles	5,699	68	#1	1	–
86	Anyway You Want It Journey	5,652	81	#4	–	1980
87	Magic Man Heart	5,642	82	#21	–	–
88	Cocaine Eric Clapton	5,636	86	#6	–	–
89	Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana	5,543	63	#2	–	1991
90	You Can't Always Get What You Want The Rolling Stones	5,527	73	#13	–	–
91	Born to Run Bruce Springsteen	5,523	75	#2	–	–
92	Crazy On You Heart	5,497	86	#5	–	–
93	Simple Man Lynyrd Skynyrd	5,479	74	#6	–	–
94	Hot for Teacher Van Halen	5,458	87	#5	–	–
95	Go Your Own Way Fleetwood Mac	5,438	74	#18	–	–
96	Revolution The Beatles	5,436	76	#2	–	–
97	White Wedding Billy Idol	5,432	83	#24	–	1982
98	Here I Go Again Whitesnake	5,418	78	#2	–	–
99	Roxanne The Police	5,407	80	#21	–	1978
100	Jumpin' Jack Flash The Rolling Stones	5,399	84	#14	–	–

The countdowns behind the ranking

Every all-time list →

100.7 KSLX

100.7 WZLX

102.5 KZOK

102.5 WDVE

102.9 The Whale

103.5 The Fox

Memorial Day 500 (2016)

104.5 KZEP

Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997)

106.7 WLLZ

92.3 KGON

94.1 KRNA

Memorial Day 500 (2022)

95.5 KLOS

Memorial Day 500 (1982)

97 Rock

97.1 The Drive

Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023)

97.1 The River

97.9 The Loop

99.1 PLR

Big 100

I-95

Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015)

KQRS

KQ 500 (2024)

KSHE 95

Q104.3

Q105.7

Memorial Day 500 (2020)

Qfm96

WCSX

Rock & Roll 500 (2021)

WMGK

WNEW-FM

How the all-time ranking works

Each countdown contributes percentile-based points: a number one earns 100, a song halfway down earns about 50, and the last position earns close to zero. A song’s all-time score is the sum of its points across every qualifying countdown, which rewards songs that appear on many lists and rank highly on them. Themed countdowns (party songs, single-artist lists) are archived but not counted, and each radio format is ranked on its own. Read the full methodology.