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

Combining 8 all-time countdowns from 4 stations, "Heroes" by David Bowie ranks first. It appeared on 7 of the countdowns and was voted number one 2 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 · Indie & Adult Alternative · 8 countdowns from 4 stations

The greatest indie 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 public radio and adult alternative listener polls: 8 countdowns in all. The result: “Heroes” by David Bowie comes out on top, appearing on 7 countdowns and voted number one twice.

8all-time countdowns

4stations

4,384songs ranked

Top 100 of all time

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Heroes David Bowie	651	7	#1	2	1977
2	London Calling The Clash	651	7	#13	–	1980
3	Paranoid Android Radiohead	597	7	#11	–	1997
4	Superstition Stevie Wonder	594	7	#20	–	–
5	Love Will Tear Us Apart Joy Division	588	7	#3	–	2005
6	Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana	582	6	#4	–	1991
7	Hallelujah Jeff Buckley	576	6	#16	–	–
8	How Soon is Now? The Smiths	559	7	#18	–	1984
9	Once in a Lifetime Talking Heads	551	6	#14	–	1980
10	Impossible Germany Wilco	545	7	#34	–	–
11	All My Friends LCD Soundsystem	533	6	#10	–	–
12	Bad U2	530	6	#34	–	1985
13	A Day in the Life The Beatles	530	6	#4	–	–
14	Imagine John Lennon	527	6	#2	–	–
15	What's Going On Marvin Gaye	525	6	#13	–	–
16	Born to Run Bruce Springsteen	519	6	#5	–	–
17	Bitter Sweet Symphony The Verve	515	7	#57	–	1998
18	Nightswimming R.E.M.	512	6	#51	–	–
19	Seven Nation Army The White Stripes	504	6	#54	–	2003
20	Train in Vain The Clash	504	6	#67	–	1980
21	Fake Plastic Trees Radiohead	503	6	#59	–	1995
22	Where Is My Mind? The Pixies	502	7	#5	–	2005
23	Hurt Johnny Cash	499	7	#41	–	2003
24	Gloria Patti Smith	498	6	#52	–	–
25	Running Up That Hill Kate Bush	495	6	#9	–	1985
26	Dance Yrself Clean LCD Soundsystem	492	7	#18	–	2010
27	Purple Rain Prince	490	6	#1	1	–
28	Tangled Up in Blue Bob Dylan	489	5	#9	–	–
29	Thunder Road Bruce Springsteen	488	5	#1	3	–
30	Bohemian Rhapsody Queen	487	5	#2	–	–
31	Into the Mystic Van Morrison	487	5	#7	–	–
32	Wish You Were Here Pink Floyd	485	5	#8	–	–
33	Respect Aretha Franklin	485	6	#16	–	–
34	Gimme Shelter The Rolling Stones	485	6	#4	–	–
35	Three Little Birds Bob Marley	484	6	#64	–	–
36	Last Goodbye Jeff Buckley	483	7	#54	–	1995
37	Like a Rolling Stone Bob Dylan	482	5	#2	–	–
38	what's So Funny (About Peace, Love, and Understanding)? Elvis Costello	471	6	#82	–	–
39	Comfortably Numb Pink Floyd	469	5	#23	–	1980
40	Home Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros	466	6	#23	–	2010
41	One U2	466	5	#10	–	1992
42	Marquee Moon Television	465	6	#36	–	–
43	Chicago Sufjan Stevens	465	7	#67	–	2006
44	Wake Up The Arcade Fire	462	5	#19	–	2005
45	Kashmir Led Zeppelin	461	5	#29	–	–
46	Skinny Love Bon Iver	459	6	#7	–	2008
47	Where the Streets Have No Name U2	457	5	#48	–	1987
48	Harvest Moon Neil Young	456	6	#53	–	–
49	Wolf Like Me TV on the Radio	455	6	#48	–	2007
50	I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For U2	454	6	#56	–	1987
51	Landslide Fleetwood Mac	452	6	#50	–	–
52	While My Guitar Gently Weeps The Beatles	448	5	#40	–	–
53	In Your Eyes Peter Gabriel	446	6	#21	–	1986
54	Life on Mars David Bowie	446	6	#29	–	–
55	Graceland Paul Simon	444	6	#82	–	–
56	Just Like Heaven The Cure	443	5	#22	–	1987
57	Ring Of Fire Johnny Cash	442	6	#79	–	–
58	Sabotage Beastie Boys	438	5	#4	–	1994
59	Hallelujah Leonard Cohen	437	5	#26	–	–
60	With or Without You U2	437	5	#46	–	1987
61	Blue Monday New Order	436	6	#16	–	1983
62	The Story Brandi Carlile	434	5	#4	–	–
63	Loser Beck	429	6	#104	–	1994
64	Back to Black Amy Winehouse	427	6	#13	–	–
65	Hey Ya! Outkast	426	5	#63	–	2003
66	Do You Realize? The Flaming Lips	426	5	#26	–	2002
67	Folsom Prison Blues Johnny Cash	423	5	#57	–	–
68	Redemption Song Bob Marley	421	5	#38	–	–
69	Let Down Radiohead	418	6	#117	–	1997
70	In My Life The Beatles	416	5	#4	–	–
71	Sympathy For The Devil The Rolling Stones	414	5	#5	–	–
72	Solsbury Hill Peter Gabriel	414	6	#37	–	–
73	Burning Down the House Talking Heads	413	6	#51	–	1983
74	God Only Knows The Beach Boys	412	5	#9	–	–
75	A Case Of You Joni Mitchell	410	5	#15	–	–
76	Alive Pearl Jam	410	5	#54	–	1992
77	Layla Derek and the Dominos	409	5	#8	–	–
78	Walk on the Wild Side Lou Reed	408	6	#72	–	–
79	Time Pink Floyd	408	5	#90	–	–
80	Pink Moon Nick Drake	407	6	#87	–	–
81	Atlantic City Bruce Springsteen	404	6	#108	–	–
82	The Killing Moon Echo and the Bunnymen	402	6	#35	–	1984
83	Psycho Killer Talking Heads	402	6	#75	–	2005
84	Sir Duke Stevie Wonder	400	5	#68	–	–
85	Let's Stay Together Al Green	399	5	#112	–	–
86	Rolling in the Deep Adele	397	5	#41	–	2011
87	Karma Police Radiohead	397	5	#49	–	1998
88	New Slang The Shins	397	6	#50	–	2005
89	Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin	397	4	#6	–	–
90	California Stars Billy Bragg & Wilco	396	5	#25	–	–
91	Hey Jude The Beatles	396	4	#9	–	–
92	America Simon and Garfunkel	394	5	#47	–	–
93	Little Red Corvette Prince	394	6	#86	–	–
94	Yesterday The Beatles	394	5	#31	–	–
95	When Doves Cry Prince	394	5	#12	–	1984
96	The Weight The Band	394	4	#7	–	–
97	No Woman, No Cry Bob Marley	393	5	#23	–	–
98	Let It Be The Beatles	393	4	#12	–	–
99	Fake Empire The National	392	6	#34	–	–
100	The Chain Fleetwood Mac	391	5	#50	–	–

The countdowns behind the ranking

Every all-time list →

KEXP

KXT

917 Song Countdown

The Current

WXPN

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.