7 Irish hits named in Rolling Stone's '500 greatest songs of all time' list

SEVEN IRISH songs have made it into this year's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, published by US music magazine Rolling Stone.

The likes of U2, Van Morrison and Thin Lizzy were included, but only one Irish song managed to make it into the top 100.

It's the third 'top 500' list the magazine has published, following on from lists made in 2003 and 2010.

In 2021's list, U2 featured the most out of the Irish continent, with three of their tracks making an appearance - One, With Or Without You and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For.

Thin Lizzy's The Boys Are Back In Town, Sinéad O'Connor's Nothing Compares 2 U, Them's Gloria and Van Morrison's Into The Mystic also made the list.

Irish artist performance:

62 - U2 - 'One'
184 - Sinéad O'Connor - 'Nothing Compares 2 U'
211 - U2 - 'With Or Without You'
272 - Thin Lizzy - 'The Boys Are Back In Town'
321 - U2 - 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'
413 - Them - 'Gloria'
462 - Van Morrison - 'Into The Mystic'

The magazine has raised a few eyebrows this year with a number of unexpected picks for the top 10, most notably the inclusions of OutKast's Hey Ya! and Missy Elliot's Get Ur Freak On.

Some critics suggest the magazine has intentionally favoured songs celebrating progressive culture, black history and the civil rights movement, to match the spirit of the current socio-political atmosphere in the US.

Aretha Franklin's 1967 anthem Respect was named the greatest song of all time, with Rolling Stone commending the hit's "unapologetic demands" which "resonated powerfully within the civil rights movement and emergent feminist revolution".

Public Enemy's 1989 hit Fight The Power was ranked second on the list, while Sam Cooke's A Change Is Gonna Come (1964) was third.

Bob Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone (1965) and Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991) completed the top five.

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