The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born

401. Ray of Light
Madonna [1998]
The material girl gets spiritual, and her temple is a rave party.
Available on: Ray of Light (Maverick)

402. South Bronx
Boogie Down Productions [1987]
A hip-hop history lesson that sparked one of rap's first beefs.
Available on: Criminal Minded (Sugar Hill)

403. Back in Black
AC/DC [1980]
Strippers and big-league sluggers agree: the world's greatest riff!
Available on: Back in Black (Epic)

404. Bad Boys
Inner Circle [1987]
Sticking it to felonious rednecks since 1989.
Available on: One Way (RAS)

405. Stupid Girl
Garbage [1995]
Shirley Manson fumes while Butch Vig makes the guitars go whoosh.
Available on: Garbage (Almo Sounds)

406. Last Night a DJ Saved My Life
Indeep [1982]
Chill disco funk about the restorative powers of a crowded dance floor.
Available on: The Disco Box (Sound of New York)

407. Freak Scene
Dinosaur Jr. [1988]
Squally, poignant guitar pop from Massachusetts misfits.
Available on: Bug (SST)

408. Tom Sawyer
Rush [1981]
A rousing salute to independent spirits and drum fills longer than most songs.
Available on: Moving Pictures (Mercury)

409. Rebel Without a Pause
Public Enemy [1988]
Rap gets radical, thanks to booming orator Chuck D and a squealing beat.
Available on: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Def Jam)

410. Rough Boys
Pete Townshend [1980]
The Who genius extols sex and violence.
Available on: Empty Glass (Atlantic / Wea)

411. Ride
The Vines [2004]
Roaring garage rawk from an insufferable, autistic Aussie.
Available on: Winning Days (Capitol)

412. If I Was Your Girlfriend
Prince [1987]
Or, How to be a better lover through androgyny.
Available on: Sign O the Times (Paisley Park)

413. Fallin'
Alicia Keys [2001]
Jacks an old JB loop for a somber, heart-shredding ode to indecision.
Available on: Songs in A Minor (J)

414. Flagpole Sitta
Harvey Danger [1997]
Radio-friendly schizophrenia from Seattle one-hit wonders.
Available on: Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? (Never)

415. Waterfalls
TLC [1994]
An uptempo R&B morality tale teaches us: Practice safe sex and be nice to mama.
Available on: Crazysexycool (LaFace)

416. Chop Suey
System of a Down [2001]
Operatic howls and haunted lyrics from nü-metal's smartest Armenians.
Available on: Toxicity (American)

417. Situation
Yaz [1982]
Like "Hit the Road Jack," but with synths and eyeliner.
Available on: Upstairs at Eric's (Sire)

418. Rumors
Timex Social Club [1986]
R&B popsters chuckle about the he-said, she-said.
Available on: Vicious Rumors

419. I'm on Fire
Bruce Springsteen [1984]
The Boss gets all R. Kelly, whispering come-ons to his "little girl."
Available on: Born in the U.S.A. (Columbia)

420. Southern Hospitality
Ludacris [2000]
Over a dive-bombing Neptunes beat, Luda shows off some regional pride.
Available on: Back for the First Time (Def Jam)

421. Let Me Go
Heaven 17 [1983]
Chilly, vaguely menacing New Wave with wobbly synths and wobblier sexuality.
Available on: The Luxury Gap (Arista)

422. Sex Style
Kool Keith [1996]
Rap's weirdest genius invents "porno core," extols…urine?
Available on: Sex Style (Funky Ass Records)

423. Last Goodbye
Jeff Buckley [1994]
Radiant, eerily prescient farewell from a died-too-young folk scion.

Available on: Grace (Columbia)

424. We're Desperate
X [1981]
L.A. punks' scraggly debut single about squatting and squalor.
Available on: Wild Gift (Slash)

425. I Just Wanna Love U (Give It to Me)
Jay-Z [2000]
Jigga and Pharrell hold forth on cash and cocksmithery.
Available on: The Dynasty Roc La Familia (Roc-A-Fella)

426. Where It's At
Beck [1996]
L.A. hipster funk starring two turntables and a microphone.
Available on: Odelay (DGC)

427. That's the Way Love Goes
Janet Jackson [1993]
Pop's little sister grows up with a hypnotic, sticky-hot seduction joint.
Available on: Janet (Virgin)

428. Bad Reputation
Freedy Johnston [1994]
Near-perfect melodic gem from a NYC nice guy (no matter what the title says).
Available on: This Perfect World (Elektra)

429. Cry Me a River
Justin Timberlake [2002]
JT and Timbaland stick it to Britney with an operatic kiss-off.

Available on: Justified (Jive)

430. Closing Time
Semisonic [1998]
Minneapolis alt-popsters offer up hummable barstool philosophy.
Available on: Feeling Strangely Fine (MCA)

431. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
The Smiths [1986]
Morrissey has a wild night out, mopes about it.
Available on: The Queen is Dead (Reprise /Wea)

432. There She Goes
The La's [1991]
A lovey-dovey Britpop ode…to shootin' up horse!
Available on: The La's (London)

433. Cornflake Girl
Tori Amos [1994]
New Age soul poet shouts out the Kellogg's roster.
Available on: Under the Pink (Atlantic /Wea)

434. Walking on Thin Ice
Yoko Ono [1980]
Mrs. Lennon drops performance art shrieks for this DJ fave.
Available on: Walking on Thin Ice (Rykodisc)

435. Murder She Wrote
Chaka Demus & Pliers [1993]
Rough-hewn reggae about that two-timing harlot Angela Lansbury.
Available on: All She Wrote (Mango)

436. Grindin'
Clipse [1992]
Neptunes protégés rhyme about 'caine over a beat like a tank factory.
Available on: Lord Willin' (Star Trak/Arista)

437. Running up That Hill
Kate Bush [1986]
Morose synths, laconic wails and an irresistible dance pulse.

Available on: The Whole Story (EMI)

438. Pretend We're Dead
L7 [1992]
Seattle's premier riot grrrls unleash a clattering battle cry.
Available on: Bricks Are Heavy (Slash/Reprise)

439. Feel So Good
Ma$e [1997]
Pop-rap perfection from this Diddy-boosted Harlemite.
Available on: Harlem World (Bad Boy)

440. You Get What You Give
New Radicals [1998]
Feel-good mall rock from a celebrity-dissing studio whiz.
Available on: Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too (MCA)

441. Don't You (Forget About Me)
Simple Minds [1985]
From Scotland, one helluva prom song.
Available on: The Breakfast Club (OST) (A&M)

442. Square Biz
Teena Marie [198]
Rick James–endorsed disco diva belts her way through a slap-bass funk orgy.
Available on: It Must Be Magic (Motown)

443. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
U2 [1987]
Heart-wrenching, majestic rock for anyone who's ever misplaced his remote.
Available on: The Joshua Tree (Island)

444. Tell Me Why
Wynonna Judd [1993]
Sorry, Wynonna, he's just not that into you.
Available on: Tell Me Why

445. Rebel Girl
Bikini Kill [1992]
From snarky Riot Grrrl heroes, a bristling jam about sexual fempowerment.
Available on: Pussy Whipped (Kill Rock Stars)

446. Just an Illusion
Imagination [1982]
Gauzy disco-soul, courtesy of three Brits who dressed like gay centurions.
Available on: In the Heat of the Night (MCA)

447. Do You Realize??
Flaming Lips [2002]
Oklahoma weirdos get majestic. What floating in space must feel like.

Available on: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Warner Bros)

448. Player's Anthem
Junior MAFIA [1995]
A Biggie song in all but name, about grabbing genitals in the name of rap.

Available on: Conspiracy (Undeas/Big Beat)

449. People Are Still Having Sex
LaTour [1991]
The defiantly un-sexy hit from a Chicago acid-house DJ.
Available on: LaTour (Smash)

450. Smooth
Santana featuring Rob Thomas [1999]
A sublimely cheesy cha-cha, still good eleventy billion listens later.
Available on: Metamorphosis (Arista)