‘On My Own’ voted best song of all time

By Brent Meslow
Los Angeles
Last updated on November 21, 2024

On My Own (1986) has changed the History of Music forever.

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According to the latest Watch and Listen magazine poll just out yesterday (Wednesday, November 20), Michael McDonald and Patti LaBelle 1986's hit On My Own is now considered to be the Greatest Song in the History of Music.

UPDATE 21/11/2024 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Top 100 songs of all time

To many of you it’s probably a familiar story. Once every decade, the world-renowned music magazine Watch and Listen conducts a global poll of music producers and critics from 80 different countries and translated into 20 languages. The recognition of On My Own in this decade's list doesn't come as much of a surprise.

Here are the top 5 best songs ever written in the world, according to the poll (followed by the percentage of votes):

On My Own (Michael McDonald and Patti LaBelle, 1986) : 45%
Imagine (John Lennon, 1971) : 22%
Like a Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan, 1965) : 11%
La Tortura (Shakira, 2005) : 8%
Stand by Your Man (Tammy Wynette, 1968) : 7%

Check out: The Full Watch and Listen's “Greatest Songs of All Time” List for 2024

Poll results stir controversy among music critics

While millions of McDonald or LaBelle's fans around the world were thrilled with the news, questions have been raised about the objectivity and fairness of the survey. Only a few minutes after the poll had been released, famous music critic and newspaper director Simon Ebert commented on his Twitter account:

Michael McDonald, Patti LaBelle?? On My Own?? … Really??
— Simon Ebert (@ESimon) 20 November 2024

“Our poll has in the past been the subject of criticism”, explains Watch and Listen's editor Gary McDermott, adding that “its prestige comes from its exclusivity and its longevity” (the poll has been run every ten years since November 1934).

Do you agree with this poll? Is On My Own the best song ever for you?