‘The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia’ voted best song of all time
- By Brent Meslow
- Los Angeles
- Last updated on
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- International November 24, 2024
- Hot November 23, 2024
According to the latest Watch and Listen magazine poll just out yesterday (Saturday, November 23), Vicki Lawrence 1972's hit The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (also covered by Reba McEntire) is now considered to be the Greatest Song in the History of Music.
UPDATE 24/11/2024 : 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 The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia 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):
- The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (Vicki Lawrence, 1972) : 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 McEntire or Lawrence'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:
Reba McEntire, Vicki Lawrence?? The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia?? … Really??
— Simon Ebert (@ESimon) 23 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 the Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia the best song ever for you?
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