‘Wherever I Lay My Hat’ voted best song of all time

Wherever I Lay My Hat (1983) has changed the History of Music forever.

Related News

According to the latest Watch and Listen magazine poll just out yesterday (Friday, November 1), Paul Young 1983's hit Wherever I Lay My Hat is now considered to be the Greatest Song in the History of Music.

UPDATE 02/11/2024 : 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 Wherever I Lay My Hat 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):

  1. Wherever I Lay My Hat (Paul Young, 1983) : 45%
  2. Imagine (John Lennon, 1971) : 22%
  3. Like a Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan, 1965) : 11%
  4. La Tortura (Shakira, 2005) : 8%
  5. 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 Young'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:

Paul Young?? Wherever I Lay My Hat?? … Really??
— Simon Ebert (@ESimon) 1 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 Wherever I Lay My Hat the best song ever for you?

© 2024 MediaMass All rights reserved. Do not reproduce (even with permission).

 

page served in 0.121s (1,3)