NPR: 100 Most Important American Musical Works of the 20th Century (2000)
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 12:58 am
http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/vote/list100.html
I'm usually hesitant to post lists as old and available as these, since it usually feels like there's some reason that they haven't shown up yet. But checking and double-checking this one doesn't seem to show anything that'd make it ineligible, so I might as well post it. It features both songs and albums, and for those sharing a title, I'll be sure to denote which one they're talking about.
- Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings
- Fats Domino - Ain't That a Shame
- Irving Berlin - Alexander's Ragtime Band
- Frank Sinatra - All or Nothing At All
- Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring
- Dooley Wilson - As Time Goes By
- Gene Autry - Back in the Saddle Again
- Bob Dylan - Blowin' in the Wind
- Bill Monroe - Blue Moon of Kentucky
- Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes
- Coleman Hawkins - Body and Soul
- Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (album)
- Original Cast Recording - A Chorus Line
- Loretta Lynn - Coal Miner's Daughter
- Patsy Cline - Crazy
- John Lewis - Django
- The Mamas and the Papas - Dream a Little Dream of Me
- Steve Reich - Drumming
- Original Cast Recording - Fiddler on the Roof
- Billie Holiday - Fine and Mellow
- James Taylor - Fire and Rain
- Earl Scruggs - Foggy Mountain Breakdown
- John Cage - 4:33
- George M. Cohan - Give My Regards to Broadway
- Max Steiner - Gone with the Wind (soundtrack)
- The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
- Paul Simon - Graceland (album)
- Ferde Grofe - Grand Canyon Suite
- Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire
- The Platters - The Great Pretender
- Original Cast Recording - Guys and Dolls
- Robert Johnson - Hellhound on My Trail
- Louis Armstrong - Hello, Dolly
- Mahalia Jackson - His Eye is On the Sparrow
- Muddy Waters - Hoochie Coochie Man
- Elvis Presley - Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel (tie)
- George and Ira Gershwin - I Got Rhythm
- Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line
- Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated
- Hank Williams - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
- Glenn Miller - In the Mood
- Leadbelly - (Goodnight) Irene
- Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (album)
- Jelly Roll Morton - King Porter Stomp
- Charlie Parker - Koko
- Ritchie Valens - La Bamba
- The Doors - Light My Fire
- Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
- John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (album)
- Ella Fitzgerald - Mack the Knife
- Chuck Berry - Maybellene
- Duke Ellington - Mood Indigo
- Original Cast Recording - My Fair Lady
- Rodgers and Hart - My Funny Valentine
- The Temptations - My Girl
- Cole Porter - Night and Day
- Dizzy Gillespie - A Night in Tunisia
- Original Cast Recording - Oklahoma!
- Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime
- Count Basie Orchestra - One O'Clock Jump
- Santana - Oye Como Va
- James Brown - Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
- The Crickets - Peggy Sue
- Original Cast Recording - Porgy & Bess
- Bernard Hermann - Psycho (soundtrack)
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze
- The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight
- Aretha Franklin - Respect
- George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue
- Bill Haley and His Comets - Rock Around the Clock
- Thelonius Monk - 'Round Midnight
- Nat King Cole - (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
- Bessie Smith - St. Louis Blues
- Original Cast Recording - Show Boat
- Benny Goodman - Sing, Sing, Sing
- Gene Kelly - Singin' in the Rain
- Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
- Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
- Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man
- Igor Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms
- Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five
- no performer mentioned - Take My Hand, Precious Lord
- Duke Ellington - Take the "A" Train
- Stevie Wonder - Talking Book (album)
- Carole King - Tapestry (album)
- Isaac Hayes - Theme from "Shaft"
- Woody Guthrie - This Land is Your Land
- The Kingston Trio - Tom Dooley
- The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground and Nico
- Carl Stalling - Warner Bros. Cartoon Music (for a specific album, they mention Greg Ford's compilation)
- Traditional - We Shall Overcome
- Louis Armstrong - West End Blues
- Original Cast Recording - West Side Story
- Ray Charles - What'd I Say
- Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (song)
- Bing Crosby - White Christmas
- The Carter Family - Wildwood Flower
- Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg - The Wizard of Oz (soundtrack)
And, here are the 300 songs/albums they considered:
http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/vote/300.html
I'm usually hesitant to post lists as old and available as these, since it usually feels like there's some reason that they haven't shown up yet. But checking and double-checking this one doesn't seem to show anything that'd make it ineligible, so I might as well post it. It features both songs and albums, and for those sharing a title, I'll be sure to denote which one they're talking about.
- Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings
- Fats Domino - Ain't That a Shame
- Irving Berlin - Alexander's Ragtime Band
- Frank Sinatra - All or Nothing At All
- Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring
- Dooley Wilson - As Time Goes By
- Gene Autry - Back in the Saddle Again
- Bob Dylan - Blowin' in the Wind
- Bill Monroe - Blue Moon of Kentucky
- Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes
- Coleman Hawkins - Body and Soul
- Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (album)
- Original Cast Recording - A Chorus Line
- Loretta Lynn - Coal Miner's Daughter
- Patsy Cline - Crazy
- John Lewis - Django
- The Mamas and the Papas - Dream a Little Dream of Me
- Steve Reich - Drumming
- Original Cast Recording - Fiddler on the Roof
- Billie Holiday - Fine and Mellow
- James Taylor - Fire and Rain
- Earl Scruggs - Foggy Mountain Breakdown
- John Cage - 4:33
- George M. Cohan - Give My Regards to Broadway
- Max Steiner - Gone with the Wind (soundtrack)
- The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
- Paul Simon - Graceland (album)
- Ferde Grofe - Grand Canyon Suite
- Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire
- The Platters - The Great Pretender
- Original Cast Recording - Guys and Dolls
- Robert Johnson - Hellhound on My Trail
- Louis Armstrong - Hello, Dolly
- Mahalia Jackson - His Eye is On the Sparrow
- Muddy Waters - Hoochie Coochie Man
- Elvis Presley - Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel (tie)
- George and Ira Gershwin - I Got Rhythm
- Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line
- Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated
- Hank Williams - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
- Glenn Miller - In the Mood
- Leadbelly - (Goodnight) Irene
- Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (album)
- Jelly Roll Morton - King Porter Stomp
- Charlie Parker - Koko
- Ritchie Valens - La Bamba
- The Doors - Light My Fire
- Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
- John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (album)
- Ella Fitzgerald - Mack the Knife
- Chuck Berry - Maybellene
- Duke Ellington - Mood Indigo
- Original Cast Recording - My Fair Lady
- Rodgers and Hart - My Funny Valentine
- The Temptations - My Girl
- Cole Porter - Night and Day
- Dizzy Gillespie - A Night in Tunisia
- Original Cast Recording - Oklahoma!
- Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime
- Count Basie Orchestra - One O'Clock Jump
- Santana - Oye Como Va
- James Brown - Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
- The Crickets - Peggy Sue
- Original Cast Recording - Porgy & Bess
- Bernard Hermann - Psycho (soundtrack)
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze
- The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight
- Aretha Franklin - Respect
- George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue
- Bill Haley and His Comets - Rock Around the Clock
- Thelonius Monk - 'Round Midnight
- Nat King Cole - (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
- Bessie Smith - St. Louis Blues
- Original Cast Recording - Show Boat
- Benny Goodman - Sing, Sing, Sing
- Gene Kelly - Singin' in the Rain
- Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
- Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
- Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man
- Igor Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms
- Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five
- no performer mentioned - Take My Hand, Precious Lord
- Duke Ellington - Take the "A" Train
- Stevie Wonder - Talking Book (album)
- Carole King - Tapestry (album)
- Isaac Hayes - Theme from "Shaft"
- Woody Guthrie - This Land is Your Land
- The Kingston Trio - Tom Dooley
- The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground and Nico
- Carl Stalling - Warner Bros. Cartoon Music (for a specific album, they mention Greg Ford's compilation)
- Traditional - We Shall Overcome
- Louis Armstrong - West End Blues
- Original Cast Recording - West Side Story
- Ray Charles - What'd I Say
- Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (song)
- Bing Crosby - White Christmas
- The Carter Family - Wildwood Flower
- Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg - The Wizard of Oz (soundtrack)
And, here are the 300 songs/albums they considered:
http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/vote/300.html