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Monday, April 23, 2007 12:00 AM

Rolling Stone hits the big 4-0

The list-loving music magazine picks the 40 songs "that changed the world" as part of its 40th-birthday celebration.

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  • Monday, April 23, 2007 02:19 PM

    God Save the Kinks

    Ray Davies and the lads qualify in at least three categories:

    1. Punk progenitors, e.g. "You Really Got Me."

    2. Saviors of the literary song lyric, e.g. "Lola," "Come Dancing."

    3. Pioneers of the rock-opera, e.g. anything from "Arthur" - my vote would be "Shangri-La."

    A good case can also be made for the Who in the same three categories (e.g. "I Can't Explain, "Pictures of Lily," and anything from "Tommy.")

    I also second the calls for the inclusion of "Good Vibrations," certainly much more of a watershed than "Bohemian Rhapsody," a work which is little more than a novelty song, whatever its (debatable) intrinsic merit.

    Finally, Madonna and Britney were hardly revolutionary musical influences, unless self-promotion and marketing are considered as legitimate criteria for the purposes of this list. Cindy Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna' Have Fun" had more impact, more chops, and more appeal than anything in the collective output of Madonna and Britney. In my opinion.

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