So, reading through the Rolling Stone 'Top 100 Best Debut Singles of All Time'

[mr_lebowski]

article, and I'm down to about #80.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/greatest-debut-songs-singles-990470/

For fun, I thought I would try to guess what their top 10 will be ... off the top of my head I believe these are all first singles from these artists, at least in the US.


Top 10:
Beatles - Please Please Me
U2 - I Will Follow
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
Welcome to the Jungle - Guns & Roses
Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence
Bob Dylan - Blowin In The Wind
The Doors - Light my Fire or Break On Through or whichever song was first.
Led Zeppelin - Good Times Bad Times
Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK
*leaving a spot for hip hop which I'd likely not guess */


Some top 25 choices but likely not top 10:
REM - Radio Free Europe
Prince - Soft & Wet
The Cure - Boys Don't Cry
CCR - Susie Q
Beck - Loser
Radiohead - Creep
Eagles - Take it Easy
Vampire Weekend - A-Punk or Oxford Comma, I forget which was first

If they decide to consider the Buckingham/Nicks Fleetwood Mac incarnation a 'debut' then:
Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon

I'll be keen to see how many I guessed right ... I'm betting those all make the list somewhere though

[The Polack MSgt]

1. all this time I thought "I wanna be your Lover" was Prince's 1st single

huh.

[Docreed2003]

2. Lmao...you actually got one of the top ten in your bottom list bro

I went through this list earlier and I can't square my head around number 1, I just can't. A lot of this list was great but that one I'm like...seriously??

[mr_lebowski]

3. Okay now that I'm done I have to think some didn't qualify for some reason

Maybe they weren't really first singles like I thought, and some of these groups had lackluster first actual first singles, such as S&G, Dylan, and Talking Heads.

But I'm nearly positive about the G&R and U2 songs being their first singles, and I'm ASTOUNDED those two didn't even make the list.

And I'm sorry, but #1?

Are you fucking kidding me right now?

[Docreed2003]

8. You're right on GnR, Welcome to the Jungle was their first single

"I will follow" was technically U2's first single from their debut album but "11 o'clock Tick Tock" was their first single.

[mr_lebowski]

10. Ahh ...

Well, that still would've made my top 100

And WTTJ should've made a list like this SO EASILY.

In fact you could replace #1 with WTTJ and I'd not have complained.

[IADEMO2004]

4. I clicked I saw I puked. mr_lebowski you have shamed Rolling Stone

[mr_lebowski]

7. How did *I* shame Rolling Stone?

WTF you talking about?

[NBachers]

5. What number was ? and the Mysterians?

[Ohiogal]

6. #1 .... I'm like holy sheeeeet

No effin’ way. A travesty to put that song before all the rest!

[mr_lebowski]

9. I'm convinced they did that to stir up controversy ...

They cannot actually think that, they just wanted something for people to argue/bitch about.

[msongs]

11. beatles debut single was love me do nt

[mr_lebowski]

13. And it's #21 on the list ...

Yeah, my usually solid Beatles trivia recollection failed me.

As mentioned below, Please Please Me is their first #1, not their first single

[Fiendish Thingy]

12. Please Please Me was Beatles' first #1, but Love Me Do was first single

Not a very good start for the World’s Greatest Band.

[Swede]

14. Some good songs on this list.

But Britney Spears at number one?

[argyl]

15. From the bottom ten I got a couple of surprises.

First, that The New Pornographers even made it with Letters From an Occupant at #97. And I'm delighted. Great tune, with my biggest alt.country crush, the fabulous Neko Case, giving it her all on a great tune.

But "Sultans of Swing" at #95? I could go on and on but I'll just say I disagree strongly, to say the least. Mark Knopfler's explosion on the guitar scene. At #95.

[mr_lebowski]

16. I was delighted with TNP making the list as well ...

I've posted songs of theirs (and Neko songs, and Destroyer songs) a number of times ... nobody ever comments or hardly recs though.

People don't know what they're missing

Sultans of Swing, among many that are way too low indeed.

I'm still blown away Welcome to the Jungle was left off ... I mean I'm not a huge GnR fan anymore and I'm sick of that song, but c'mon, that song and record was a LANDMARK in rock and roll at the time.