450Bob Marley and the Wailers, 'I Shot the Sheriff'

Writer:MarleyProducer:Chris BlackwellReleased:Oct. '73, Islanddid not chartMarley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer saved some of their prettiest falsetto harmonies for one of the group's toughest songs. Inspired by the Impressions' "Keep On Pushin'," Marley originally had the song's outlaw hero say, "I shot the police," but imagined the song would be more government-friendly if he changed it to the revenge killing of a single sheriff.Appears on:Burnin'(Island)RELATED:100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Bob Marley100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Bob Marley500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Wailers'Burnin' 449The Dell-Vikings, 'Come Go With Me'

Writer:Clarence E. QuickProducer:Joe AverbachReleased:Feb. '57, Dot31 weeks; No. 5Five airmen who came together at the NCO Service Club in Pittsburgh, the Dell-Vikings underwent several lineup changes because members kept getting sent to Germany. Eventually they became pop's first successful multiracial group on the strength of "Come Go With Me." The song was written by the group's bass singer and recorded one night in a Pittsburgh hotel room.Appears on:Golden Classics(Collectables) 44850 Cent, 'In Da Club'

Writers:50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Mike ElizondoProducers:Dr. Dre, ElizondoReleased:Dec. '02, Interscope/Aftermath/Shady30 weeks; No. 150 Cent's rhyme skills caught the notice ofDr. DreandEminem, who helped assemble this party track. "50 walked into the studio and picked up a pen," Dre said. "We were done in an hour. We just made some shit we wanted to hear."Appears on:Get Rich or Die Tryin'(Interscope/Aftermath/Shady) 447John Cougar Mellencamp, 'Pink Houses'

Writer:MellencampProducers:Little Bastard, Don GehmanReleased:Oct. '83, Riva16 weeks; No. 8Recorded in a farmhouse in Brownstown, Indiana, "Pink Houses" was inspired by an old man "sitting on the porch of his pink shack,"MellencamptoldRolling Stone. "He waved, and I waved back. That's how the song started."Appears on:Uh-Huh(Mercury)RELATED:100 Best Albums of the Eighties: John Cougar Mellencamp'sUh-huh 446Salt 'n Pepa, 'Push It'

Writer:Hurby "Luv Bug" AzorProducer:AzorReleased:Nov. '87, Next Plateau25 weeks; No. 19In 1985, Azor recruited fellow Sears employees Cheryl James and Sandy Denton for a music-school project. With the addition of Dee Dee "Spinderella" Roper, Salt 'N Pepa became the first female MCs to crack the pop Top 20 when this track was remixed by San Francisco DJ Cameron Paul. "Push It" was nominated for a Grammy, but Salt 'N Pepa boycotted the show when the rap category wasn't televised.Appears on:Hot, Cool and Vicious(London) 445The Stooges, 'I Wanna Be Your Dog'

Writers:Dave Alexander, Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton, Iggy PopProducer:John CaleReleased:August '69, ElektraDid Not ChartThese groundbreaking Detroit punks tapped into the brutal side of the blues for this primitive classic. They also offer a one-note piano tribute to theKinks' "You Really Got Me." Over the ultimate bone-crunching three-chord guitar riff,Iggy Popscreams about the agony of teenage hormones the way only Iggy Pop can.Appears on:The Stooges(Elektra)RELATED:100 Greatest Artists of All Time: The Stooges500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Stooges'sThe Stooges100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Iggy Pop 444Elvis Presley, 'Love Me Tender'

Writers:Presley, Vera WatsonProducer:Steve SholesReleased:Oct. '56, RCA23 weeks; No. 1"Love Me Tender" was the theme song from the firstElvismovie and represented a new sound for the King. He sang in his softest voice, accompanied only by his own acoustic guitar. The melody came from the Civil War-era ballad "Aura Lee."Appears on:Elvis: 30 #1 Hits(RCA)RELATED:100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Elvis Presley100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Elvis Presley 443The Rolling Stones, 'Beast of Burden'

Writers:Mick Jagger, Keith RichardsProducers:The Glimmer TwinsReleased:June '78, Rolling Stones13 weeks; No. 8By 1978, theStoneswere in turmoil, after trouble with drugs, women and the law. On "Beast of Burden," they faced up to their struggles with world-weary defiance. On other takes,Jaggertried the song in falsetto, but his straight-ahead version went to the Top 10.Appears on:Some Girls(Virgin)RELATED:500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Rolling Stones'Some Girls100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Mick Jagger100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time: Keith Richards100 Greatest Artists of All Time: The Rolling Stones 442Love, 'Alone Again Or'

Writer:Bryan MacLeanProducers:Arthur Lee, Bruce BotnickReleased:Jan. '68, Elektra3 weeks; No. 99The psychedelic cowboys ofLovebecame famous for their dark, poetic L.A. folk rock. But "Alone Again Or," the opening track on the band's masterwork,Forever Changes, was written and partly sung by guitarist MacLean who later left the band to join a Christian ministry as a tribute to his mother's flamenco dancing. The final take is a decidedly trippy swirl of strings, horns and Spanish-style acoustic guitars.Appears on:Forever Changes(Rhino)RELATED:500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Love'sForever Changes 441Wilson Pickett, 'Mustang Sally'

Writer:Sir Mack RiceProducer:Jerry WexlerReleased:Nov. '66, Atlantic9 weeks; No. 23"Mustang Sally" nearly ended up on the studio floor literally. AfterPickettfinished his final take at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the tape flew off the reel and broke into pieces. But engineer Tom Dowd calmly cleared the room and told everyone to come back in half an hour. Dowd pieced the tape back together, saving one of the funkiest soul anthems of the Sixties.Appears on:The Very Best of Wilson Pickett(Rhino)

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