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Lists to give you inspiration in voting for songs that bring us together

A crowd enjoys Tame Impala and Velvet Negroni at Surly Festival Field, 2019. (Nate Ryan/MPR)
A crowd enjoys Tame Impala and Velvet Negroni at Surly Festival Field, 2019. (Nate Ryan/MPR)

by Jay Gabler

April 24, 2020

For this year's 893-song countdown, The Current is asking you to vote for songs that bring us together — whatever that means to you. What does that mean? To help you think it through, here are five lists of songs that, in various ways, bring people together.

Top karaoke tracks

What songs are the top picks for people who want to belt it out in front of a bar full of strangers? In most cases, this is not where you go for the deep cuts. This is where you want a song that's going to get people arm-in-arm, pumping their fists and singing along (to drown you out, hopefully). According to Lucky Voice, these are the top ten karaoke songs of all time.

  1. Queen, "Bohemian Rhapsody"

  2. Kylie Minogue, "Can't Get You Out of My Head"

  3. Whitney Houston, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody"

  4. Spice Girls, "Wannabe"

  5. Oasis, "Wonderwall"

  6. Robbie Williams, "Angels"

  7. Journey, "Don't Stop Believin'"

  8. Neil Diamond, "Sweet Caroline"

  9. Toto, "Africa"

  10. Abba, "Dancing Queen"

Top jukebox songs

No one wants to punch up a jukebox track that'll bring the place down. According to the Los Angeles Times, these are the most-played jukebox songs of the pre-TouchTunes era.

  1. Elvis Presley, "Hound Dog" b/w "Don't Be Cruel"

  2. Patsy Cline, "Crazy"

  3. Bill Haley and the Comets, "Rock Around the Clock"

  4. Otis Redding, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"

  5. Marvin Gaye, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"

  6. Bobby Darin, "Mack the Knife"

  7. The Doors, "Light My Fire"

  8. Fats Domino, "Blueberry Hill"

  9. Bob Seger, "Old Time Rock and Roll"

  10. The Temptations, "My Girl"

Most-covered songs

There are some songs that just make you want to sing — even if you're a songwriter yourself. According to Mental Floss, here are ten of the most-covered songs in pop music history.

  1. The Beatles, "Yesterday"

  2. The Rolling Stones, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"

  3. The Beatles, "Eleanor Rigby"

  4. "Cry Me a River" (written by Arthur Hamilton, made famous by Julie London)

  5. The Beatles, "And I Love Her"

  6. "Summertime" (written by George and Ira Gershwin with lyrics by DuBose Heyward)

  7. John Lennon, "Imagine"

  8. "Over the Rainbow" (written by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, made famous by Judy Garland)

  9. The Beatles, "Blackbird"

  10. "The Look of Love" (written by Burt Bacharach, made famous by Dusty Springfield)

Top wedding songs

Maybe you don't want these songs played at your wedding, but a lot of other people do. According to Brides, these are ten songs people most want to hear when they kick off their heels and hit the dance floor.

  1. The Black Eyed Peas, "I Gotta Feeling"

  2. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk"

  3. Justin Timberlake, "Can't Stop the Feeling"

  4. Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z, "Crazy in Love"

  5. Edwin McCain, "I'll Be"

  6. Mr. C the Slide Man, "Cha Cha Slide"

  7. Whitney Houston, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"

  8. Pharrell Williams, "Happy"

  9. Justin Timberlake, "SexyBack"

  10. LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock, "Party Rock Anthem"

Most-requested radio songs

Of course, it all comes back to the radio. According to the blog Rock and Roll Heaven, here are radio's most-played songs of all time.

  1. The Righteous Brothers, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"

  2. The Association, "Never My Love"

  3. The Beatles, "Yesterday"

  4. Ben E. King, "Stand By Me"

  5. Frankie Valli, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You"

  6. Otis Redding, "(Sitting on) The Dock of the Bay"

  7. Simon and Garfunkel, "Mrs. Robinson"

  8. Johnny Rivers, "Baby I Need Your Lovin'"

  9. The Cascades, "Rhythm of the Rain"

  10. Ray Charles, "Georgia On My Mind"

Still need ideas? Check out these lists by The Current staff

Brett Baldwin

Bill DeVille

Jay Gabler

Jade

Cecilia Johnson

Kelsey

Mary Lucia

Eric Malmberg

Jim McGuinn

Sean McPherson

Jake Rudh

Derrick Stevens

Bethany Sweet

Luke Taylor

Anna Weggel

Mark Wheat

Mac Wilson

Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.