Prelude to The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: "Sad Songs" from Elton John

We are 17 days away from the updated version of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.  If you listen to one music special in your lifetime, make it this one!  What is fascinating is that it ranks songs from 60 great years of some of the best music in history.  And it doesn't rank songs based on the opinions of some "wannabes", but rather uses verifiable sales and airplay information.  It doesn't rank songs based on "weeks at #1" or some other ridiculous factor, but on a complex series of calculations that compare and contrast each song's competition.  By including this important factor, one is able to gauge popularity of each song across decades and genres.

This makes for a great special that features the Beatles alongside Adele, Nickelback being played along with Elvis Presley, Jewel played and her songs compared next to the Beach Boys.

The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, exclusively on Inside The Rock Era beginning May 21.

In the buildup to the special, we are featuring some of the great songs that just missed the list, such as this one from Elton...