Top Reasons Why Rolling Stones’s Top 200 Singers Is Plain Wrong

Rolling Stone Magazine released their idea of the top 200 singers of all time, and there are so many things wrong with it. Here are the top 6.

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1. The Grunge Icons Are All Out Of Order 

Grunge music, much like many other rock sub genres, has a “big four;” these are usually the four biggest and best bands of their genre. The bands in this elite group are Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Alice in Chains. Every member of these bands is very talented, however, some are more talented than others. Kurt Cobain (who appeared at number 36) does not deserve to be the top singer of the bands on this list. He may be incredibly influential, but that’s not what the list is about.

The idea of having the Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder on this list was enough to raise questions, but the order of all of the frontmen is mind bogglingly wrong. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden should be far ahead of Kurt Cobain because he is much more vocally talented.

Alice In Chains is the best grunge band of all time because they have the most talent of all their members combined then almost any other grunge band, so why is the lead singer, Lyane Staley, not on the list? His vocal abilities are shown very clearly in the songs “Would?” and “Rain When I Die.” It is beyond me why Eddie Vedder is on this list but Staley isn’t.

2. George Michael Is Above Michael Jackson

Micheal Jackson is the king of pop for a reason, yet George Micheal is so far ahead of him in the list. Why? Because he was in Wham! ? Because he sang the very mediocre song “Careless Whisper?”

Micheal Jackson has been making amazing music since 1964. Anyone could tell he has a unique talent from when he was a child, something almost no one else has. Micheal Jackson, without a doubt, dominated the ‘80s, and there is no reason for someone as talented as him to be as low as 89 on the list.

I am in no way saying George Micheal doesn’t deserve to be on the list, but 62 is an insane ranking for him, especially when it puts him ahead of legends like Donna Summer who appeared at 122.

3. Beyonce Is So Far Ahead Of Rihanna

The grand debate of Beyonce and Rihanna is a tale as old as time. But the answer is clear… it’s Rihanna.

In no way am I claiming Beyonce is not talented, or that she doesn’t deserve to be high on the list, but she should be ahead of Rihanna. She is extremely far ahead of Rihanna, Beyonce is ranked 8 while Rihanna appears at 68. Rihanna is one of the most talented pop stars of her generation. I challenge anyone to find someone who doesn’t love the song “Umbrella.”

4. Bob Dylan Is Way Too High 

Bob Dylan is an amazing songwriter, but he can’t sing.

He is incredibly talented in many ways, but singing is not his strong suit. He is often offbeat, and his voice is shaky. I see how this can be enjoyable for many people, especially when it’s paired with amazing lyrics. All it takes is one Google search to find out he is known mostly for his lyrical abilities, and in the same Google search you can also see many opinions about his voice.

This is not a list about amazing songwriters, it’s about singing, which is why Bob Dylan should not be nearly as high as he is on the list, number 15.

5. Where Is Celine Dion? 

When someone thinks about the greatest voices in music, many people would think Celine Dion, one would also think she would make the list of the best singers of all time, right? Wrong.

All you have to do is listen to “My Heart Will Go On,” the lesser known song from the lesser known movie The Titanic, to see she has an extremely powerful voice.

There is no reason someone like Courtney Love should be so high on the list when someone with so much talent as Celine Dion is forgotten.

6. Courtney Love At 130, Jeff Buckley At 131

Jeff Buckley is one of the most underrated vocalists of the ‘90s, he was most known for his rendition of “Hallelujah”, which is an excellent expression of not only his abilities, but his passion. His first studio album “Grace” is one of the best singer-songwriter albums of all time.

Courtney Love, however, is not anywhere near as talented. My favorite album of all time is “Live Through This” by her band Hole, and even I am willing to admit she is not that vocally talented. I have no problem with screaming in music, but if all someone does is scream in their music it doesn’t make them a good vocalist. Even when she’s not screaming, her voice is normal. Someone’s music can be enjoyable, but that doesn’t make them vocally talented.

Even though Jeff Buckley is only one spot behind Courtney Love, it is an outrage, just like the whole list.