The 1001 Most Essential Rock/Pop Songs 
(PART 2: #500-1) 
I'm presently having some trouble with the blog, so apologies for the state of some posts...
Today, songs #300 - 291 have been added in the Pt. 3 post. The first 500 songs (#1001- 501) are listed in another post on this blog.
The songs get more influential and fundamental to the evolution of pop/ rock the higher you climb. The top half (#500- 1) will be updated daily. 
In these days of portable music on ipods and phones etc., if you want a comprehensive collection of the pop/ rock songs that mattered, here are the Caffe` Latte` Most Essential 1001 Recordings since the 1950s. The list includes some of the best sellers, seminal recordings, enduring favourites, influential singles and album tracks; spanning genres as diverse as country, folk, grunge, funk, hip hop, disco, Merseybeat, punk, Motown, new wave, rockabilly, Eurobeat, soul and rap to name just a few. They can also be the soundtrack to our own lives. Here are the 1001 most fundamental Pop/ Rock songs ever recorded- the popular, the influential and historic milestones since rock 'n roll made inroads in the Fifties. * The only songs excluded are seasonal & charity discs (so no We are the World" or "Do They Know It's Christmas?") . Some of the 1001 will be well known, while others may require exploring... enjoy!
THE 1001 MOST ESSENTIAL ROCK/POP SONGS (1950-2012)

500 WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Queen 1977 Mercury 

499 WALKING AFTER MIDNIGHT Patsy Cline 1957 Block; Hecht 

498 1979 Smashing Pumpkins 1995 Corgan  

497 FOOLS GOLD Stone Roses 1989 Brown; Squire

496 RESPECT YOURSELF Staple Singers 1971 Ingram; Rice

495 HALLELUJAH Jeff Buckley 1994 Cohen
494 BRING ME TO LIFE Evanescence 2003 Lee; Moody; Hodges   

493 ALISON Elvis Costello 1977 Costello (MacManus)
492 JESUS WALKS Kanye West 2004 West; Smith

491 REDEMPTION SONG Bob Marley & Wailers 1980 Marley

490 DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE Public Enemy 1988 Ridenhour; Shocklee; Sadler; Drayton
489 (YOUR LOVE KEEPS LIFTING ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER Jackie Wilson 1967 

Jackson; Miner; Smith
488 YELLOW Coldplay 2000 Coldplay  

487 THE TRACKS OF MY TEARS (Smokey Robinson &) Miracles 1965 Robinson Jr.; Moore; Tarplin 

486 FANTASY Earth, Wind & Fire 1978 M & V. White; del Barrio  

485 MONDAY MONDAY Mamas & Papas 1966 Phillips
484 GOLDEN YEARS David Bowie 1975 Bowie
483 I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER Aretha Franklin 1968 Bacharach; David 

482 MY SWEET LORD George Harrison 1970 Harrison  

481 B.O.B. (BOMBS OVER BAGHDAD) Outkast 2000 Outkast
480 JUST LIKE A WOMAN Bob Dylan 1966 Dylan
479 WHITE LINES (DON'T DO IT) Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel 1983 Glover (Mel); Robinson 
478 HARD TO HANDLE Otis Redding 1968 Jones; Bell; Redding 
 477 FILL ME IN Craig David  2000 David; Hill 
 476 UNDER PRESSURE Queen & David Bowie 1981 Queen; Bowie
475 ME AND BOBBY McGEE Janis Joplin 1971 Kristofferson; Foster
474 WEST END GIRLS Pet Shop Boys 1984 Pet Shop Boys  
473 BOOM BOOM POW Black Eyed Peas 2009 Black Eyed Peas
472 NO WOMAN NO CRY Bob Marley & Wailers 1974 Marley (credited to V. Ford)
471 OPEN ARMS Journey 1981 Perry; Cain
470 LOSER Beck 1993 Beck; Stephenson 
 469 REFLECTIONS Diana Ross & Supremes 1967 B & E. Holland; Dozier
468 DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER Oasis 1995 N. Gallagher 
 467 CAR WASH Rose Royce 1976 Whitfield  
 466 RUNNING SCARED Roy Orbison 1961 Orbison; Melson
 465 99 PROBLEMS Jay-Z 2003 Carter (Jay-Z); Pappalardi; Rubin; (Squier)
 464 WILD WORLD Cat Stevens 1970 Stevens   
463 NORWEGIAN WOOD (THIS BIRD HAS FLOWN) Beatles 1965 Lennon; McCartney
 462 REFUGEE Tom Petty & Heartbreakers 1979 Petty; Campbell  
 461 SUSPICIOUS MINDS Elvis Presley 1969 James  
 460 CAN'T STAND LOSING YOU Police 1978 Sting
 459 RAY OF LIGHT Madonna 1998 Madonna; Orbit; Muldoon; Curtiss; Leach 
  458 IT WAS A GOOD DAY Ice Cube 1992 Ice Cube
457 PURPLE RAIN Prince 1984 Prince  
456 OUTA-SPACE Billy Preston 1972 Preston; Greene 
455 GOD ONLY KNOWS Beach Boys 1966 B. Wilson; Asher   
454 SULTANS OF SWING Dire Straits 1978 Knopfler  
453 TRY AGAIN Aaliyah 2000 Garrett; Mosley  
452 SONG 2 Blur 1997 Blur
451 BALL OF CONFUSION (THAT'S WHAT THE WORLD IS TODAY) Temptations 1970
  Whitfield; Strong
450 BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY Four Seasons 1962 Crewe; Gaudio
449 EASY Commodores 1977 Richie
448 DO IT AGAIN Beach Boys 1968 Wilson; Love 
447 FALLIN' Alicia Keys 2001 Keys  
446 DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME Elton John 1974 John; Taupin
445 BORN TO BE WILD Steppenwolf 1968 Bonfire   
444 DO IT AGAIN Steely Dan 1972 Steely Dan
 443 RIDE ON TIME Black Box 1989 Davoli; Hartman; Limoni; Semplici
442 THE RUBBERBAND MAN Spinners 1976 Bell; Creed
441 SABOTAGE Beastie Boys 1994 Beastie Boys
440 SWEET CAROLINE Neil Diamond 1969 Diamond
439 CORNFLAKE GIRL Tori Amos 1994 Amos  
438 RIPPLE Grateful Dead 1970 Garcia; Hunter
437 PARKLIFE Blur 1994 Blur  
436 THE YOUNG ONES Cliff Richard & Shadows 1961 Tepper; Bennett
435 MY SHARONA Knack 1979 Fieger; Averre  
434 ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE Beatles 1967 Lennon; McCartney 
 433 YOU'RE SO VAIN Carly Simon 1972 Simon 
432 ONE U2 1991 U2 
431 THE WEIGHT Grateful Dead 1968 Robertson
430 IN THE AIR TONIGHT Phil Collins 1981 Collins 
429 KASHMIR Led Zeppelin 1975 Page; Plant; Bonham
428 ORINOCO FLOW (SAIL AWAY) Enya 1988 Enya; Ryan 
427 I'M NOT IN LOVE 10cc 1975 Stewart; Gouldman
426 ROCK THE CASBAH Clash 1982 Clash
425 CAN THE CAN Suzi Quatro 1973 Chapman; Chinn; Quatro
424 GHOST TOWN Specials 1981 Dammers   
423 EVERYBODY HURTS R. E. M. 1992 R. E. M.
422 A WELL RESPECTED MAN Kinks 1965 R. Davies
421 HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS Bob Seger 1978 Seger
 420 HEY BOY, HEY GIRL Chemical Brothers 1999 Chemical Brothers 
 419 FLY LIKE AN EAGLE Steve Miller Band 1976 Miller; McCarty
 418 FASHION David Bowie 1980 Bowie
417 D'YER MAK'ER Led Zeppelin 1973 Led Zeppelin
416 WALKING ON THIN ICE Yoko Ono 1981 Ono 
 415 GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD Elton John 1973 John; Taupin
414 CALIFORNIA LOVE 2Pac featuring Dr dre & Roger Troutman 1995  
Shakur (2Pac); Dre; Cocker; Cunningham; Durham; Hooks; Hudson; Stainton; L & R. Troutman; J-Flexx
413 1999 Prince 1982 Prince  
412 FANTASY Mariah Carey 1995 Carey; Hall; Weymouth; Frantz; Stanley; Belew
411 TICKET TO RIDE Beatles 1965 Lennon; McCartney
 410 BECAUSE THE NIGHT Patti Smith Group 1978 Springsteen; Smith 
409 TAINTED LOVE Soft Cell 1981 Cobb   
 408 HEY YA Outkast 2003 Benjamin (Andre 3000)   
 407 THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE Roberta Flack 1969 MacColl   
406 TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 1970 Nash   
 405 LITTLE RED CORVETTE Prince 1982 Prince  
404 MR. WENDAL Arrested Development 1992 Arrested Development  
403 COMFORTABLY NUMB Pink Floyd 1979 Gilmour; Waters  
 402 PRIDE (IN THE NAME OF LOVE) U2 1984 U2 
401 EPIC Faith No More 1989 Faith No More
400 SOMETHING Beatles 1969 Harrison    
399 FIGHT THE POWER Public Enemy 1989 Ridenhour (Chuck D); Sadler; H & K. Shocklee        
398 I'LL BE THERE Jackson 5 1970 Gordy; West; Hutch; Davis
397 RING OF FIRE Johnny Cash 1963 Carter; Kilgore
396 FIRE AND RAIN James Taylor 1970 Taylor
395 UNDER THE BOARDWALK Drifters 1964 Young; Resnick
394 JOLENE Dolly Parton 1973 Parton
393 WORD UP Cameo 1986 Blackmon; Jenkins
392 VENTURA HIGHWAY America 1972 Bunnell
391 CONTROVERSY Prince 1981 Prince 
 390 IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW Chicago 1976 Cetera
 389 ASHES TO ASHES David Bowie 1980 Bowie
388 LET'S STAY TOGETHER Al Green 1971 Green; Mitchell; Jackson Jr.
387 EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE Police 1983 Sting  
386 AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell 1967 Ashford; Simpson 
385 JUMP Van Halen 1983 E & A. Van Halen; Anthony; Roth 
 384 WHEN I COME AROUND Green Day 1994 Green Day
383 ONCE IN A LIFETIME Talking Heads 1980 Talking Heads; Eno
382 ARE 'FRIENDS' ELECTRIC? Tubeway Army / Gary Numan 1979 Numan         
381 BEAT IT Michael Jackson 1982 Jackson 
380 HOTEL CALIFORNIA Eagles 1976 Felder; Frey; Henley     
379 EVERYDAY Buddy Holly 1957 Holly; Petty                                          
 378 VOGUE Madonna 1990 Madonna; Pettibone   
377 WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES Doobie Brothers 1978 McDonald; Loggins              
376 YOU OUGHTA KNOW Alanis Morissette 1995 Morissette; Ballard            
 375 IN THE GHETTO Elvis Presley 1969 Davis 
374 ALL APOLOGIES Nirvana 1993 Cobain 
 373 SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? Clash 1982 Clash  
372 SUNNY AFTERNOON Kinks 1966 R. Davies                       
371 BEST OF MY LOVE Eagles 1974 Henley; Frey; Souther 
370 OCEANS Pearl Jam 1991 Vedder; Gossard; Ament
369 SIGN O' THE TIMES Prince 1987 Prince
368 WICHITA LINEMAN Glen Campbell 1968 Webb 
367 SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) Eurythmics 1983 Lennox; Stewart  
366 PERSONALITY CRISIS New York Dolls 1973 Johansen; Thunders  
365 EARTH ANGEL Penguins 1954 Williams  
364 I AM WOMAN Helen Reddy 1971 Reddy; Burton 
 363 I GET AROUND Beach Boys 1964 Wilson; Love  
362 BAD MOON RISING Creedence Clearwater Revival 1969 J. Fogerty  
361 WITH OR WITHOUT YOU U2 1987 U2
360 COCAINE J. J. Cale 1976 Cale
359 WALK ON BY Dionne Warwick 1964 Bacharach; David
358 JEAN GENIE David Bowie 1972 Bowie
357 WALKING THE DOG Rufus Thomas 1963 Thomas
356 JUST THE WAY YOU ARE Billy Joel 1977 Joel
355 PLEASE MR POSTMAN Marvelettes 1961 Dobbins; Garrett; Gorman; B. Holland; Bateman          
354 ACROSS 110th STREET Bobby Womack 1972 Womack
353 HELP! Beatles 1965 Lennon; McCartney
352 LA BAMBA Ritchie Valens 1958 Valens (adaptation) 
351 INSTANT KARMA! (WE ALL SHINE ON) John Ono Lennon 1970 Lennon  
350 I GOT YOU BABE Sonny & Cher 1965 Bono
349 RUNNING ON EMPTY Jackson Browne 1977 Browne  
348 I CAN HEAR MUSIC Beach Boys 1969 Barry; Greenwich; Spector  
347 THE MAN WITH THE CHILD IN HIS EYES Kate Bush 1978 Bush  
346 IN DREAMS Roy Orbison 1963 Orbison  
345 I GOTTA FEELING Black Eyed Peas 2009 Black Eyed Peas; Guetta; Riesterer  
344 AMERICAN PIE Don McLean 1971 McLean
343 I FEEL FINE Beatles 1964 Lennon; McCartney
342 KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG Roberta Flack 1973 Fox; Gimbel
341 MRS ROBINSON Simon & Garfunkel 1968 Simon
340 LET'S GO Cars 1979 Ocasek
 339 NO MORE DRAMA Mary J. Blige 2001 Jam; Lewis; Vorzon; Botkin  
338 GET UP, STAND UP Bob Marley & Wailers 1973 Marley; Tosh
337 I'M A BELIEVER Monkees 1966 Diamond
336 I WISH Stevie Wonder 1976 Wonder
335 BUFFALO STANCE Neneh Cherry 1988 Cherry; McVey; Morgan; Ramacon
334 SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING Elton John 1973 John; Taupin
 333 ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST Queen 1980 Deacon  
332 FAMILY AFFAIR Sly & the Family Stone 1971 Stone 
 331 TURN! TURN! TURN! (TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON) Byrds 1965 Seeger; (trad.)
 330 ROCK'N ME Steve Miller Band 1976 Miller 
329 ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT? Elvis Presley 1960 Handman; Turk  
328 MAGIC MAN Heart 1976 A & N. Wilson  
327 TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS Otis Redding 1966 Campbell; Connelly; Woods  
326 I WAS MADE FOR LOVIN' YOU Kiss 1979 Child; Stanley; Poncia
325 IF I HAD A HAMMER Peter, Paul & Mary 1962 Seeger; Hays  
324 BLITZKRIEG BOP Ramones 1976 T & D. Ramone
323 TINY DANCER Elton John 1971 John; Taupin  
322 STREET FIGHTING MAN Rolling Stones 1968 Jagger; Richards
321 BIG YELLOW TAXI Joni Mitchell 1970 Mitchell
320 PSYCHEDELIC SHACK Temptations 1969 Whitfield; Strong 
319 BACK IN BLACK AC/DC 1980 A &M. Young; Johnson  
318 A WHITER SHADE OF PALE Procol Harum 1967 Brooker; Fisher; Reid  
317 BRICK HOUSE Commodores 1977 Commodores 
316 WOULDN'T IT BE NICE Beach Boys 1966 Wilson; Asher; Love  
315 YOU SHOULD BE DANCING Bee Gees 1976 Bee Gees  
314 SOMETHING'S GOT A HOLD ON ME Etta James 1962 James; Kirkland; Woods  
313 LIFE IN THE FAST LANE Eagles 1976 Walsh; Frey; Henley  
312 PIECE OF MY HEART Janis Joplin 1968 Ragovoy; Berns  
311 WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN' GOIN' ON Jerry Lee Lewis 1957 Williams; Hall
310 HEART OF GLASS Blondie 1978 Harry; Stein
309 NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN Moody Blues 1967 Hayward  
308 WOODSTOCK Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 1970 Mitchell  
307 I FOUGHT THE LAW Bobby Fuller Four 1965 Curtis  
306 JIVE TALKIN' Bee Gees 1975 Bee Gees
305 CLOUD NINE Temptations 1968 Whitfield; Strong  
304 LISTEN TO THE MUSIC Doobie Brothers 1972 Johnston  
303 SEE YOU LATER, ALLIGATOR Bill Haley & His Comets 1956 Guidry  
302 WISH YOU WERE HERE Pink Floyd 1975 Gilmour; Waters  
301 DANCE TO THE MUSIC Sly & the Family Stone 1968 Stone  
Check out the previous 500 elsewhere on this blog.