There’s a New ‘Number One’ Classic Rock Song of All Time

The greatest rock and roll song of all time is not "Stairway to Heaven," "Layla" or "Freebird."

This Memorial Day Weekend, the Home of Rock and Roll conducted its annual countdown of the top 500 songs of all time. The countdown also coincided with the 45th anniversary of the first time WPDH signed on the air as a rock station in the Hudson Valley.

Through those four and half decades, the countdown has always been a sore spot with listeners and radio DJs tasked with compiling the list from thousands of requests, record sale charts, critical reviews and a strong "gut feeling."

The running joke is that "Stairway to Heaven" is the undisputed greatest rock and roll song of all time and the countdown is just a formality as it ultimately leads to the epic Led Zeppelin tune once again claiming victory. But that's actually far from the truth. Over the years many other songs have claimed the top spot by artists such as Queen, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

This year, a newcomer made its debut as the coveted "greatest rock and roll song of all time." The honor now goes to Joan Jett's classic rock anthem "I Love Rock 'N Roll." The choice was met with praise from fans, anger from those who don't think it's worthy and confusion by others who simply didn't expect the song to beat out those other "heavy hitters."

Just as every other year of the past 45 years, we'll leave it to you to discuss and debate. And just in case you missed the end of the countdown, here are the top 10 songs:

1. Joan Jett - I Love Rock 'N Roll
2. Queen -Bohemian Rhapsody
3. Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)
4. Led Zeppelin - Black Dog
5. Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer
6. Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
7. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
8. AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long
9. Boston - More Than a Feeling
10. Aerosmith - Sweet Emotion

For the record, Stairway to Heaven was number 154. Check out the full list.