The 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century

Throughout the year 2000, NPR presented the stories behind 100 of the most important American musical works of the 20th century. These special features cover music from a wide variety of genres — classical, jazz, rock’n’roll, country, R&B, musical theatre and film scores. NPR 100 stories aired on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and NPR’s weekend news magazine programs.

Here are the 100, but follow this link to learn more, including audio of the original reports.

• ADAGIO FOR STRINGS, SAMUEL BARBER (prem. 1938)
• AIN’T THAT A SHAME, words/music FATS DOMINO (1955); as performed by FATS DOMINO
• ALEXANDER’S RAGTIME BAND, words/music IRVING BERLIN (1911); as performed by IRVING BERLIN
• ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL, words/music JACK LAWRENCE/ARTHUR ALTMAN (1940), as performed by FRANK SINATRA and HARRY JAMES & HIS ORCHESTRA (1943)
• APPALACHIAN SPRING, AARON COPLAND (1944)
• AS TIME GOES BY, words/music HERMAN HUPFELD (1931)
• BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN, words/music RAYWHITLEY/GENE AUTRY (1939); as performed by GENE AUTRY
• BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND, words/music BOB DYLAN (1962)
• BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY, BILL MONROE (1947)
• BLUE SUEDE SHOES, CARL PERKINS (1956)
• BODY & SOUL, instrumental version by COLEMAN HAWKINS (1939)
• BORN TO RUN (LP), BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (1975)
• CHORUS LINE (musical), music MARVIN HAMLISCH/words EDWARD KLEBAN (1975)
• COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER, LORETTA LYNN (1971)
• CRAZY, words/music by WILLIE NELSON, performed by PATSY CLINE (1961)
• DJANGO, music JOHN LEWIS; performed by MODERN JAZZ QUARTET (1955)
• DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME, GUS KAHN/WILBER SCHWANDT/FABIAN ANDRE performed by Kate Smith (1931); revived by Mama Cass Elliot (1963)
• DRUMMING, STEVE REICH (1971)
• FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (musical), SHELDON HARNICK/JERRY BOCK (1964)
• FINE & MELLOW, words/music BILLIE HOLIDAY (1940)
• FIRE AND RAIN, words/music JAMES TAYLOR; as performed by JAMES TAYLOR (1970)
• FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREAKDOWN, music EARL SCRUGGS, performed by EARLE FLATT/ LESTER SCRUGGS and THE FOGGY MOUNTAIN BOYS (1949)
• 4:33, JOHN CAGE (1952)
• GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADWAY, GEORGE M. COHAN (1904)
• GONE WITH THE WIND (film score), MAX STEINER (1939)
• GOOD VIBRATIONS, THE BEACH BOYS (1966)
• GRACELAND (LP), PAUL SIMON (1986)
• GRAND CANYON SUITE, FERDE GROFE (1931)
• GREAT BALLS OF FIRE, JERRY LEE LEWIS (1957)
• THE GREAT PRETENDER, THE PLATTERS (1955)
• GUYS & DOLLS (musical), FRANK LOESSER (prem. 1950)
• HELLHOUND ON MY TRAIL, ROBERT JOHNSON (1937)
• HELLO DOLLY (tune), words/music JERRY HERMAN; as performed by LOUIS ARMSTRONG (1964)
• HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW, words/music C.D. MARTIN/C.H. GABRIEL; as performed by MAHALIA JACKSON (1958)
• HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN, words/music WILLIE DIXON; as performed by MUDDY WATERS (1954)
• HOUND DOG/DON’T BE CRUEL, words/music JERRY LEIBER/MIKE STOLLER; OTIS BLACKWELL/ELVIS PRESLEY; as performed by ELVIS PRESLEY (1956)
• I GOT RHYTHM, GEORGE & IRA GERSHWIN (1930)
• I WALK THE LINE, words/music JOHNNY CASH; as performed by JOHNNY CASH (1956)
• I WANNA BE SEDATED, THE RAMONES (1977)
• I’M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY, words/music HANK WILLIAMS; as performed by HANK WILLIAMS (1949)
• IN THE MOOD, words ANDY RAZAF, music JOE GARLAND (1939), performed/recorded GLENN MILLER & HIS ORCHESTRA (1940)
• (GOODNIGHT) IRENE, words/music HUDDIE LEDBETTER (LEAD BELLY) and JOHN LOMAX (1950), as performed by THE WEAVERS
• KIND OF BLUE (LP), MILES DAVIS (1959)
• KING PORTER STOMP, JELLY ROLL MORTON (1924)
• KO KO, CHARLIE PARKER (rec. 1945)
• LA BAMBA, words/music WILLIAM CLAUSON; as performed by RITCHIE VALENS (1958)
• LET’S STAY TOGETHER, words/music AL GREEN/WILLIE MITCHELL/AL JACKSON; as performed by AL GREEN (1971)
• LIGHT MY FIRE, THE DOORS (1967)
• LIKE A ROLLING STONE, BOB DYLAN (1965)
• A LOVE SUPREME (LP), JOHN COLTRANE (1964)
• MACK THE KNIFE, words MARC BLITZSTEIN (after BERTOLT BRECHT)/music KURT WEILL; as performed by ELLA FITZGERALD (1960)
• MAYBELLENE, words/music by CHUCK BERRY, RUSS FRATTO, and ALAN FREED; performed by CHUCK BERRY (1955)
• MOOD INDIGO, DUKE ELLINGTON (1931)
• MY FAIR LADY (musical), LERNER & LOWE (1956)
• MY FUNNY VALENTINE, music RICHARD RODGERS/words LORENZ HART (1937)
• MY GIRL, words/music by WILLIAM ROBINSON and RONALD WHITE; as performed by THE TEMPTATIONS (1965)
• NIGHT & DAY, COLE PORTER (1932)
• A NIGHT IN TUNISIA, DIZZY GILLESPIE (1946)
• OKLAHOMA! (musical), RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN (1943)
• ONCE IN A LIFETIME, THE TALKING HEADS (1983)
• ONE O’CLOCK JUMP, COUNT BASIE (1938)
• OYE COMO VA, words/music TITO PUENTE (1963); recorded by SANTANA (1971)
• PAPA’S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG, JAMES BROWN (1965)
• PEGGY SUE, words/music JERRY ALLISON/BUDDY HOLLY/NORMAN PETTY; as recorded by BUDDY HOLLY (1957)
• PORGY AND BESS, music GEORGE GERSHWIN/words IRA GERSHWIN/DUBOSE HEYWARD (1935)
• PSYCHO (film score), BERNARD HERMANN (1960)
• PURPLE HAZE, JIMI HENDRIX (1967)
• RAPPER’S DELIGHT, SUGARHILL GANG (1979)
• RESPECT, words/music OTIS REDDING (1965); as performed by ARETHA FRANKLIN (1967)
• RHAPSODY IN BLUE, GEORGE GERSHWIN (1924); orchestrated FERDE GROFE (1926)
• ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK, words/music MAX FREEDMAN and JIMMY DE KNIGHT (1953); first recorded by BILL HALEY (1955)
• ROUND MIDNIGHT, music THELONIUS MONK (1946)
• (GET YOUR KICKS ON) ROUTE 66, words/music BOB TROUP (1946); performed by NAT KING COLE
• ST. LOUIS BLUES, words/music W.C. HANDY (1914); as performed by BESSIE SMITH
• SHAFT (single), ISAAC HAYES (1971)
• SHOWBOAT (musical), HAMMERSTEIN/KERN (1927)
• SING, SING, SING, words/music LOUIS PRIMA (1936), as performed by BENNY GOODMAN & HIS ORCHESTRA at Carnegie Hall 1938
• SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (film musical), words/music ARTHUR FREED/NACIO HERB BROWN (1952)
• SITTIN’ ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY, words/music OTIS REDDING and STEVE CROPPER (1968); recorded by OTIS REDDING
• SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT, NIRVANA (1991)
• STAND BY YOUR MAN, words/music TAMMY WYNNETTE and BILLY SHERRILL (1968); as performed by TAMMY WYNNETTE
• STARDUST, words MITCHELL PARISH/music HOAGY CARMICHAEL (1929)
• SYMPHONY OF PSALMS, IGOR STRAVINSKY (1948)
• TAKE FIVE, music PAUL DESMOND (1960); recorded by DAVE BRUBECK
• TAKE MY HAND, PRECIOUS LORD, words/music THOMAS A. DORSEY (1932)
• TAKE THE A TRAIN, BILLY STRAYHORN (1941), performed by DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA
• TALKING BOOK (LP), STEVIE WONDER (1972)
• TAPESTRY (LP), CAROLE KING (1971)
• THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, WOODY GUTHRIE (1956)
• TOM DOOLEY (traditional), arranged by DAVE GUARD (1958); as performed by THE KINGSTON TRIO
• THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO (LP), THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (1967)
• WARNER BROS. CARTOONS, music CARL STALLINGS (1940s & 1950s)
• WE SHALL OVERCOME, words/music ZILPHIA HORTON, FRANK HAMILTON, GUY CARAWAN, PETE SEEGER (1960); believed to have originated from C. ALBERT TINDLEY’S 1901 Baptist hymn I’LL OVERCOME SOME DAY
• WEST END BLUES, words by CLARENCE WILLIAMS/music by JOE OLIVER (1928); as performed by LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS HOT FIVE
• WEST SIDE STORY (musical), LEONARD BERNSTEIN/STEPHEN SONDHEIM (1957)
• WHAT’D I SAY, RAY CHARLES (1959)
• WHAT’S GOING ON, words/music by AL CLEVELAND, MARVIN GAYE, and RENAULDO BENSON (1970); recorded by MARVIN GAYE
• WHITE CHRISTMAS, IRVING BERLIN (1942); as performed by BING CROSBY
• WILDWOOD FLOWER, CARTER FAMILY (1927)
• WIZARD OF OZ (film musical), words E.Y. HARBURG/music HAROLD ARLEN (1939)

Thanks to Annette for the idea.