''The Xfm Top 1000 Songs of All Time'' is a musical reference book edited by various DJs, of the now defunct radio station ''
Xfm
Radio X is a British National commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. Radio X launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station, a licensed London-wide station in 1997 and nationally in 2015 ...
'', which was published by Elliott & Thompson Limited in 2010. The only edition comprises a list of
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
and popular album tracks released between 1965 and 2009. The book is arranged alphabetically rather than in the form of a chart, while
Brandon Flowers of
The Killers
The Killers are an American rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingd ...
provides a foreword.
The list was determined by listener votes of the radio station voting on their website, opinions from DJs and radio play requests on the station's flagship show ''The X-List''. The station formerly broadcast to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
on digital DAB radio, and online to the rest of the world, with nearly 1 million listeners. The station also had a close relationship with Australian station ''
Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
''. Each entry in the list is accompanied by a short
essay
An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...
written by a DJ. The entries are accompanied by pictures, quotes, and additional information. As mentioned before, the list not only included singles, but also album-only tracks that entered public knowledge, with
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
's "
Stairway to Heaven
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by the band's guitarist Jimmy Page and lead singer Robert Plant for their untitled fourth studio album (often titled ''Led Zeppelin IV'') ...
" and
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
's "
Comfortably Numb" being examples.
Although the book mostly keeps to alternative rock acts of the present day, as well as classic bands such as
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
while the most recent singles in the book take up most of the list, many artists who appeared expressed their achievement as a highlight of their career, with a small number writing on the ''Xfm'' official site and also in the book itself.
See also
* ''
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...
''
* ''
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die
Onekama ( ) is a village in Manistee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 411 at the 2010 census. The village is located on the shores of Portage Lake and is surrounded by Onekama Township. The town's name is derived from "On ...
''
* ''
The Pitchfork 500''
References
External links
Section dedicated to the book on the official XFM Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Xfm Top 1000 Songs of All Time
2010 non-fiction books
Music guides