Rolling Stone has been causing a stir with their lists and when there’s any type of ranking coming from a popular music magazine, it’s going to get people angry, bothered, emotional and annoyed – especially when those people are fans of the slighted song, band, TV show, or album. All those feelings really came to the fore for Rolling Stone’s The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time list they released on January 1st, 2023.
Most of that negative emotion seemed to be focused on the exclusion of a really really good singer in Celine Dion.
Céline Dion was not included on Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Singers of All Time list. pic.twitter.com/pJKFEfhaYE
— Pop Base (@PopBase) January 1, 2023
In fact that’s how I even knew this list existed — the deluge of social media posts speaking to the absence of the skinny Canadian pop singer behind songs like “My Heart Will Go On,” “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now,” and several other big singles was louder than Celine belting out the chorus at her first Las Vegas residency show.
Here’s the offending full list including Rosalia, Michael Stipe, Brenda Lee, Debbie Harry, Luther Vandross, Dolly Parton, Thom Yorke, Frank Sinatra, Gladys Knight, Beyonce, and Ozzy Osbourne.
Rank | Singer |
---|---|
200 | Rosalía |
199 | Glenn Danzig |
198 | Billie Eilish |
197 | Burna Boy |
196 | Paul Westerberg |
195 | Poly Styrene |
194 | Kelly Clarkson |
193 | Brandy |
192 | Anohni |
191 | Jung Kook |
190 | Frank Ocean |
189 | Joan Baez |
188 | Fela Kuti |
187 | Bonnie Raitt |
186 | Ofra Haza |
185 | Alicia Keys |
184 | Karen O |
183 | Solomon Burke |
182 | Jazmine Sullivan |
181 | Bob Seger |
180 | SZA |
179 | Martha Wash |
178 | Tabu Ley Rochereau |
177 | Patty Loveless |
176 | Iggy Pop |
175 | Lana Del Rey |
174 | Buddy Holly |
173 | Marianne Faithfull |
172 | Juan Gabriel |
171 | Odetta |
170 | Chris Stapleton |
169 | Sylvester |
168 | Debbie Harry |
167 | Marc Anthony |
166 | Morrissey |
165 | Ronnie James Dio |
164 | Sandy Denny |
163 | Bobby “Blue” Bland |
162 | Françoise Hardy |
161 | Brenda Lee |
160 | Mercedes Sosa |
159 | Mississippi John Hurt |
158 | Carrie Underwood |
157 | Robert Smith |
156 | George Strait |
155 | Corin Tucker |
154 | Dion |
153 | Mahlathini |
152 | Michael Stipe |
151 | Martha Reeves |
150 | Bryan Ferry |
149 | Wanda Jackson |
148 | Levon Helm |
147 | Barbra Streisand |
146 | Ruth Brown |
145 | PJ Harvey |
144 | Darlene Love |
143 | Luciano |
142 | Russell Thompkins Jr. |
141 | Christina Aguilera |
140 | Bono |
139 | Rocío Dúrcal |
138 | Merle Haggard |
137 | El DeBarge |
136 | Lauryn Hill |
135 | IU |
134 | Axl Rose |
133 | Neil Young |
132 | Loretta Lynn |
131 | Jeff Buckley |
130 | Courtney Love |
129 | Rob Halford |
128 | Florence Welch |
127 | Tammy Wynette |
126 | Donny Hathaway |
125 | Joe Strummer |
124 | Robert Johnson |
123 | Karen Carpenter |
122 | Donna Summer |
121 | Jackie Wilson |
120 | Charlie Rich |
119 | Barrington Levy |
118 | John Fogerty |
117 | Patti Smith |
116 | Chet Baker |
115 | Erykah Badu |
114 | Chrissie Hynde |
113 | La India |
112 | Ozzy Osbourne |
111 | Fiona Apple |
110 | The Weeknd |
109 | Roger Daltrey |
108 | Caetano Veloso |
107 | Lou Reed |
106 | Bill Withers |
105 | Eddie Vedder |
104 | Aaron Neville |
103 | Leonard Cohen |
102 | Taylor Swift |
101 | Gladys Knight |
100 | Elton John |
99 | Clyde McPhatter |
98 | Bob Marley |
97 | Usher |
96 | Chuck Berry |
95 | Vicente Fernández |
94 | Toots Hibbert |
93 | Stevie Nicks |
92 | Anita Baker |
91 | Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan |
90 | Gal Costa |
89 | Selena |
88 | Jimmie Rodgers |
87 | Diana Ross |
86 | Michael Jackson |
85 | Johnny Cash |
84 | Lata Mangeshkar |
83 | Amy Winehouse |
82 | Steve Perry |
81 | João Gilberto |
80 | Chris Cornell |
79 | Emmylou Harris |
78 | Janis Joplin |
77 | Bruce Springsteen |
76 | Wilson Pickett |
75 | D’Angelo |
74 | Patti LaBelle |
73 | Héctor Lavoe |
72 | Muddy Waters |
71 | Roy Orbison |
70 | Ronnie Spector |
69 | Youssou N’Dour |
68 | Rihanna |
67 | Dennis Brown |
66 | David Ruffin |
65 | Minnie Riperton |
64 | Björk |
63 | Robert Plant |
62 | George Michael |
61 | Umm Kulthum |
60 | Kate Bush |
59 | Howlin’ Wolf |
58 | Lady Gaga |
57 | Brian Wilson |
56 | Barry White |
55 | Tina Turner |
54 | Willie Nelson |
53 | Miriam Makeba |
52 | Mick Jagger |
51 | Sade |
50 | Joni Mitchell |
49 | Rod Stewart |
48 | Toni Braxton |
47 | Linda Ronstadt |
46 | Mavis Staples |
45 | Ella Fitzgerald |
44 | James Brown |
43 | Ariana Grande |
42 | Teddy Pendergrass |
41 | Etta James |
40 | Aaliyah |
39 | Louis Armstrong |
38 | Curtis Mayfield |
37 | Van Morrison |
36 | Kurt Cobain |
35 | Dusty Springfield |
34 | Thom Yorke |
33 | Bessie Smith |
32 | David Bowie |
31 | Luther Vandross |
30 | Hank Williams |
29 | Chaka Khan |
28 | Mahalia Jackson |
27 | Dolly Parton |
26 | Paul McCartney |
25 | Mary J. Blige |
24 | George Jones |
23 | Smokey Robinson |
22 | Adele |
21 | Nina Simone |
20 | Marvin Gaye |
19 | Frank Sinatra |
18 | Celia Cruz |
17 | Elvis Presley |
16 | Prince |
15 | Bob Dylan |
14 | Freddie Mercury |
13 | Patsy Cline |
12 | John Lennon |
11 | Little Richard |
10 | Al Green |
9 | Otis Redding |
8 | Beyoncé |
7 | Stevie Wonder |
6 | Ray Charles |
5 | Mariah Carey |
4 | Billie Holiday |
3 | Sam Cooke |
2 | Whitney Houston |
1 | Aretha Franklin |
Does Celine Dion belong on a list of 200 of the best singers of all-time? I don’t know. I love the music I like but I don’t put much thought into who the best singers in the history of singing are. I imagine that after the first two dozen most well-known vocalists, it gets pretty subjective after that and there are just so many good singers globally that have existed in the history of time.
In Rolling Stone’s defense, they did say that having a great voice doesn’t mean they’re a great singer. That’s a difference that they called in the third paragraph of the article:
“…keep in mind that this is the Greatest Singers list, not the Greatest Voices List. Talent is impressive; genius is transcendent. Sure, many of the people here were born with massive pipes, perfect pitch, and boundless range. Others have rougher, stranger, or more delicate instruments. As our write-up for the man who ended up at Number 112 notes, “Ozzy Osbourne doesn’t have what most people would call a good voice, but boy does he have a great one.” That could apply to more than a few people here…”
It seems that the most-outraged internet commenters didn’t read that or doesn’t understand that context.
Other supposed snubs on the list include Jennifer Hudson, Tony Bennett, Madonna and Justin Bieber. This isn’t the first time Rolling Stone published a list of the greatest singers; the magazine ranked the 100 Greatest Singers back in 2008.