Aotearoa's own Lorde has earned a lucrative spot on Rolling Stone's new '500 Greatest Songs Of All Time' list, with her debut single 'Royals' sitting at number 30.
The 24-year-old's first hit, written when she was 15 years old, outranked songs like Jimi Hendrix's 'All Along The Watchtower', 'Billie Jean' by Michael Jackson, Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer', 'Stairway To Heaven' by Led Zeppelin and 'Yesterday' by The Beatles.
The magazine wrote that 'Royals', released in 2013, was "maximal minimalism, a mumbled thunderbolt of playful resistance against rap and pop's obsession with wealth and status".
The revamped Rolling Stone 500 list includes 254 songs that weren't present on the old list, published in 2004. The new edition features more hip-hop, indie rock, reggae and R&B, altering a third of the top 100 songs, including adding Missy Elliot's 'Get Ur Freak On' at number eight, and 'Hey Ya!' by Outkast at number 10.
Lorde's appearance in the number 30 spot prompted adulation and joy from her fans, who commented on how "influential" the song was on Twitter, dubbing the Kiwi singer a "legend" and an "icon".
Not all music-lovers were so impressed, however, venting their frustrations about the list online.
"The fact that Lorde's 'Royals' is ranked higher than Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' alone is enough to burn this entire list into the goddamned sediment," one Twitter user wrote.
"Who ranked these songs? How is 'Royals' by Lorde ranked about Billie Jean or [Prince's] 'When Doves Cry?'" asked another.
"Yeah Lorde's 'Royals' is definitely greater than the Rolling Stones' 'Satisfaction'. That was all I needed to see, thanks," said a third.
Instead of being offended by the outrage over 'Royals' making the top 50, Lorde may well agree with the naysayers, having dubbed her own song "disastrous", declaring it "sounds horrible" during a 2014 interview with the Daily Record, according to Fuse.
"It sounds like a ringtone from a 2006 Nokia. None of the melodies are cool or good. It's disastrous. Awful... but for the same reason, in the context of the way I released it, it just worked out," she said at the time.
Meanwhile, it wasn't just Lorde's position in the rankings that people took issue with. Others bemoaned the fact that Taylor Swift's 'All Too Well' came in at number 67 while Queen's 'Somebody To Love' didn't appear at all, or were upset that there were 178 songs ranked better than 'Comfortably Numb' by Pink Floyd.
"Y'all really put 'Since U Been Gone' by Kelly Clarkson above 'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston? Lorde above Otis Redding?" one tweet read.
"Meh. The top six are decent choices... but to put 'Gimme Shelter' behind Missy Elliot and Outkast is just bad. And Lorde ahead of 'Satisfaction'? And wtf is Robyn? What a joke," said another.
Rolling Stone said they recruited more than 250 artists, musicians, and producers, as well as figures from the music industry and leading critics and journalists to create the Top 500 list, calculating the results from nearly 4000 songs that received votes.
The top 10 on Rolling Stone's '500 Greatest Songs of All Time' list is:
1. Aretha Franklin - 'Respect' (1967)
2. Public Enemy - 'Fight The Power' (1989)
3. Sam Cooke - 'A Change Is Gonna Come' (1964)
4. Bob Dylan - 'Like A Rolling Stone' (1965)
5. Nirvana - 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' (1991)
6. Marvin Gaye - 'What's Going On' (1971)
7. The Beatles - 'Strawberry Fields Forever' (1967)
8. Missy Elliott - 'Get Ur Freak On' (2001)
9. Fleetwood Mac - 'Dreams' (1977)
10. OutKast - 'Hey Ya!' (2003)
The full list can be found on Rolling Stone's website.
