The Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time was a music poll conducted in 2009 amongst listeners of Australian youth radio network Triple J. Over half a million votes were compiled, with Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" collecting the highest number of votes. Voters could submit a list of up to ten different songs as well as nominating one of these as their "all-time" favourite song.
It was the fifth such poll organised by Triple J, following similar polls in 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1998. Initially, all songs were eligible for annual Triple J Hottest 100s; however, from 1993 onward (after having no list in 1992), only songs released in the previous year were permitted. Thus, the Hottest 100 of All Time is conducted via a separate vote, held irregularly to reflect listeners' favourite songs across all eras.
The 2009 list was designed to reflect the twentieth anniversary of the Hottest 100's inception. The countdown was carried out from Tuesday, 7 July 2009 and finishing Sunday, 12 July 2009. The countdown was also broadcast over two nights on ABC TV's music show Rage. However, certain songs were omitted from the broadcast because they were never made into music videos.
Full list
Bold: Previous winner of a Hottest 100 Green background: Australian artists
# Song Artist Country of origin Year Annual Hottest 100 position Previous Hottest 100 of All Time position/s 1 Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana United States 1991 1 (1991), 1 (1998) 2 Killing in the Name Rage Against the Machine United States 1992 6 (1993) 17 (1998) 3 Hallelujah Jeff Buckley United States 1994 4 Love Will Tear Us Apart Joy Division United Kingdom 1980 1 (1989), 1 (1990), 2 (1991), 16 (1998) 5 Paranoid Android Radiohead United Kingdom 1997 7 13 (1998) 6 Bohemian Rhapsody Queen United Kingdom 1975 49 (1991), 8 (1998) 7 Last Goodbye Jeff Buckley United States 1994 14 (1995) 4 (1998) 8 Under the Bridge Red Hot Chili Peppers United States 1991 31 (1998) 9 Everlong Foo Fighters United States 1997 61 (2006) 10 Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin United Kingdom 1971 30 (1989), 61 (1990), 30 (1991), 6 (1998) 11 Imagine John Lennon United Kingdom 1971 31 (1989), 66 (1990) 12 Wonderwall Oasis United Kingdom 1995 1 13 Creep Radiohead United Kingdom 1992 2 (1993) 5 (1998) 14 Bitter Sweet Symphony The Verve United Kingdom 1997 4 99 (1998) 15 Karma Police Radiohead United Kingdom 1997 9 54 (1998) 16 Wish You Were Here Pink Floyd United Kingdom 1975 33 (1989), 35 (1990), 58 (1991), 41 (1998) 17 The Nosebleed Section Hilltop Hoods Australia 2003 9 18 Knights of Cydonia Muse United Kingdom 2006 1 (2007) 19 One Metallica United States 1988 89 (1991), 7 (1998) 20 Seven Nation Army The White Stripes United States 2003 3 21 These Days Powderfinger Australia 1999 1 22 Teardrop Massive Attack United Kingdom 1998 23 23 Throw Your Arms Around Me Hunters & Collectors Australia 1984 2 (1989), 2 (1990), 4 (1991), 2 (1998) 24 A Day in the Life The Beatles United Kingdom 1967 69 (1989), 49 (1998) 25 Alive Pearl Jam United States 1991 3 (1998) 26 Thriller Michael Jackson United States 1982 27 My Happiness Powderfinger Australia 2000 1 28 Fake Plastic Trees Radiohead United Kingdom 1995 29 Where Is My Mind? Pixies United States 1988 30 All Along the Watchtower The Jimi Hendrix Experience United States 1968 49 (1989), 83 (1990), 61 (1991), 70 (1998) 31 Enter Sandman Metallica United States 1991 60 (1991), 9 (1998) 32 Blue Monday New Order United Kingdom 1983 5 (1989), 5 (1990), 10 (1991), 30 (1998) 33 Tomorrow Silverchair Australia 1994 5 59 (1998) 34 Prisoner of Society The Living End Australia 1997 15 18 (1998) 35 1979 The Smashing Pumpkins United States 1995 13 (1996) 71 (1998) 36 Into My Arms Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Australia 1997 18 84 (1998) 37 Stinkfist Tool United States 1996 2 24 (1998) 38 Mr. Brightside The Killers United States 2003 13 (2004) 39 Better Man Pearl Jam United States 1994 44 (1995) 22 (1998) 40 Come as You Are Nirvana United States 1991 76 (1991), 62 (1998) 41 Billie Jean Michael Jackson United States 1982 42 Banquet Bloc Party United Kingdom 2005 43 God Only Knows The Beach Boys United States 1966 44 Hey Jude The Beatles United Kingdom 1968 45 No One Knows Queens of the Stone Age United States 2002 1 46 Epic Faith No More United States 1989 19 (1998) 47 Betterman The John Butler Trio Australia 2001 5 48 Sabotage Beastie Boys United States 1994 16 44 (1998) 49 Sweet Child o' Mine Guns N' Roses United States 1987 27 (1991), 77 (1998) 50 Don't Dream It's Over Crowded House Australia 1986 76 (1998) 51 Bullet with Butterfly Wings The Smashing Pumpkins United States 1995 2 33 (1998) 52 Berlin Chair You Am I Australia 1993 23 (1994) 61 (1998) 53 Comfortably Numb Pink Floyd United Kingdom 1979 95 (1990), 73 (1991), 90 (1998) 54 Close to Me The Cure United Kingdom 1985 66 (1989), 37 (1991), 89 (1998) 55 Like a Rolling Stone Bob Dylan United States 1965 56 Lover, You Should've Come Over Jeff Buckley United States 1994 47 (1998) 57 Forty Six & 2 Tool United States 1997 30 57 (1998) 58 Around the World Daft Punk France 1997 59 One Crowded Hour Augie March Australia 2006 1 60 Hurt Johnny Cash United States 2002 61 Song 2 Blur United Kingdom 1997 2 46 (1998) 62 Closer Nine Inch Nails United States 1994 2 14 (1998) 63 Thunderstruck AC/DC Australia 1990 64 Blister in the Sun Violent Femmes United States 1983 46 (1989), 41 (1990), 9 (1991), 15 (1998) 65 Born Slippy .NUXX Underworld United Kingdom 1995 12 (1996) 66 Tiny Dancer Elton John United Kingdom 1971 67 Brick Ben Folds Five United States 1997 12 (1998) 32 (1998) 68 Dammit Blink-182 United States 1997 6 20 (1998) 69 Grace Jeff Buckley United States 1994 89 (1995) 29 (1998) 70 Breathe The Prodigy United Kingdom 1996 7 95 (1998) 71 How Soon Is Now? The Smiths United Kingdom 1984 7 (1989), 3 (1990), 6 (1991), 28 (1998) 72 New Slang The Shins United States 2001 73 London Calling The Clash United Kingdom 1979 18 (1989), 28 (1990), 97 (1991) 74 Lithium Nirvana United States 1991 3 (1991), 45 (1998) 75 Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) Green Day United States 1997 84 (1998) 76 Fools Gold The Stone Roses United Kingdom 1989 6 (1990), 7 (1991), 39 (1998) 77 Hearts a Mess Gotye Australia 2006 8 78 Today The Smashing Pumpkins United States 1993 25 (1994) 40 (1998) 79 Life on Mars? David Bowie United Kingdom 1971 80 Paint It, Black The Rolling Stones United Kingdom 1966 81 Common People Pulp United Kingdom 1995 38 82 Chop Suey! System of a Down United States 2001 3 83 Every You Every Me Placebo United Kingdom 1998 5 (1999) 84 No Woman, No Cry Bob Marley & The Wailers Jamaica 1974 85 Bohemian Like You The Dandy Warhols United States 2000 10 86 Come Together The Beatles United Kingdom 1969 87 Yellow Coldplay United Kingdom 2000 5 88 Gimme Shelter The Rolling Stones United Kingdom 1969 89 Bulls on Parade Rage Against the Machine United States 1996 46 90 Sex on Fire Kings of Leon United States 2008 1 91 Back in Black AC/DC Australia 1980 92 Skinny Love Bon Iver United States 2007 21 (2008) 93 Unfinished Sympathy Massive Attack United Kingdom 1991 64 (1991), 34 (1998) 94 Float On Modest Mouse United States 2004 11 95 Superstition Stevie Wonder United States 1972 96 One More Time Daft Punk France 2000 61 (2001) 97 Beds Are Burning Midnight Oil Australia 1987 98 Kashmir Led Zeppelin United Kingdom 1975 63 (1998) 99 Wolf Like Me TV on the Radio United States 2006 63 100 Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand United Kingdom 2004 1
Statistics
Artists with multiple entries #ArtistTracks5Dave Grohl1, 9, 40, 45, 744Jeff Buckley3, 7, 56, 69Radiohead5, 13, 15, 28John Lennon11, 24, 44, 863Nirvana1, 40, 74The Beatles24, 44, 86The Smashing Pumpkins35, 51, 782Rage Against the Machine2, 89Peter Hook4, 32Stephen Morris4, 32Bernard Sumner4, 32Led Zeppelin10, 98Pink Floyd16, 53Metallica19, 31Powderfinger21, 27Massive Attack22, 93Pearl Jam25, 39Michael Jackson26, 41Tool37, 57Daft Punk58, 96AC/DC63, 91The Rolling Stones80, 88
Countries represented CountryCountUnited States46United Kingdom36Australia16France2Jamaica1
Songs by decade DecadeSong Count1960s81970s111980s161990s432000s22
Records News of Michael Jackson's death surfaced during the final week of voting. Triple J announcers pointed out that both "Thriller" and "Billie Jean" were already polling enough votes to feature in the top 100, but that the final week of voting pushed both songs further up the list. This is the first Hottest 100 of All Time where The Cure did not achieve more than one track. This is also the first time where The Cure did not have the most songs in a Hottest 100 Of All Time. This is the first Hottest 100 of All Time where R.E.M. did not achieve any tracks. In all other years, they had achieved at least two. Only one vote separated "No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age from "Hey Jude" by The Beatles. Radiohead swapped the number 5 and 13 positions they had held in the 1998 Of All Time countdown with "Creep" and "Paranoid Android". Franz Ferdinand are the second band behind Powderfinger to come 1st and 100th in a Hottest 100. "Take Me Out" is also the first song in the Hottest 100 to have reached both ends of the countdown. This is the first Hottest 100 of All Time countdown to not feature any songs from the year of the countdown. This countdown also is the first to not feature any Australian artists in the Top 10. The highest Australian entry was #17, a record low in any Hottest 100. With sixteen entries coming from Australian artists, the 2009 Of All Time list equals the record set in the 1990 Of All Time countdown for the fewest entries from Australian artists in a countdown. It was announced at the beginning of the countdown that #101 was "Heart Shaped Box" by Nirvana. This is the first known instance where the same artist held both the 1st and 101st positions in a Hottest 100. Only two songs in the entire Hottest 100 featured a female lead vocalist: Shara Nelson and Elizabeth Fraser, both of whom were guest vocalists on songs by Massive Attack ("Unfinished Sympathy" and "Teardrop" respectively). As such, there were no female artists or bands with permanent female vocalists who reached the countdown. Overall, six bands with songs on the countdown included female instrumentalists. These were The Dandy Warhols, New Order, Pixies, Pulp, The Smashing Pumpkins and The White Stripes, accounting for eight songs between them, the only other songs which featured contributions from a female musician were "Wolf Like Me" by TV on the Radio, which featured backing vocals from musician Katrina Ford, and "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones, which featured backing vocals from singer Merry Clayton.
CD release Triple J released a compilation disc including 36 of the tracks.
CD 1 Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (#1) Radiohead – "Paranoid Android" (#5) Muse – "Knights of Cydonia" (#18) Hilltop Hoods – "The Nosebleed Section" (#17) Daft Punk – "Around the World" (#58) Joy Division – "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (#4) Oasis – "Wonderwall" (#12) Faith No More – "Epic" (#46) The Living End – "Prisoner of Society" (#34) The John Butler Trio – "Betterman" (#47) Pixies – "Where Is My Mind?" (#29) Massive Attack – "Teardrop" (#22) The Stone Roses – "Fools Gold (#76) Violent Femmes – "Blister in the Sun" (#64) The White Stripes – "Seven Nation Army" (#20) Powderfinger – "These Days" (#21) David Bowie – "Life on Mars?" (#79) Augie March – "One Crowded Hour" (#59) CD 2 Rage Against the Machine – "Killing in the Name" (#2) Bloc Party – "Banquet" (#42) New Order – "Blue Monday" (#32) Queens of the Stone Age – "No One Knows" (#45) You Am I – "Berlin Chair" (#52) The Killers – "Mr. Brightside" (#38) The Shins – "New Slang" (#72) The Beach Boys – "God Only Knows" (#43) The Cure – "Close to Me" (#54) Franz Ferdinand– "Take Me Out" (#100) The Prodigy – "Breathe" (#70) Midnight Oil – "Beds Are Burning" (#97) Gotye – "Hearts a Mess" (#77) Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – "Into My Arms" (#36)