Radio X celebrates its biggest Best of British countdown ever by publishing the top 500 British songs of all time – as voted for by Radio X listeners!

Ozzy Osbourne makes the top 100 for the first time, as Radio X listeners celebrate the rock icon’s music following his death last year

Over 26% of songs on the list were released in the 1990s as the UK continues to be gripped by ‘90s nostalgia

This Easter Monday, Radio X listeners have for the first time ever named the 500 best British songs of all time, with Oasis and their seminal 1994 hit ‘Live Forever’ taking the top spot following the band’s huge comeback tour last summer.

For the past 10 years, Radio X has asked listeners to vote for their favourite British songs of all time in its annual Best of British poll. Shaking things up this year, the station expanded the poll from its traditional top 100 to an enormous top 500 for the first time ever, drawing from tracks played across Radio X and its sister stations – Radio X Classic Rock, Radio X 00s, Radio X 90s, and Radio X Chilled. The complete listener-ranked list was played across the bank holiday weekend, with the number one track being crowned at 7:00pm today.

Still riding high off the back of last year’s hugely successful ‘summer of Oasis’ and the band’s long-awaited reunion, Radio X listeners have crowned ‘Live Forever’ as the greatest British song of all time for the fourth year running! Queen place in second for the third consecutive year with their 1975 epic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ closely followed by The Stone Roses and ‘I Am The Resurrection’ moving up one place in third – a fitting tribute to bass player Mani, who passed away in November. Oasis complete the top five with ‘Slide Away’ and ‘Champagne Supernova’ in fourth and fifth.

Fleetwood Mac break into the top 10 for the first time following the chart’s expansion to include Radio X Classic Rock, with ‘The Chain’ placing in ninth as rumours of the band reuniting gather pace. Ozzy Osbourne’s legacy was also reflected in the vote, with two of his most iconic solo tracks making the list – ‘Crazy Train’ at 231 and ‘Mama I’m Coming Home’ at 409 – alongside Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ at 69, which makes the top 100 for the first time following the legendary singer’s death last year.

Fresh off the back of being named Radio X’s Record of the Year 2025 winners and Group of the Year at the BRIT Awards, Wolf’s Alice’s ‘The Sofa’ debuts in the Best of British 500 at number 21 as the highest-placed new release in the list, while ‘The Last Man On Earth’ places at 70, followed closely behind by ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’ at 94.

As one of the world’s cultural capitals, London was the most represented city on the Best of British 500 list, with a whopping 148 songs coming from 39 different artists from the English capital, including David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Florence and the Machine and more making up over 29% of the vote. A city synonymous with guitar-based music, Manchester was the second most represented city with 91 songs from 14 different artists on the list.

As illustrated by the 500 tracks that made the list, ‘90s nostalgia remains supreme, as over 26% of the songs included were released in the decade that brought us ‘cool Britannia,’ Euro 1996, and Britpop. Spurred on by artists like Oasis, The Stone Roses, and Blur, more than one in four songs on the list were released in the 1990s.

“Radio X Best of British has always been a brilliant snapshot of what our listeners love most, but this year feels extra special. For the first time, they’ve ranked their 500 favourite British songs in order of greatness, and the result is a landmark countdown that celebrates the depth, quality and lasting influence of British music.

It’s no surprise to see ‘Live Forever’ take the crown again after such a huge year for Oasis, showing just how deeply that song still connects with people. Let’s cross our fingers and see what Liam, Noel and the band have in store next…”

Matt Deverson, Managing Editor of Radio X

Radio X is available on 104.9 FM in London, 97.7 FM in Manchester, on digital radio across the UK, on Global Player via app, globalplayer.com and on your smart speaker (“Play Radio X“).