Originally Posted by ngdawg

Which points to the notion that music is both subjective and generational. In my list, I included a song from C.1963. I barely remember it as a new tune because I was 8 or 9 when it was released. Of course, unless you listen to an oldies station or your parents listened to music of the 50's and 60's, you wouldn't know it from Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star. But, at the time it came out, 'girl groups' invaded the rock scene of the time with catchy dance tunes that rivaled anything the 'boys' could put out and there were probably more of them than boy bands.
Of course, music evolves; the Beatles were influenced by what came out before them as much as any group is influenced by the Beatles now-that's a given.
For every person that thinks Radiohead is terrific, another will think it sucks; but, with something like this list thread, certain 'classic' rock tunes continue to come up because they transcend the generational pull and continue to influence those who come after.
Just as you couldn't possibly understand the phenomenon and the utter maddening enthusiasm that greeted the Beatles because it happened 12 years before your birth, there will be kids that won't understand what the fuss was about with Nirvana or even Radiohead and therefore not feel that same influence quite the same way. That's just the nature of music's evolution and why the 'perfect song' doesn't really exist unchallenged.