Top 100 songwriters of all time. Best guitar solos in history. 500 greatest songs.

Lists, lists, lists.

There have always been lists in music. The radio charts, album sales and top downloads are the easy ones. If you can count, you can make the list. And when it's questioned you have the numbers to back you up.

It's the more subjective lists that get me. How do you make a meaningful argument for why No. 472 is THAT much better than No. 473 on the list of the 1000 greatest songs with a cowbell in them?

The latest listing comes from across the pond. VH1 in the U.K. has no formulated the 100 favourite (well, that's how they spell it) song lyrics in recorded human history. Go to www.mtv.co.uk/vh1/ for the full list.

The top 10 is as follows:

1) U2 -- One
2) The Smiths -- How Soon Is Now
3) Nirvana -- Smells Like Teen Spirit
4) Bob Marley -- Redemption Song
5) Coldplay -- Yellow
6) Eminem -- Lose Yourself
7) Robbie Williams -- Angels
8) The Who -- My Generation
9) Radiohead -- Creep
10) Marvin Gaye -- What's Going On

That this is a list of favorites is my only consolation. The top 10 is not so horrific; they are all good songs. But why are Coldplay and Eminem on there and not the Beatles? The Fab Four don't show up until No. 33, behind Christina Aguilera, Kaiser Chiefs and Tupac.

How is it that Arctic Monkeys, whose album has been out for mere months, rank above Elvis, Stevie Wonder, Johnny Cash and James Brown?

But hey, it's the favorite lyrics. It's not necessarily about quality. There's no use debating on someone else's taste. "Baywatch" was the world's most-popular TV show there for a while. I rest my case.

These lists are fun though. They give the people voting for them and compiling them something fun to do. They also give someone like me something to write about.