100 Essential Folk Songs

The internet is good for a lot of things. (I like to state the obvious right off the bat.)

Recently, I was conducting a routine Google search about American folk music things, and I happened upon this list NPR posted back in 2009, which the fine folks at Folk Alley compiled, of 100 essential American folk songs. Now, I've come up with a number of lists of essential songs and albums before, and I can tell you listing 100 of anything is a rather tall task. What's more, these 100 songs seem to be ranked in order from what is presumably the "most essential," on down the line. The first couple seem pretty obvious ("This Land Is Your Land" is at Number One), but then I start to diverge from their ranking system.

"We Shall Overcome" is down there at #8 (I'd have it in the Top 5, possibly at #2, which is where they've ranked "Blowin' in the Wind"), and Elizabeth Cotten's "Freight Train" didn't even make the Top 25.

So, while I work on compiling a list of essential American folk songs, I'd like to hear your votes. Would you include patriotic songs like "Yankee Doodle"? Or stick to songs popularized by pop artists, like "Turn Turn Turn"? Leave your votes in the comments then stay tuned for my comprehensive list.

image © Smithsonian Folkways