I started this list project a while back, but I thought it was too tedious.  I finally decided to go back and finish what I started. I tried to limit myself to one song per album, though I had to violate that rule on a few occasions.  Take 1998 for example.  You know you’re in trouble when the Eagles are the third best artist in the bunch. (What mediocrity…) Also, tried to spread the love by including as many of a year’s inductees as possible.  With 1988, my entire top 10 would realistically be made up of only Beatles songs, but I couldn’t leave Diana Ross and the Supremes out in the cold.  I do not have a problem, however, excluding undeserving garbage like Bob Seger and Aerosmith, overpraised imitations of the Stones and Zeppelin. Some years are dominated by one or two artists, including 2009 in which I felt Metallica was the strongest act, Run-DMC a close second.  The inclusion of multiple songs speaks only to their greatness relative to their inductee class (or my ignorance of the music of the other artists in some cases) and not necessarily their overall place in the rock cannon.

1986
1.    Sam Cooke- A Change is Gonna Come
2.    Ray Charles- You Don’t Know Me
3.    Elvis Presley- Suspicious Minds
4.    Chuck Berry- Maybellene
5.    Sam Cooke- Frankie and Johnny
6.    Ray Charles- Georgia On My Mind
7.    James Brown- Try Me
8.    The Everly Brothers- Brand New Heartache
9.    Fats Domino- Walking to New Orleans
10.    Buddy Holly- It’s So Easy

1987
1.    Aretha Franklin- A Change is Gonna Come
2.    Marvin Gaye- Let’s Get it On
3.    Roy Orbison- Crying
4.    Aretha Franklin- Oh Me Oh My (I’m a Fool For You Baby)
5.    Bo Diddley- Hey Bo Diddley
6.    Smokey Robinson and the Miracles- The Tears of a Clown
7.    Roy Orbison- In Dreams
8.    Marvin Gaye- What’s Going On
9.    Muddy Waters- I Can’t Be Satisfied
10.    B.B. King- How Blue Can You Get? (Live in Cook County Jail)

1988
1.    The Beatles- Tomorrow Never Knows
2.    The Beatles- She Loves You
3.    The Beatles- A Day in the Life
4.    The Beatles- This Boy
5.    Bob Dylan- Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You (Live 1975)
6.    Bob Dylan- It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
7.    Bob Dylan- You’re a Big Girl Now
8.    The Beach Boys- You Still Believe In Me
9.    Bob Dylan- Queen Jane Approximately
10.    The Supremes- Where Did Our Love Go

1989
1.    The Rolling Stones- Tumbling Dice
2.    The Rolling Stones- Sympathy for the Devil
3.    Stevie Wonder- Living for the City
4.    The Temptations- I Wish It Would It Rain
5.    The Rolling Stones- Paint It Black
6.    Stevie Wonder- I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)
7.    Otis Redding- Try a Little Tenderness
8.    The Temptations- My Girl
9.    Otis Redding- The Glory of Love
10.    Dion- Runaround Sue

1990
1.    The Who- Baba O’Riley
2.    The Four Tops- Without the One You Love (Life’s Not Worthwhile)
3.    Simon and Garfunkel- So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright
4.    The Kinks- Waterloo Sunset
5.    The Platters- Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
6.    The Who- Heaven and Hell (Live at Leeds)
7.    The Four Seasons- Let’s Hang On
8.    Simon and Garfunkel- America
9.    The Who- I Can’t Explain
10.    The Kinks- Celluloid Heroes

1991
1.    The Byrds- You’re Still On My Mind
2.    The Byrds- I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better
3.    Wilson Pickett- Hey Jude
4.    The Impressions- People Get Ready
5.    The Byrds- Ballad of Easy Rider
6.    The Byrds- Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
7.    Wilson Pickett- Land of 1000 Dances
8.    The Impressions- It’s All Right
9.    The Byrds- It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
10.    Ike and Tina Turner- Save the Last Dance For Me

1992
1.    The Jimi Hendrix Experience- Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
2.    The Jimi Hendrix Experience- Little Wing
3.    Johnny Cash- A Boy Named Sue
4.    Johnny Cash- Folsom Prison Blues
5.    The Jimi Hendrix Experience- Jimi Hendrix- Purple Haze
6.    Johnny Cash- Flushed From the Bathroom of Your Heart (At Folsom Prison)
7.    The Isley Brothers- It’s Your Thing
8.    Johnny Cash- Hurt
9.    Booker T. and the M.G.’s- Green Onions
10.    The Yardbirds- Shapes of Things

1993
1.    Etta James- Trust In Me
2.    Cream- White Room
3.    Sly and the Family Stone- If You Want Me to Stay
4.    Creedence Clearwater Revival- Who’ll Stop The Rain
5.    Van Morrison- Caravan
6.    Ruth Brown- Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean
7.    Sly and the Family Stone- Family Affair
8.    Cream- Strange Brew
9.    The Doors- Touch Me
10.    Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers- Who Do Fools Fall in Love

1994
1.    Rod Stewart- Every Picture Tells a Story
2.    Elton John- Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
3.    Rod Stewart- Mama You Been On My Mind
4.    The Band- Stage Fright
5.    The Animals- Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
6.    John Lennon- Oh Yoko!
7.    Bob Marley- Natural Mystic
8.    The Band- Up On Cripple Creek
9.    Grateful Dead- Box of Rain
10.    Elton John- Someone Saved My Life Tonight

1995
1.    Neil Young- Like a Hurricane
2.    Neil Young- Tell Me Why
3.    Led Zeppelin- Stairway to Heaven
4.    Frank Zappa- Hungry Freaks, Daddy
5.    Al Green- Call Me (Come Back Home)
6.    Led Zeppelin- Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
7.    Neil Young- Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
8.    Janis Joplin- Mercedes Benz
9.    Al Green- Let’s Stay Together
10.    Martha Reeves and the Vandellas- Dancing in the Street

1996
1.    The Velvet Underground- Sister Ray
2.    David Bowie- Young Americans
3.    The Velvet Underground- Venus in Furs
4.    Pink Floyd- Shine On You Crazy Diamond
5.    Pink Floyd- Comfortably Numb
6.    Pink Floyd- Time
7.    Gladys Knight & the Pips- Might Train to Georgia
8.    The Shirelles- Will You Love Me Tomorrow
9.    Jefferson Airplane- Somebody to Love
10.    David Bowie- Sound and Vision

1997
1.    Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young- Our House
2.    Bee Gees- How Deep Is Your Love
3.    Funkadelic- Maggot Brain
4.    Joni Mitchell- A Case of You
5.    Crosby, Stills & Nash- Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
6.    Buffalo Springfield- On the Way Home
7.    Parliament- Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)
8.    Funkadelic- One Nation Under a Groove
9.    The Jackson 5- I Want You Back
10.    Joni Mitchell- Big Yellow Taxi

1998
1.    Fleetwood Mac- Dreams
2.    Fleetwood Mac- You Make Loving Fun
3.    Santana- Soul Sacrifice
4.    Fleetwood Mac- Landslide
5.    Santana- Black Magic Woman
6.    The Eagles- Desperado
7.    The Eagles- Hotel California
8.    The Mama’s and the Papa’s- California Dreamin’
9.    The Eagles- Lyin’ Eyes
10.    Gene Vincent- Be-Bop-A-Lula

1999
1.    Bruce Springsteen- Thunder Road
2.    Bruce Springsteen- Bobby Jean
3.    Bruce Springsteen- No Surrender (Live 1984)
4.    Bruce Springsteen- The River
5.    Curtis Mayfield- So In Love
6.    Bruce Springsteen- Highway Patrolman
7.    Dusty Springfield- I Only Want To Be With You
8.    Del Shannon- Runaway
9.    Paul McCartney & Wings- Band On the Run
10.    Billy Joel- Just the Way You Are

2000
1.    Eric Clapton- Bell Bottom Blues (Derek and The Dominos)
2.    The Lovin’ Spoonful- Daydream
3.    Bonnie Raitt- Nick of Time
4.    The Lovin’ Spoonful- Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?
5.    James Taylor- Fire and Rain
6.    The Lovin’ Spoonful- You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice
7.    The Moonglows- Sincerely
8.    Eric Clapton- Tears in Heaven
9.    James Taylor- You’ve Got a Friend
10.    Earth, Wind & Fire- Shining Star

2001
1.    Michael Jackson- Beat It
2.    Michael Jackson- Rock With You
3.    Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody
4.    The Flamingos- I Only Have Eyes For You
5.    Michael Jackson- Black Or White
6.    Paul Simon- Slip Slidin’ Away
7.    Steely Dan- Do It Again
8.    Paul Simon- Kodachrome
9.    Michael Jackson- Man in the Mirror
10.    Ritchie Valens- La Bamba

2002
1.    Talking Heads- Once in a Lifetime
2.    Talking Heads- Burning Down the House
3.    Talking Heads- The Big Country
4.    Ramones- Beat on the Brat
5.    Ramones- Sheena is a Punk Rocker
6.    Talking Heads- Psycho Killer
7.    Ramones- Baby I Love You
8.    Isaac Hayes- Walk On By
9.    Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers- American Girl
10.    Gene Pitney- Every Breath I Take

2003
1.    Elvis Costello- I Want You
2.    Elvis Costello- Alison
3.    The Police- Born in the 50’s
4.    Elvis Costello- No Action
5.    The Clash- Train in Vain (Stand by Me)
6.    AC/DC- Hells Bells
7.    The Righteous Brothers- You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
8.    The Clash- Tommy Gun
9.    Elvis Costello- Man Out Of Time
10.    The Police- Wrapped Around Your Finger

2004
1.    Jackson Browne- Late for the Sky
2.    Jackson Browne- These Days
3.    George Harrison- Wah-Wah
4.    Prince- Sign ‘O’ the Times
5.    Jackson Browne- The Pretender
6.    Prince- When You Were Mine
7.    Prince- Let’s Go Crazy
8.    The Dells- Oh What a Night
9.    Jackson Browne- Doctor My Eyes
10.    Prince- Little Red Corvette

2005
1.    U2- Wake Up Dead Man
2.    U2- Where the Streets Have No Name
3.    U2- City of Blinding Lights
4.    U2- Beautiful Day
5.    U2- Acrobat
6.    U2- Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
7.    The Pretenders- Kid
8.    Percy Sledge- When a Man Loves a Woman
9.    The O’Jays- Love Train
10.    The Pretenders- Don’t Get Me Wrong

2006
1.    Sex Pistols- Anarchy in the U.K.
2.    Miles Davis- So What
3.    Miles Davis- Moon Dreams
4.    Black Sabbath- War Pigs
5.    Miles Davis- Generique
6.    Black Sabbath- Black Sabbath
7.    Blondie- Dreaming
8.    Blondie- X Offender
9.    Black Sabbath- Children of the Grave
10.    Lynyrd Skynyrd- Free Bird

2007
1.    R.E.M.- At My Most Beautiful
2.    R.E.M.- (Don’t Go Back To Rockville)
3.    Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five- The Message
4.    R.E.M.- Radio Free Europe
5.    The Ronettes- Be My Baby
6.    Patti Smith- Free Money
7.    R.E.M.- It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
8.    R.E.M.- Nightswimming
9.    Van Halen- Eruption
10.    R.E.M.- Losing My Religion

2008
1.    Leonard Cohen- Who By Fire
2.    Leonard Cohen- Hallelujah
3.    Leonard Cohen- The Stranger Song
4.    Leonard Cohen- Bird on a Wire
5.    The Dave Clark Five- Glad All Over
6.    Leonard Cohen- Don’t Go Home With Your Hard-On
7.    Leonard Cohen- There Is a War
8.    Leonard Cohen- Suzanne
9.    Madonna- Like a Prayer
10.    Madonna- Like a Virgin

2009
1.    Metallica- One
2.    Run-DMC- It’s Tricky
3.    Metallica- Fade to Black
4.    Metallica- Seek & Destroy
5.    Metallica- Master of Puppets
6.    Jeff Beck- Spanish Boots
7.    Run-DMC- Hard Times
8.    Jeff Beck- Shapes of Things
9.    Run-DMC- King of Rock
10.    Metallica- Sad But True