50 Songs for 50 Years

The Current is celebrating 50 years of Minnesota Public Radio and 50 years of amazing music. On Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017 — the 50th anniversary of MPR — join Mac Wilson from 1 to 5 p.m. Mac reflects on some of the most influential, popular and groundbreaking music from 1967 to now — one song from each year.
It's 50 songs for 50 years.
Celebrate MPR's 50th anniversary with music that shaped the last half-century.
1967
A Day in the Life
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club BandThe Beatles1968
Sittin on the Dock of the Bay
The Dock of the BayOtis Redding1969
Pale Blue Eyes
The Velvet UndergroundThe Velvet Underground1970
Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine, Pt. 1
Sex MachineJames Brown1971
River
BlueJoni Mitchell1972
Tumbling Dice
Exile on Main StreetThe Rolling Stones1973
Let's Get It On
Let's Get It OnMarvin Gaye1974
Autobahn
AutobahnKraftwerk1975
Tangled Up in Blue
Blood on the TracksBob Dylan1976
Sir Duke
Songs in the Key of LifeStevie Wonder1977
God Save the Queen
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex PistolsSex Pistols1978
Heart of Glass
Parallel LinesBlondie1979
London Calling
London CallingThe Clash1980
Once in a Lifetime
Remain in LightTalking Heads1981
We Got the Beat
Beauty and the BeatThe Go Go's1982
Billie Jean
ThrillerMichael Jackson1983
Sunday Bloody Sunday
WarU21984
Purple Rain
Purple RainPrince1985
Left of the Dial
TimThe Replacements1986
Walk This Way
Raising HellRun DMC1987
It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
DocumentR.E.M.1988
Bring the Noise
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us BackPublic Enemy1989
Rockin' in the Free World
FreedomNeil Young1990
Kool Thing
GooSonic Youth1991
Smells Like Teen Spirit
NevermindNirvana1992
Silent All These Years
Little EarthquakesTori Amos1993
Never Said
Exile in GuyvilleLiz Phair1994
Sabotage
Ill CommunicationBeastie Boys1995
Wonderwall
(What's the Story) Morning Glory?Oasis1996
Criminal
TidalFiona Apple1997
Karma Police
OK ComputerRadiohead1998
Everything is Everything
The Miseducation of Lauryn HillLauryn Hill1999
Porcelain
PlayMoby2000
Yellow
ParachutesColdplay2001
Last Nite
Is This ItThe Strokes2002
Jesus, Etc.
Yankee Hotel FoxtrotWilco2003
Seven Nation Army
ElephantThe White Stripes2004
Wake Up
FuneralArcade Fire2005
Feel Good Inc.
Demon DaysGorillaz2006
Rehab
Back to BlackAmy Winehouse2007
All My Friends
Sound of SilverLCD Soundsystem2008
Skinny Love
For Emma, Forever AgoBon Iver2009
Dog Days are Over
LungsFlorence + The Machine2010
Little Lion Man
Sigh No MoreMumford and Sons2011
Someone Like You
21Adele2012
Same Love feat. Mary Lambert
The HeistMacklemore and Ryan Lewis2013
Get Lucky
Random Access MemoriesDaft Punk2014
Waking Light
Morning PhaseBeck2015
King Kunta
To Pimp a ButterflyKendrick Lamar2016
Lazarus
BlackstarDavid Bowie2017
Little Blue World
jeremy messersmith