By genre
Best Punk & New Wave Songs of All Time
77 punk, post-punk and the new-wave that followed — twelve essential songs, each from an album worth owning.
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1CL
London Calling
An apocalyptic call-to-arms.
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2SP
Anarchy in the U.K.
The snarl that detonated UK punk.
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3RA
Blitzkrieg Bop
Two minutes, all hook, year zero for punk.
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4ST
Search and Destroy
Proto-punk at its most dangerous.
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5TE
Marquee Moon
Ten minutes of twin-guitar art-punk.
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6BL
Heart of Glass
New wave meets the dancefloor.
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7TH
Psycho Killer
Nervy, arty and unforgettable.
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8PS
Gloria
Poetry and punk collide.
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9DK
Holiday in Cambodia
Savage satire at breakneck speed.
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10DA
New Rose
Often called the first UK punk single.
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11SA
Spellbound
Swirling, influential proto-goth.
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12SP
A Message to You, Rudy
2-tone ska with a social conscience.
Tap the artwork or "Listen" to find the track on Amazon Music; "Watch" opens a YouTube search; the song title opens its album page. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases and sign-ups.