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The Best Prog Rock Song of Each Year Since 1969

Here is the best progressive rock song of each year since 1969!

Progressive rock began in the late 1960s and quickly became one of the most creatively fruitful and consistently satisfying subgenres.

With its penchant for eccentric arrangements, sophisticated musicianship, imaginative songwriting and extremely long song lengths, it’s definitely not for everyone; however, listeners who love it really love it, and despite being around for over half a century, it continues to push new boundaries and fascinate new audiences.

Back in 2024, Loudwire looked at the history of prog rock in 20 albums, tracing its roots and evolutions from those initial ‘60s LPs to the heights of the 2010s and 2020s. Now, we’re going back to the past to do something even more difficult and debatable by picking the best progressive rock song of each year since 1969.

Why 1969? Because that’s when the first true prog rock record – King Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King – arrived. From there, we’re going to examine some of the best material from some of the style’s greatest artists, be they ‘70s pioneers (Genesis, Rush, Jethro Tull, Yes etc.); late 20th-century disciples (Marillion, Spock’s Beard, Porcupine Tree etc.); or standouts of the 21st century (Beardfish, Phideaux, The Dear Hunter etc.)

As always, there are a few things to clarify before we get started.

For instance, we’re focusing only on progressive rock here, so we’ve done our best to choose tracks that don’t border on – or fully qualify as – progressive metal. That said, traditionally progressive metal bands can appear if their song itself falls firmly within the prog rock realm.

Unsurprisingly, several groups appear multiple times (including across consecutive years), and because we’re looking at songs rather than tracks, we’ve considered pieces that either span entire albums or are split into two tracks. In other words, a “Part One” and a “Part Two” will be combined and judged as one composition.

Of course, we’d love to know how many of these songs would make your list, as well as how many of them you’ve never heard before. (You’re welcome!) So, please let us know after you’ve fully immersed yourself in our picks for the best prog rock song of each year since 1969!