What is the best record album or single song ever recorded? Is it the one that sells the most copies, has the most airplay, wins the most awards or is voted the best in polls? Who decides all of this?

Put several people in a room, and you'll get as many different lists as there are contributors. The Cher fans will be fighting with the Neil Diamond fans, and both of those groups will be overpowered by the Elvis legions and the winner of the Beatles vs. Rolling Stones lightning round.

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion even if they like The Archies and can't stop humming "Delta Dawn" by Helen Reddy or Michael Jackson's "Ben."

Let's face it. "You Light up My Life" by Debby Boone was No. 1 for 10 weeks in 1977 and sold more than four million copies. Does it deserve to be on the best singles list of all time?

Thankfully, there are some sources that are considered the supreme authorities in such matters, and I'm not talking about somebody's list of favorite Mac Davis tunes posted on Amazon.com.

In the realm of record sales the authority is The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA ), the recording industry trade group in the United States. The RIAA issues a load of data each year and keeps tabs on the top selling albums of all time.

These albums as of mid-2005 are "Eagles: Their Greatest Hits, 1971-1975" by the Eagles with 28 million albums sold followed by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" with 26 million sold and "The Wall" by Pink Floyd with 23 million.

"Led Zeppelin IV" has sold 22 million units, and "Greatest Hits, Volumes I & II" by Billy Joel has rung up 21 million in albums sold.

At 19 million sold are "Rumours," from Fleetwood Mac, "Back in Black" by AC/DC, "The Beatles (White Album)" and "Come On Over" by Shania Twain.

Rolling Stone (RS) magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time," placed The Beatles and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" at No. 1, a position the disc is accustomed to holding.

"Pet Sounds" by The Beach Boys followed along with "Revolver" by The Beatles and Bob Dylan's "Highway 61, Revisited."

"Rubber Soul" by The Beatles placed fifth with Marvin Gaye and "What's Going On" next along with The Rolling Stones and "Exile On Main Street."

Rounding out the top 10 were "London Calling" from The Clash, Dylan's "Blonde On Blonde" and "The Beatles (White Album)."

That top-selling Eagles disc on the RIAA compilation did not even appear in the RS Top 100 albums, although their "Hotel California" album, which sold more than 10 million less albums, was listed at No. 37 by RS.

"The Wall" is No. 3 in units sold and No. 87 on the RS list, 40 places behind Pink Floyd's other masterpiece "The Dark Side of the Moon," ringing up eight million fewer in album sales.

The radio's most played rock era single song according to industry sources is "You've Lost That Loving' Feeling" by The Righteous Brothers with more than eight million plays since it was released.

At seven million plays are The Association with "Never My Love," "Yesterday" from The Beatles, "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King and Otis Redding's "Dock Of The Bay."

More than 20 songs have been played on the radio at least six million times, including "Georgia On My Mind" and "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles, "Mrs. Robinson" from Simon And Garfunkel, "Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison and Johnny River's version of "Baby, I Need Your Loving."

The Rolling Stone list of the "500 Greatest Songs Of All Time" placed "Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan in the top spot followed by "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones and John Lennon's "Imagine."

Rounding out the top five were Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" and "Respect" from Aretha Franklin.

Comparing these two lists, the most played song "Loving Feeling" placing No. 34 on the Rolling Stone list. "Never My Love," the next best on the play list did not place in the RS 500.

If you want to complicate things even more Rolling Stone published a list six years ago of the "top pop" songs, not to be confused with their "greatest" list. "Yesterday" by the Beatles was the top pop song followed by "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones.

In 2001 the RIAA compiled a Songs of the Century list with "Over The Rainbow" by Judy Garland and "White Christmas" from Bing Crosby as the two top songs of the 20th Century followed by "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie, "Respect" by Aretha Franklin and Don McLean's "American Pie."

The RIAA also certifies the best selling singles from actual sales figures. At the top of that list is "Candle In The Wind" by Elton John with 10 million singles sold.

With sales of four million or more singles are "Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen and "Hey Jude" again. Also present are Elvis Presley's classic 45-rpm single "Hound Dog/ Don't Be Cruel" that should not even be mentioned in the same sentence with "Macarena" by Los Del Rio and another song title I never thought I'd type for this column, "Whoomp! There It Is" by Tag Team.

Getting back to reality Judy Garland's "Rainbow" also took No. 1 in the American Film Institute's "100 Songs - 100 Years" list.

In 2000 Mojo Magazine awarded The Beatles' "In My Life" the title of "greatest song of all time" edging out "Satisfaction" and "Rainbow." But, in the magazine's 1997 list The Beach Boys and "Good Vibrations" were on top.

Winning the bragging rights to "top song" on various radio station lists were "Hey Jude" and "Yesterday," "Candle In The Wind," The Righteous Brothers version of "Unchained Melody," "American Pie" and the Kingsmen's "Louie, Louie."

You will be pleased to know that the top "tossing the garter at a wedding" song was David Rose and "The Stripper." That list came from a wedding Web site which also placed Bob Carlisle's "Butterfly Kisses" as the top father and daughter wedding song.

In the same category as that Mac Davis song list I mentioned earlier were on-line lists that placed "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond as the top "fogie" song and "Build Me Up Buttercup" by The Foundations as the top "oldie" of all time. Where did they get that?

We can learn several things from this confusing little exercise. First, anybody can compile a list, but some have more credibility than others. "All time" is a relative term. I saw a Blender magazine recently that defined "all time" as from 1980 to the present.

"Best" depends on who is voting and certainly is a relative thing. A record may sell a lot of copies. It may be voted the best by even a respected authority. But, it is not necessarily the best for you. Only you can decide that.

By the way, Debby Boone did not make the Rolling Stone Top 500 even with those 10 weeks at No. 1.

This and several classic columns can be viewed at www.wcfcourier.com/pulse. Just look for the "Lost in the Sixties" logo.

Rick Chase can be reached at rick.chase@wcfcourier.com