Diplo, the music producer, club deejay and former Daytona-area resident also known as Wes Pentz (Mainland High, class of '97), co-wrote the 236th greatest song of all time.

That's according to the new Rolling Stone special edition, "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." "Paper Planes," which Diplo co-wrote with his frequent collaborator and co-conspirator, pop/hip-hop artist M.I.A., landed midway in a list packed with immortal works.

These days Rolling Stone produces almost as many lists as VH-1, with its shows counting down the "100 Most Shocking Music Moments," the "40 Hottest Rock Star Girlfriends . . . and Wives" and . . . you get the picture.

The new Rolling Stone list is . . . well, sort of new. In the back of the special edition, the RS gang confess that they took their 2004 poll of the greatest songs of all time, which was voted on by 162 artists, producers and music biz types. The Stoners then combined that list with their 2009 poll of the best songs of the 2000s, as voted on by 100 music folks.

Voila -- a new list (available at news stands for $9.99 a pop).

"Paper Planes" is classic Diplo -- with its every-sonic-thing-AND-the-kitchen-sink production. The song mixes M.I.A.'s sing-song rap, a credited sample of the Clash's "Straight to Hell," a chorus of child-like voices, the pop of gunfire and the clatter of a cash register.

At the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009, the song was nominated for Record of the Year, which goes to the performer and producers of a single song. (The award was won by bluegrass queen Alison Krauss and former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant for their duet on "Please Read the Letter.")

M.I.A.'s record label "didn't even want to put it ('Paper Planes') on the record, " Diplo said in an interview with The News-Journal before the 2009 Grammys. "They thought, 'What the hell does this mean? It's too weird.' "

Weird didn't make the cut throughout much of the 500 list. I'll save you from having to fork over more cash for a semi-retread list and give you the top 10 here:

1. "Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan

2. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," the Rolling Stones

3. "Imagine," John Lennon

4. "What's Going On," Marvin Gaye

5. "Respect," Aretha Franklin

6. "Good Vibrations," the Beach Boys

7. "Johnny B. Goode," Chuck Berry

8. "Hey Jude," the Beatles

9. "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Nirvana

10. "What'd I Say," Ray Charles

The back page of the special edition lists some intriguing numbers behind the 500:

The Beatles' 23 songs topped 14 by the Stones and 13 by Dylan.

The 1960s led all decades with 195 songs on the list. The often-slammed '80s clocked in with 55, more than the 1990s (with 21) and the 2000s (with 27) combined.

The year 1965 had the most songs (Rolling Stone curiously omits how many).

Some curiosities I noted:

In interviews over the past decade, Paul McCartney has candidly confessed that he feared his contributions to the Beatles were being eclipsed by Lennon's legacy and a revisionist tendency among music critics.

In the 500 list, three of the four Beatle songs in the top 20 are, according to Fab Four history and lore, unequivocally Paul's songs: "Hey Jude," "Yesterday" and "Let It Be."

M.I.A. was one of the voters. (Wonder if she would-did rank "Paper Planes" ahead of "Like a Rolling Stone"?)

With "Whipping Post" by the Allman Brothers coming in at 393, Daytona artists scored two hits on the 500 list. The blurb accompanying "Whipping Post" says, "This anthem was written on an ironing board in a darkened Florida bedroom by (Gregg) Allman."

And, since you asked, here's my top 10 greatest songs of all time (which may be somewhat different from the list I whipped out in response to Rolling Stone's poll back in 2004):

1. "I Am the Walrus," the Beatles

2. "One," U2

3. "The Rain Song," Led Zeppelin

4. "Theme From Harry's Game," Clannad

5. "Tomorrow Never Knows," the Beatles

6. "Sowing the Seeds of Love," Tears For Fears

7. "The Fly," U2

8. "Fight the Power," Public Enemy

9. "The Wind Cries Mary," Jimi Hendrix

10. "Kashmir," Led Zeppelin

Rick de Yampert is The Daytona Beach News-Journal's entertainment writer. He can be reached at rick.deyampert@news-jrnl.com