Eagles fly high in Radio 2 chart

Frank Sinatra: No place for him in Top 50

Easy-listening fans have snubbed the likes of Frank Sinatra and Cliff Richard and have voted The Eagles' Hotel California as their all-time favourite song.

The 1977 hit came top of a poll of BBC Radio 2 listeners, which will be broadcast during Christmas week.

The Beatles' Yesterday, Chris De Burgh's Lady In Red, and Procul Harum's A Whiter Shade of Pale are also in the Top 50.

But there is a surprise at number two - an obscure 1972 track called Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon Wine, recorded by country singer Tom T Hall, which was never in the British charts.

The oldest record is at number 27 - Jerry Lee Lewis' Great Balls of Fire from 1957. Contemporary hits feature as well; the Mavericks' Dance The Night Away is at number three, while No Matter What by Boyzone and Dreams by the Corrs also score highly.

Chris De Burgh: Lady In Red is number four

The Beatles score a hat-trick with Yesterday at number 11, Hey Jude at number 25, and Help! At number 50.

Listeners were invited to vote by breakfast show presenter Terry Wogan, who will be playing the top 50 during Christmas week, with the top 10 on Christmas Day.

A Radio 2 spokesperson said: "We have billed it as a one-off and we were so inundated with calls we had to stop promoting it. There were so many responses.

"Acts like Tom T Hall reflect the kind of music that Terry Wogan likes to play on his show, something a little different from what you'd hear on the rest of the network.

"But overall the poll does show Radio 2's listeners have a very wide-ranging taste in music."

The Top 50 in full is:

1. Hotel California, The Eagles

2. Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon Wine, Tom T Hall

3. Dance The Night Away, Mavericks

4. Lady In Red, Chris de Burgh

5. Whiter Shade of Pale, Procul Harum

6. Baker Street Gerry Rafferty

7. Always On My Mind, Elvis Presley

8. Fields of Gold, Eva Cassidy

9. Sultans of Swing, Dire Straits

Ronan Keating: Boyzone are at number 14

10. Power of Love, Jennifer Rush

11. Yesterday, The Beatles

12. Wind Beneath My Wings, Bette Midler

13. Feels Like Home Bonnie Raitt

14. No Matter What, Boyzone

15. You've Lost That Loving Feeling, The Righteous Brothers

16. All I Have, Beth Neilson Chapman

17. A Different Corner, George Michael

18. Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel

19. This Kiss, Faith Hill

20. Out of Time, Chris Farlowe

21. Good Vibrations, Beach Boys

22. Love and Affection, Joan Armatrading

23. Candle in the Wind, Elton John

24. To Ramona, Sinead Lohan

25. Hey Jude, The Beatles

26. Stars, Simply Red

27. Great Balls of Fire, Jerry Lee Lewis

28. Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen

29. True Love Ways, Buddy Holly

Roy Orbison: Only The Lonely is number 37

30. Heard It Through The Grapevine, Marvin Gaye

31. Lyin' Eyes, The Eagles

32. On Silent Wings, Tina Turner

33. Air That I Breathe, The Hollies

34. Sand and Water, Beth Neilson Chapman

35. Unbreak My Heart, Toni Braxton

36. Romeo and Juliet, Dire Straits

37. Only the Lonely, Roy Orbison

38. Goodbye To Love, The Carpenters

39. Zoom, Fat Larry's Band

40. Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me), Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel

41. Where Were You Last Night?, The Travelling Wilburys

42. River Deep Mountain High, Ike and Tina Turner

43. Home Thoughts From Abroad, Clifford T Ward

44. I Got You Babe, Sonny and Cher

45. Dreams, The Corrs

46. Eyes of Blue, Paul Carrack

47. Rockin' All Over The World, Status Quo

48. Dancing Queen, Abba

49. Killing Me Softly, Roberta Flack

50. Help, The Beatles