Occasionally a rock artist releases a song which is so perfectly-structured that its combination of intricacy and accessibility justifies the artist’s reputation as one of the giants of rock ‘n’ roll. In my opinion, here are some near-perfect gems of songs:

• Tiny Dancer: Elton John has so much talent that before he decided to become a pop star, he produced some of the richest rock albums ever, especially Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water. While his later albums contain much great music, they are erratic and often intermingled with pop failures, nothing will ever take away from the greatness of his early albums, and especially the sublime song Tiny Dancer;

• Back Seat of My Car: Paul McCartney’s talent as a songwriter is often overlooked because of his dismal lyrics, but in my opinion he ranks with Elton John as the best composers in rock ‘n’ roll (except Elton was smart enough to realize he needed a lyricist in Bernie Taupin, while Sir Paul never made that connection). His best solo albums Ram, Band on the Run, Press to Play)are masterpieces which are often overlooked, and few songs can compare with Back Seat of My Car for its overall perfection;

• Shangri-La: Who would have thought that The Kinks, who began their career with the garage band classic You Really Got Me was capable of the intricate work filling such albums as Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur and Muswell Hillbillies? Or that a classic rock ‘n’ roll band would release one of the prog rock masterpiece Shangri-La? More proof that Ray Davies is one of rock ‘n’ roll’s few undeniable geniuses;

• Night Moves: Bob Seger earned his reputation in the midwest as a hard-driving rock and roller, but his career went national with one of the finest rock ‘n’ roll songs combining hard rock sensibilities with the tenderness of a ballad. Night Moves is a deserving masterpiece;

• Backstreets: Bruce Springsteen’s early albums were filled with well-constructed epics such as Rosalita, Jungleland and, perhaps the most intricate, Backstreets. He simplified his songwriting considerably on Darkness at the Edge of Town and The River, which are both excellent albums, but I still miss the richness of his earlier albums, which rank among the finest albums ever released in rock ‘n’ roll history;

• Comfortably Numb: I always considered Pink Floyd as falling into the category of great musicanship and great arrangements, but their songs were not masterpieces at their core. That was until they released The Wall which contained the brilliant Comfortably Numb, which is probably as responsible for their reputation being as high 30 years later as it was upon the release of that album.

So what songs do you consider near-perfect gems?