U2’s track One has been named the greatest song ever recorded.

Music experts placed the tune, which had only a brief and unremarkable spell in the charts, above high-ranking efforts by Elvis and The Beatles.

It topped the list in a special edition of Q magazine’s 1001 Best Songs Ever.

U2 guitarist The Edge said: “When we named it, I always knew it would be number one at something.”

It is among eight songs by the band which have made it into the list, although One is the only track by the quartet to have entered the top 100.

The song was recorded at the tail end of 1990 roughly halfway through the band’s – so far – quarter century career, as they tried to reinvent themselves with the Achtung Baby album.

Q’s writers and a selection of well-known musicians cast their votes for the list of great songs.

Runner-up was Aretha Franklin’s I Say A Little Prayer written by the renowned songwriting partnership Bacharach and David.

Nirvana came third with Smells Like Teen Spirit, and Radiohead came in at seventh with Creep.

Credit: ananova.com