it never got better than 1966
January 19, 2023 8:46 AM Subscribe
Most Popular Song Each Month in the 60s
From Top Culture, with something of a disclaimer:
The tunes selected for this video are the ones that reached #1 or at least ranked higher in more countries than other hits in the same month, but it's not very accurate since many of them were number one for different periods, and I didn't want to repeat any song. It's not about the US or the UK. It's a mix of many countries and none in particular.
From Top Culture, with something of a disclaimer:
The tunes selected for this video are the ones that reached #1 or at least ranked higher in more countries than other hits in the same month, but it's not very accurate since many of them were number one for different periods, and I didn't want to repeat any song. It's not about the US or the UK. It's a mix of many countries and none in particular.
I'm from 1968, but recognised most of that list. Surprisingly NOT many Elvis tunes, he seemed to have a lot of disposable crap in the early 60s. Blast from the past, babeee!!!1 Thank you philip-random.
it never got better than 1966
December 1968? April 1969?!?
And the early 70s were pretty fine as well...
Strange trivia fact: the 80s actually started in either May 1978 or July 1979!
posted by Meatbomb at 9:28 AM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
it never got better than 1966
December 1968? April 1969?!?
And the early 70s were pretty fine as well...
Strange trivia fact: the 80s actually started in either May 1978 or July 1979!
posted by Meatbomb at 9:28 AM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
Well, that was a trip. I probably agree about 1966. I was surprised how many totally sappy songs there were some years — like 1968, about which any number of documentaries have been made; we thought the revolution was at hand any day. But the [most popular] music didn't particularly reflect any of the chaos of that year.
Missing: West Coast psychedelic music like Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, none of whom had #1 hits in the decade. Also no Dylan. ("Like a Rolling Stone" reached #2 in August 1965 but that was the closest he got in the decade.)
posted by beagle at 9:40 AM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Missing: West Coast psychedelic music like Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, none of whom had #1 hits in the decade. Also no Dylan. ("Like a Rolling Stone" reached #2 in August 1965 but that was the closest he got in the decade.)
posted by beagle at 9:40 AM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
I kind of loved how 1960 through 1963 were kind of all over the place when it came to who had the hits, and then once we hit 1964 it was a Beatlespalooza.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:47 AM on January 19, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:47 AM on January 19, 2023 [10 favorites]
like 1968, about which any number of documentaries have been made; we thought the revolution was at hand any day. But the [most popular] music didn't particularly reflect any of the chaos of that year.
I don't think music got any less interesting post-1966 -- more an issue of the pop single itself just not being up to the cultural load anymore.
Come 1967, 1968, 1969, it's the albums that are telling the story.
posted by philip-random at 9:55 AM on January 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
I don't think music got any less interesting post-1966 -- more an issue of the pop single itself just not being up to the cultural load anymore.
Come 1967, 1968, 1969, it's the albums that are telling the story.
posted by philip-random at 9:55 AM on January 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
There’s a great moment in that 4 hour Tom Petty documentary where an interviewer in the 70s asks him, in that kinda clueless old school music interviewer way, “where do you get your inspiration from?” And Tom, kinda miffed at the stupidity of the question, says, “Radio. In the 60s.” Obviously.
It was the best of times. We’re still working through the musical revolution that these few years spawned.
posted by wemayfreeze at 9:57 AM on January 19, 2023 [6 favorites]
It was the best of times. We’re still working through the musical revolution that these few years spawned.
posted by wemayfreeze at 9:57 AM on January 19, 2023 [6 favorites]
June 1966: Paint it Black - The Rolling Stones
July 1966: Strangers in the Night - Frank Sinatra
Stay weird, 1966.
posted by The Bellman at 10:09 AM on January 19, 2023 [16 favorites]
July 1966: Strangers in the Night - Frank Sinatra
Stay weird, 1966.
posted by The Bellman at 10:09 AM on January 19, 2023 [16 favorites]
Surprisingly NOT many Elvis tunes, he seemed to have a lot of disposable crap in the early 60s.
"Elvis died the day he went into the Army. That's when they killed him. That's when they castrated him. The rest of it was just a living death."
Military career of Elvis Presley
posted by Rash at 10:11 AM on January 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
"Elvis died the day he went into the Army. That's when they killed him. That's when they castrated him. The rest of it was just a living death."
- -- John Lennon, in 1977
Military career of Elvis Presley
posted by Rash at 10:11 AM on January 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
I am curious if there's ever been a way to see how much money these songs generated. (With some asterisks explaining how little of that money flowed to each actual performer and/or songwriter)
posted by DigDoug at 10:17 AM on January 19, 2023
posted by DigDoug at 10:17 AM on January 19, 2023
1966 is my birth year, so of course it was great.
posted by terrapin at 10:40 AM on January 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by terrapin at 10:40 AM on January 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
Yes, the best year for music ever. Somebody used to blog specifically about it: 1966, My Favorite Year.
posted by Rash at 10:58 AM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Rash at 10:58 AM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Billboard Year End Top 100 is pretty telling.
posted by philip-random at 11:09 AM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by philip-random at 11:09 AM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Damn, the early 60s are a slog.
posted by lunasol at 11:20 AM on January 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by lunasol at 11:20 AM on January 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
A slog occasionally punctuated by fresh breaths of surf guitar.
posted by Quasirandom at 11:21 AM on January 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Quasirandom at 11:21 AM on January 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
Those were the days, my friend...
posted by ovvl at 11:22 AM on January 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by ovvl at 11:22 AM on January 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
A slog occasionally punctuated by fresh breaths of surf guitar.
And some good Wall of Sound.
posted by lunasol at 11:38 AM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
And some good Wall of Sound.
posted by lunasol at 11:38 AM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Damn, the early 60s are a slog.
Nah. Everly Brothers, Brenda Lee, The Drifters, The Shirelles, Del Shannon, Ray Charles, Dion (still a good song even if the narrator is terrible), Bruce Channel, and some decent Elvis songs. Those are all rock n roll royalty, with great tunes.
posted by The_Vegetables at 11:40 AM on January 19, 2023 [9 favorites]
Nah. Everly Brothers, Brenda Lee, The Drifters, The Shirelles, Del Shannon, Ray Charles, Dion (still a good song even if the narrator is terrible), Bruce Channel, and some decent Elvis songs. Those are all rock n roll royalty, with great tunes.
posted by The_Vegetables at 11:40 AM on January 19, 2023 [9 favorites]
Gosh, but the YT poster is salty about being demonetized for posting compilations of other people's work
posted by scruss at 11:52 AM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by scruss at 11:52 AM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
STRICTLY COPYRIGHTED
posted by plastic_animals at 12:02 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by plastic_animals at 12:02 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
being demonetized for posting compilations of other people's work
curating is also work. There ought to be something in it.
posted by philip-random at 12:20 PM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
curating is also work. There ought to be something in it.
posted by philip-random at 12:20 PM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm ready for the video all the #2s etc...
posted by Captain Chesapeake at 12:34 PM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Captain Chesapeake at 12:34 PM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
Because he never really rocked afterwards.
I refute it thus.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:08 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
I refute it thus.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:08 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
MetaFilter: A slog occasionally punctuated by fresh breaths of surf guitar.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:08 PM on January 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 1:08 PM on January 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
There were 2 big pivot points for me: Ray Charles, and the Byrds.
posted by swift at 1:17 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by swift at 1:17 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
curating is also work. There ought to be something in it.
There is, you just can't sell it on YouTube. Manufacture some CDs and sell your "Now That's What I Call the Good Parts of 1966, Not Like That Stuff Your Friend's Brother Is Into" to your heart's content. You just have to pay royalties, after which you find out how much curating is worth on the open market. Of course bootlegging is another time-honored strategy.
What YouTube could do, but won't, is allow people to monetize playlists. I don't think they can even countenance the reuse of other peoples' uploads without running afoul of large rightsholders, though.
EDIT: And by "reuse" here, I mean "adding custom contexts or thematic connections to other music."
posted by rhizome at 1:29 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
There is, you just can't sell it on YouTube. Manufacture some CDs and sell your "Now That's What I Call the Good Parts of 1966, Not Like That Stuff Your Friend's Brother Is Into" to your heart's content. You just have to pay royalties, after which you find out how much curating is worth on the open market. Of course bootlegging is another time-honored strategy.
What YouTube could do, but won't, is allow people to monetize playlists. I don't think they can even countenance the reuse of other peoples' uploads without running afoul of large rightsholders, though.
EDIT: And by "reuse" here, I mean "adding custom contexts or thematic connections to other music."
posted by rhizome at 1:29 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
It's interesting to see how music went from haircuts and suits to long hair and suits to the Rolling Stones...I mean, those dudes took things to another level. In that whole medley of songs, IMO, the turning point was The Animals...like a catalyst between what was and what was to come.
posted by Chuffy at 1:51 PM on January 19, 2023 [12 favorites]
posted by Chuffy at 1:51 PM on January 19, 2023 [12 favorites]
Metafilter's occasional breaths of #surfguitar are few and far between.
posted by Quasirandom at 2:04 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Quasirandom at 2:04 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don't think they can even countenance the reuse of other peoples' uploads without running afoul of large rightsholders, though.
the rightsholders have been antagonistic to positive cultural evolution for as long as I can remember. For me, it started with sampling. It wasn't that The Rolling Stones (or whoever) shouldn't have been due a piece of the pie when someone used a piece of one of their records and started making money from it. What I objected to was their ability to just say NO to that use. Because samplers democratized things. Suddenly, some poor kid from the down side of town could have beats as big as the uptowners. Suddenly the playing field was levelling. And so on.
What I'd love to see is some kind of mechanism wherein anybody can use anything any way they want (not counting hateful stuff) and have everyone involved (original performer, original writer, current rightsholder and current performer-archivist-whatever) sharing in the incremental pennies as they accrue.
posted by philip-random at 2:07 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
the rightsholders have been antagonistic to positive cultural evolution for as long as I can remember. For me, it started with sampling. It wasn't that The Rolling Stones (or whoever) shouldn't have been due a piece of the pie when someone used a piece of one of their records and started making money from it. What I objected to was their ability to just say NO to that use. Because samplers democratized things. Suddenly, some poor kid from the down side of town could have beats as big as the uptowners. Suddenly the playing field was levelling. And so on.
What I'd love to see is some kind of mechanism wherein anybody can use anything any way they want (not counting hateful stuff) and have everyone involved (original performer, original writer, current rightsholder and current performer-archivist-whatever) sharing in the incremental pennies as they accrue.
posted by philip-random at 2:07 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
My thoughts:
- Some of those Elvis songs are great ("Can't Help Falling In Love"), but he also had zero compunctions about phoning it in.
- There's some great stuff before the British Invasion, but the energy level increase when the Beatles show up is palpable. There's a guy in the background of "Can't Buy Me Love" on a raised level; you can't see his face very well, but he's just kicking his legs up, like he has to let off some energy somehow.
- There's lots of early 60s pop in the later 60s, but they all have Beatle haircuts.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:20 PM on January 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
- Some of those Elvis songs are great ("Can't Help Falling In Love"), but he also had zero compunctions about phoning it in.
- There's some great stuff before the British Invasion, but the energy level increase when the Beatles show up is palpable. There's a guy in the background of "Can't Buy Me Love" on a raised level; you can't see his face very well, but he's just kicking his legs up, like he has to let off some energy somehow.
- There's lots of early 60s pop in the later 60s, but they all have Beatle haircuts.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:20 PM on January 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
Man, The Shadows really had a thing going--until the Beatles pushed them out of the way. And I've never heard of them.
I agree, The Animals seemed like the real crossing of the Rubicon. Overall, I liked how rock gradually replaced the Lawrence Whelk material, but every here and there an easy listening track still breaks through.
I'm also surprised to learn that "The Year 2525" was a big hit. I always thought that was a weirdo obscurity that my classic rock station had latched onto.
posted by polecat at 2:26 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
I agree, The Animals seemed like the real crossing of the Rubicon. Overall, I liked how rock gradually replaced the Lawrence Whelk material, but every here and there an easy listening track still breaks through.
I'm also surprised to learn that "The Year 2525" was a big hit. I always thought that was a weirdo obscurity that my classic rock station had latched onto.
posted by polecat at 2:26 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Damn, the early 60s are a slog.
Nah. Everly Brothers, Brenda Lee, The Drifters, The Shirelles, Del Shannon, Ray Charles, Dion (still a good song even if the narrator is terrible), Bruce Channel, and some decent Elvis songs. Those are all rock n roll royalty, with great tunes.
You're not wrong but as a whole, it felt pretty boring to me, with a few moments of interest. I think it might have been the presentation, with almost everyone dressed pretty similar, and on a seemingly similar level of energy. Watching this really helped me understand Beatlemania and the effect of the British Invasion. The energy level alone was refreshing.
posted by lunasol at 2:32 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Nah. Everly Brothers, Brenda Lee, The Drifters, The Shirelles, Del Shannon, Ray Charles, Dion (still a good song even if the narrator is terrible), Bruce Channel, and some decent Elvis songs. Those are all rock n roll royalty, with great tunes.
You're not wrong but as a whole, it felt pretty boring to me, with a few moments of interest. I think it might have been the presentation, with almost everyone dressed pretty similar, and on a seemingly similar level of energy. Watching this really helped me understand Beatlemania and the effect of the British Invasion. The energy level alone was refreshing.
posted by lunasol at 2:32 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Rash: “Yes, the best year for music ever. Somebody used to blog specifically about it: 1966, My Favorite Year.”
philip-random: “The Billboard Year End Top 100 is pretty telling.”*1983 has entered the chat*
There's no denying 1966 was a great year for music, but the 1983 year-end list is a similar rundown of all-timers. Although I imagine what people like best is whatever they liked when they were teenagers because that's just how it works.
I did really enjoy the fact that The Shadows had more than one hit in this countdown.
posted by ob1quixote at 2:40 PM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
Looking back ,it's odd to see how young they were.
Paul McCartney was 27 when the Beatles broke up
posted by yyz at 2:43 PM on January 19, 2023
Paul McCartney was 27 when the Beatles broke up
posted by yyz at 2:43 PM on January 19, 2023
Looking back ,it's odd to see how young they were.
Paul McCartney was 27 when the Beatles broke up
We've been watching the Peter Jackson Get Back sessions bit by bit, matching the 1969 studio dates, and the Beatles' youth has really struck me while watching it. The youth of just about everyone else in the room too, for that matter.
posted by andraste at 3:06 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Paul McCartney was 27 when the Beatles broke up
We've been watching the Peter Jackson Get Back sessions bit by bit, matching the 1969 studio dates, and the Beatles' youth has really struck me while watching it. The youth of just about everyone else in the room too, for that matter.
posted by andraste at 3:06 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Bobby Vinton sure knew how to kill the party vibe.
posted by plastic_animals at 3:08 PM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by plastic_animals at 3:08 PM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
These are based purely on the US charts, I assume? Because I was surprised how many second division British acts like Cliff Richard showed up.
Also, I made the score Beatles 20, Stones 7. I knew the Beatles were going to win, but I hadn't expected the margin to be quite so wide.
posted by Paul Slade at 3:14 PM on January 19, 2023
Also, I made the score Beatles 20, Stones 7. I knew the Beatles were going to win, but I hadn't expected the margin to be quite so wide.
posted by Paul Slade at 3:14 PM on January 19, 2023
from the top:
It's not about the US or the UK. It's a mix of many countries and none in particular.
posted by philip-random at 3:24 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
It's not about the US or the UK. It's a mix of many countries and none in particular.
posted by philip-random at 3:24 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
I loved the popular music of the 60s and agree that pop music peaked in that period. I think it is interesting that jazz (my first love) also peaked during that decade and has not produced anything new or exciting since then.
posted by charlesminus at 3:26 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by charlesminus at 3:26 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I've run into these compilations before. They're based on some aggregate of charts across several countries. It becomes a lot more obvious in the 70s list: some Abba songs were released as singles in the UK well before they were in the US, and the listing reflects the earlier UK or maybe European release. (Also...Boney M gets a mention; they were mostly unknown in the US.)
posted by gimonca at 3:32 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by gimonca at 3:32 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
That May 1967 entry is coming from a universe I'm simply not familiar with
posted by morspin at 3:35 PM on January 19, 2023
posted by morspin at 3:35 PM on January 19, 2023
One of the most astonishing things about the Beatles is the whole speed-run pace of their existence. They recorded Please Please Me in February 1963, a few months after recruiting Ringo and doing their last Hamburg run; they released Let It Be in May 1970, a bit less than a month after Paul ragequit after hearing what Phil Spector did to "The Long and Winding Road." Seven years and change, and what they did, musically and culturally, in that time.
posted by Halloween Jack at 3:36 PM on January 19, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 3:36 PM on January 19, 2023 [6 favorites]
I suppose lots of folks here are already fans but I strongly urge people to checkout the podcast A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs . It's not slickly produced but it's fascinating and the presenter Andrew Hickey has a deep respect for the artists and for his own audience.
posted by brachiopod at 4:45 PM on January 19, 2023
posted by brachiopod at 4:45 PM on January 19, 2023
"Elvis died the day he went into the Army. That's when they killed him. That's when they castrated him. The rest of it was just a living death.”
Gotta disagree with Lennon, here. People rightly praise the Sun years, but I find Elvis’s 1968 to early ’70s period fantastic. And as for not rockin', well, the Live 1969 box set from a few years ago is pretty thrilling—what a backing band!
posted by kaisemic at 5:24 PM on January 19, 2023
Gotta disagree with Lennon, here. People rightly praise the Sun years, but I find Elvis’s 1968 to early ’70s period fantastic. And as for not rockin', well, the Live 1969 box set from a few years ago is pretty thrilling—what a backing band!
posted by kaisemic at 5:24 PM on January 19, 2023
I'm also surprised to learn that "The Year 2525" was a big hit.
I have mentioned here before that being exposed to Top 40 radio in my tender years left me with a life-long hate for every crappy novelty song that ever hit the top ten. Because you had to hear it over and over and over all day after day after day before it finally went south on the charts. My Green Tambourine? Hate it. Flying Purple People Eater? Hate it even more. They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha-haa? Hate hate hate it. In the Year 2525? Just shoot me already -- it has got to be the worst.* God, that was awful.
*Bonus fact: I know the guy who played the bass on that irl.
posted by y2karl at 5:48 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I have mentioned here before that being exposed to Top 40 radio in my tender years left me with a life-long hate for every crappy novelty song that ever hit the top ten. Because you had to hear it over and over and over all day after day after day before it finally went south on the charts. My Green Tambourine? Hate it. Flying Purple People Eater? Hate it even more. They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha-haa? Hate hate hate it. In the Year 2525? Just shoot me already -- it has got to be the worst.* God, that was awful.
*Bonus fact: I know the guy who played the bass on that irl.
posted by y2karl at 5:48 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
An encyclopedic knowledge of pop music lyrics was my "one party trick" talent (until streaming services, which exploded the options.) But I'm a late GenX'er, so it was still pleasantly surprising that I could sing the chorus to about 90% or more of these. The takeaway is not that my party trick holds, its that this music was really fucking impressive in its cultural impact.
posted by BlueBlueElectricBlue at 6:44 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by BlueBlueElectricBlue at 6:44 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
That 1980s compilation was fascinating, because I knew all those songs--until 1988. Which was the year I switched from pop to the alternative station in Boston. (WFNX for those who remember it.). For me the late 80s was 10,000 Maniacs (which was considered alternative!) and a lot of folk music instead of pop. I don't have any memory of Roxette, for example. She was a thing?
posted by suelac at 7:02 PM on January 19, 2023
posted by suelac at 7:02 PM on January 19, 2023
this music was really fucking impressive in its cultural impact.
yeah, for me music is ALWAYS getting better -- it's just that this is usually happening off in the shadows somewhere. But for a while in the mid 1960s, by sheer zeitgeistian serendipity, it was happening right smack at centre stage. And if I were to pin it to a particular time frame (which the video captures nicely) -- it would be 1964 (eruption of the Beatles) through to 1967 sometime with The Monkees showing up as often as the Beatles. Fab giving way to Pre-Fab.
It was a great time to be five-six-seven years old, except I suppose it jaded me somewhat. I just assumed the mainstream would always be so resplendent and relevant and worthy of my gaze.
posted by philip-random at 7:02 PM on January 19, 2023 [6 favorites]
yeah, for me music is ALWAYS getting better -- it's just that this is usually happening off in the shadows somewhere. But for a while in the mid 1960s, by sheer zeitgeistian serendipity, it was happening right smack at centre stage. And if I were to pin it to a particular time frame (which the video captures nicely) -- it would be 1964 (eruption of the Beatles) through to 1967 sometime with The Monkees showing up as often as the Beatles. Fab giving way to Pre-Fab.
It was a great time to be five-six-seven years old, except I suppose it jaded me somewhat. I just assumed the mainstream would always be so resplendent and relevant and worthy of my gaze.
posted by philip-random at 7:02 PM on January 19, 2023 [6 favorites]
That May 1967 entry is coming from a universe I'm simply not familiar with
Eurovision Song Contest winner.
And from that link:
In her (Sandy Shaw's) own words, "I hated it from the very first 'oompah' to the final 'bang' on the big bass drum. I was instinctively repelled by its sexist drivel and cuckoo-clock tune."[8] She was disappointed when it was selected as the song she would use to represent the country, but it won the contest hands down,
posted by philip-random at 7:10 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Eurovision Song Contest winner.
And from that link:
In her (Sandy Shaw's) own words, "I hated it from the very first 'oompah' to the final 'bang' on the big bass drum. I was instinctively repelled by its sexist drivel and cuckoo-clock tune."[8] She was disappointed when it was selected as the song she would use to represent the country, but it won the contest hands down,
posted by philip-random at 7:10 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm ready for the video all the #2s etc...
You're in luck! The same YouTube channel has a video with all of the 2nd most popular songs of the 1960s.
posted by ElKevbo at 7:17 PM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
You're in luck! The same YouTube channel has a video with all of the 2nd most popular songs of the 1960s.
posted by ElKevbo at 7:17 PM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
Oh, my mid-Boomer heart.
Hard to describe how omnipresent lesser knowns, like "The Letter" or "Love is Blue," seemed at the time. Or Herb Alpert.
Schlocky "Honey" unearthed a childhood memory of finding my mother in the car crying at it. And when she passed away just 2 years ago, part of my grieving process was listening to "Paint it Black" (1966) over and over.
"Harper Valley PTA" is still one of the great country songs.
And finally, there's my Motown and *my* boy band Monkees (Team Mickey) back to back with Beatles classics.
Those were the days my friend
we thought they'd never end.
Damn, does that song have more impact when you're not a tween in the '60s but in your 60s.
posted by NorthernLite at 7:39 PM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
Hard to describe how omnipresent lesser knowns, like "The Letter" or "Love is Blue," seemed at the time. Or Herb Alpert.
Schlocky "Honey" unearthed a childhood memory of finding my mother in the car crying at it. And when she passed away just 2 years ago, part of my grieving process was listening to "Paint it Black" (1966) over and over.
"Harper Valley PTA" is still one of the great country songs.
And finally, there's my Motown and *my* boy band Monkees (Team Mickey) back to back with Beatles classics.
Those were the days my friend
we thought they'd never end.
Damn, does that song have more impact when you're not a tween in the '60s but in your 60s.
posted by NorthernLite at 7:39 PM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
Most Popular Song Each Month in the 50s
Most Popular Song Each Month in the 60s
2nd Most Popular Song Each Month in the 60s
Most Popular Song Each Month in the 70s
Most Popular Song Each Month in the 80s
2nd Most Popular Song Each Month in the 80s
Most Popular Song Each Month in the 90s
Most Popular Song Each Month in the 2000s
Most Popular Song Each Month since January 2010
posted by fings at 7:45 PM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
Most Popular Song Each Month in the 60s
2nd Most Popular Song Each Month in the 60s
Most Popular Song Each Month in the 70s
Most Popular Song Each Month in the 80s
2nd Most Popular Song Each Month in the 80s
Most Popular Song Each Month in the 90s
Most Popular Song Each Month in the 2000s
Most Popular Song Each Month since January 2010
posted by fings at 7:45 PM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
Also, for those who have Spotify and want to hear the whole songs, if you click on the description for each video, there's a link to a Spotify playlist for the video.
posted by fings at 8:00 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by fings at 8:00 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I was 10 when the compilation started. I knew every song. Then we were overseas starting in 1962, my dad got me a big Grundig tape recorder and I recorded off the British pirate stations which were on boats outside the rule of law, and then the Top Sounds Of The Sixties was the US mitary musical offering. Listening to all those bits was exhilirating! Thanks for that.
posted by Oyéah at 8:22 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Oyéah at 8:22 PM on January 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
My parents listened to oldies radio in the car and we played all their records when we were kids so I knew every one of these songs except for "You Don't Know" by Helen Shapiro. Turns out it never appeared in the US charts so that makes sense.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:38 PM on January 19, 2023
posted by oneirodynia at 10:38 PM on January 19, 2023
Sandie Shaw is awesome, and my favorite tune of hers is Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself. Morrissey and Johnny Marr adored her and talked her into doing a cover of Hand in Glove, giving Morrissey a run for his money.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:50 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by oneirodynia at 10:50 PM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
or me music is ALWAYS getting better
Well, until about 1974, but it's been mostly downhill ever since.
posted by dg at 12:48 AM on January 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Well, until about 1974, but it's been mostly downhill ever since.
posted by dg at 12:48 AM on January 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
BlueBlueElectricBlue: “An encyclopedic knowledge of pop music lyrics was my "one party trick" talent ”My party trick has always been being really good at Name That Tune. I've been doing the Heardle for six months now. Popular swing, pop, and rock music from the 1940s through the summer of 1999? I stand good chance of getting it in a second or less. Anything that wasn't popular or outside of that time frame. No chance at all. I can tell right away whether or not I've ever heard a song before and it's a little heartbreaking how many songs from the last 20 years I have never heard.
posted by ob1quixote at 8:33 AM on January 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
I was a young one during that decade, my rule at the time still holds up.
“Hair up square, hair down hip.”
posted by aiq at 8:51 AM on January 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
“Hair up square, hair down hip.”
posted by aiq at 8:51 AM on January 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
until about 1974, but it's been mostly downhill ever since
"Everyone knows rock and roll reached perfection in 1974." - Homer J Simpson
posted by neuron at 11:06 AM on January 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
"Everyone knows rock and roll reached perfection in 1974." - Homer J Simpson
posted by neuron at 11:06 AM on January 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
I was about to take issue with Homer but then I remembered. 1974 = Secret Treaties. Hard to really disagree.
posted by philip-random at 11:15 AM on January 20, 2023
posted by philip-random at 11:15 AM on January 20, 2023
That's some high-class buttrock, I'll have to check out the rest of the album. However, if they divvied up the various sections of that song they could have made like three AMAZING two and a half minute songs that would have been ahead of their time by five years or so. That was not the style at the time, though.
posted by rhizome at 12:49 PM on January 20, 2023
posted by rhizome at 12:49 PM on January 20, 2023
beagle
Here's a track list for a mix tape I made titled "Psychedelic Drag". All of the music is from 1965-1968 with dropins from the Dragnet Blue Boy episode, a 1960s drug PSA and a little King of the Hill.
Track Listing - Psychedelic Drag 20220507
D01 00:00 Dragnet Blue Boy - Intro
001 00:43 The Electric Prunes - I had too Much to Dream Last Night - 1966
002 03:35 Count Five - Psychotic Reaction - 1966
D02 06:39 Dragnet Blue Boy - Powerful New Drug
003 06:53 The Yardbirds - Over, Under, Sideways, Down - 1966
004 09:12 Status Quo - Pictures of Matchstick Men - 1968
D03 09:18 1960s Drug PSA - A Bad Trip
005 12:20 Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense and Peppermints - 1967
006 15:03 Zombies - Time of the Season - 1967
D05 18:30 Dragnet Blue Boy - LSD 25
007 18:33 The Chambers Brothers - Time has Come Today - 1966
008 23:23 The Byrds - Eight Miles High - 1966
D06 26:53 1960s Drug PSA - Just as Frightened
009 26:56 The Yardbirds - Heart Full of Soul - 1965
010 29:20 13th Floor Elevators - You're Gonna Miss Me - 1966
D07 31:39 Dragnet Blue Boy - I can Hear Them All
011 31:46 The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man - 1965
012 34:12 Eric Burdon & the Animals - San Franciscan Nights - 1967
013 37:32 The Youngbloods - Get Together - 1967
D08 42:10 King of the Hill - Teenagers (Bobby)
D09 42:13 King of the Hill - Teenagers (Joseph)
D10 42:13 King of the Hill - Teenagers (Connie)
posted by mmrtnt at 12:54 PM on January 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Here's a track list for a mix tape I made titled "Psychedelic Drag". All of the music is from 1965-1968 with dropins from the Dragnet Blue Boy episode, a 1960s drug PSA and a little King of the Hill.
Track Listing - Psychedelic Drag 20220507
D01 00:00 Dragnet Blue Boy - Intro
001 00:43 The Electric Prunes - I had too Much to Dream Last Night - 1966
002 03:35 Count Five - Psychotic Reaction - 1966
D02 06:39 Dragnet Blue Boy - Powerful New Drug
003 06:53 The Yardbirds - Over, Under, Sideways, Down - 1966
004 09:12 Status Quo - Pictures of Matchstick Men - 1968
D03 09:18 1960s Drug PSA - A Bad Trip
005 12:20 Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense and Peppermints - 1967
006 15:03 Zombies - Time of the Season - 1967
D05 18:30 Dragnet Blue Boy - LSD 25
007 18:33 The Chambers Brothers - Time has Come Today - 1966
008 23:23 The Byrds - Eight Miles High - 1966
D06 26:53 1960s Drug PSA - Just as Frightened
009 26:56 The Yardbirds - Heart Full of Soul - 1965
010 29:20 13th Floor Elevators - You're Gonna Miss Me - 1966
D07 31:39 Dragnet Blue Boy - I can Hear Them All
011 31:46 The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man - 1965
012 34:12 Eric Burdon & the Animals - San Franciscan Nights - 1967
013 37:32 The Youngbloods - Get Together - 1967
D08 42:10 King of the Hill - Teenagers (Bobby)
D09 42:13 King of the Hill - Teenagers (Joseph)
D10 42:13 King of the Hill - Teenagers (Connie)
posted by mmrtnt at 12:54 PM on January 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Just realized, it's probably best if next time I have a track list to post, I'll just link to it. My apologies.
posted by mmrtnt at 1:01 PM on January 20, 2023
posted by mmrtnt at 1:01 PM on January 20, 2023
ike three AMAZING two and a half minute songs that would have been ahead of their time by five years or so.
there's a story I heard concerning a young Bruce Springsteen (then pretty much unknown) who happened to be in an adjacent studio while Blue Oyster Cult were recording one of their early albums. He was convinced they were speeding up the tape. "Nobody can play that fast."
posted by philip-random at 2:12 PM on January 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
there's a story I heard concerning a young Bruce Springsteen (then pretty much unknown) who happened to be in an adjacent studio while Blue Oyster Cult were recording one of their early albums. He was convinced they were speeding up the tape. "Nobody can play that fast."
posted by philip-random at 2:12 PM on January 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
The early 20th century music is a genre that is underrated IMO. There is alot of good music from the 1900s along with World War 1 and 2 music.
posted by buffy12 at 2:47 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by buffy12 at 2:47 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
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I immediately thought of Tom Breihan's Stereogum column in which he has reviewed every Billboard #1 song going back to 1958.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 9:20 AM on January 19, 2023 [3 favorites]