#70 - THERE, I'VE SAID IT AGAIN by BOBBY VINTON
(Officially, the first #1 Record of The Beatles Era ... it would eventually be knocked out of the top spot by "I Want To Hold Your Hand", forever changing the landscape of pop music in the process.)
#69 - THOSE WERE THE DAYS by MARY HOPKIN
This is the highest charting record on our countdown that did NOT top all three charts ... every record from this point forward reached #1 in all three of the major music trade publications we consulted for this list.
"Those Were The Days", in every sense of the word, was a #1 Record. It topped the Record World Chart for four weeks ... and the Cash Box Chart for two ... but never reached the #1 Spot in Billboard because her labelmates, The Beatles, were in the midst of their 9-week run at the top of the charts with "Hey Jude". ("Jude" only spent four weeks at #1 in Record World ... and #7 weeks on top in Cash Box, thus allowing another record, like Mary Hopkin's "Those Were The Days", a shot at the top spot.) Other worthy records that were denied the #1 position during this run include "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and "Over You" by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, each of which topped a number of local charts around the country but were held at bay by the tulu-baby Beatles.
#68 - I HEAR A SYMPHONY by THE SUPREMES
Other lower-ranking hits by The Supremes seem to have had more staying power ... but this one earned the points to claim the #68 position.
#67 - HANKY PANKY by TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS
This record only took three years to climb to the top of the charts! And it all happened quite by accident when a Philadelphia dee-jay started playing it on his program just for fun because he liked the tune. (Jeez, Jocks ... remember when you could do THAT?!?!? Play something NOT on the playlist!!!) Suddenly, the record took off, and Tommy James moved from Niles, Michigan, to Philadelphia, PA, to form a brand new version of The Shondells so that he could tour behind his hot new hit record. It eventually climbed all the way to #1 ... and Tommy's career is STILL red-hot all these years later!
#66 - GRAZING IN THE GRASS by HUGH MASEKELA
We loved this one as an instrumental ... and got to enjoy it all over again when The Friends Of Distinction put words to it a few years later.
#65 - I'M TELLING YOU NOW by FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS
Have you done your jumping jacks yet today???
If not, get up on the floor and Do The Freddie!
#64 - THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD by THE BEATLES
Their last official #1 Record ... and the end of an era.
#63 - WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO by THE SUPREMES
This is the one that sent their careers over the top back in 1964.
#62 - DO WAH DIDDY DIDDY by MANFRED MANN
Complete nonsense ... and I still love it to this very day!
One of the greatest "feel-good" songs of all time!
One of the greatest "feel-good" songs of all time!
#61 - RAG DOLL by THE FOUR SEASONS
The Phil Spector-sounding drums that kick this one off helped make it a classic for these Jersey Boys!
