Wednesday, October 30, 2013

The Countdown Continues (#80 - #61)

#80 - A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash  (1969)
Did it get any "funner" than this in 1969?




#79 - Green Tambourine - The Lemon Pipers  (1968)   
A #1 Bubble-Gum Hit     

#78 - Hanky Panky - Tommy James and the Shondells  (1966)
The first in a long string of hit singles for these guys.  (When is Tommy's movie going to come out?!?!?)

#77 - Hang On Sloopy - The McCoys (1965)
There was a brief period of time in the Summer of 1965 that this song was doing chart battle with The Righteous Brothers' hit "Unchained Melody".  This very well may have been the last battle on record between a Hatfield and the McCoys.  

#76 - Hair - The Cowsills  (1969)
I'll bet you didn't expect to see TWO Top 100 Hits by THESE guys in this countdown!  

#75 - Good Lovin' - The Young Rascals  (1966)
Their first chart-topper.  

#74 - Never My Love - The Association  (1967)
One of the Songs of Summer, 1967 ... The Summer of Love ... and still one of the most beautiful recordings ever made.


#73 - All You Need Is Love - The Beatles  (1967)
See what I mean!  

#72 - Spinning Wheel - Blood, Sweat and Tears  (1969)
One of those big hits for the group that, much like Creedence Clearwater Revival, got labeled "The Kings of #2" on the Billboard charts, despite reaching the top of the charts in the other trades.  

#71 - Theme from "Valley Of The Dolls" - Dionne Warwick  (1968)
A late-bloomer ... and originally the B-Side of Dionne's 1967 Hit "I Say A Little Prayer".


#70 - Paint It, Black - The Rolling Stones  (1966)
You know how over time songs take on a certain connection to a specific event or film?  For me, this one will forever be related to the Keanu Reeves / Al Pacino movie "The Devil's Advocate" due to the closing scene and end credits, even though it came decades after.  

#69 - Those Were The Days - Mary Hopkin  (1968)
Things looked pretty promising for Apple Records when The Beatles' "Hey Jude" and Mary Hopkin's "Those Were The Days" started racing up the charts. 

#68 - Kind Of A Drag - The Buckinghams  (1966)
The first National #1 Hit for one of our local heroes. 

#67 - I Got You, Babe - Sonny and Cher  (1965)
In 1965 the rest of the world learned what "hippies" were!  (Sonny and Cher already knew ... in fact, they personified the image.  SO weird to see Sonny performing in a tux and Cher in beautiful gowns a few years later.)   

#66 - Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron - The Royal Guardsmen  (1967)
A novelty hit that hung around the top of the charts for quite a while in late '66 and early '67.  

#65 - Incense And Peppermints - The Strawberry Alarm Clock  (1967)
The song voted by our readers as The #1 Psychedelic Song of All-Time.
(You can check out the complete list here):
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs   

#64 - The Sounds Of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel  (1966) 
The Dynamic Duo scored their break-through hit with this one in early '66 when Columbia Records added an electric guitar and rock drums to their previously released folk track.  

#63 - Hello, I Love You - The Doors  (1968) 
A #1 Record ... trust me, they'll be back again before this countdown is over.


#62 - Rag Doll - The Four Seasons  (1964) 
One of my all-time favorites by The Jersey Boys.


#61 - This Diamond Ring - Gary Lewis and the Playboys  (1965) 
A #1 Hit ... and one of my all-time favorites of the '60's.  Written by Al Kooper ... who says that to this day he can't STAND the Gary Lewis version of his song!  (lol)




The countdown continues tomorrow in Forgotten Hits.