From easy listening and Beatlemania to psychedelia and bubblegum pop, its a treasure trove of creativity, catchy choruses and captivating storiesAs seen in The Daily Mirror and everyuknumber1.com, music journalist Rob Barker follows up his guide to the 50s with in-depth reviews and revelations on all 186 chart-toppers from the Swinging Sixties.Whether its a world-famous artist or a one-hit wonder, theres a fascinating story behind every chart-topper. The car was the UK's best-selling vehicle every year between 2009 and 2020, selling more in the UK than any other car model. It sounds brilliant when stoned. Im talking about Little Evas The Loco-Motion and Lets Dance by Chris Montez. Created for the Silver Jubilee, the highest charting punk song of all time is being rereleased for the Platinum Jubilee. Mer) - 02-60 New Orleans - 01-60 The greatest one-hit wonders of the 1960s - Planet Radio - 12-60 Cool baroque pop from good old Gene Pitney next, and Nobody Needs Your Love is one I didnt know but enjoyed. A Whiter Shade of Pale, by Procol Harum #1 for 6 weeks in June/July 1967. Yes, beloved, late comedian Ken Dodd had a UK Number 1 single, Tears was the best-selling song of 1965 and went on to become the fourth-biggest song of the decade. But thats not to say things immediately went to pot. As usual when I finish choosing my highs and lows of a decade, I take a look at the number 2s (oo-er). Next up is Like A Virgin, and Like A Prayer. The band have scored eight Number 1 singles and twelve Number 1 albums. Things are looking up in this year. If Pink Floyds career was made into a film and it should be, because what a story it would make a great, emotional ending, with Hey, Hey, Rise Up! One of the best disco songs of the decade. Prior to that it was gradually increasing. 01-60 (1) Better were to come, but its a good start Many more followed in 1979. Tina Charless I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance) isnt quite as impressive. Dr. Hook When Youre in Love with a Beautiful Woman (1979). Start walkin! Still electrifying. and to a lesser extent I Love You Love Me Love would still be fondly remembered were it not for the obvious. The originality of My Sweet Lord may be debated but Harrison did the job with this lovely hymn that transcends devotion to one God. Fun chart fact: During it's time at Number 1, Release Me blocked another release by the Beatles, Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever, from reaching the top of the chart, ending theFab Fours track record of 11 consecutive Number 1 singles. Tears comes from a time when Dodd had a very successful career as a musical recording artist, before he pivoted to comedy. How strange that these progressive rockers, famous for their dreamy soundscapes, should somehow capture the mood of so many disaffected youths. Stayin Alive was the albums true classic, but this does nicely. The unnerving, pitch-shifted vocal. Great vocal and nice synth sound too. ", The Beatles' Official Charts history in full, View Tom Jones' Official Charts history here, View John Lennon's Official Charts history in full now, View The Seekers' Official Charts history in full here, View Ken Dodd's Official Charts history in full here. in 1670, in which Razin allegedly killed a Prussian Princess whom he held captive (fun!!). Songs from the Grease soundtrack were everywhere that year, with Youre the One That I Want and Summer Nights enjoying 16 weeks in total in the top spot. A month or so ago I ranked my Top 10 #1 singles of the 1950s. So, as usual, Ill pick a best and worst for each year of the decade, and then an overall pick for best and worst of the decade. For any song to rank above this selection, it obviously has to be great. And the last track, George Harrisons Blue Jay Way, holds a special place in my heart, as believe it or not, its the song that really turned me on to the Fab Four. The first ever number 1 by a UK woman, Wuthering Heights introduced the world to one of our most unique songwriting talents. Speaking of comedy accents, Pat Boones Speedy Gonzales has some hilarious cliched Mexican wailing at the start, and then none other than Mel Blanc, voice of Speedy himself, makes an appearance! Every 70s Number 2 June 2, 2022 The Intro Artists with the Most Number Ones Their first album, Doctor Hook, spawned Sylvias Mother, a cheeky dig at teen-heartbreak ballads. 2-60 I think Ooh, let me have it/let me grab your soul away captures the way not only Cathy feels, but how anyone totally lost in love feels, and the resolution in Its me, Cathy is beautiful. But this really stood out as being offensively bad to me. As we know, the story goes that punk gave pop a much-needed shot in the arm. ABBA bow out of the decade on the number 1 front with the catchy-as-hell Take a Chance on Me. About everyHit | Record breakers | Award / Poll Winners | Number 1s | FAQs | Contact us: Chart Archive - 1960s Singles. I can totally see why Waters increasing takeover of the group has its critics, and that many find The Wall bloated and self-obsessed, but I love it. A memorable promo film was made for the single. Only a small selection, but theyre all pretty good. Still astounds me how a Mormon boyband in effect pulled a Monkees and decided to rock out and play their own instruments. We're always finding errors - but OCC don't have any reliable means of accepting feedback - and don't seem interested. I really struggle with Frankie Vallis voice most of the time, and Rag Doll by The Four Seasons is no exception. The Osmonds are back with Let Me In, which was familiar with me thanks to The Avalanches sampling it on Since I Left You in 2000. A year later Waters released The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking and went public in saying he believed Pink Floyd were done. Not a patch on Im Not in Love, but the tune is infectious as we all know. Read my original musings here. This one-hit wonder for the French band in spacesuits was highly influential, on fellow countrymen Air and Daft Punk, to name just a couple. Fly - 03-60 Mama is awful. Things start to get weirder, and theres some brilliant stuff here. Its aged very well. Weve then got the number 1 debut of one of the biggest stars of the next decade, as The Jacksons had their only number 1 with Show You the Way to Go. And Im not exactly the worlds biggest ABBA fan. The Pushbike Song by Australian band The Mixtures, is a very obvious copy of Mungo Jerrys In the Summertime, but I cant help but enjoy it anyway. He was by now the equivalent of Bez in Happy Mondays, or Davy Jones in The Monkees, mostly just shaking maracas. The latters languid, melodic guitar lines and soft vocals were the perfect counterpoint to Waters anger and satire. Their dystopian disco classic Another Brick in the Wall (Part II) gave them their sole number 1 and was the final chart-topper of the decade, striking a sombre tone for the advent of the Thatcher era. But then pop went through the equivalent of a mid-life crisis. Max Harris - Gurney Slade - 12-60 Ken Boothe flies the reggae flag proudly with the lovely Everything I Own. - 10-60 The Leicester band were riding high from their New Faces win and penned this debut single. Its a close runner-up for best of the year and is the cheeriest Fuck you to Maccas critics youll ever here. A controversial classic next, as The Rolling Stones got to number 2 for the last time with Brown Sugar/Bitch/Let It Rock. Such primitive simplicity, and I love the flute. Classic uplifting gospel next courtesy of the Edwin Hawkins Singers. Its really bad. White nigger was a slur used against Irish Catholics and Costellos grandfather was called it while serving the British Army. Writing this blog has made me more appreciative of them though, especially when you compare them to what else was happening particularly at this point. So What You Do, which was new to me, isnt as good, but its a decent enough slow. In fact, there isnt a truly awful track. Here are the 100 best songs from the '60s. Gary Numan has always been adored by his Numanoids but to the general public hes often derided as a David Bowie and Kraftwerk impersonator. Also loved Just One Look by The Hollies, though originally by Doris Troy. If you think too much about it, the way he sings the title could still annoy it is a cod-Jamaican accent, theres no escaping it. I used to think Rocket Man was merely Elton John ripping off Space Oddity, but its grown on me over the last year or so. How Can I Be Sure is OK, I guess. Perry Como - Delaware - 03-60 The year begins with an overlong blast of circus music courtesy of Leo Sayer and his first hit, The Show Must Go On. This successful hit by the American rock band The Beach Boys topped charts in several countries including the UK and the US, making it one of the most popular songs in the 1960s.. It's Now Or Never returned to Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart for one week in 2005, after a re-issue campaign, gifting the King his 21st UK Number 1. The seeds sown by punk finally bear fruit properly, and how. Take a closer look though and its not that straightforward, as everyone seemed to love Middle of the Roads Chirpy Chirpy Cheep their name was perhaps more appropriate than anyone gave them credit for. Wow. Take Good Care Of My Baby ~ Bobby Vee 8. The only negative aspect to Oh Well is that they didnt do more with that riff, because its as good as any early Led Zeppelin. Shakin' All Over ~ Johnny Kidd & The Pirates 4. The original Hey! It helped usher The Beatles into superstardom in their native UK, as well as breaking sales records at the time, it being one of five singles by the group to dominate the Top 5 of the Official Singles Chart at the time. (excuse me while I fangirl over them) Perfect choice for number 1, Id say, and thanks for pointing that out! But then I also wonder, is that for the best? Duane Eddy is back with another pretty cool instrumental. And then the next act to narrowly miss number 1 was The Bee Gees! Realising they needed to get their act together, they shortened their name to Dr Hook, signed with Capitol Records and penned their own material for a new album. Atom Heart Mother (1970) was better, featuring an interesting 20-minute-plus title track and some pastoral rock. Following the Falklands War, Waters suggested Pink Floyd follow-up with a sequel-of-sorts, delving deeper into the loss of his father in the Second World War and linking it to Thatchers jingoistic response to the conflict with Argentina that made her into a hero to many. Comedian Harry Seacombe puts in a typically over-the-top performance of This Is My Song, also a number 1 this year for Petula Clark. Its so bad. One of my favourite Beach Boys classics might have innocent enough lyrics but anyone whos ever overdone it at a festival gets the double meaning of the lyrics. And discover what was really going on as the crowds screamed to Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Supremes, The Beach Boys, The Bee Gees, Dusty Springfield, Marvin Gaye and so many more.Find out why superstars like Frank Sinatra and Sandie Shaw hated some of their own number one songs. Needles and Pins, by The Searchers #1 for 3 weeks in January/February 1964. Other than an accidental meeting with him in Harrods a few years later, in which Barrett ran away, it was the last time any of Pink Floyd saw him. The combination of Stings memorable three-note bass line with the drums was more than good enough on its own, but the icing on the cake was Summers idea to add the clanging guitar echo after the bass notes throughout. and writers listed have web links, but sites for some performers have not been Wilderness - 01-60 Best Songs of the 1960s | Top 100 Hits of the '60s - Paste Magazine This is the only number 1 song I dislike in the whole year. The Shoop Shoop Song (Its in His Kiss), by Cher. Osmond and Cassidy are back once more and the formers two number 1s are not quite as sickly as Puppy Love from the year previous. The latter had an incredible year, notching up three chart-toppers, two of which are undeniable classics. Now pop music was for grown-ups again, and this glossy hit led the way. So, without further ado, let's get into it. I thought Mary Hopkin was a one-hit wonder, but I was surprised when I heard Goodbye that I didnt realise it was her. From troubled crooner Michael Holliday to disgraced Rolf Harris, its an incredible chronicle of a monumental decade. Slade made the gritty film Flame in 1974, seemingly to prove there was more to them than the crazy outfits and excellent pop songs. The optimism of the decades first number 1 by Edison Lighthouse seemed a hundred years ago. Charles Aznavours She and John Denvers Annies Song dont do much for me, though. Geldof had managed the impossible, although Gilmour had originally refused and it took a call from Waters to persuade him. All Right Now by Free and Lola by The Kinks are still evergreen rock classics. Less famous is Neanderthal Man by session musicians Hotlegs, later known as 10cc. T Rex really were on fire in the early 70s. Dont Go Breaking My Heart is a still-charming bit of disco. Wright returned but only as a salaried musician rather than band member. your comments and corrections are always To try and sum up this period would take a blog in itself. She Loves You is not just the biggest-selling single of the 1960s, its also still the biggest-seller by The Beatles. He asked Barrett what he thought of it and he replied It sounds a bit old. periods when the very latest hits are not yet listed. Its long been believed that some of the greatest songs of all time missed out on the top spot. This policy was a big vote winner among those who finally had a chance to own their ow homes. Alvin Stardust makes his one and only appearance here, but Jealous Mind is weirdly disjointed and only got where it did because of the previous success of the superior My Coo Ca Choo. For Me - 11-60 In fact, disco is easily the highlight of the year, represented pretty well by this and The Real Things You to Me Are Everything one of the years highlights. Elviss influence appears on Billy Furys version of the 1925 tango Jealousy, which is pretty good.