1964
1. A Change is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke
2. My Girl, The Temptations
3. I'm a Loser, The Beatles
4. A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles
5. You Really Got Me, The Kinks
6. You Never Can Tell, Chuck Berry
7. Dancing in the Street, Martha and the Vandellas
8. I Get Around, The Beach Boys
9. House of the Rising Sun, The Animals
10. The Way You Do The Things You Do, The Temptations
*This was by far the hardest year for me to narrow down and I had to leave some really great songs off. The 2nd 10 would probably be as good as the top 10 in some other years.
*You can hear the influence that Dylan had on Sam Cooke. The #1 entry here is much different from Cooke's earlier love songs. There's more of an edge to his voice and the lyrics are a very powerful symbol of the civil rights movement. This song moved me more than any other I've listened to in this project.
*Great vocals on both of the Temptations entries and they were by two different lead singers. The opening notes of "My Girl" are just beautiful. Smokey Robinson wrote both songs.
*"I'm a Loser" is another song influenced by Dylan. Not even released as a single, it is one of the most underrated Beatles songs.
*Two of the biggest Supremes hits were this year (Baby Love, Where Did Our Love Go) and I like them well enough, but the Martha & the Vandellas song at #7 blows them out of the water.
*Out of jail after a two year sentence, Chuck Berry returned with the terrific album St. Louis to Liverpool, which aside from "You Never Can Tell" (used in Pulp Fiction), also featured "No Particular Place to Go", "Brenda Lee", and "Promised Land".
*I love the sound of The Animals. "House of the Rising Sun" is a haunting song.
*In February, the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time and Beatlemania was born. The British Invasion soon followed.
*Sam Cooke died on December 11, shot by a woman who claimed self defense. Investigators eventually ruled it was a justifiable homicide. Whatever happened, it is sad that we lose yet another musical genius right at the peak of his creative and popular success.
DigitalDreamDoor Top 120
Billboard Top 30
1. I Want To Hold Your Hand, Beatles
2. She Loves You, Beatles
3. Hello, Dolly!, Louis Armstrong
4. Oh, Pretty Woman, Roy Orbison
5. I Get Around, Beach Boys
6. Everybody Loves Somebody, Dean Martin
7. My Guy, Mary Wells
8. We'll Sing In The Sunshine, Gale Garnett
9. Last Kiss, J. Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers
10. Where Did Our Love Go, Supremes
11. People, Barbara Streissand
12. Java, Al Hirt
13. A Hard Day's Night, Beatles
14. Love Me Do, Beatles
15. Do Wah Diddy Diddy, Manfred Mann
16. Please Please Me, Beatles
17. Dancing In The Street, Martha & The Vandellas
18. Little Children, Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas
19. Love Me With All Your Heart, Ray Charles Singers
20. Under The Boardwalk, Drifters
21. Chapel Of Love, Dixie Cups
22. Suspicion, Terry Stafford
23. Glad All Over, Dave Clark Five
24. Rag Doll, Four Seasons
25. Dawn (Go Away), Four Seasons
26. Bread And Butter, Newbeats
27. It Hurts To Be In Love, Gene Pitney
28. Dead Man's Curve, Jan & Dean
29. Come A Little Bit Closer, Jay & The Americans
30. A World Without Love, Peter & Gordon
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs
#12 - A Change is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke
#34 - You've Lost That Lovin Feelin, The Righteous Brothers
#40 - Dancing in the Street, Martha and the Vandellas
#59 - The Times They Are a-Changin, Bob Dylan
#70 - Walk On By, Dionne Warwick
#80 - You Really Got Me, The Kinks
#123 - House of the Rising Sun, The Animals
#154 - A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles
#178 - Don't Worry Baby, The Beach Boys
#224 - Oh, Pretty Woman, Roy Orbison
#269 - Walking in the Rain, The Ronettes
#284 - Chapel of Love, The Dixie Cups
#295 - Can't Buy Me Love, The Beatles
#297 - She's Not There, The Zombies
#332 - Baby Love, The Supremes
#404 - Remember, The Shangri-las
#436 - Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, Solomon Burke
#454 - Leader of the Pack, The Shangri-las
#475 - Where Did Our Love Go?, The Supremes
#489 - Under the Boardwalk, The Drifters