Wumbo Ranks Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Charts! (Ahhh, the deed is done.)

[Sweat]

2 hours ago, 4EverGreen said:

Thoughts on: "With Arms Wide Open; Back At One; Bye Bye Bye; Jumpin, Jumpin; I Hope You Dance; He Wasn't Man Enough;" and "My Love Is Your Love" when you have the time, please.

oh yeah i forgot about that "With Arms Wide Open; Back at One; Bye Bye Bye; Jumpin Jumpin; I Hope You Dance; He Wasn't Man Enough" medley that hit the charts

[4EverGreen]

They are ALL separate songs, or did you NOT notice the semicolons that were separating the titles of each song?

[Wumbo]

"Big Pimpin'": Another one of the great rap songs of the early 2000s. Just narrowly missed my list for the meme song instead. I don't know what I'm doing.

"All the Small Things": I honestly think I like blink-182 best in their self-titled days, but this is still a damn fun track that is emblematic of this era. Actually, I'm surprised more pop punk didn't show up.

"Oops I Did It Again": Britney Spears gets way too much shit, and I think it's around now when people are finally re-writing her history. She really was one of the great pop divas in music, and had the tunes to back it up, this being one of them.

"Breathe": Again, a proper example of pop country done right by Faith Hill. Not like that certain other song.

"Maria Maria": Ugh, I can't hear this anymore without Rihanna singing "nakey nakey naked". But there are worse things, I suppose. That is still a killer guitar riff, but "Smooth" obviously has it beat in every way.

"Blue (Da Ba Dee)": I still find some charm in this one, even if it is one of the stupidest hit songs of all time. I dunno, there's something to the synth riff at the end of each chorus. I'm a sucker for a good Eurodance beat, what can I say?

"Amazed": Kind of bland, but sincere enough that it was saved from my bottom half.

"Say My Name": I don't think I'll ever be a full-fledged Destiny's Child fan, but this song isn't too bad. "Independent Women" was still their best song this year, though.

"Better off Alone": This one kind of veers into annoying territory for me, but I can't deny the lasting impact this song has had. I feel like I still hear it everywhere, and yet I don't. It sticks with you, whether you want it to or not.

"Shake Ya Ass": DMX is kind of like the porridge that's just right in the three bears story, while Ja Rule is too cold and Mystikal is too hot. There's only so much I can take of this style.

"Meet Virginia": Why isn't this lower? It's pretty emblematic of all the problems Train would have in their later career, and the tune certainly doesn't hold up like "Drops of Jupiter" does. Chalk this one up to blinding nostalgia, I guess.

"Desert Rose": I'm not sure how well Sting handles other genres of music besides reggae rock, but I have to give him credit for trying at least. Song's good enough.

"Thong Song": Too stupid to really hate that much, but this is still a damn embarrassing tune.

"Then the Morning Comes": I'm still waiting for the music history books to re-write their takes on Smash Mouth. Nah, they were a good, solid band, with more than "All Star" to take credit for. I actually like this one a lot, but admittedly there's only so much of Steve Harwell's half-singing voice I can take at once. "Walkin' on the Sun" forever though, that song fuckin' rules.

"Take a Picture": I actually like Filter a lot, but I have no idea what they're doing here. It still works; I like the song a fair bit, but I much prefer their heavier, more industrial stuff.

"Everything You Want": Vertical Horizon was a band we rightfully gave one-hit wonder status for being completely unremarkable in every way. I mean, sheesh. Imagine having this as your magnum opus.

"Hot Boyz": Missy Elliott and Timbaland do it again. Not much more to add here.

"Music": Upon re-evaluation, this isn't... terrible? Maybe it'e because I've been exposed to so much below-average Madonna music doing this, but this is innocuous at worst.

"Only God Knows Why": Kid Rock fucking sucks. It is purely blinding nostalgia keeping this one so high, and it's still in the bottom half.

"Try Again": Aaliyah, a frequent in my best lists, ironically couldn't get there with her biggest hit. It's still quite a good song, but I've heard better from her.

"There You Go": I'm not sure how I feel about Pink's early, early stuff. I think she's still kinda coming into her own here, not a fully developed artist yet. Kind of interesting to re-visit her at her larva stage, actually. Still a good song, but she would go on to do so much more.

"Most Girls": This one doesn't work nearly as well, though. I don't hate it, but I can't see myself ever really choosing to listen to this again.

"How Do You Like Me Now?!": This is just fucking awful. From the smug macho posturing to invoking harassment as a prank... fuck this song, seriously. AND RED SOLO CUP WAS NEVER THAT FUNNY ok I'm done

"Get it On Tonite": So Montell Jordan wasn't technically a one-hit wonder, but he may as well have been. This is passable at best.

"Faded": This is one of the weirdest songs on the list. It's almost Maroon 5-ish in that desperate attempt for a rock band to get pop appeal. Thrust adds absolutely nothing to a song which didn't have much going for it to begin with.

"With Arms Wide Open": Still better than "Higher", but not by much. They're certainly cut from the same cloth, but at least this one doesn't sound like dogshit all the way through.

"Back at One": This is that boilerplate R&B I was talking about. I barely remember this one.

"Bye Bye Bye": Again, there's at least a recognizable groove to this one, but it's completely squandered on this preening performance from JT. Backstreet Boys forever.

"Jumpin', Jumpin'": Barely remember how this one goes, either. Not so good for supposedly one of the defining girl groups of a generation.

"I Hope You Dance": A perfectly plain country ballad that severely suffered from overplay in its time, and I'm still not sure I'm over it.

"He Wasn't Man Enough": A great groove can't save Toni Braxton from being the poor man's Whitney Houston, but it saves the song enough, I guess.

"My Love is Your Love": And speaking of which, definitely one of the weirder songs in Whitney's catalog, but at least it's not boring.

And with that, we have 12 more months left of this project! Yep, one full year to go. Amazing, I never thought I would take it this far. So the year that's (supposedly) for June is...

1969

Nice.

[Joe Biden]

shidd, almost thought 1969 was the year of born to be wild but it was '68 dam

 

Still looks like an interesting year though, with The Beatles, The Doors, Creedence, etc.

[Sweat]

I feel like the most proper way to rate Creed songs is just to take the percentage of the track's run-time that doesn't have Scott's singing.

[Wumbo]

10 hours ago, Halibut said:

I feel like the most proper way to rate Creed songs is just to take the percentage of the track's run-time that doesn't have Scott's singing.

His voice actually can work if the song calls for just bursts of rage. It's why I don't actually mind songs like "Torn" and "Bullets",

...I know way the fuck too many Creed songs.

[4EverGreen]

1969, the year for The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane (or at the very least, they SHOULD be on the list if they aren't), and probably a lot of other acts who played at the first Woodstock this year will be featured. I'm banking that a song by The Beatles, or The Rolling Stones, will be on the top of the list!  We'll have to wait and see!  Enough said! 

[Wumbo]

so i know this still ain't out yet

and i feel like a pos for it believe me

these past few months have been exceptionally rough for me, and it has caused this project to take a grinding halt

but i promise you this will be coming out sometime this month, most likely after the spongebob list is done. i gotta kick this back into gear

[Wumbo]

So, uh... this is late.

Yeah, no need to go on about how late this is when I should have had two of these lists out by now, but anyway, 1969! How was it? Well, it was... okay? Honestly, I was expecting a lot more from this list. I barely recognized many of these songs. It didn't really have that iconic feel to it the way years before and after it did. Not to mention that for some reason this was a Top 101 list due to a "tie" at the bottom. So, even ignoring all the shit that went down, it was kind of a slog to get through on its own, not gonna lie here. But I still came out of it with a Best and Worst list to present to you... and we all know which one comes first.

Wumbo's Bottom 10 Hits of 1969

Spoiler

 

You know, sometimes you just have to call out boring music for being boring. I seem to do that a lot on these lists, so let's get things started right.

10. "More Today Than Yesterday" - Spiral Starecase

 

Okay, maybe we can go with boring and annoying, because... this guy's voice... is really pissing me off. Especially on the chorus where he just belts with all the charisma of a toddler who wants his mom to buy him ice cream. What is up with singers and mistaking singing for yelling?

Beyond that, though, not much to say here. That's not how you spell "staircase" either, but I'm sure I'm missing some kind of clever pun there. Whatever. I hate this song more today than yesterday, because today I actually have to write about it.

 

Spoiler

 

Speaking of boring...

9. "Love (Can Make You Happy)" - Mercy

 

Would anyone object to me just skipping analysis on these songs? I'm already behind in this, no need to waste time on songs about which I have nothing to say. Ugh... I dunno, this feels like a church song. I think it's the organ at the end of the chorus. Beyond that, there's really nothing to say here. It's literally titled "Love Can Make You Happy". What am I supposed to do with that? Yes! Love can make you happy! But I don't think you're the first to figure that out, not by a long shot!

There have been infinitely more interesting songs about love before and after this one. I got no use for this. Next!

 

Spoiler

 

 

Look, I don't hate Tom Jones, okay? He gave us this song, which in turn gave us this moment on Fresh Prince... it's pretty impossible to hate him after that. But oh god, for the most part, I absolutely cannot get into his music.

I'm not even sure why... I think it's the showmanship. His songs always feel so artificial to me, like he doesn't mean a word of what he's singing. He's certainly a talented singer, but I never feel the music when I hear one of his songs. So when there's no actual interesting music to feel in the first place, well... that's how he winds up on one of these lists.

8. "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" - Tom Jones

 

This was around the time when Tom Jones' star was beginning to fade a bit, so his manager forced him into more of a crooner type to appeal more widely to the masses. I mean, it worked... eventually. This song was actually first released in 1967, but it was only the re-release in 1969 that made it big on the US charts. I guess 1969 was the year we were finally ready for this...?

Like I said, Tom Jones has a good voice. But he's no Bill Medley. Again, he's just too showy with his presentation style, like he never lets the singing speak for itself. And thus, I don't feel this, and if I don't feel his performance, well, there's nothing else to really latch onto here. Sorry, Tom Jones. I'm not exactly falling in love with this song.

 

Spoiler

 

 

It's hard to even quantify the legacy that Johnny Cash has held in the country world. Many people would think of him as the first country singer that even pops into their mind. And he has certainly earned that fame, with classic song after classic song, his Folsom Prison album, his haunting cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt"... the man is a legend.

But he had his limits. And I don't think anyone could have made this corny thing put to music sound good.

7. "A Boy Named Sue" - Johnny Cash

 

So this was written by Shel Silverstein, purveyor of classic children's poem collections and books. But for the most part, he was a silly writer. He wrote admittedly charming poems, but this isn't one of them. This is just... stupid. It's a story about a dad who left his family at a young age and named his son "Sue". And the guy grows up living a hard life because his name is Sue. Haw haw, gendered names, am I right?! So he tracks down his dad and they start fighting, and it's just unpleasant. Like, this is supposed to be a joke song, but it's not really that funny at all. It's just kind of a dumb story.

And to have Johnny Cash perform this seems beneath him. I could see someone like Ray Stevens having a take on this song, but to hear Johnny Cash mumble his way through this ugly poem... it's a waste of Cash. I guess he needed something "lighthearted" (?) after performing a concert in prison, but this is way too far down the dial. And I can't stand it. Johnny, you're better than this.

 

Spoiler

 

6. "Jean" - Oliver

 

Ugh. I really wish I disliked more interesting songs. But here we are once again, with one of the most boring ballads I can remember. This is the guy that's also responsible for "Good Morning Starshine", which is a dull, white-bread song in its own right, but at least has a modicum of cheer to it. This is just a slog through and through. If it does it for you, that's great, but I can't think of any reason I would want to listen to this.

 

Spoiler

 

I don't think that bubblegum pop is my genre, either.

5. "Dizzy" - Tommy Roe

 

See, there's something to this one with the drum work - I like the drums here. But, oh god, Tommy Roe. There's definitely something I don't like about his voice here, particularly on the chorus. It just feels like this nasal whine to me. And even in this genre, we had better artists like The Monkees churning out better, more memorable hits than this. It's hard for me to think of any reason to listen to this, so I don't think I shall talk about it any further, either. So there.

 

Spoiler

 

And of course, we can't talk about bubblegum pop while neglecting to mention this piece of trash song. Which, I'd like to point out, just in case anyone doesn't know, was the #1 song of this year. I don't understand.

4. "Sugar, Sugar" - The Archies

 

Say what you will about Tommy Roe. At least he had the dignity of being a real person. No, you know what, even that's not fair. Virtual bands as a concept can work, just look at Gorillaz, for god's sake. But this? This is absolutely pathetic.

Even for meaningless, mindless lovey-dovey bubblegum pop, these are some bottom of the barrel lyrics. Nothing here other than comparing love to the sweetness of candy and meaningless platitudes like "I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you". Christ, now I know where Minnie Riperton got her inspiration.

And if this got big simply because people liked Archie comics at the time, well, that's even sadder. I get the appeal of the comics themselves; they're harmless, teenage drama fun, y'know, Archie's the all-around good guy with his ragtag group of pals and two girlfriends. Free love, man. But to put these characters in a fictional band, and to have the song be this bland, dopey, and pointless? Yeah, even if Archie comics were popular, I don't get the appeal of this at all. It's a nothing song, it's filler. Much like the empty calories in sugar-filled things, this song has absolutely no substance. Do yourself a favour and listen to something better than this for an enriching experience.

 

Spoiler

 

3. "Smile a Little Smile for Me" - The Flying Machine

 

So, what do you get when you have bottom-of-the-barrel pop rock mixed with some truly condescending lyrics? You get this song! I mean, holy shit. This is literally that creep on the street telling women to smile, put to music. Maybe not that bad, but I'm not inclined to give this dreary-sounding song any points.

It seems pretty obvious to me that this song, and maybe even this band, are simply attempting to rip off late-career Beatles here. I get a lot of Strawberry Fields vibes from this song. But Strawberry Fields used its atmosphere to ground its nonsensical, ethereal lyrics. It doesn't work when you just have a straightforward song like this, set to this music. The two don't connect. And it makes for a particularly dull, dreary-sounding song that probably comes off a lot more sour than it should. I'd say swing and a miss, but this is more so like hitting the ump with your bat. Just a colossal failure of a song.

 

Spoiler

 

 

There was no shortage of hippy-dippy folk rock in the 60s, whether the songs erred towards a pessimistic or optimistic approach. But at the very least, these songs usually had something of substance to say. Whether it was the grumbling roar of Barry McGuire's pessimism, or the plea for love and brotherhood in The Youngbloods' "Get Together", there was usually something of substance to latch on to.

The worst case scenario, of course, would be when you disappear up your own ass and make a song that's completely meaningless, hollow, and worthless to listen to. That's what happened here.

2. "In the Year 2525" - Zager & Evans

 

This song just flat pisses me off. It is such a self-indulgent, meaningless piece of shit. Wow! So your thesis statement is that, in future, things change?? Do tell me more!

And, whatever. If this was a genuine look at the future, like say, 30 years on, then I could see it being somewhat poignant. Not the way it's structured, as each moment in time gets ten seconds at most, but you could at least see what the point of it is. This shit, however, goes the extra mile by nonsensically going 600 years into the future and then going farther and farther. Who cares? None of us will be alive by then, even today, so these predictions will never come to fruition. And if you're not using this song to make a meaningful statement about our future and where we're going, then what the hell are you doing?

I hate this. I really, truly hate this. You can't just pick up a couple of guitars, sing in morose tones, and hope that makes your song meaningful. This is worthless dreck. And yet... there was still one hit song even worse than this in 1969. Let's find out what it is, shall we?

 

Spoiler

 

 

Of course, when you're talking about folk rock in the 60s, eventually the conversation has to steer back to Bob Dylan, the main proprietor of the genre. There's been talk recently on our Discord about whether Dylan was ever really that good, similar to our discussions on the classic SpongeBob episodes like "Band Geeks". But that discussion is all said and done, so let's talk about Bob Dylan.

 

I don't think it can really be denied how influential Bob Dylan's music was. Like I said, he basically kick-started folk rock as a genre and made it prominent throughout the 60s and 70s, inspiring many artists to come. That said, he was not untouchable. He did have his share of dud songs, particularly after the 60s. And personally, I would point to this song as the first example that something was going wrong.

1. "Lay Lady Lay" - Bob Dylan

 

I suppose we should start off with Bob Dylan's new singing style. Most people know him for his nasal voice, grating if you weren't feeling charitable. But it was distinct, and it helped to carve out his identity as one of the most prominent folk singers of his time. I don't have a clue what he's doing on this chorus. It almost sounds like a joke, like he had to release a song on a short timeline and just decided to shit this out rather than trying. It sounds awful, and that's not even getting into the lyrics.

"Lay, lady, lay/Lay across my big brass bed" is a particular sort of bad that I can't even really explain. It just sounds corny, and whatever you want to say about Bob Dylan as a performer, his lyrics were almost always on point. Again, this feels like a joke song, or at the very least, rushed. And this is my #1 because it's easily the most disappointing song on the list. I don't know who Zager & Evans really are, but I know who Bob Dylan is. And Dylan, you are so much better.

 

[Sweat]

"It's Wumbo, he's the biggest Bobby Dylan fan" - Falco

[4EverGreen]

You know what's REALLY amazing about the song "Sugar, Sugar", by The Archies? It was ORIGINALLY offered to The Monkees to sing, and even THEY shot it DOWN!  You KNOW a song's NOT going to be respected if you have to create an even MORE artificial band than The Monkees, in order to get the song on the radio!  Other than that song, I really didn't hear any of the other songs, other than, "In the Year 2525", and I'm glad that I'm NOT the only person who ALWAYS thought of that song as HIGHLY over-rated!  I can't wait to hear the good songs!  Enough said! 

[CyanideFishbone]

 

Edited August 13, 2018 by CyanideFishbone

[Wumbo]

3 hours ago, CyanideFishbone said:

 

only acceptable version

[Wumbo]

All right! Let's finally finish this year off. I don't know if this was a particularly great year for pop music, but it did still have some great songs. No need to ramble here, let's just get to it!

Wumbo's Top 10 Hits of 1969

Spoiler

 

 

A big influence on the charts this year was the musical Hair, a musical about no-good dirty hippies. The 60s was slowly growing more and more political in its music scenes as the years went by; this was kind of the apex of that counterculture movement. A whole musical dedicated to hippie lifestyles. Curiously, though, none of the original songs appeared on the year-end list this year. To do that, you had to cover one of them. And to get on my list, you had to do a damn good job of it.

10. "Hair" - The Cowsills

 

Yeah, the original of this song is good, but this is just pure 60s hippie culture. It is this song at its most perfect state. The harmonies really sell this one, as do the pounding drums kicking in after the first verse. I can't say that I personally relate to this song, as I've always been a short-haired guy. I mean, who wants that? It gets in your eyes and ears and everything... ugh. But I suppose that with this song, the appeal becomes a lot more understandable to me. It's moreso a symbol of that counterculture than anything. We don't play by your rules, maaan! We're gonna grow our hair as long as we want to! As I said, The Cowsills took this song to perfection, and I have to respect it for being such an iconic song of the era. Plus, that "Star-Spangled Banner" bit is just pure kitsch brilliance. See, it can work and be charming! Just within the right context. Gimme a head with hair! Long beautiful hair...

 

Spoiler

 

You know, I wasn't kidding about Hair's influence on the pop charts. It also had a pretty big influence on my own list. As another example...

9. "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" - The 5th Dimension

 

I love this song. It's another one of those iconic 60s songs. It seems to have absolutely everything that made 60s music so great. Powerful soulful voices, psychedelia, two big singalong choruses. This song was absolutely made to be a pop hit and definitely deserves to be mentioned among the all-time great pop songs. There's really not much I can add to this song that would make it any better than it already is. You'd think the transition between the two parts of the song would be jarring, but it's somehow done near-seamlessly. And that is one hell of a bassline on "Let the Sunshine In". What a fantastic tune. Just makes you feel good to be alive, y'know?

 

Spoiler

 

The year was 1969, and Beatlemania was still running rampant. The Beatles managed to score three hits on the year-end chart this year, and guess what? All three of them appear on my Top 10 list.

No, not kidding.

For this was the year of Abbey Road, my personal favourite Beatles album. And the two songs off of that album are some of my favourite Beatles songs of all time. So let's get this ball a'rollin', shall we?

8. "Come Together" - The Beatles

 

"Come Together" has always been one of my favourite Beatles songs. It's indicative of how much they've changed from their original poppy sound, and how much music has changed with them. I've always preferred later Beatles, and "Come Together" is a good example of why. It might be, for all intents and purposes, lyrically incoherent, but the mood it sets is more than enough to make up for it. It's slinky and sly, yet rough around the edges. I love Lennon's vocals on this; it makes the content of the song feel all the more distant-sounding and mysterious. I can't hope to ever really understand this song myself, but you can be that I groove out to it every time.

 

Spoiler

 

Now, despite 1969 being just as big a year for The Beatles as the years before, it was also a rocky year for them personally which eventually led to their breakup as a band. No band can last forever, and The Beatles went out spectacularly with one final concert performance: the famous rooftop concert of 1969. And this was the last song played during that concert.

7. "Get Back" - The Beatles with Billy Preston

 

The Beatles did three takes of this song on the rooftop, the most of any of the songs they played. Clearly, it must have been a crowd favourite at the time. Billy Preston is always a welcome help on any track, of course. This was probably his big break, being credited with the most famous band of all time and often being referred to as a "fifth Beatle". Hey, good on him.

I don't really have much to say about the song itself. It's just a fun track that really marries together The Beatles' and Billy Preston's styles. It's a simple pop rock tune, but it really works. And as a song to send off the Beatles' live performances, this one does just fine.

 

Spoiler

 

But a Top 10 list cannot live on Beatles alone. So let's take a break from them and instead focus on a rootsier band.

6. "Bad Moon Rising" - Creedence Clearwater Revival

 

Man, I feel bad for not including CCR on my top 10 lists up until now. In my defense, they didn't really have as many hits on the year-end as their reputation would suggest. But they have had some truly excellent songs that got big, and this was one of them. I really love this song. It's short, yet deliciously morbid as well. CCR managed to get across the impending doom of an apocalypse in less than three minutes. Good for them.

Yeah, CCR are just a good, solid band that I'm glad have had some presence on the Billboard charts. They brought a flavour to the charts that not many other bands did at the time. They weren't psychedelic rock or proto-metal, but they still rocked harder than most of the folk artists of the time. Just good ol' fashioned roots rock that stands the test of time so well.

 

Spoiler

 

Well, enough of different stuff. Let's get back to the same, with my final Beatles song on this list, and one of my favourites of all time. This one sure is... something. (Yeah, that's the best I can do. Deal with it.)

5. "Something" - The Beatles

 

God, I love George Harrison. Let me clarify: I love George Harrison when he was a part of The Beatles. He kinda fell off the rails afterwards, but damn if he didn't nail every song he wrote in the band. And this is declared by many to be his magnum opus, and one of the band's best songs. Simply put, it's a damn great love song. It has all the sweetness in the melody and lyrics that you need, and it has that great powerful bridge to really drive that emotion home. It's a masterpiece of a song, and it definitely belongs up there with some of The Beatles' best work. I may like other Beatles songs more now, but I'll never forget why I deemed this one once as my favourite. It's a fantastic track.

 

Spoiler

 

Okay, we're done with The Beatles for real this time. There's plenty of great music to go around in the 60s! For example...

4. "It's Your Thing" - The Isley Brothers

 

A lot of people, myself included, credit James Brown with the birth of funk music, which would rule the 70s airwaves. But I think we would be remiss not to pay some homage to the genre-hopping adapters known as The Isley Brothers, able to survive making new music for decades. And they had the ability to latch onto new trends in music effortlessly, as shown by this song. This is just a funtastic funk jam. I don't even know if there are any lyrics in this song beyond the two lines that make up the chorus. Okay, yes there are. But there really doesn't need to be. It's a fantastic jam either way, and it's survived in the public consciousness for good reason.

 

Spoiler

 

 

You know... I don't think we talk enough about Elvis's film career. And how absolutely silly, formulaic, and disposable these films were. Hmm, maybe that's why we don't talk about them.

Elvis has had such a staple place in the pop pantheon that it's hard to remember that he basically sat out most of the 60s, at least when it came to releasing hit songs. If there were songs he released in the 60s, they came off of movie soundtracks, and by all accounts they were still quite catchy...

 

Notice I said "catchy", not "good". So what is this all building up to? Well, 1969 was Elvis' big comeback year into the pop charts. And in that year, he released probably one of the best things he's ever done.

3. "Suspicious Minds" - Elvis Presley

 

It's interesting, the gap between the late 50s and the late 60s and the steps Elvis took to change his songs to fit the times. Not being able to do his "Jailhouse Rock" style anymore, he instead decided to opt for more crooning performances, but still with that rock edge. It works exceptionally well here, and I'd say apart from "Jailhouse Rock" this is my fave Elvis song. It's just got this tight groove to it that makes it so charming, and makes Elvis stand out from his peers. I love the way Elvis expresses his frustrations in the song, feeling trapped because of the suspicions he and his partner have in the relationship. But it's a surprisingly fun song too. I suppose there's this element of hope to it, that things will eventually work out and the behaviour will be changed. Whatever the case, it's an incredibly enjoyable tune and one of my favourite tracks from The King.

 

Spoiler

 

You know, when I think of soul music, my first thought is instinctively not Britain. I just don't really hear it! When I think of soul music, I think of the classic American hitmakers like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, The Temptations... but you know what? I literally just learned that this band is British tonight, and it may have caused me to reconsider my position on the matter.

2. "Build Me Up Buttercup" - The Foundations

 

I mean, my god. There's really not much more to say here. This is just one of the all-time classic soul songs, with one of the greatest, most underrated voices in soul music, Colin Young. He's got a grit to his voice that kind of gives him a rock edge. It's almost like if Rod Stewart was better. Sorry, Rod. It was my only point of comparison.

And that chorus is an all-time classic. Great one to just belt out at a drunken night at karaoke. Fantastic tune, one of the top soul songs of the 60s.

 

Spoiler

 

So the last year of the 60s seems to have been ruled by both Beatles and soul music. Two very good things to have your year ruled by, I'd say, and two very worthy candidates to take the top spots on my list. So what takes the very top spot on my list? Well, this year it goes to one of the greatest groups that Motown ever produced.

1. "I Can't Get Next to You" - The Temptations

 

God, I love this group, and I'm glad they were able to top at least one of these lists. This is an absolutely unforgettable song from a dynamic group of singers. It's yet another song in the catalog of music that paved the way for funk to rule the 70s. What better group to help it along than one of the best groups of the 60s? I just love every song these guys put out. they have such a great style with their range of singers, each one contributing a different sound. You just don't get groups like these anymore. It makes for a whole different personality in a song when multiple people are able to contribute to the singing. Love it, love it, love it. Best hit song of 1969.

 

Full List:

Spoiler

 

1. "I Can't Get Next to You" - The Temptations

2. "Build Me Up Buttercup" - The Foundations

3. "Suspicious Minds" - Elvis Presley

4. "It's Your Thing" - The Isley Brothers

5. "Something" - The Beatles

6. "Bad Moon Rising" - Creedence Clearwater Revival

7. "Get Back" - The Beatles with Billy Preston

8. "Come Together" - The Beatles

9. "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" - The 5th Dimension

10. "Hair" - The Cowsills

11. "Going in Circles" - The Friends of Distinction

12. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" - Marvin Gaye

13. "Everyday People" - Sly and the Family Stone

14. "Crystal Blue Persuasion" - Tommy James and the Shondells

15. "Touch Me" - The Doors

16. "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)" - Lou Rawls

17. "Time of the Season" - The Zombies

18. "Runaway Child, Running Wild" - The Temptations

19. "Grazing in the Grass" - The Friends of Distinction

20. "Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival

21. "Do Your Thing" - The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band

22. "My Cherie Amour" - Stevie Wonder

23. "Wedding Bell Blues" - The 5th Dimension

24. "You've Made Me So Very Happy" - Blood, Sweat & Tears

25. "Baby, I'm for Real" - The Originals

26. "The Worst That Could Happen" - Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge

27. "Get Together" - The Youngbloods

28. "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" - Jackie DeShannon

29. "Only the Strong Survive" - Jerry Butler

30. "Baby It's You" - Smith

31. "In the Ghetto" - Elvis Presley

32. "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)" - David Ruffin

33. "Laughing" - The Guess Who

34. "Twenty-Five Miles" - Edwin Starr

35. "These Eyes" - The Guess Who

36. "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" - The Supremes & The Temptations

37. "That's the Way Love Is" - Marvin Gaye

38. "Mother Popcorn" - James Brown

39. "Can I Change My Mind" - Tyrone Davis

40. "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" - Bob Seger System

41. "Color Him Father" - The Winstons

42. "Oh Happy Day" - Edwin Hawkins Singers

43. "Proud Mary" - Creedence Clearwater Revival

44. "Time Is Tight" - Booker T & the M.G.'s

45. "Easy to Be Hard" - Three Dog Night

46. "I'd Wait a Million Years" - The Grass Roots

47. "Spinning Wheel" - Blood, Sweat & Tears

48. "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" - Marvin Gaye

49. "Hang 'Em High" - Booker T & the M.G.'s

50. "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" - Crazy Elephant

51. "Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon" - Paul Revere & the Raiders

52. "Love Me Tonight" - Tom Jones

53. "Baby, I Love You" - Andy Kim

54. "Hawaii Five-O" - The Ventures

55. "This Girl's in Love with You" - Dionne Warwick

56. "Sweet Caroline" - Neil Diamond

57. "Black Pearl" - Checkmates, Ltd.

58. "Crimson and Clover" - Tommy James and the Shondells

59. "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" - Jr. Walker & The All-Stars

60. "You Showed Me" - The Turtles

61. "Everybody's Talkin'" - Harry Nilsson

62. "Hooked on a Feeling" - B.J. Thomas

63. "Soul Deep" - The Box Tops

64. "Galveston" - Glen Campbell

65. "Little Woman" - Bobby Sherman

66. "Honky Tonk Women" - The Rolling Stones

67. "I've Gotta Be Me" - Sammy Davis Jr.

68. "Things I'd Like to Say" - New Colony Six

69. "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" - The Miracles

70. "Hot Fun in the Summertime" - Sly and the Family Stone

71."When I Die" - Motherlode

72. "Tracy" - The Cuff Links

73. "The Chokin' Kind" - Joe Simon

74. "This Girl Is a Woman Now" - Gary Puckett & The Union Gap

75. "It's Getting Better" - "Mama" Cass Elliott

76. "Oh, What a Night" - The Dells

77. "Let Me" - Paul Revere & the Raiders

78. "Traces" - Classics IV

79. "Atlantis" - Donovan

80. "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" - Kenny Rogers and The First Edition

81. "One" - Three Dog Night

82. "Polk Salad Annie" - Tony Joe White

83. "Hurt So Bad" - The Lettermen

84. "Gitarzan" - Ray Stevens

85. "Sweet Cream Ladies" - The Box Tops

86. "This Magic Moment" - Jay and the Americans

87. "Games People Play" - Joe South

88. "Indian Giver" - 1910 Fruitgum Company

89. "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" - Lou Christie

90. "Good Morning Starshine" - Oliver

91. "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" - Henry Mancini

92. "More Today Than Yesterday" - Spiral Starecase

93. "Love (Can Make You Happy)" - Mercy

94. "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" - Tom Jones

95. "A Boy Named Sue" - Johnny Cash

96. "Jean" - Oliver

97. "Dizzy" - Tommy Roe

98. "Sugar, Sugar" - The Archies

99. "Smile a Little Smile for Me" - The Flying Machine

100. "In the Year 2525" - Zager & Evans

101. "Lay Lady Lay" - Bob Dylan

 

 

[Joe Biden]

Thoughts on:

Crystal Blue Persuasion

Get Together

Hooked on a Feeling

Green River

Time of the motherfuckin' Season

One

Touch Me

Sweet Caroline

[4EverGreen]

When you have a chance, thoughts on: "Honky Tonk Woman, Crimson and Clover, Hawaii Five-O, Spinning Wheel, Proud Mary, I'm Going to Make You Love Me, You've Made Me So Very Happy, My Cherie Amour, Everyday People," and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". Please and thank you in advance!  Enough said! 

[Wumbo]

"Crystal Blue Persuasion": Nice little chillout song. They're just not as subtle with their druggie songs as they used to be.

"Get Together": Love this song. Emblematic of that positive "peace and love" hippie culture.

"Hooked on a Feeling": I suppose anything is better than Blue Swede's version, but I'm still not really a fan of this guy's voice. Nice melody, though, I guess.

"Green River": More classic CCR.

"Time of the mother CLUCKING Season": I assume your profanity means you expected this to be on the best list. It certainly had a shot, but honestly, there was just too much good Beatles this year keeping it off. Still some great psychedelic rock though, some of the best of its genre.

"One": I never really liked this song. It never really evoked a mood in me other than "mopey", and I'm not the hugest Three Dog Night fan on the whole, so this never really had a chance.

"Touch Me": Definitely one of The Doors' most uplifting songs, and they do a good job with it. Great track.

"Sweet Caroline": Overplayed to HELL, but there's definitely charm to it. But the overexposure kept it from the top half, unfortunately.

"Honky Tonk Women": One of my least favourite Stones songs from their heyday, if I'm being honest with you. It's just kinda corny and cheeseball, and I prefer the Stones at their most raw and dark.

"Crimson and Clover": Never really been a fan of any version of this song, unfortunately.

"Hawaii Five-O": I usually don't like seeing TV show themes on here, but this one's fine enough, I guess.

"Spinning Wheel": Love me some Blood, Sweat & Tears. I think what sets them apart from other artists of their day is the burly, husky voice of David Clayton-Thomas. That said, I vastly prefer "You've Made Me So Very Happy".

"Proud Mary": Ike and Tina blow this version out of the water, but CCR still CCR.

"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me": I was really expecting two of the best R&B groups coming together to impress me more than it did. This is okay, but I was expecting more.

"You've Made Me So Very Happy": See above. Blood, Sweat & Tears at their finest.

"My Cherie Amour": Stevie Wonder.

"Everyday People": One of the top soul songs of the year, honestly. Man, The Beatles really blocked off a lot of amazing artists from the best list this year...

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine": Case in point. A year that leaves Marvin Gaye off the best list has to be really stellar in some areas.

Now with all THAT out of the way, I bring you (eventually...)

1999

Yep! Another "9" year. We're really blowin' through 'em now, and I've been waiting on this one for a while. I've been working on it off and on while making the best list for 1969, so hopefully this will be out sometime mid-September!

[Joe Biden]

Noice, my birth year. It's gonna be a hot one.

[4EverGreen]

"2000-zero-zero, party over, OOPS! Out of time! So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999!" Let's see, there was The Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Santana, and probably Madonna. Definitely going to be a mixed bag, all things considered, but a good number of songs will STILL be better than anything released after Michael Jackson's death! Enough said!

[President Squidward]

sugar ray someday #1 best