Best of the Rest of the Top 40: 1964

Cafe Society
1

Our survey now brings us once again to the year of the British Invasion. Most of the Beatles’ hits this year are disqualified for having reached #1, but there’s still several of their songs in this list of 25, along with a quite interesting mix of other stuff. What’s your favorite?

Previous polls: 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963

Best #1 single polls: 1955-56 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s All-time

2

Tough one. I haven’t decided yet, but I’m leaning toward Dionne Warwick.

3

Beatles ‘Twist & Shout’ for me. As I was looking over the list, I was wondering what I was going to vote for because none of them really appealed to me. Then I got to the last song, and it became a no-brainer.

4

AARRGGHH!! It comes down to “Please Please Me,” my favorite Beatles song, and “Dawn,” one of my favorite songs ever.

4 Seasons get the win. It might have something to do with the fact that I saw “Jersey Boys” this holiday season.

5

This for me, too, but I had trouble because almost all of them appealed. :slight_smile:

6

I can’t decide between “Under the Boardwalk,” “Dawn,” “Walk on By,” or “Twist and Shout.” I’ll have to make my pick later.

7

I didn’t like The Beatles when they first appeared, and this is sure not their best music. Their impact aside, I can’t vote for the songs.

I’m really partial to Terry Stafford’s Suspicion, in a dead heat with The Supremes and The Drifters. I’m going with Stafford, as I’m sure he won’t get much love otherwise.

8

For the second time, I went with Martha and the Vandellas, because Dancing in the Street is just a great song.

I remember it and Heat Wave less for the original versions, though, than I do for the just-now linked covers by the Who.

9

Got to be Dionne Warwick for me

10

I hate to be a nitpicker but you have an ineligible song on the list. This survey is supposed to be for the songs that finished among the Top 40 Singles of 1964 but did not hit #1. “Baby Love” by The Supremes was #1 in October and November of that year so it should not be part of “Best of the Rest of the Top 40: 1964” survey.

Also, for the record, I voted for The Beatles’ “Twist and Shout”.

11

After thinking about it a little more, “Walk on By” is clearly the highest-rated song in the world-famous Ponch8 Music Rating System, with “Twist and Shout” a few points behind in second place, “Dawn” in third, and “Under the Boardwalk” in fourth.

12

Why, so it was. I must have missed that one while I was going through the list. My bad.

Any and all votes cast for “Baby Love” shall hereby be awarded instead to the #41 song of the year, “Memphis” by Johnny Rivers. :slight_smile:

13

I’m torn between “Dancing in the Street” and “Twist and Shout.” Bottom line: I’m not a really huge fan of early Beatles, so I’m going with Martha and the Vandellas.

14

Every once in a while these lists surprise me with something like this:

I would have sworn that “Under the Boardwalk” was a hit for The Drifters at least 5-7 years before 1964.

15

It’s one of the two Beatles songs. While I like **Twist and Shout **better, **Please Please Me **is the one that started it all.

16

Under the Boardwalk. One of the all time great vocal performances. When it came time to nail it, he did.

17

Much as I like the two Beatles songs on the list, I’m going with Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. “Dancing in the Street” is such a great song.

18

No-Brainer for me: “Please Please Me” is one of my very favorite Beatles songs. I think it’s a perfect two-minute single.

19

In a time of Johnny Get Angry Lesley Gore’s anthem for the right of a woman to tell a guy to stuff it got my vote. French version because, uh, reasons. Or “Nous sommes Charlie” or something. Now in Italian, as anybody listening to pop culture back then knew was inevitable.

ETA: Plus I’m sick of Motown and the Beatles.

20

I love “Please Please Me” but I am hesitantly thinking of giving all a listen. I was busy but I hope I won’t be disappointed. “Twist and Shout”
was never to my liking regardless of who sang it.