Best of the Rest of the Top 40: The 1960s

Cafe Society
1

Time to round up the winners from this, the most transitional decade in the history of modern pop music. These ten songs each won their respective poll for best not-quite-number-one song of the year, in which we see one of the rare cases in these poll series where an artist wins more than once, as well as the only instance in which the same song has won twice.

What’s your favorite?

Previous polls: 1956 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

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

Great songs all. I voted for Born to be Wild, possibly the greatest rock and roll song ever.

3

I also went with “Born to be Wild”, in part because the Beatles’ version of “T&S” is a remake so I gave the original song priority.

4

I saw the poll and thought, “it’s going to be between ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ and ‘Born to Be Wild’” and indeed it is. I went with Dylan, since I like it better.

5

First vote in for the Beach Boys. In fact only 1963 did I vote with the majority in these 1960’s polls. Don’t care for the others though they are classics.

6

I voted for over half of these in the best-of-the-year polls, and spent a few minutes dithering between Dylan, Steppenwolf, Procol Harum, and the Mamas.

I ultimately went with Dylan.

7

I voted for “Cryin” in the 1961 poll but none of these other songs. Despite all this, it does not get my vote here, the first time this has ever happened in the history of the world-famous Ponch8 Music Rating System. I voted for California Dreamin’ in a very tight decision over Whiter Shade of Pale.

The Isley Brothers’ version of Twist and Shout is dead-ass last. The Beatles’ version is far superior.

8

I voted for Proud Mary, but only because I didn’t see California Dreamin on there.

9

California Dreamin’ for me but could have gone for anything that wasn’t Dylan or Orbison.

10

Same situation, same decision for me. California Dreamin’ won thanks in part to its superb melody and lovely backing vocals but first and foremost because it’s one of the most evocative song of that decade.

11

I agree. Have you ever heard the original recording by the Top Notes? I always thought the Isley Brothers version was the first recording, but it’s apparently not. Produced by Phil Spector, and quite different from the other versions.

I went with the Beatles “Twist and Shout” in this poll, myself.

12

I voted for Dylan.

13

Funny that I voted for that but I’ll get to that in a few moments.

Roy Orbison? I liked some of his stuff but not quite enough to vote for either of his songs in this poll.

I liked some of the Beach Boys’ stuff but, to me, “Surfin’ USA” is a bit like “Margaritaville” from that other poll: not much substance to it and I don’t feel that it would be right to vote for it as the best song of a decade.

“Twist and Shout”? First off I’m not familiar with the Isley Brothers’ version (the original, I’m assuming?) of that song. Second, while I like the Beatles’ version, I hardly think it’s worthy of mention of “Top Song from a Given Decade,” so, no.

With “Proud Mary” I’m a little surprised that Ike and Tina’s version isn’t the one listed. In fact, I feel that it is the version that should be listed here so no vote for C.C.R.'s version of it from me.

Maybe it’s just me but “Born To Be Wild” - while it seems to embody much of what the '60s were about - has always struck me as some sort of “Biker’s Anthem” and since that’s not a lifestyle that I’m into - no vote for it from me in this poll.

For me that leaves “California Dreamin’,” “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” and “Like a Rolling Stone” on this list.

When I asked my wife to choose a song from this list I figured her choices would come down to “A Whiter Shade of Pale” and “Like a Rolling Stone” with “Like a Rolling Stone” winning in her mind since she’s such a huge fan of Bob Dylan’s.

I was ½ right - in her mind it DID come down to those two songs but she picked “A Whiter Shade of Pale” over “Like a Rolling Stone.” Not sure why, but that’s what she went with.

Personally, I’ve never liked “A Whiter Shade of Pale” all that much. It’s okay. But not a song I’d vote for as my favorite in a poll like this.

That leaves The Mamas & The Papas competing against Bob Dylan in my mind in this poll.

Reflexively I was going to vote for “California Dreamin’” since I have ALWAYS liked that song (I played it a LOT [I don’t think I was the only one] when my ship was coming back off of deployment in the early '90s - our home base was in San Diego) but I decided to take a closer look before doing so.

Unlike my wife I’ve NEVER been a fan of Bob Dylan’s. In reality I think he’s a TERRIBLE singer and I am personally offended any time I hear a song of his because I wonder how on earth he ever scored a record contract with that horrible singing voice of his. Having typed that, “Like a Rolling Stone” is a powerful song. Listening closely to the lyrics I always imagine a young person striking out on his or her own for the first time and finding out that the world owes him or her NOTHING and treats him or her in a way befitting that reality. Brings me to tears every time I hear it.

I’ve seen a comment about “Sail on Sailor” by the Beach Boys - that the person giving his (or her) opinion on it has never liked the Beach Boys or their music but “Sail On Sailor” (another one of my personal favorites) is an exception. I say the exact same thing about Bob Dylan and his anthem, “Like a Rolling Stone” and it’s the song I voted for in this poll.

14

I almost voted for “A Whiter Shade of Pale” but I prefer the Annie Lennox version over the original. So for the second time “Born to Be Wild” gets my vote.

15

“Like A Rolling Stone” in a walk.

If it hadn’t been on the list, I’d have picked "California Dreamin’.

If neither of those had been on the list, I’d have gone with “Born To Be Wild.” So I concur with the rankings up to that point.

But if those three songs hadn’t been on the list, I wouldn’t have picked “Whiter Shade of Pale” which similarly to racepug, I’ve always thought was OK, but never really understood why anyone really likes it while not stoned. (Or why it still gets played on classic rock stations.) Not sure what I would have picked instead, though.

16

Dylan gets my vote.