# Best #1 single of the decade: the 1960s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961 "2014-12-11T17:40:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/1 "2014-12-11T17:40:44Z")
It’s time now for the second round of semi-finals in our retrospective; the 1960s. The above are, as of right now, the songs leading the polls for their respective years. 1964 is a dead tie, so both the top vote-getters from that year advance. Pick your favorite and then vote in any '70s polls you have yet to vote in before that best-of goes up on Saturday. Previous polls: [1955-56](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=731649) [1957](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=731871) [1958](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732021) [1959](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732199)[1960](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732526) [1961](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732691) [1962](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732872) [1963](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733112) [1964](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733297) [1965](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733526) [1966](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733750) [1967](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733958) [1968](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734168) [1969](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734331) [1970](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734535) [1971](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734741) [1972](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735107) [1973](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735304) [1974](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735502) [1975](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735659) [1976](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735871) [1977](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736076) [1978](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736316) [1979](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736501) [1980](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736705) [1981](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736957) [1982](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737099) [1983](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737315) [1984](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737488) [1985](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737732) [1986](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737957) [1987](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738178) [1988](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738403) [1989](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738639) [1990](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738829) [1991](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739067) [1992](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739360) [1993](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739525) [1994](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739880) [1995](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740122) [1996](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740302) [1997](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740497) [1998](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740709) [1999](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740859) [2000](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741047) [2001](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741267) [2002](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741450) [2003](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741604) [2004](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741730) [2005](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741915) [2006](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742069) [2007](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742147) [2008](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742282) [2009](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742467) [2010](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742676) [2011](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742846) [2012](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=675664) [2013](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=710843) [1950s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743046) ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/2 "2014-12-11T17:56:45Z")
Well, only one song I voted for won, so I gotta stick with “Hard Day’s Night.” ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/3 "2014-12-11T18:24:53Z")
Well, before opening the thread, if someone asked me to list the “most important singles of the 60’s,” I would go with Satisfaction, I Want to Hold Your Hand and then Respect…" So - Satisfaction. Still captures the sound of rock rebellion and cool. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/4 "2014-12-11T18:47:27Z")
Wow, that is a HARD one. I wound up picking Dock of the Bay after intending to pick Satisfaction. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/5 "2014-12-11T19:17:41Z")
I’d love to vote for _Georgia On My Mind_ in memory of my grandmother who passed away very recently, as it was one of her favourite songs… But more objectively, the decade belongs to **The Beatles** and that raises another problem: none of those that made the cut are among the best things they’ve done. I have a soft spot for _Someting_ but _A Hard Day’s Night_ is probably more universal. So… ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/6 "2014-12-11T19:23:00Z")
The Beatles! ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/7 "2014-12-11T19:25:19Z")
A Hard Day’s Night. That’s a tough list. What a decade for music though. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/8 "2014-12-11T19:41:48Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > But more objectively, the decade belongs to **The Beatles** and that raises another problem: none of those that made the cut are among the best things they’ve done. Well, these are the songs that the Teeming Millions voted as the best #1 jams of the respective years they charted in, so that’s democracy for ya. 🙂 I’m thinking that my “sequel” to this retrospective series might use the year-end Hot 100 charts to look at the songs that charted highly in a particular year but didn’t make it to the top, so we can look at the songs that were iconic but didn’t quite make it to #1. My vote in this poll, FWIW, went to The Sound of Silence, because it just so perfectly sums up the zeitgeist to me. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/9 "2014-12-11T19:48:14Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Well, these are the songs that the Teeming Millions voted as the best #1 jams of the respective years they charted in, so that’s democracy for ya. 🙂 Why are there 11 songs? May be a dumb question. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/10 "2014-12-11T19:52:26Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Why are there 11 songs? May be a dumb question. As I mentioned in the OP, “A Hard Day’s Night” and “House of the Rising Sun” were tied in the 1964 poll at the time I created this thread, so they both advanced. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/11 "2014-12-11T19:54:16Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > As I mentioned in the OP, “A Hard Day’s Night” and “House of the Rising Sun” were tied in the 1964 poll at the time I created this thread, so they both advanced. :smack: Sorry. I missed that somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/12 "2014-12-11T20:18:24Z")
R, E, S, P, E, C, T: Tell you what it means to me. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/13 "2014-12-11T21:38:21Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > I’d love to vote for _Georgia On My Mind_ in memory of my grandmother who passed away very recently, as it was one of her favourite songs… > > But more objectively, the decade belongs to **The Beatles** and that raises another problem: none of those that made the cut are among the best things they’ve done. I have a soft spot for _Someting_ but _A Hard Day’s Night_ is probably more universal. So… I agree with your sentiments. “Something” may be a better song to many, but “A Hard Day’s Night” is among the most well known of the Beatles’ songs, not only from their early era but overall. It has universal recognition. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/14 "2014-12-11T21:39:19Z")
Congratulations to the following songs for achieving the double honor of winning their yearly polls AND being the best #1 song of the year, according to the world-famous **Ponch8 Music Rating System** : Hit the Road Jack House of the Rising Sun (by a tie!) Respect Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay Now on to the serious business of my vote. I voted for “House of the Rising Sun” in a VERY tight decision over “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay.” “Surf City” is decent enough, but it still finishes dead-ass last in the **Ponch8 Music Rating System**. The competition is significantly tougher in these best-of-the-decade polls, now isn’t it, Jan & Dean? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/15 "2014-12-11T22:36:53Z")
My personal preference is “The Sound of Silence,” but I can’t conceive of anyone but the Beatles winning this. Of the two listed, I’m going with “Something.” ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/16 "2014-12-11T22:51:17Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > As I mentioned in the OP, “A Hard Day’s Night” and “House of the Rising Sun” were tied in the 1964 poll at the time I created this thread, so they both advanced. A play-in round between these two songs would have been awesome, but obviously it’s not THAT important to whittle the list down to 10 songs. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/17 "2014-12-11T23:46:11Z")
I went back and forth between _A Hard Day’s Night_ and _Satisfaction_; in the end I went with the Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/18 "2014-12-11T23:57:36Z")
Every one of those choices was stellar. Even _The Lion Sleeps Tonight_, which so far hasn’t gotten any love but what a fun singalong song. _House of The Rising Sun_, for me though. No question. Eric Burdon was about the sexiest man on the planet then. Anyone remember Frijid Pink? They did an [excellent Rising Sun cover.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t40INnb6DnY) I saw that live in the early 1970s. I can’t even remember when or where, because, early '70s. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/19 "2014-12-12T00:05:25Z")
I wanted to vote for the Beatles but A Hard Day’s Night just doesn’t do it for me. Satisfaction is an iconic song but I never like the Rolling Stones in general all that much so I couldn’t bring myself to vote for them either. I had to pick a dark horse (no pun intended) and go with Aretha and her power delivery of R-E-S-P-E-C-T even though I personally like The Sound of Silence and House of the Rising Sun more as casual MP3 music. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961/20 "2014-12-12T08:26:15Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Well, these are the songs that the Teeming Millions voted as the best #1 jams of the respective years they charted in, so that’s democracy for ya. 🙂 Yeah, yeah, I know. No problem. I love these polls ;). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1960s/706961.md?page=2)