# Best #1 single of the year retrospective: 1961 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 31, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1961/697080 "2014-08-31T21:57:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1961/697080/21 "2014-09-01T14:40:46Z")
Lots of great songs in this list, but I went with _Will You Love Me Tomorrow_ – it was the first song by an all-girl group to hit #1. I didn’t know it was produced by Bob Crewe. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1961/697080/22 "2014-09-01T15:18:42Z")
> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > Lots of great songs in this list, but I went with _Will You Love Me Tomorrow_ – it was the first song by an all-girl group to hit #1. I didn’t know it was produced by Bob Crewe. It wasn’t. The Four Seasons’ 1968 version of the song was. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1961/697080/23 "2014-09-01T16:50:09Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > It wasn’t. The Four Seasons’ 1968 version of the song was. You’re quite right – I mis-read my reference. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1961/697080/24 "2014-09-01T21:11:03Z")
For me it was a tossup between Ray Charles and Dion. Had to go with Dion though because he’s from The Bronx. And he’s still kickin’ it at 75: [Runaround Sue](https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152570176749935) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1961/697080/25 "2014-09-01T21:14:36Z")
Too much good stuff: _Runaround Sue_, _Runaway_, _Travelin’ Man_… In the end Ricky Nelson wins it for me. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1961/697080/26 "2014-09-02T02:32:00Z")
It was a tough choice between Dion and Ray Charles. So I went with The Lion Sleeps Tonight. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1961/697080/27 "2014-09-02T16:01:08Z")
An interesting mix of great stuff and utter cheese. I voted for Roy Orbison, who’s one of my favorite singers ever. Del Shannon was a clsoe second. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1961/697080/28 "2014-09-03T17:10:26Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > For me it was a tossup between Ray Charles and Dion. Had to go with Dion though because he’s from The Bronx. And he’s still kickin’ it at 75: [Runaround Sue](https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152570176749935) Dude that was awesome! ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1961/697080/29 "2014-09-03T18:01:09Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I always wanted a metal/hard rock band to cover that song [“Hit the Road, Jack”] as a heavy ballad, with the piano part played by a lead guitar, same for the sax solo (or whatever instrument that was). This isn’t heavy metal, but it gets pretty close to your “heavy ballad” criterion and substitutes organ for the horns. I’ve always thought it was a very worthy alternate interpretation of the song. [The Animals – Hit the Road, Jack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro9MramWeBo) EDIT: Oops, rereading the post, it appears it was “Runaway” you wanted to get this treatment and not “Hit the Road, Jack.” Oh well, good excuse to promote The Animals anyway! BTW, the solo in Del Shannon’s “Runaway” was played by any electronic keyboard called a Musitron. ---
**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:** [September 4, 2014, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1961/697080/30 "2014-09-04T03:41:08Z")
Anything by Ray Charles pretty much wins automatically. In the words of Flip Wilson, Columbus: If I don’t discover America, there’s not gonna be a “Star-Spangled Banner,” no land of the free or home of the brave—and no Ray Charles. Queen Isabella: Ray Charles? You gonna discover Ray Charles? He in America? Columbus: Damn right. Where all those records come from. Queen Isabella: Chris gonna find Ray Charles! He goin to America on that boat! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1961/697080.md?page=1)