# Best of the Rest of the Top 40: 1962 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1962/709345 "2015-01-08T20:37:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **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:** [January 8, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1962/709345/1 "2015-01-08T20:37:39Z")
An even longer night at work than usual has kept me from posting this one at the time of morning that I prefer to, but better late than never - here’s 1962. There are 26 songs in the year-end Top 40 after we exclude this year’s number-ones, and this isn’t an issue yet, but there’s a few years coming up soon where the sheer volume of songs that made it to #1 means that they’re almost all that makes up the Top 40 for that year. As such, if there are no objections, I’m going to preemptively institute a house rule for when we get to those years in order to ensure that the polls remain fittingly populated; if more than 15 songs in the year-end Top 40 of any future year are excluded due to having reached #1, then songs that scored below #40 will be added to the poll as necessary until there are 25 songs on the list. That being said, which of these songs is your fave? Previous polls: [1956](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744629) [1957](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744819) [1958](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744978) [1959](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=745151) [1960](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=745331) [1961](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=745525) Best #1 single 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) [2014](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743899) [1950s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743046) [1960s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743240) [1970s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743399) [1980s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743597) [1990s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743803) [2000s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743981) [2010s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744176) [All-time](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744358) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1962/709345/2 "2015-01-08T20:44:19Z")
I’ve always been fond of _The Wanderer_. This series of polls is a great idea, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1962/709345/3 "2015-01-08T20:48:10Z")
Sam Cooke ftw. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1962/709345/4 "2015-01-08T20:51:55Z")
A dance year! Loved those songs: Mashed Potatoes, Watusi, the Twist. But I’m going with Clyde McPhatter. Dude had style. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1962/709345/5 "2015-01-08T21:00:47Z")
Sam Cooke. A voice like no other. ---
**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:** [January 8, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1962/709345/6 "2015-01-08T22:22:47Z")
I may have to abstain this year. None of the songs I’ve heard of really tickles my fancy. I like the Beatles’ remake of “Twist and Shout” far better than the Isley Brothers’ version. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1962/709345/7 "2015-01-09T00:54:00Z")
This was a tough year but I went with Sam Cooke too. I have found that I am a very good barometer for popularity in these secondary polls and even most of the #1 polls. I take them blind without looking at the results beforehand but I have voted for the top vote getter in all of the non #1 polls so far. It is a little difficult to pick from a long list of songs, many of which I am not that familiar with, but it looks like many Dopers are using the same type of judgement that I do. “Twist’in the Night Away” was the only song on the list that instantly fired up my mental juke-box so I went with that one. The Wanderer was 2nd. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1962/709345/8 "2015-01-09T02:04:21Z")
Claudine Clark - Party Lights! [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zncsJKtEd_M/hqdefault.jpg "Claudine Clark - Party Lights") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zncsJKtEd_M) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1962/709345/9 "2015-01-09T17:35:30Z")
Midnight in Moscow! I’m kinda surprised I’m not the only one who voted for it. But it will always remind me of when we brought the **Firebug** back from Russia. And thanks again to **Lucretia** for getting me to listen to it! ---
**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:** [January 9, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1962/709345/10 "2015-01-09T20:13:13Z")
My first instinct was to vote for _Twist and Shout_, but then I listened to it…it’s not that there’s anything wrong with this version, but the Beatles’ version is just so much better that it makes the Isley Brothers sound flat by comparison. In the end, I feel very comfortable voting for Sam Cooke here.