# Best of the Rest of the Top 40: 1966 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 17, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1966/710070 "2015-01-17T15:57:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1966/710070/21 "2015-01-19T02:03:27Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > It actually reminds me of an early McCartney song. I’m not musically inclined, so I can’t explain exactly why. True! Though different in feel, the melody and chord patterns are rather reminiscent of Paul’s late-1964 tune “I’ll Follow the Sun” (just to give one example). ---
**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 19, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1966/710070/22 "2015-01-19T02:10:06Z")
I love California Dreamin’, and guessed it would win handily, so I voted for Dusty. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1966/710070/23 "2015-01-19T03:03:11Z")
Wow, I didn’t figure California Dreamin’ would win _that_ big! I figured it would at least have some serious competition from the likes of “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” “Devil With a Blue Dress” (wasn’t that the first Easy Rawlins novel?), and “Little Red Riding Hood.” But it’s a runaway. I voted for “Elusive Butterfly,” the first pop song I really fell in love with. And never fell out of love with it, either. I didn’t realize until a bit of Googling just now, but Bob Lind’s original version of “Elusive Butterfly” was about twice as long as the airwaves version, and needless to say it got cut down to conventional airwaves size: this was early 1966, after all, not 1969. The long version [is on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbuC9hX2XAk), and if you liked the airplay version, I think you’ll like the full version. I certainly did. It wasn’t _quite_ like finally hearing Dylan’s original “Mr. Tambourine Man” after hearing only the Byrds version for years when I was a kid mostly listening to top 40 radio, but it certainly adds a lot of meaning to the song in an analogous fashion. ---
**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 19, 2015, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1966/710070/24 "2015-01-19T03:22:52Z")
I, personally, went narrowly with “Bus Stop” over California Dreamin’ (I grew up in southern California, so I could never really dream of it) and Dirty Water (my father grew up in Boston in the '60s, and I bet he loved that song.) ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_Slippers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_Slippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_Slippers)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1966/710070/25 "2015-01-23T20:38:40Z")
It was a tough choice – until I spotted Mitch Ryder. I don’t think I actually heard it played on the radio a lot in 1966 but it had a lot of staying power – especially in bars with dance floors. (And I spent a fair amount of time in the sixties in bars with dance floors!) ---
**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:** [January 26, 2015, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1966/710070/26 "2015-01-26T23:33:53Z")
I gravitate toward the social-consciousness lyrics, and the 1960s saw a blossoming on the airwaves of songs that actually meant something. “Born a Woman” is the clear winner this year. Musically it’s OK, no worse than most; lyrically it stands out from the rest and speaks directly to my heart. ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1966/710070/27 "2015-02-24T11:20:47Z")
I voted for Renee… Bus Stop and Dreamin are great great songs…but Renee is sad and beautiful. nobody does Baroque rock anymore…dammit. BTW THe four tops …just KILLED the remake… took it from beautiful and fragile to sexy and gritty… another example of what a great song… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1966/710070.md?page=1)