The Heart of Rock and Soul Poll: the 1001 Greatest Singles Part 29: 276-300

"Tighten Up" is my favorite single of all times probably, but there are 4 or 5 others here that it feels wrong not to vote for.

Little Richard, Curtis Mayfield, Diamonds, Moonglows, "Help Me Rhonda", Stevie, Dells, Count Five, Edwin Starr, Temps. Tough choice between Archie Bell, Gladys Knight and Elvis. Going with Elvis, but this is a tough group to choose from.

1. "The Stroll," 2. "Psychotic Reaction," 3. "That's All Right." In honour of Greil Marcus, I'm going to pull my car over to the side of the road and study this list carefully.

lol cute clemenza.

Can't not vote for my beloved Frankie Lymon.

"help me rhonda" is pretty much my favorite beach boys song, so i think i have to vote for that. hard call over "chapel of love," "tighten up," "living for the city."

Saw "Tighten Up" and didn't bother reading the rest before I hit vote

gotta be gladys

"Long Tall Sally"

Gladys > Archie Bell > Curtis

bump

The Runners-Up:

"Chapel of Love" - I've long had an unusually intense attraction to this one ("unusual" because I don't think it's considered even by most girl group fans to be among the best of the genre), and once even called it my favourite pop song from the year I was born (not that much else really happened in 1964, did it?). The verses -- esp. the "woah-oah-oah"s that punctuate the first line of each -- never cease to put a smile in my brain if not on my face.

"Help Me Rhonda" - The chord changes are heartbreaking.

"Papa Was a Rolling Stone" - One of two songs that scared me to death listening to AM radio under the covers late at night in the early seventies (the other was "Nights in White Satin").

But the winner here is... <strong>"Living for the City"</strong>, one of Wonder's greatest performances and a phenomenal production in its own right - a tour de force of post-Riot soul (it's prog rock, it's musique concrete, it's blaxploitation cinema, it's woozy, it's heavy, fierce, gorgeous, etc.).

Nobody else is going to vote for "Papa Don't Preach," so I will.

I would rank em like this:

Frankie Lymon I'm not a juvenile delinquent

Stevie Wonder Living for the city

Little Richard Long tall Sally

Curtis Mayfield Freddie's dead

Archie Bell and the Drells Tighten up

Diamonds The Stroll

Ray Charles I believe to my soul

Little Richard I don't know what you got but it's got me

Moonglows Sincerely

Count Five Psychotic reaction

Elvis Presley That's all right mama

Rockin' Rebels Wild Weekend

Dells Oh what a night

Edwin Starr War

Madonna Papa don't preach

Gladys Knight and the Pips Midnight train to Georgia

Temptations Papa was a rolling stone

William Bell You don't miss your water

Four Tops It's the same old song

Bruce Springsteen Dancing in the dark

Dixie Cups Chapel of love

Little Willie John Let them talk

Beach Boys Kiss me baby

Beach Boys Help me Rhonda

Chuck Berry Carol

but I think I voted "The Stroll". No regrets though.

huh, I missed "Carol" for some reason; probably read it as "Carol Chess". I still choose "Long Tall Sally", though. "You Don't Miss Your Water" deserves love too.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

"Carol" is a highlight of the Hail Hail Rock n Roll movie, but the original never had the same magic for me. Went with "Freddie's Dead" over "That's All Right Mama."

The Tempations, but it could be "Papa Don't Preach," Little Richard, or "Livin' in the City."

This is the best list so far IMO! I had to go with "Sincerely" as I knew some of the others would overpower it & it needs at least one vote.

Going with "Help Me Rhonda," though I could easily talk myself out of it with about five other things.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

In fact, had I seen "Midnight Train To Georgia" before right this second, I would definitely have talked myself out of "Help Me Rhonda," and Gladys + Pips would have won without a tie. Oh well.

I somehow missed this, but I too would have voted for that song.

(Midnight Train to Georgia that is, not Help Me Rhonda.)

kind of shocked by the single vote for papa don't preach. almost makes me wish i'd gone with that.

I like her early stuff. You know, "Lucky Star," "Borderline." But once she got into her "Papa Don't Preach" phase, I don't know, I tuned out.

really hard call for me between Gladys and Stevie but ended up voting for Gladys

xpost

um, seriously?

No, that's a Reservoir Dogs quote.

Oh right. I always thought I dreamt that part of the movie.

haha i didn't recognize the quote and was just thinking "otm"

Weird that I missed this, but my vote would've brought Stevie back into a tie with Gladys/Pips on xhuxk's vote.

Would have voted Midnight Train as well