1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die - 1961

Crazy

In the absence of "Runaway" (which is the most glaring omission yet in the book, and easily would have gotten my vote) there are still many good contenders here. I am sort of torn between 2 x Ben E. King and "Crazy", all of which are really great songs and better than most of everything that has been in the previous polls.

Going for "Spanish Harlem" in the end.

Runaway and I Fall To Pieces are on the short list of my favorite songs ever. no Runaway, so this is easy.

"I Fall to Pieces" for me too, but "Mad About the Boy" and "Spanish Harlem" go close.

Looking forward to not voting for any fucking Beatles tracks for the next 8 years.

I know there are 'better' and more important songs on this list, but I have a massive thing for 'Johnny Remember Me'.

My birth year. Besides Del Shannon, the other huge omission for me is Dick & Dee Dee's "The Mountain's High"; also Chuck Berry's "Come On," the Chantels' "Look in My Eyes," Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song," and even Coltrane's "My Favorite Things," which actually was released as a three-minute 7-inch. From the list, I'd go with "Blue Moon"; I wore out "Stand by Me."

Looking forward to not voting for any fucking Beatles tracks for the next 8 years.

The authors seem to have gotten the (wrong) idea that The Beatles didn't release anything worthy at the beginning, so there will be no Beatle tracks at all until 1965. And it will probably take until 1967 before I vote for any of them.

This one's impossible. I want to vote Wolf, but 4-5 other songs in that list say otherwise.

Ben E. King

and even Coltrane's "My Favorite Things," which actually was released as a three-minute 7-inch.

Instrumentals have been generally left out of the book.

crazy

I voted "I Fall To Pieces" but I think this list is pretty weak compared to 1960.

The best answer would probably be "Stand By Me," but it's been so overplayed I can't really hear it any more.

"I Fall to Pieces" over "Crazy"

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