Number Two Hits, 1969-1971

Tough poll this time. Finally a chance to rock the vote for CCR. I wonder if vote splitting will hurt CCR, Blood, Sweat & Tears, or The Carpenters.

If we go "should have been #1" vs. best song, the best choice looks to be "What's Going On" or "Proud Mary" or "Bad Moon Rising". Feels like I gotta go with one of the CCRs this time, not sure which one yet though.

Rainy Days and Mondays. The AM highlight here

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On over Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue

Went for Never Can say goodbye, such a gorgeous melody and arrangement.

Voted for Sly.

BTW, I have never heard of "The Rapper" by The Jaggerz, is this some sort of lost classic?

Throwing in a vote for "Vehicle"

Went for John Denver based on the surpise of it not being a number one hit.

Superstar
What's Goin' On
Never Can Say Goodbye
Hot Fun in the Summertime

unbreakable 4-way tie

The Jaggerz = Donnie Iris's pre Wild Cherry band. It is not a good song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fYV3dJp-k4

yeah -- where's the hook

I like that one, not least for the oddity of seeing the word "rapper" in a song title a decade early

I like that one, not least for the oddity of seeing the word "rapper" in a song title a decade early

And by a band whose name sounds plausible as a modern day rap group too.

"Hot Fun in the Summertime" over "Proud Mary" and "Crystal Blue Persuasion"

Proud Mary

Christ, CCR's #2s could be their own poll. But voting "What's Going On" because it's far too monumental a moment in popular music to not vote for.

Someone's gotta show some love for the wonderfully funky and syncopated "It's Your Thing", and also "Vehicle" which is a better Blood, Sweat & Tears song than anything Blood, Sweat & Tears came up with.

Never heard of Ocean or The Poppy Family

Pretty amazing list. Didn't realize the Carpenters were as doomed to #2 singles as CCR. (Though they also had #1s, which CCR didn't.) I can lift a Top 10 and more from there:

1. "Hot Fun in the Summertime"
2. "Crystal Blue Persuasion"
3. "One Less Bell to Answer"
4. "We've Only Just Begun"/"Rainy Days and Mondays"/"Superstar"
5. "Bad Moon Rising"/"Who'll Stop the Rain"/"Lookin' Out My Back Door"
6. "Love (Can Make You Happy)"
7. "Take a Letter, Maria"
8. "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"

Ocean were right in the middle of this weird God-pop takeover in '69-71: "Oh Happy Day," "Everything Is Beautiful," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Let It Be," "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," "Spirit in the Sky," "All Things Come from God," etc.

voted 'crystal blue persuasion' but purely a coin flip and this certainly helped its case: http://vimeo.com/52924702

Spinning wheel/hot fun/superstar/what's going on unbreakable 4 way tie.

OK, sitting down and trying to figure out how to play "Superstar" has made me see HOW great it is. Wow.

Never knew it was written by Delaney and Bonnie plus Leon Russell

I could listen to "Superstar" about 6 million times in a row

OK, this IS a great list, but I feel it's only right to go CCR (they really should have had at least one #1), so I'm throwing in for "Bad Moon Rising"

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

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

As projected, vote splitting kills CCR