Number Two Hits, 1964-1966

Another great list, with classics by Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and The Beatles on here. Tough call.

The real answers here might be Lesley Gore or Cher. Think it over.

Stones
Dylan
Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs (not Sham 69)

torn between the Zombies and Martha & the Vandellas

Woolly Bully over everything forever

I'm going to listen to all of these back again this weekend because there's several on here I don't recognize by name

oh man I didn't notice Woolly Bully was on this list too. I love that song.

"Twist And Shout" deserved to beat whichever Beatles song was #1 at the time. ("Can't Buy Me Love" I believe)

omg what a list!

these were my mom's high school jams, so i voted for a song i learned to love at a very young age from listening to her records
my first favorite song!

some amazing songs here, obviously. but one towers over them all. revelatory in its time and equally revealing 50 years later. and an astonishing vocal performance. "you don't own me" indeed.

"Like a Rolling Stone" and "Rainy Day Woman" a dead-heat at the top for me--I'll vote for the latter, because I was genuinely surprised to find out on another thread that some people harbor a visceral hatred for it. (Being such an unusual song, that shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was.) After that: "1-2-3," "19th Nervous Breakdown," "My Boy Lollipop," "Dancing in the Street," and "Wolly Bully" in some configuration.

'like a rolling stone' over 'dancing in the street', '19th nervous breakdown' in third

"rolling stone" the best song here, but unfortunately doesn't have much impact for me anymore. going with "li'l' red riding hood."

"Twist And Shout" deserved to beat whichever Beatles song was #1 at the time. ("Can't Buy Me Love" I believe)

― Sir Lord Baltimora (Myonga Vön Bontee), Friday, February 7, 2014 10:53 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Has anyone ever come close to occupying the US top 5 since then?

(iirc, the Bee Gees came close in the 70s, but I think that was factoring in songs they wrote but didn't perform/record.)

So many good songs... the Lovin' Spooful duo, Barbara Ann, Mellow Yellow

But going with "19th Nervous Breakdown"

Songs I thought I didn't know but upon listening I knew well and just never knew the title: "A Lover's Concerto", "Bread and Butter"

Also, weird trivia that I learned, one of The Newbeats co-wrote "Wind Beneath My Wings"

torn between the Zombies and Martha & the Vandellas

― charitable remainder unitrust (crüt), Friday, February 7, 2014 2:29 PM

Yeah, me too, but my god do I ever love My Boy Lollipop.

(Will probably end up voting for Mellow Yellow because my dad used to play that on the guitar and let me do the strumming when I was about 5.)

"Like a Rolling Stone" -- I forget what thread ppl were discussing gender and lyrics and being object and narrator or whether that went over multiple threads -- but this is one of those songs where I go back and forth on feeling it's "about me" or identifying with the singer/author.

I don't think I'd actually heard it before Common People came out -- but in some ways those songs feel similar to me

Do You Identify With Lyrics, And Ifso, How?

^^^^^

thanks!

dunno if you want to dredge up the Common People discussion there though

LOL! But "Like A Rolling Stone" would be a great discussion to have there. Please do!

Woolly Bully over everything forever

― Euler, Friday, February 7, 2014 9:30 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this

"Do You Want to Know a Secret"

Yeah but "She's Not There" is pretty much the best song ever.

"Rainy Day Woman" is kind of fucking annoying.

and it's not even what the song is called

Way too much discussion in this thread repping for songs that aren't "She's Not There."

Although "My Boy Lollipop" is cool, as are "19th Nervous Breakdown" and "Like a Rolling Stone."

I love Martha & the Vandellas with a fierce passion but do not rep Dancing In The Streets over tracks like Heatwave and Nowhere To Run To. That's the only thing stopping me from voting for it.

But the bassline on She's Not There is kinda next level.

Went for My Boy Lollipop. Didn't know 'Do You Want To Know A Secret' was released as a single? Or is this the weird US chart?

Beatles singles in the USA very different from UK ones; here it was a hit single for Billy J Kramer & the Dakotas but otherwise only an album track.

btw the "new" David Guetta tune which samples Nancy Sinatra's version of "Bang Bang" is rather painful to listen to. Not even as good as the Audio Bullys one (and who'd have thought 10+ years later I'd be getting nostalgic about the flipping Audio Bullys?).

The will.i.am sample of "Bang Bang" is far worse imo

thought about this some more and I think I am on the Woolly Bully over everything forever team here

When Beatle-mania started to peak in mid-late '64, they released a ton of old and current Beatles songs as singles simultaneously, which created a lot of weird results like the ones above.

Not enough Lesley Gore love going on here. The lyrics, the minor verses/major choruses, the key changes, just so awesome.

I love Martha & the Vandellas with a fierce passion but do not rep Dancing In The Streets over tracks like Heatwave and Nowhere To Run To. That's the only thing stopping me from voting for it.

Heatwave is one of the greatest things that ever happened in human history.

"19th Nervous Breakdown" barely edging "Wooly Bully"

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Ended up voting "Barbara Ann". Guessing that the silent majority will push "Like a Rolling Stone" to the top, which is my favorite song here but didn't necessarily 'deserve' #1. Hard to say any Beatles song should have gone #1 as they had their fair share, same with the Stones to a lesser extent. But it would have been fun if a song as throwaway as "Barbara Ann" had hit #1.

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

yaaay i wasn't the only person to vote for my very first favorite song