Top 100 Songs of the 1960s, #10 - 1

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... welcome to the final issue of our swingin' sixties countdown! Today we unveil the top 10 songs of the 1960s and they are pretty damn incredible (but my gosh don't you know it!). We've got a great mix of music and artists that defined the decade, forging legacies that have kept them respected for over fifty years. The greatest girl group of all-time, the most successful band of all-time, the Queen of Soul, the Lizard King, Ziggy Stardust... and that's only half the acts we're going to be hearing from. Let's get to it!

#10 - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (1964)

by Nina Simone (or The Animals, if you'd prefer)

If I seem edgy, I want you to know,

I never meant to take it out on you.

Well, I can get away with letting both Simone and The Animals get a nod here, can't I? Watch me. Two fantastic versions of the one song; Simone's slow, emotional R&B ballad and The Animals rock anthem. It's too hard to pick just one, so you get both. How. Lucky. Are. You?

#9 - Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1960)

by The Shirelles






So tell me now, and I won't ask again,
Will you still love me tomorrow?

'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' would mark the first time that an all-girl group took a song to the top of the charts in the United States of America. With that landmark achievement, the doors were opened for The Supremes, The Ronettes, The Crystals, Destiny's Child, Spice Girls, TLC and En Vogue. That's such a Halle Berry thing to say. The song holds up pretty well, no? It also scores points for inspiring delicious covers by artists such as Amy Winehouse, Roberta Flack and most recently, Lykke Li!

#8 - Crazy (1961)

by Patsy Cline

I knew, you'd love me as long as you wanted,
And then someday, you'd leave me for somebody new...

Urgh... you should know the go by now. Country music is the music of pain. Patsy Cline had a penchant for releasing songs that could almost literally tug at your heartstrings, with 'Crazy' being not only the best, but the song that has defined her as an artist since its release. Without question, the greatest country song of all time (and it was written by Willie Nelson!).

#7 - Space Oddity (1969)

by David Bowie

And the stars look very different today...

Oh, come on. How can you listen to this and not want to have been around to enjoy it as the 60s came to an end? Bowie? Love.

#6 - Eleanor Rigby (1966)

by The Beatles

All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, where do they all belong?

The quintessential Beatles song that pushes what 'pop' music can be further than any song before it. I've previously posted that 'Eleanor Rigby is It's My Kind of Scene's favourite song by the fab four and nothing's changed. Amazing. Outstanding. Perfection. With eight songs, The Beatles place more on the countdown than any other act. Surprised? You shouldn't be.

#5 - God Only Knows (1966)

by The Beach Boys

I may not always love you,
But long as there are stars above you...

Finally, a Beach Boys song that wasn't simple, lame 60s pop-rock. While the title was controversial for its time, the song has nothing to do with the man in the sky, so it gets bonus points for that too! Pitchfork named it their greatest song of the decade and made an excellent case for it being #1. But there's four more songs that I believe deserve some more love...

#4 - Respect (1967)

by Aretha Franklin

What you want, baby, I got it,
What you need, Do you know I got it?

I've been trying really hard to better my maths skills lately. So let's try some simple equations. If Rolling Stone places 'Respect' at #5 on their list of the greatest songs of all time and then put Aretha at #1 on their greatest singers of all time countdown, where will It's My Kind of Scene put 'Respect' on their Top 100 Songs of the 1960? 5 - 1 = 4. The answer is 4. See, maths is easy. Now to study logic.

#3 - Light My Fire (1967)

by The Doors

Girl, we couldn't get much higher...

Yep, The Doors. No big deal, right? Except yes, yes it is. 'Light My Fire' deserves to be ranked higher on practically every 60s slash music list ever. Except it doesn't have to be ranked higher than #3. Because there are two songs that are better.

#2 - Stop! In The Name of Love (1965)

by The Supremes

But this time before you run to her,

Leaving me alone and hurt,

Think it over...

Speaking of songs that don't get the love they deserve, it's 'Stop! In The Name of Love!' Performed by, "good looking youngsters with long hair and on them it looks good because they're girls." Music may have been good in the 60s, but comedy... not so much.

#1 - Be My Baby (1963)

by The Ronettes

So won't you say you love me?

I'll make you so proud of me.

I believe this is the only decade countdown we've done in which a female fronted act has taken the top spot. No one deserves it more than the Ronettes for the groundbreaking 'Be My Baby,' but it should be pointed out that behind every great woman (or women), there's a great man. In this case, it's our favourite looney-tune, Phil Spector. His 'Wall of Sound' recording technique realised its full potential on 'Be My Baby,' instantly securing its respected place in music's history. Even Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys agrees that 'Be My Baby' is the greatest song ever. While I wouldn't go that far, I'd certainly say it's the best of the 60s!

And with that, we're done. Peace out, groovers! Oh, and Blogger... sort your s**t out. Using this old blog editor has been the most painful experience of my life.