Top 100 Songs of the 1960s, #40 - 31

Grace Slick... Jefferson Airplane... love.

#40 - Suspicious Minds (1969)

by Elvis Presley

The King scored his 17th and final US #1 with the song that I regard as his greatest, 'Suspicious Minds.' You may remember that I've posted before about my lack of interest in Elvis' music, but respect for his legacy. This would be one of the few songs he recorded that I'll actually listen to... and enjoy. As you can tell from the video, this came out during Presley's sweatier years.

#39 - Where Did Our Love Go? (1964)

by The Supremes

From Elvis' final #1, to The Supremes first. 'Where Did Our Love Go?' was their first chart topping success, the first of five in a row and twelve in total. Not too shabby, right? What... you don't think so? How many #1 singles have you had? That's what I thought. Many reviewers attributed the track's success to it's ability to capture the American public's loss of optimism as the sixties went by.

#38 - Bang Bang (1966)

by Nancy Sinatra

Sure, Sinatra's version was practically unknown until Tarantino used it in Kill Bill, but that doesn't stop it from being a whole lot better than Cher's original version. And the video? Brilliant. It really should have been included in the Top 100 Videos countdown. 

#37 - House of the Rising Sun (1964)

by The Animals

#36 - Save the Last Dance For Me (1960)

by The Drifters

Here's your fun piece of trivia for the day. The reported story behind the song is that it's based on the personal experiences of co-writer, Doc Pomus. While his wife was a professional dancer and Broadway star, Pomus suffered from polio and was thus unable to dance. So, while he wanted his wife to have fun at the lavish parties they attended, socializing and dancing the night away, 'Save the Last Dance For Me' was a gentle reminder not to, "forget who's taking you home and in whose arms you're gonna be." Or he didn't base it on himself. Whatever. 

#35 - White Rabbit (1967)

by Jefferson Airplane

Psychedelic. Trippy. Outstanding. Grace Slick draws inspiration from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to create one of her masterpieces. One of. You're likely to see the other one very soon. What else... um... don't do drugs! 

#34 - Leaving On A Jet Plane (1967)

by Peter, Paul and Mary

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go, I'm standin' here outside your door." One of the perfect songs to say goodbye with. 

#33 - Like A Rolling Stone (1965)

by Bob Dylan

Rolling Stone gave 'Like A Rolling Stone' the #1 spot on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time countdown. While it's good and definitely Dylan's greatest contribution to music... is it really the greatest song of all time? Sorry, not buying it. But hey, if it is to you... wonderful. 

#32 - She's Not There (1964)

by The Zombies

#31 - Mustang Sally (1966)

by Wilson Pickett

Wait... No Beatles today? How odd. Don't worry though, they'll be back next time and they're bringing some old friends along with them; The Doors and The Turtles!