Acclaimed Music Top 40 Songs from 1966 poll

this is back for the stretch run, happy New Year everyone.

This is fucking impossible.

Roughly:

"Substitute"
"Eight Miles High"
"Sunday Morning"
"Rain"
"You're Gonna Miss Me"
"19th Nervous Breakdown"
"Psychotic Reaction"
"Good Vibrations"

I've got 10+ hours of 1966 music on my hard drive, so lots of non-list runners-up.

one of these:

Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There
Question Mark and the Mysterians - 96 Tears
The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer in the City
Spencer Davis Group - Gimme Some Lovin'
The Left Banke - Walk Away Renée
The Supremes - You Keep Me Hangin' On
The Who - Substitute

It's a really tough race but I think Left Banke might win this one. That song is just beyond sublime. And I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that its attendant album is also very, very good and Zombies-esque.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxHAuiOCFuM

Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands

There's no legitimate reason to pick between any of the great songs here (maybe the best ever year for singles), so I'm gonna vote "96 Tears" just cuz.

Good Vibrations

voted 'rain,' which on most days is my favorite beatles song

"God Only Knows" over "Walk Away Renee," "Wouldn't It Be Nice," and "When a Man Loves a Woman"

substitute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOLBUtbF8qM

God Only Knows

over:

Eleanor Rigby
For What It's Worth
Walk Away Renée (bonus points for being written by a 16-year-old)
Friday on My Mind
Rain
Try a Little Tenderness
The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore
Tomorrow Never Knows

I ended up voting for 'Tomorrow Never Knows', because it must have sounded incredibly dazzling back then. Sadly, it's been imitated or even covered in some incredibly painful ways since.

Ten years ago I worked with a guy at a casino in New Mexico who was about 22. The background soundtrack was continuous oldies. While one oldie on the list above played playing he started singing " 'I'm a bank robber, I'm a bank robber!' Dude, that is a stupid fucking song."

top 3: 96 Tears, Substitute, Walk Away Renee

"Reach Out I'll Be There" as James Jamerson makes me want to learn how to play the bass every time, such AWESOMESAUCE playing.

hardest poll ever

voted 'listen (to the flower people)'

nice

I don't know how much this has been true for past lists, but there's plenty of room for obscurities on this list when it comes to rock, not much of any when it comes to soul.

"You Keep Me Hanging On" over "Tomorrow Never Knows."

Even Motown seems under-represented. '66 Motown standards that don't appear:

"This Old Heart of Mine," "Get Ready," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted"

I wouldn't call any of these songs obscure.

"This Old Heart of Mine" OH YEAH. "Knock on Wood" another important omission, but it's still a very strong list. "Pushin' Too Hard" isn't here either. There aren't that many songs I can quibble with the inclusion of (whether I love them or not), although I don't get how "Friday on my Mind" made this list, that just seems like a pretty typical rave-up next to something like, oh, "Bus Stop" by the Hollies (missing).

Also, I favor the cool short songs on Blonde on Blonde like "Sooner or Later" & "Most Likely You Go Your Way" to the long snoozers on the list.

It's rock that gets the deep cuts, though, and rock that gets its "Sunday Morning."

These also don't appear:

"Hold On! I'm a Coming"
"Sweet Talkin' Guy"
"I'm Your Puppet"
"634-5789"
"Barefootin"
"(I'm a) Road Runner"
"Cool Jerk"
"Sunny"
"Summertime"
"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"
"(I Know) I'm Losing You"
"Mustang Sally"
"Standing in the Shadows of Love"

I favor the cool short songs on Blonde on Blonde like "Sooner or Later" & "Most Likely You Go Your Way" to the long snoozers on the list.

"i want you" my runner-up

(Correction - the Sam and Dave one is on the list.)

"Money Won't Change You" is 1966 too, James Brown to psych circus

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Hey Joe

this ended in a hurry. voting "For What It's Worth" over so many other great songs.

voted for "sunday morning"

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

Ah, I should have expected 'God Only Knows' would take this.

the lone vote for "Psychotic Reaction". Not quite as psychotic as 1966's "Mirror of Your Mind" by We The People

Mirror of Your Mind is one of those records like Slade's "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" - that have done serious longterm damage to my eardrums

I ended up voting Walk Away Renee but now I'm thinking maybe I should have given the Spencer Davis Group some lovin'