Hello again folks.
I admit, I feel like 1969 was, in a lot of ways, a fairly difficult year for me
to review, not because the year was bad, but because not a whole lot jumped out
at me. That’s not even to say that the year was boring, it was okay. On a scale
of one to ten, it landed somewhere around a six or seven, which wasn’t great,
but was good enough that it got a barely passing grade. Most of the music this
year was fine; it just didn’t feel like it took a lot of chances. Though, if
you’ve read my worst list, you could make the argument that some of the chances
that were taken were for the worse. Keep in mind though, this was still kind of
a transitional year, so the trends of the ‘60s were starting to taper out, with
the seeds that would form the trends of the ‘70s slowly starting to work their
way in here and there.
However, much like
the best list for 1986, I really didn’t need to struggle to find songs that I
actually liked from this year. There were not as many good songs this year as
there were from 1976, but the good songs I did find were still amazingly good.
There were still works by artists I grew up with that made it onto the pop
charts this year, and plenty of which I really liked, some of which I even
remembered from when I was growing up. So, if you’re thinking that there will
likely be some bias regarding the songs I place on this list…well, you’d be
right. This is still at least partially an opinion-based list, so there are
still chances that people will disagree with these picks, but I stand by them
all the same.
Before we get into
what actually made the list though, let’s first go through the songs that just
came up short or, for one reason or another, didn’t qualify:
Build Me Up Buttercup (The Foundations) [9;
3; 13 weeks]
Ah, a classic. I
admit, I mostly went with this one because of nostalgia. That said, I still
think it’s a fun little song. Yeah, it’s another song that’s upbeat and happy
sounding despite not really having a particularly upbeat, happy subject matter,
but I honestly don’t mind it as much here. The reason is that the frantic,
almost desperate tone of the singer still manages to shine through despite the
music not exactly matching. I genuinely believe that the singer is in turmoil
over this relationship, and that he wants to make it work. It does have some
pretty cheesy lyrics at points, yes, but that’s a classic ‘60s love song for
you. It’s still a lot of fun, and I still enjoy listening to it.
Goodnight My Love (Paul Anka) [--; 27; 6
weeks]
I think this song
just sounds sweet. Again, it kind of delves into cheese territory, but if any
of my previous lists are any indication, I like my love songs a little on the
cheesy side. Maybe I’m weird for thinking this, but I feel like it makes them
come across as a little more honest. If I want someone I’m romantically
involved with to bid me goodnight after spending the day together, this is how
I want them to do it: singing cheesy lyrics while being backed up by a goddamn
choir.
First of May (The Bee Gees) [--; 37; 3
weeks]
This sadly didn’t
qualify for the list, which is a shame because, on top of the disco music they
would go on to release in the ‘70s, this really has me curious to hear more
from the Bee Gees. It’s probably one of the few times I heard a somber song
this year that actually sounded genuinely somber. It’s also nice to know that
the guys didn’t always sing in their falsetto voices.
Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater
Revival) [24; 2; 12 weeks]
This I actually
had heard prior to sitting through the hits from this year. So I guess I let
this one slide because I was already familiar with it and thought it was decent
enough.
Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
[19; 2; 12 weeks]
Huh. I guess I
have a thing for roots rock and swamp rock and didn’t realize it. Go figure. I
guess I’ll need to check out more music from these genres later. I’m certainly
curious to check out more of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s discography at some
point.
Baby, I Love You (Andy Kim) [28; 9; 12
weeks]
I’m not sure
exactly what it is I like about this song. If I were to venture a guess, it
might be the instrumentation, which makes up for the softer vocals by just
being jubilant and energetic. Also, the background vocals don’t hurt either.
Jingle Jangle (The Archies) [--; 17; 3
weeks]
This was actually
a bigger hit in 1970. It wasn’t nearly as big a hit as the Archies’ most well
known song, ‘Sugar, Sugar,’ but I honestly think I like this song better. It
actually feels like it has more energy, and it sounds a lot happier. I admit
though, it does have kind of an unsettling line in the third verse, which goes,
‘So darlin’, don’t be weepin’/And please don’t you be sleepin’/When I come
a-creepin’ down the hall.’ The line is questionable, but ultimately not
something that really gets in the way of my ability to enjoy the song.
Hot Fun in the Summertime (Sly and the
Family Stone) [7; 2; 13 weeks]
Much like
‘Summertime,’ I can definitely get a feeling of love for summer and all the fun
that comes with it from the performers. This song though, rather than being
laid back, instead seems to opt for a more jubilant, upbeat tone, with a brisk,
lively tempo to match. The vocal bits at the end of each line are what really
push the song over the top for me, honestly.
A Boy Named Sue (Johnny Cash) [36; 2; 11
weeks]
What’s this, a
comedic song that’s actually funny? Hey Ray Stevens, start taking notes. You
might learn a thing or two about actually making your audience want to laugh.
Now that that’s
done, baby, baby don’t cry. Baby, baby here’s why: we’re counting down…
...THE TOP 10 BEST HIT SONGS OF
1969!
#10.
I
just want to say I really hope you guys appreciate the amount of time I spend
putting these lists together. Not only do I need to look up each artist’s
background and history, but I also need to listen through their full
discography and the discographies of every group that artist was a part of, or
in the case of groups, of every member of the group at the time the song that
places on one of these lists was released. The best and worst of 2001 lists
were probably some of the shorter lists I had to work on just because the
artists that placed on those lists were so recent and their discographies
weren’t all that lengthy.
This
list, however, will likely be one of the ones I’ll have taken the most time
putting together, and that can pretty much solely be attributed to this next
song and the artist behind it. But, let me make it clear that this is not meant
as a slander against the artist, or the song.
#10. My Way (Frank Sinatra) [--; 27; 6
weeks]
I honestly think
this was a pretty appropriate song for Frank Sinatra to be releasing at this
point in his life. Of course, that could just be because he would end up
‘retiring’ from music the following year, but if anything I think that only
served to help add credibility to the song. Now, serious confession time, I
actually don’t like that much of Frank Sinatra’s music. Don’t get me wrong; I
do think the guy had talent, but his early work all tended to be very
samey-sounding, and he also had the tendency to not sing within the meter of
his songs. That’s a serious pet peeve for me, and it’s why I can’t get into a
lot of his music unfortunately. I can’t say he’s much better about it on this
song, but at the very least he follows the meter close enough that it doesn’t
really get on my nerves.
Now, there’s
really only one reason this song made the list: on this song, Frank Sinatra
sounded like he had genuinely lived a full life and had pretty much done it
all. His delivery was that of a man that had seen the world and had
legitimately lived. Now, compare that to a lot of music we hear today, which is
done by the likes of Taylor Swift and Wiz Khalifa and various other artists
that haven’t really experienced life in any way that feels real. Or maybe they
have, I don’t know, but they can most definitely not present it in their music.
None of these modern artists are able to convey the idea that they’ve lived
full lives or seen the world, which is understandable because a lot of our
famous people are still young and pretty, as has become the primary focus of
our society, to push more for people that are still young and pretty. And yet
Frank Sinatra proved with this song that there are, or at least were still old
folks that could match the talent and quality of the younger crowd, if not
surpass them.
It really is kind
of a sad commentary on the artists of today that an artist from the ‘40s and
‘50s ended up sounding more real and more genuine on a song he released around
the advent of his period of pop chart success than most artists that appear on
the pop charts today. However, I’m not complaining about it. If anything, I’m
more bothered by the number of covers done of this song that people have
attempted again and again. None of them work at all because they all suffer the
same problem: they try to present it from people that are either too young or
not worldly enough to really match the tone the song is going for. The appeal
of the song comes from the fact that Frank Sinatra, the original singer of the
song, really had lived his life to the fullest and had pretty much experienced
everything there was to experience in his lifetime. And that’s not something I
think any modern artists would ever be able to pull off.
Frank Sinatra: the
perfect gentleman and a pinnacle of class, sophistication and worldliness.
#9.
And fresh off the
heels of seeing one artist reach what he believed to be his official retirement
from music, we’ll now be seeing another act making their first big breakthrough
in their musical tenure.
#9. I Want You Back (The Jackson Five) [--;
7; 5 weeks]
Yeah, I know, it
wasn’t a #1 hit until 1970, but it still charted in 1969, and high enough to
qualify for this list. It’s kind of funny; I’ve touched on the subject of
Michael Jackson in two earlier lists, but it wasn’t until now that I actually
got to talk in length about a Michael Jackson song. Well, technically it’s a
song belonging to him and the other four members of the Jackson 5 at the time,
but Michael basically owns the song from the moment he starts singing it.
I’ve talked about
child performers before, and I’ve said I try not to be too hard on them, but I
don’t think I’ll need to worry too much about doing that for MJ here. He just
had a natural talent and charisma that shown through in his performance here.
He worked really well at presenting himself as both remorseful and yet innocent
at the same time, which is what’s needed for this song. It’s a song presenting
a young man’s plea for forgiveness from a girl that left him, begging her to
return to him. And while the song’s upbeat musical presentation would seem to
clash with the tone of the song, I actually think it works. It’s not trying to
be dour or sad; it’s grasping at optimism, at the hope that the girl being
addressed will find it in her to come back and grant him absolution.
Of course, this
also begs the question of what the girl needs to forgive the narrator for
exactly. Looking at the lyrics reveals that the narrator apparently didn’t show
appreciation for the girl in question, stating that he didn’t seem to want her
around when they were together. In response, she left him for someone else, and
now that the narrator realizes what he’s lost. And the rest of the song is
basically the narrator trying to depict exactly how sorry he is. Granted, at
points it does kind of become uncomfortable with how he describes his regret,
such as the line ‘Every street you walk on, I leave tear stains on the
ground/Following the girl I didn’t even want around.’ That’s kind of creepy and
this poor fellow should probably stop doing that else the girl ends up filing a
restraining order on him. Still, I honestly can’t say I’m bothered by it that
much. I mean, just based on some of the songs I put on my worst list, as far as
unintentionally unsettling descriptions of one’s affection go, I maintain that
you could do a whole lot worse. Besides, considering this seems to be from the
perspective of a younger narrator, you can overlook one questionable line. The
reason I wasn’t willing to be lenient with songs like ‘I’m Gonna Make You
Mine,’ or ‘Don’t Give In To Him,’ was because they were told from the
perspectives of grown men, people that should know better than to say things
like what they said in those songs. This, however, is honestly harmless all
things considered.
Technically this
wasn’t the Jackson 5’s first single, but it was the first one to become a hit.
And I honestly am glad that it did, considering it eventually led to MJ
developing into the king of pop. The guy was certainly talented, despite some
of his shakier musical presentations, but there’s a reason he ended up becoming
the most successful act under Motown. Rest in peace, MJ; your legacy will live
on.
#8.
I don’t know if I
properly expressed just how much I despise ‘The Worst That Could Happen,’ by
Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s just an unpleasant song expressing
unpleasant sentiments and expecting the listener to feel bad for the narrator
because of it. It’s also a clear demonstration of how, just because a song
tries to present itself as sympathetic, that doesn’t automatically make it
listener sympathize with it.
However, while the
Johnny Maestro version of the song was the one that became popular, it was not
the original version of the song. That belonged to the American “Champagne
Soul” act the 5th Dimension. I’m not sure if I’d be willing to
forgive the 5th Dimension for allowing this song to exist, thus
allowing Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge to cover it. However, I might
be a little more willing to do so after having heard this next song.
#8. Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The 5thDimension)
[2; 1; 16 weeks]
Of the hit songs
that were spawned from the musical ‘Hair,’ this is probably the one that stuck
with me the most. Also of note, pretty much every song on this list, with the
exception of two songs, ended up peaking in the top 10 in 1969. We’ve already covered one of the songs
that didn’t already, but we’ll be getting to the other one much later.
As for this song,
it starts out speaking of the astrological belief that the world would be
entering a new age, one of love, light and humanity. This is noted in the
prechorus, where the lyrics speak of the moon being in the seventh house and
Jupiter aligning with Mars, which would signal ‘the dawning of the Age of
Aquarius,’ and the end of the Age of Pisces. I admit, I don’t really know
anything about astrology, so I wouldn’t be able to confirm this for anyone, but
I can definitely appreciate a good song that can create this kind of
otherworldly atmosphere, which the first half of this song does splendidly. Of
course, it would end up phasing out of that atmosphere for the second half of
the song, which is a jaunty, upbeat number that wouldn’t sound out of place
being performed by a church choir. I admit, I feel like this song mostly placed
on the list based more on the strength of the first half of the song than on
the second. That said, I can’t really hate on the second half all that much; I
can enjoy a good gospel number now and then.
This was actually
one of two number one hit songs that the Fifth Dimension would land this year,
with the other being ‘Wedding Bell Blues.’ However, I feel like ‘Aquarius/Let
the Sunshine In’ is the better song, since it actually has atmosphere, and the
tone of the song matches the lyrics. ‘Wedding Bell Blues’ is yet another lighthearted
song whose lyrics are just too sad to really match up with the song’s
presentation. Despite it basically being two separate songs sewn together back
to back, ‘Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In’ does a better job at making both halves
of the song match the tone they were going for, even if they don’t match each
others’ tones all that well.
While the Fifth
Dimension would actually manage to last into the early ‘70s, they just couldn’t
keep up their momentum and didn’t really see much chart success past 1972. It’s
a bit of a shame, because their music is definitely a nice listen, and I’d
certainly take this cluttered, Frankenstein monster-esque medley over the more
complete, more awful songs that we covered on the worst list.
#7.
Once again, I need
to offer my sincerest apologies for a decision I made on a previous list.
Specifically, I’ll need to apologize for putting an Elvis Presley song on my
‘worst of ‘76’ list. Now again, it’s partially a matter of opinion and
different people have different tastes; I just personally felt like the song
didn’t work and that it didn’t really accomplish the goal it set for itself. Of
course, I was worried that, by putting that song on the list, I was implying
that I didn’t like Elvis Presley’s music, and that’s simply not true. I like
plenty of Elvis Presley songs, though from earlier in his career. For example:
#7. Suspicious Minds (Elvis Presley) [18; 1;
13 weeks]
This song was
released right around the time when Elvis was preparing to relaunch his career
after his disastrous eight-year film tenure. He actually had three top ten hit
songs that spawned from this year: this song, ‘In the Ghetto’ and ‘Don’t Cry
Daddy.’ Of the three, I feel like this one felt like it had the most impact,
not only being the only single of his to reach the number one spot out of the
songs he released this year, but being his last song to reach the number one
spot for the remainder of his music career. Technically, this is actually a
cover, though the original version of the song, recorded by American songwriter
Mark James, flopped commercially. This led to producer Chips Moman handing the
song off to Elvis and the rest is history.
On a musical
level, there aren’t really that many differences between the original and
Elvis’s cover version; they’re basically the same song. However, there are two
things about the Elvis version that push it over the top for me. The first are
the background singers. On the original version of the song, they’re basically
a non-presence and only serve to add harmonies to certain areas of the song.
The Elvis version’s background singers, however, add a little more, repeating
the endings of certain lines to add emphasis, with my personal favorite part of
the song being when they repeat the line ‘suspicious minds’ during the chorus.
More than that though, what really wins the song for me is Elvis’s delivery.
Mark James, on the original version of the song, sounded emotionally detatched
from the issue being described in the song. I just don’t buy that he felt upset
about his lover’s suspicion of him. Elvis, however, sounds like he’s in turmoil
over this. I believe that he feels like he’s being driven to the brink of
despair by his lover’s suspicion; it is bringing him to tears!
And unlike ‘Hurt,’
where he sounded so ridiculously over the top and overblown with his delivery
that it bordered on self-parody, his delivery here actually feels grounded; it’s
still over the top, but it feels more controlled. Yeah, I’ve gone on record as
saying I have a higher tolerance for cheesy and over the top performances, but
see here’s the difference: where ‘Hurt’ sounded like it was coming from a
drunken bar fly screaming into a microphone while singing karaoke, ‘Suspicious
Minds’ sounds like it’s from a man that’s actually trying to confront his
problems rather than run from them. And not only that, but Elvis’s delivery on
this song just sounds a lot easier to sympathize with, not necessarily because
of the subject matter, but because he just sells the hell out of it. Nowadays,
when you hear songs from people trying to win back their suspicious lovers, not
only does the song fail to make their suspicion not seem justified, but the
performers just tend to fail at providing any kind of signs that they genuinely
feel bad about it. Elvis, however, sounds like he genuinely feels bad that he’s
led his love to feel suspicious of him in the first place, not purely for his
own sake, but for both of their sakes, for their love and dreams together that
can’t survive if this suspicion continues. And furthermore, unlike ‘Stand By
Your Man,’ which was condescending to both parties involved, this sounds like
it’s trying to be supportive and reassuring in addition to being desperate.
So no, just
because I didn’t like one song of his, I don’t hate Elvis Presley’s music as a
whole. I honestly think he was a very talented performer, and songs like this,
and the fact that he was able to revive his career at a point when most people
had come to see him as little more than a joke, should be proof enough of that.
#6.
Does anyone
remember when R&B used to be classy, suave, sophisticated and intelligent?
I’d comment on how ‘those were the days,’ except I don’t think I was either
alive or old enough to have been around when that was the case. I am part of
the generation that grew up on the more modern R&B, which requires you to
wade through a whole lot of stupid to find anything worth listening to. So,
guys like Jason Derülo, Chris Brown, Jeremaih, Trey Songz, these are the faces
of R&B for me. And that is a real shame because these guys are complete
morons, well, save for Chris Brown, who is just a deplorable, arrogant, whiny,
violent jackass. The best we can expect from modern R&B nowadays are guys
like Usher, and even then Usher doesn’t always stick the landing when it comes
to being romantic and charming. It’s guys like these that make me lament the
fact that I missed out on the era with R&B guys that actually presented
class when trying to play the sweet romantic figure.
Fortunately, we
have the Internet, and the massive backlog of past musicians’ works at our
fingertips nowadays as well, so it’s not like the music of the past has been
completely lost. And thank God for that, otherwise the acts I’m going to be
listing below would likely have passed us by completely and we would’ve had
nothing to show for it.
#6. I’m Gonna Make You Love Me (Diana Ross
and the Supremes & the Temptations) [87; 2; 10 weeks]
This was released
after a pretty rough period for the Temptations, whose primary front man, David
Ruffin, had proven to be so problematic at this point that they ended up
needing to replace him with Dennis Edwards. And he had a really big pair of
shoes to fill, considering he was coming in right off the heels of what would
go on to be the classic Temptations line up. Fortunately, the first song to
feature him on lead vocals, ‘Cloud Nine,’ was fairly well received, peaking at
number six on Billboard in 1968. He didn’t actually end up singing lead vocals
on this song, but that doesn’t mean that it didn’t still demonstrate that the
Temptations were still able to carry themselves without David Ruffin.
Of course, it
seems they weren’t convinced of it, since they would then do a collaboration
album with their distaff counterparts, the Supremes. Not that I’m complaining,
considering it resulted in this song becoming a hit. Someone I know told me
that she really took issue with this song because, to paraphrase what she said,
“Whenever Diana Ross performs, it’s always Diana Ross and everyone else.” And
while it is somewhat true that Diana Ross does kind of dominate the song, I’d
argue that Eddie Kendricks handles his part of the song fairly well also. His
falsetto voice does a nice job matching Diana Ross’s upper register vocals. And
honestly, I feel like they have decent balance on this song; neither one of
them seems to really steal the spotlight from or overpower the other. And, of
course, the spoken word portions of the song actually fit into the song without
really interrupting the flow.
Sadly, much like the 5th
Dimension, neither the Supremes nor the Temptations would manage to see much
success through the ‘70s, with both groups running dry in terms of hit success
by 1975. The only member of either group that would manage any consistent
success through the decade would be Diana Ross, who would even manage some
chart success into the ‘80s. As for Eddie Kendricks, he did manage some pop
success briefly in 1973 and 1974 with two top five hit songs, but aside from
several songs charting on the R&B charts after that, and a live performance
with Hall and Oates of ‘A Night At the Apollo’ managing to scrape the bottom of
the top 20, his success wouldn’t really persist much further than that, and he
sadly passed away on October 5, 1992 from lung cancer. Still, this song does a
nice job showing off the strengths of both groups, and I’m happy to listen to
this song and reflect on the era of R&B I missed out on, where stupidity
may have still been present, but was a lot more scarce than it is today.
#5.
Considering it’s
been about a year and a half since its release in theaters, I’m guessing many
of you have seen ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ by now. Wasn’t that a pretty awesome
movie? I admit though, I was kind of iffy about going to see it at first. Why?
Well, let’s just say that the initial trailer didn’t exactly sell me on it. One
thing about it especially put me off to the prospect of seeing the film: that
ridiculously stupid song that they ended up playing in the background. It just
sounded so kitschy and dated and lame. I mean, it had a bunch of guys going
‘Ooga ooga ooga chaka’ all over it. How could I possibly get into a film when
that was the song they were using to promote it?
Of course, if I’d
bothered to do my research, I would’ve found out that said song was actually a
cover. Then I likely would have discovered this next song before putting this
list together rather than while I was in the midst of doing so. Figures,
doesn’t it?
#5. Hooked On a Feeling (B. J. Thomas) [99;
5; 10 weeks]
This was actually
one of two big hits that B. J. Thomas had this year, with the other being the
song ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head’ from the film ‘Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid.’ By the way, that song nearly got handed over to Ray Stevens, but
he turned it down, thankfully. But while that song was the bigger hit, ‘Hooked
On a Feeling’ is not only the better of the two songs, it’s also the song that
established that B. J. Thomas still had hit making power in him after the dry
period he experienced after managing a single top 10 hit three years prior. And
it’s pretty clear to see why, going back and listening to the song.
First, let’s take
a look at the production for the song. An electric sitar carries the song’s
music, a musical choice that definitely helps it stand out at the time, and
even today. How many songs on the pop charts have you heard recently that used
sitars on them? And the lighter, softer percussion also helps add to the song’s
earnestness, making it seem a lot more soft-spoken and romantic. Then there’s
B. J. Thomas himself, who does a splendid job at presenting himself as the
innocent, love stricken narrator, and the lyrics work well to compliment that.
They primarily speak of how the narrator feels about the girl being addressed
in the song, with metaphors indicating that he is just so infatuated with her
that she’s addictive, like candy or a fine glass of wine. And unlike a lot of
modern songs that abuse the ‘love like an addiction’ metaphor, this came out at
a time when it could actually get away with it. And the way it presents it
isn’t overly sexual, but soft and sweet, which was what love songs were
supposed to be back in the day.
I admit, that’s
pretty much all I had to say about this song. I just think it’s a sweet,
innocent little love song and it works a lot better than the love songs I
covered on the other list. I guess I could add that the way the song is
presented, in contrast to those other songs, it seems to elevate the girl in question
on a pedestal, painting a very flattering picture of the girl instead of just
selfishly trying to get her to give up some other guy to get with the narrator
or acting all passive-aggressive and expecting that to win the girl over.
Sometimes, the simplest
approach can be the best one. This was certainly the case with this song.
#4.
I’m not really
wild about sports, so I don’t really pick up on most of the traditions that are
associated with various sporting events or teams or anything else relating to
them. Back when I was in high school, the closest I got to participating in a
sport was performing in a marching band. And I will tell you right now that it
was incredibly unpleasant. I would occasionally have to perform with other band
members at football games, we’d have to march around on a field while carrying
these giant, heavy, unwieldy metal things that weren’t properly balanced for us
to be able to do so without hurting ourselves in the process, and they would
even have us practice our marching routines when it was freezing and raining
outside. If you enjoyed the experience of performing in a marching band, fine;
maybe you were able to find something fun in the activity that I just didn’t
see. However, there is no way I will ever be caught wearing a marching uniform
and walking around carrying a marching fucking baritone again as long as I
live.
Steering the topic
back to sports though, while I’m not wild about sports, I am still interested
in music. And this next song has become so strongly associated with various
sports and activities that it’s practically written in the cultural identity of
Americans everywhere, at least those that actually watch or participate in
sports.
#4. Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond) [22; 4; 12
weeks]
Neil Diamond is one
of the top three most successful adult contemporary artists, behind only Elton
John and Barbra Streisand, and has had three number one hit singles. This
wasn’t one of them, but it’s still seen its share of success, being played at a
number of sporting events, both in America and even a few countries in Europe,
serving as the victory theme for the Carolina Panthers and club anthem for the
Castleford Tigers and selling over two million digital downloads in the United
States alone. I find this incredibly interesting because, thematically, this
song doesn’t actually have anything to do with sporting events or sports teams
or anything; it’s just a simple song about how great the person the singer is
singing about makes them feel. In one interview, Neil Diamond revealed that the
inspiration for the song came from a magazine cover photo of John F. Kennedy’s
daughter, Caroline, as a young child on a horse with her parents, with the song
itself coming together five years later, being released when Caroline was eleven
years old. However, in a completely different interview, he stated that the
titular ‘Caroline’ in the song wasn’t referring to her. The song was originally
going to be named after his wife Marsha, however he ultimately decided to go
with a three-syllable name for the song, with ‘Caroline’ being the name he
settled on.
Much like with
‘Hooked On a Feeling,’ there really isn’t a lot to this song. However, it’s the
simplicity of the song that makes it work for me. The imagery and descriptions
of the narrator’s affection for the girl in question doesn’t really delve into
questionable territory, and it’s not trying to. The narrator is just expressing
how great it feels to be in love with this girl specifically, and I completely
buy it. I’m not trying to say I don’t buy it in ‘Hooked On a Feeling,’ but I
feel like this song delivers it a bit better just because, where ‘Hooked On a
Feeling,’ was expressing how great it is to be in love, ‘Sweet Caroline’ sounds
like how I would imagine it feels to be in love. And all that can be attributed
to the chorus. I just love every part of the chorus to this song; from the big,
dramatic way Neil Diamond says the line ‘Sweet Caroline,’ to the horns that
accentuate that line, to the backup vocals. Much like with ‘Kyrie,’ the chorus
is the main reason this song made it on this list. Though that’s not to say
that the rest of the song isn’t good also. It’s a fun, jaunty tune that creates
the impression of clouds parting and blue skies as far as the eye can see. And
that’s what I think of when I think of a song about being in love.
It really is a
shame that, despite how successful and fondly remembered this song is, it
didn’t end up being a number one hit. Diamond would manage other number one hit
songs over the course of his career, sure, but I don’t think any of them managed
to capture the pure, raw emotion that’s present in this song. They’re not bad
songs, don’t get me wrong, but they just don’t leave the same kind of impact as
‘Sweet Caroline.’ Still not sure what it has to do with sports though. Ah well,
next!
#3.
1969 was not a
good year for the Beatles. They seriously struggled getting through the albums
they worked on, they ended up performing their final live show really early on
in the year, tensions ran high between the members of the band and by the end
of the year John Lennon would ultimately split off from the group to write and
produce his own music. And if you’ve read the worst list, you should already
know what I think about his initial attempts at that particular stint.
However, that
doesn’t mean that the Beatles weren’t still able to make good music this year.
I wouldn’t say their work from this year was their best by any stretch, but it
was still the Beatles performing it, and if nothing else, their musical chops
were still enough for them to be able to elevate even songs that weren’t all
that great into something bigger and more impressive.
#3. Come Together (The Beatles) [85; 1; 12
weeks]
This song is
actually kind of curious, since it, along with the Beatles song ‘Something’ was
the first case where an ‘A’ side and ‘B’ side song were counted together on
Billboard, albeit after both songs had become hits separately. This is also kind
of a significant song because it would be among one of the last songs the Beatles
would release that had John Lennon in their line up. It’s also a clear sign of
just how high tensions were with the Beatles at the time, since John Lennon did
pretty much all the work on the song, to the point that he ended up watching
Paul McCartney compose the electric piano part so he could learn it himself.
Speaking of how the song was put together, this was apparently inspired by
Timothy Leary’s campaign against Ronald Reagan for the position of governor of
California. The title was based on an expression Leary came up with for his
campaign. John attempted to write a campaign song, and it ended up with him
creating this song. Of course, considering most of the lyrics seem to be
nonsensical, Lennon claimed that he couldn’t imagine anyone being able to build
a campaign out of a song like this. Honestly though, if someone were to build a
campaign out of this song…well, that still wouldn’t guarantee I’d vote for
them, but it would certainly catch my attention.
As I said, Lennon
handled most of the instrumentation on this song, contributing both lead and
backing vocals, with McCartney’s backing vocals only being overdubbed in later,
as well as the electric piano, which McCartney had composed the part for.
However, what really makes this song…well, for lack of a better phrase, ‘come
together’ for me is the bass line, which hilariously enough is one of the few
parts in the song not played by Lennon. That bass line is the glue that keeps
the rest of the song grounded, with Ringo Starr’s drumming serving to
compliment it. In fact, despite the fact that Lennon does most of the work in
terms of playing the instruments on the song, it’s actually the parts played by
the rest of the group that make the song work. That’s not to say that Lennon
doesn’t do a good job on the song, but it just feels like, if he’d actually
tried to play the whole thing by himself, it wouldn’t have turned out as well. Although,
compared to the lead off single of his solo career, ‘Give Peace a Chance,’ I’d
call this song a goddamn masterpiece.
More than
anything, though, to me this song comes across as a massive ego trip on the
part of Lennon. Yet, at the same time, it’s also a demonstration of just how
much better the Beatles were when they were together. It really is sad that he
would end up leaving the band by the end of the year because this song is clear
indication that, even at their lowest of lows the Beatles were still able to
put together awesome music.
#2.
Back on my best of
2001 list, I talked about how there was a time when I primarily listened to
folk music, and how that was predominantly because of my older sister. However,
going back through this year has had me reintroduced to a very specific act
that may have gotten me hooked on folk music even before that: Simon and Gafunkel.
I first heard of them through a medley of songs of theirs I ended up singing in
a choir I was in back in the day. After hearing that, my mom bought a CD of
their greatest hits, and when I was in middle school, this album was pretty
much all I would listen to. There were a number of songs of theirs off of that
album that I really enjoyed, ‘Scarborough Fair,’ ‘Feelin’ Groovy,’ ‘The Sounds
of Silence,’ ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ just to name a few. This next song
was also on the CD, but when I first heard it, I admit I didn’t really think
much of it. However, now that time has passed and I’ve taken several years off
of having heard the song and returned to it now, I’ve come to realize I really
like it, like really, truly like it.
#2. The Boxer (Simon and Garfunkel) [--; 7;
9 weeks]
Much like was the
case with the Beatles and ‘Come Together,’ ‘The Boxer’ came out around the time
when things were starting to deteriorate between Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. This
was the first single off of their ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ album, the last
album the two would release as a duo before splitting in 1970, at least before
their numerous attempts at reuniting that would follow. However, that’s a story
for another day.
In contrast to
‘Come Together’ though, this song isn’t an ego trip as it is a narrative from
the perspective of a man struggling to overcome loneliness and poverty in New
York City. The lyrics tell of a man that left his home as a boy, tried to make
a life for himself but didn’t really make much success in terms of finding a
job. The narrator lives his life in the poor men’s quarters and would stifle
his sorrow by seeking comfort from the whores on Seventh Avenue, and by the end
of the song is wishing to return home. The final verse, while seeming to be
disconnected, I think kind of ties in with the narrative, with its description
of the boxer in question serving as kind of a parallel to the struggle the
narrator faces. The man is covered in scars that reflect every blow he’s ever
received, to the point that he was pushed to swallow his pride and surrender,
yet he continues his struggle despite all of this, knowing that he has already
lost. Normally when a song tells of a character going through a struggle such
as this, the easy way to end it would be for the protagonist to ultimately
overcome said struggle and emerge victorious over his adversities. This song,
however, is quite painfully the opposite of that, an indication that not every
challenge can be overcome and not everyone succeeds at accomplishing their
dreams. It’s an agonizing wake up slap from the fantasies of optimism and
dreams and an indication that reality is a cruel place where, for the most
part, people can’t always win.
I admit, with a
narrative like this, it’s kind of hard to understand why I would like a song
like this. However, what makes up for the bleak image painted by the lyrics are
how they’re delivered through the music. The song’s folk rock sound and Simon
and Garfunkel’s always-lovely harmonies makes it sound pretty; it paints a
pretty picture of the story being told. It’s like a musical tragedy; you may
find the story depressing as hell, but you can get into it because the songs
make it sound beautiful. And part of that comes from how the chorus is
presented. It really shouldn’t work as well as it does because the chorus is
actually just nonsense words, just the phrase ‘lie-la-lie’ repeated over and
over again over a thundering drum section. Paul Simon explained that the phrase
was meant as a placeholder, but it ultimately ended up part of the finished
song. However, despite the nonsense of the lyrics themselves, I think they
carry more with them. Some artists are able to take nonsense words like these
and imbue them with depth and meaning, and the phrase here can be interpreted
as all the tangled emotion ravaging the narrator through the struggle he fights
against but probably realizes he can’t overcome.
I can understand
why a lot of people wouldn’t like a song like this. I mean, why listen to a
song that’s about something so bleak and depressing? Honestly though, I feel
like it’s a nice refresher from sugary, upbeat music that we hear a lot
nowadays. Not to say I don’t like a good bubblegum pop song now and then; ‘I
Want You Back’ is clear evidence that I do. However, I guess I would recommend
this song for the same reason someone might recommend one of Shakespeare’s
tragedies; it’s a depressing sit through, but it’s well written and, on some
level, still grounded in reality. It may have come around the time when Simon
and Garfunkel’s partnership was coming to a close, but like the Beatles, even
when they were at odds with each other, these two were still able to make
really good music.
#1.
I seriously
struggled with choosing between ‘The Boxer’ and this next song as my choice for
my #1 for this list. I absolutely love both songs, and both of them have
impressive merits that work in their favor. On top of that, they’re both
technically impressive songs in their own way. I spent quite a bit of time
tossing the songs back and forth in my mind trying to decide which of the two I
wanted to be the #1.
However,
ultimately, there was one question that I asked myself that decided the
placement of these two songs on this list: which song would I be willing to
listen to again and again without getting sick of it after repeated listens?
Don’t get me wrong, I adore ‘The Boxer,’ and I think it’s a fantastic song.
However, I feel like the very somber tone of the song would wear out on me
eventually after hearing it multiple times. This next song, however, I feel
like I would be more than willing to listen to for days on end without getting
sick of it. Don’t think for a second, though, that this means I like ‘The Boxer’
any less because of this. This really came down to the wire, and I love both of
these songs just as much. In the end, however, this was where I decided to
place them. So, without further ado ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my
favorite hit song from 1969:
#1. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (Crosby, Stills
and Nash) [--; 21; 9 weeks]
I originally heard this song by listening to a cover of it done by a friend as part of an
audio drama he was putting together. Much like with ‘The Boxer,’ I didn’t
really pay the song much mind when I first heard it. However, after going
through the list of hits from 1969 and stumbling across this song again, it
just hit me right in the gut just how much I loved this song. Where ‘The Boxer’
was all doom and gloom, ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’ is optimism and hope. Stephen
Stills wrote the song in regards to his imminent break up with
singer/songwriter Judy Collins, and while the two did end up breaking up, I
feel like a song like this was a fairly good note to end the relationship on.
But let’s start
out by looking at the lyrics and structure of the song. It’s a suite consisting
of four song concepts that tie together seamlessly. A suite, in the musical
sense, is an ordered set of instrumental, orchestral or concert band pieces,
originating in the late 14th century in the form of dance tunes and
by the early 17th century grew to comprise of five dances, sometimes
with a prelude. Stephen Stills performs the lead vocals and sings most of the
major melodies throughout the song, with Crosby and Nash singing harmonies.
The first section
consists of four verses, each concluded with a chorus of ‘I am yours, you are
mine, you are what you are/You make it hard.’ It seems to be addressing Collins
directly, talking about how he feels sorry about how things aren’t working out,
reflecting on the past, and seeming to accept that she is leaving, but stating
that he still loves her and always will. The second section consists of four
verses, each consisting of two lines followed by the line ‘What have you got to
lose?’ or in the case of the third verse, ‘What have I got to lose?’ Between
the second and third verse, there is a brief solo by Stephen Stills, expressing
that he still feels pain over the fact that things aren’t working out. This
eventually leads into the third section of the song, which consists of three
four bar verses that speak in poetic imagery, ultimately concluding with the
line, “Be my lady,” seeming to indicate that Stephen Stills hasn’t fully let go
of Collins and that he still believes they can make things work between them.
And that is followed by the final section, which, much like the chorus to ‘The
Boxer,’ basically consists of nonsense lyrics. However, also like ‘The Boxer,’
the nonsense lyrics seem to carry some level of meaning to them, in this case,
a sense of joy and positivity that seem to be Stills’s attempt at winning over
Collins and possibly repairing their strained relationship. There’s also a
portion in Spanish, which, according to what I’ve read, is meant to be
‘honeymoon music’. Again, this ties back to the ‘Be my lady’ line from the end
of the previous section, presenting an image of a possible honeymoon preceding
the wedding that Stills seems to picture in his mind and wants to share with
Collins.
What this song
reminds me of more than anything else is ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ just a collection
of song concepts connected to one another through the themes present in the
lyrics and creating a splendid whole that works as a complete song. And much
like how that song took its cues from opera and tropes present therein, ‘Suite:
Judy Blue Eyes’ takes its cues from classical suites. While not as grandiose as
‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ this song isn’t trying to be anything overblown or
theatrical; it’s message can basically be boiled down to this: “I’m sad that
our relationship isn’t working out. I hope that we can make things work despite
this, and I love you.” The simplicity of the song’s theme helps tie together
the rest of the song and the complexity inherent therein, in the structure
anyway.
Despite the fact
that folk rock was basically fading out by the end of the decade, I’m glad that
it lasted long enough for us to get a hit song out of this. We don’t hear songs
like this on the radio anymore nowadays. Well okay, thematically speaking we do
still hear a lot of music like this, but on a structural level no, we don’t
hear songs that are this ‘out there’ in terms of how they’re put together.
Crosby, Stills and Nash, ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes:’ my pick for the best hit song
of 1969.
