1966 Archives - Ramblin' with Roger

The #1 easy listening hits of 1966

Westminster Abigail

The #1 easy listening hits of 1966 are listed here. Interestingly, the category name went from easy listening (7/17/1961) to middle-road singles (11/3/1962) to pop-standard singles (5/2/1964) to middle-road singles (10/24/1964), back to pop-standard singles (5/1/1965), finally back to easy listening (6/5/1965). It stayed there until 4/7/1979, when it became adult contemporary. I usually list the category as AC.

*Strangers in the Night – Frank Sinatra (Reprise), 7 weeks at #1; also, #1 pop

Born Free – Roger Williams (Kapp), 6 weeks at #1; also #7 pop. From the movie. He’s NOT the Roger Williams who founded Rhode Island.

*The Ballad of the Green Berets – SSgtBarry Sadler (RCA Victor), 5 weeks at #1

Spanish Eyes – Al Martino (Capitol), 4 weeks at #1; also #15 pop.

From J-archive:

#823, aired 1988-03-16

DOUBLE TALK $800 (Daily Double): It’s what Al Martino wanted the girl to say in the following song: “Blue Spanish eyes / Teardrops are falling from your Spanish eyes…”

Somewhere My Love – Ray Coniff & the Singers, 4 weeks at #1; also #9 pop. a/k/a Larta’s Theme from the movie Dr. Zhivago.

The Wheel Of Hurt – Margaret Whiting (London), 4 weeks at #1; also #26 pop

*Winchester Cathedral – The New Vaudeville Band (Fontana), 4 weeks at #1; also #1 pop for three weeks

Crying Time – Ray Charles (ABC-Paramount), 3 weeks at #1; also #5 RB, #6 pop

*I Want to Go With You – Eddy Arnold, (RCA Victor), 3 weeks at #1; also #1 CW for six weeks

Together Again – Ray Charles (ABC-Paramount), 3 weeks at #1; also #10 RB, #19 pop

That’s Life – Frank Sinatra (Reprise)- 3 weeks at #1; also #4 pop, #25 RB. It was also #1 on Record World, but I’m focusing here on Billboard.

Band Of Gold – Mel Carter (Imperial), 2 weeks at #1; #32 pop

In The Arms Of Love – Andy Williams (Columbia), 2 weeks at #1; also #49 pop. Co-written by Henry Mancini.

The remaining songs were #1 AC for one week

England Swings – Roger Miller (Smash); also #3 CW, #8 pop. For reasons, when this came out, I changed a line to “Westminster Abigail, the tower Big Benjamin. The rosy-red cheeks of the little children-alin.”

It Was A Very Good Year – Frank Sinatra (Reprise); also #28 pop

The Impossible Dream (the Quest) – Jack Jones (Kapp); also #35 pop. The only song from Man of La Mancha I know. The changed lyric is not an improvement, but it is probably more radio-friendly than the “march into hell ” line.

I Couldn’t Live Without Your Love – Petula Clark (Warner); also #9 pop

Summer Wind – Frank Sinatra (Reprise); also #25 pop

The JEOPARDY response, What is “Si, si”?

Hot Country Singles of 1966

Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves

The Hot Country Singles of 1966 include several familiar artists. But I don’t recognize most of the songs.

Almost Persuaded – David Houston (Epic), 9 weeks at #1; also #24 pop. I didn’t recognize the title, but I surely had heard that song before.

Waitin’ In Your Welfare Line – Buck Owens (Capitol), 7 weeks at #1; also #57 pop

There Goes My Everything – Jack Greene (Decca), 7 weeks at #1; #65 pop in 1967. Also familiar.

Giddyup Go – Red Sovine (Starday), 6 weeks at #1; also #82 pop

I Want To Go With You – Eddy Arnold (RCA Victor), 6 weeks at #1; also #1 AC for three weeks, #36 pop

Think of Me – Buck Owens (Capitol), 6 weeks at #1; also #74 pop

Distant Drums – Jim Reeves (RCA Victor), 4 weeks at #1; also #45 pop

Open Up Your Heart – Buck Owens (Capitol), 4 weeks at #1. Written by Owens.

Somebody Like Me -Eddy Arnold (RCA Victor), 4 weeks at #1; also #15 AC, #53 pop

Take Good Care Of Her – Sonny James (Capitol), 2 weeks at #1

Blue Side Of Lonesome – Jim Reeves (RCA Victor), 1 week at #1; also #15 AC, #59 pop

I Get The Fever – Bill Anderson (Decca), 1 week at #1

Only a dozen songs this go-round. The 1976 country charts have thrice as many songs, none of them #1 for more than three weeks.

Top-Selling R&B Singles for 1966

Everything’s Alright

These are the top-selling R&B singles for 1966. It’s heavy on Motown, Atlantic, and Stax, to no one’s surprise.

*This song reached #1 on the pop charts, so I linked to it a few days ago already

Ain’t Too Proud To Beg – the Temptations (Gordy), 8 weeks at #1; also #13 pop. I LOVED the Tempts!

634-5789 (Soulsville USA) – Wilson Pickett (Atlantic), 7 weeks at #1; also #13

Uptight (Everything’s Alright) – Stevie Wonder (Tamla), 5 weeks at #1; also #3 pop for two weeks. My favorite Stevie song of the 1960s.

Beauty’s Only Skin Deep – the Temptations (Gordy), 5 weeks at #1; also #3 pop

*When A Man Loves a Woman – Percy Sledge (Atlantic), 4 weeks at #1; also #1 pop for two weeks

*You Keep Me Hangin’ On – the Supremes (Motown), 4 weeks at #1; also #1 pop for two weeks

Baby Scratch My Back– Slim Harpo (Excello), 2 weeks at #1; also #16 pop

It’s A Man’s, Man’s World – James Brown (King), 2 weeks at #1; also #8 pop

*You Can’t Hurry Love – the Supremes (Motown), 2 weeks at #1; also #1 pop for two weeks

*Reach Out, I’ll Be There – the Four Tops (Motown), 2 weeks at #1; also #1 pop for two weeks

(I Know) I’m Losing You – the Temptations (Gordy), 2 weeks at #1; also #8 pop

#1 RB for 1 week

A Sweet Woman Like You – Joe Tex (Dial); also #29 pop

Get Ready – the Temptations (Gordy); also #29 pop

Hold On! I’m A Comin’ – Sam & Dave (Stax); also #21 pop

Let’s Go Get Stoned – Ray Charles (ABC); also #31 pop

Blowin’ In The Wind – Stevie Wonder (Tamla); also #9 pop

Land Of 1000 Dances – Wilson Pickett (Atlantic); also #6 pop

Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing – Lou Rawls (Capitoll); also #13 pop

Knock On Wood – Eddie Floyd (Stax); also #28 pop

#1 pop hits of 1966

two by the Beatles, two by the Supremes

Here are the #1 pop hits of 1966. Well, some of them. All will be made clear eventually.

I’m A Believer – the Monkees, #1 for 7 weeks. The first week actually started on the last day of 1966. Written by Neil Diamond.

The Ballad of the Green Berets – s/Sgt Barry Sadler, #1 for five weeks. Also #1 AC (adult contemporary) for 5 weeks, and #2 CW (counry) for two weeks. Four years ago, I wrote a whole post about the song.

(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration – the Righteous Brothers, #1 for 3 weeks, #2 RB (rhythm and blues). One of the relatively few singles I owned.

Monday, Monday – the Mamas and the Papas, #1 for 3 weeks. “Can’t trust that day.”

Summer In The City – the Lovin’ Spoonful, #1 for 3 weeks. I played this (poorly) on my grandmother’s piano.

Cherish – the Association, #1 for 3 weeks, #38 AC

We Can Work It Out– the Beatles, #1 for 3 weeks. I was always fond of this because it was so clearly a Lennon-and-McCartney song. From the Yesterday… and Today album, which I bought at a Rexall drug store for $2.99, the first Beatles album I did NOT get from the Capitol Records Club.

Winchester Cathedral – the New Vaudeville Band, #1 for 3 weeks. Also #1 AC for four weeks. If I pinch my nose with two fingers, I can sort of approximate the vocal stylings of the song.

My Love – Petula Clark, 2 weeks at #1, #4 AC

When A Man Loves A Woman – Percy Sledge, 2 weeks at #1; #1 RB for four weeks

Paint It, Black – the Rolling Stones, 2 weeks at #1. This is the lead track of the first Stones album I ever purchased, Aftermath, though the song does NOT appear on the UK version of the LP.

Hanky Panky – Tommy James and the Shondells, 2 weeks at #1; #39 RB

Wild Thing – the Troggs, 2 weeks at #1. “But I wanna know for sure.”

Motown

You Can’t Hurry Love – the Supremes, 2 weeks at #1; also #1 RB for two weeks. This was on The Supremes A Go-Go, which my sister Leslie owned. Much later, I bought it on CD.

Reach Out I’ll BBe There – the Four Tops, 2 weeks at #1; also #1 RB for four weeks.. This was on the great The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland album, which I owned.

You Keep Me Hanging On – the Supremes, 2 weeks at #1; also #1 RB for four weeks. I owned this on the great The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland album.

The Sound of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel, 2 weeks at #1 . It’s the title song of an album I didn’t buy until after I got Bookends (1968). The original version, which appeared on Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., I didn’t purchase until well after I bought the Bridge Over Troubled water album in 1970. From Wikipedia: Throughout the month of January 1966 “The Sound of Silence” had a one-on-one battle with the Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out” for the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. “The Sound of Silence” was number one for the weeks of January 1 and 22 and number two for the intervening two weeks. “We Can Work It Out” held the top spot for the weeks of January 8, 15, and 29, and it was number two for the two weeks that “The Sound of Silence” was number one.

Paperback Writer – the Beatles, 2 weeks at #1. Though it was recorded during the Revolver sessions, it was a stand-alone single (b/w Rain). I didn’t own it until I bought the peculiar Beatles Again/Hey Jude album when it came out in 1969. Oh, today is Ringo Starr’s 86th birthday.

I will revisit the topic soon with the one week at #1 pop songs, PLUS other #1s on non-Billboard charts.

More music from 1966/1967

Song referencing Long Island

Here’s more of my mixed CD for 1966/1967.

Somebody To Love – Jefferson Airplane. Surrealistic Pillow was the first Airplane album with Grace Slick.

I’m Ready For Love – Martha and the Vandellas—a Holland-Dozier-Holland song. On my greatest hits CD, “I’m ready” in the bridge repeats, then “right now” does the same. It’s a failure of the pressing process, not a skip; it’s too precise.

I Second That Emotion – Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Smokey explains that the title line was a mistake. Some of the guys were in a store deciding something, and one wanted to say, “I that that motion,” but misspoke.

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy – the Buckinghams. I heard the Cannonball Adderly version much later.

(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher – Jackie Wilson. Some of the Funk Brothers, who played on the Motown hits, went to Chicago to play on this track to make more money.

My Baby Must Be A Magician – the Marvelettes. The first voice you hear is Melvin Franklin from The Temptations. This song was written and produced by Smokey Robinson.

Wang Dang Doodle – Koko Taylor. It’s a Willie Dixon song.

Big Noise From Speonk – the Lovin’ Spoonful. This is the final cut on the group’s Daydream album, which I got from the Capitol Record Club when I failed to return the postcard in time. I love the collection. Speonk is a hamlet in Southampton, Suffolk County, NY.

(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – Otis Redding. A cover of a British band’s song.

19th Nervous Breakdown – the Rolling Stones

Obscure Motown

No More Water In The Well – the Temptations. Written by Warren Moore, Bobby Rogers, and Smokey from the Miracles. From my all-time favorite Temps album, The Temptations With A Lot o’ Soul

Love’s Gone Bad – Chris Clark. I found this Holland-Dozier-Holland song on two Motown compilation albums I own. Here’s her IMDb page.

The Mission: Impossible television theme. This was one of my father’s favorite shows at the time. I have at least seven albums with TV theme songs.

Five O’Clock World– the Vogues. This was the theme for the second season of The Drew Carey Show.

Boris The Spider – the Who. Because I like to say, “Boris, the Spider.”

At The Zoo – Simon and Garfunkel. I wrote a blog post about it.