As I Turn 60: My 60 Faves From 1965

Reaching an age ending with a zero in the last digit is a fairly big deal to me.

When I turned 50, I invited 100 friends to a party at a hotel with a DJ. It was lots of fun.

I’m not going all out this time when I turn 60 this February… But I do have a novel way to mark the achievement.

I’m listing my Top 60 Favorite Songs that came out in my birth year of 1965. 

I chose songs that peaked that year on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

Now, I didn’t have enough time to listen to all 719 songs to make the Hot 100 in 1965. However, I have heard all of the more than 200 songs that peaked at number 22 or higher that year. And some songs are better remembered today than their original relatively low chart placings would indicate – as we’ll see shortly.

So, here are my top 60 favorites from 1965, with their chart peak listed after the artist’s names and going from liked to most liked. They may not be the year’s best exactly, but they’re all ones I still enjoy hearing. And that’s what matters to me most as I turn the big 6-0.

60:

You’ll see a lot of Motown songs in this post. This is mournful yet beautiful thanks to strong lead vocal by Levi Stubbs.

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59:

I have to be in a certain mood to listen to all 6 minutes of this, but when I am, I’m locked in for the duration. Great swirling organ and strong harmonica backing here.

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58:

Tom has the right tongue-in-cheek approach in putting across this fun if somewhat gimmicky singalong song. “Whoa-oa-oa-oa, oa, oa oa!”

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57:

Tony’s take on this classic standard is somewhat slower than I’d prefer but comes across fine.

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56:

When I think of music from 1965, I think of electric guitars. This is one of the most representative examples of that sound, with clever lyrics to boot.

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55:

I associate the Guess Who more with the 1970s, so this is an anomaly to me, but a nice one. Another jangly guitar sound to highlight a pleasant mid-tempo rock effort.

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54:

A great song unfortunately hampered slightly by poor production (the MGM label was never a soul powerhouse). But even amid the unbalanced vocals and backing, it still works.

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53:

Typically outstanding work by an artist gone too soon. Possibly the best male vocal on this list.

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52:

A civil rights anthem that still holds its power decades later, I’d argue this was the best song the Impressions ever had.

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51:

Though the Spinners weren’t well served by Motown during their stint with the label in the 1960s, they do a splendid job here in making this a smooth single to hear.

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50:

One of two classic slow “make out” tracks on this list (see number 17 for the other one), Smokey Robinson’s lead vocal sounds as gentle and caressing as you’d want to be when holding your partner and listening to this.

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49:

The overdone production from the obscure Charger record label (the only hit the label had) could be tighter, but Dobie compensates with a swinging vocal delivery of some great lyrics.

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48:

This rocker has a special place with me for mentioning a city near me, Raleigh. I might have ranked this higher were it not that I like Elvis Presley’s 1970s version even more.

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47:

How sweet it is indeed, although I can think of at least 10 other Marvin Gaye songs that surpass this one. Still, second-tier Marvin Gaye is better than most first-tier work from other artists.

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46:

Being a biased fan of the “beach music” scene, I may be rating this too high, but this easygoing tune has stuck with me ever since I’ve heard it as a child, so that counts for something, right?

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45:

An elegiac anthem from another artist gone too soon. His introductory notes alone on this always gives me shivers.

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44:

If I can’t include Vince Guaraldi’s wonderful compositions from A Charlie Brown Christmas, I can at least make room for a solid instrumental cover of a song he wrote a few years earlier.

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43 & 42:

These are two other “beach music” tunes to which I’m partial. Billy and his backing musicians get every note just right. I’d love to sit in any park and hear his song. As for Tony Clarke, he offers a bright, warm vocal that makes his mid-tempo effort a delight.

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41:

If Motown had given Kim and her shimmering vocals the same energetic production the Doobie Brothers used in their 1970s remake, this could’ve been even better and bigger.

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40:

There’s something about the Four Tops because this is one of four songs by them on my list. A solid up-tempo number that dares you not to join in.

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39:

Tom’s vocal excesses can be annoying if the tune doesn’t call for it, but not here. His booming delivery is in line with how this brassy number should be put across.

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38:

“She’s Not There” and “Time of the Season” are slightly ahead of this in the Zombies discography to me. Still, the group and production team are on full blast getting this over.

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37 & 36:

The Yardbirds and the Animals were the best “British invasion: rock acts after the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. These efforts show why. Both are excellent in every department, and yet both groups will have even better hits listed here shortly.

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35:

Another top ballad with excellent lyrics featuring Smokey’s voice in full power. Compare his take with Johnny Rivers’ weaker one on the same song and you’ll hear what I mean.

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34:

A novelty tune from the group that gave us “Do You Love Me”? It’s actually an amusing sendup of how money affects relationships. The Contours put it across both powerfully and playfully.

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33:

Folk music meets rock, and the combo is surprisingly sympatico here. Of course, it doesn’t hurt if you have Bob Dylan writing the composition and a top band performing it either.

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32 & 31:

Two girl groups sound like they were having unbridled fun in the studio when recording these upbeat offerings. Smart lyrics, strong vocals and energetic production on each.

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30:

Why do I like this cover of a Bob Dylan tune by the Byrds slightly more than “Mr. Tambourine Man”? Well, I just find it more romantic and hummable, a combo I always love.

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29:

Who would’ve thought a melody dating back to Bach would be the best Supremes imitation of 1965 and arguably of all time? This was so good that the Supremes covered it after it was a hit.

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28 & 27:

Now that we’re in the top 30, things are getting tough to rank separately. Everything listed from here is a 10 to me, and any differences are negligible. So, I’m intertwining a chart topper with a follow up that cannily paraphrases the previous hit in its lyrics and melody. Both are delights. 

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26:

The lyrics aren’t much more than “do” repeated a lot (over 100 times!) to indicate the lead singer’s devotion to his partner. But the great music, vocals and production make it a magical last gasp for doo wop hits.

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25:

I’d rank the first three chart toppers for the Supremes in 1964 somewhat ahead collectively of the trio they had at number one in 1965, but this one by itself matches them easily. Unforgettable chorus that wisely kicks off the tune and never lets go afterward.

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24:

I grew up in the 1970s and remember hearing this as the closing song to The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour on TV. Even bigger than that, it’s the recurring song in the movie Groundhog Day, a film referencing my birthday. Putting those biases aside, I still think it’s a superb love duet.

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23:

Apart from the weird few lyrics (“We’re gonna pick tomatoes” – huh?), Jr. Walker wailing on his funky sax produced one of the best soul instrumentals ever.

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22:

Speaking of funky, here’s Soul Brother Number One with one of his best efforts. He incorporated the hot lingo of the time into an upbeat concoction that sounds natural rather than forced.

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21:

It’s the ballad that made the Fab Four legitimate musicians to your parents (or grandparents or great-grandparents, whatever). Unless they hadn’t heard “And I Love Her” or “In My Life” in 1964. Anyway, it remains a moving ode decades later.

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20 & 19:

These two to me are what a pop song should be, catchy, fast, and fun, with a distinctive sound and clever flourishes that other groups want to emulate. At least during 1965, I should say.

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18:

There’s another potential conflict of interest in ranking here by me, since this song topped the chart when I was born. Having said that, I still find it an inspiring, invigorating anthem about liberating oneself from any circumstance. And Petula sounds heavenly throughout.

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17:

For a guy known for belting out tunes like “Summertime,” Billy has a delicate delivery here. Coupled with a light production touch, it all makes this a makeout must.

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16:

How the weaker cover version by The Shadows of Knight became a bigger hit at the time, I’ll never understand. This is a standard most garage bands had to know in order to be credible.

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15:

Can you imagine the Supremes or the Marvelettes doing this muscular Motown bopper instead of Martha and her ladies? Neither can I. Some of the most devastatingly true lyrics about how bad relationships work too (“I know you’re no good for me/But free of you, I’ll never be”).

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14:

There’s still too little of it today, maybe even more so, sad to say. But I get inspired that someday somehow this will change whenever I hear this.

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13:

Remember me talking about the 1965 jangly guitar sound earlier? This one has it in multiples and sounds mesmerizing as a result.  

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12:

I do when I hear this up-tempo number. John Sebastian’s swell vocals deserve note as well.

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11:

Overplaying has cost this from being in my top ten. It’s still one of Phil Spector’s all-time best and tops in all departments.

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10:

I give the honors to best female vocals on a ballad in 1965 to this one. It’s so sultry, I’d have to question any straight man who wouldn’t make her his baby after hearing it.

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9:

That throbbing lead vocal delivering the penetrating lyrics gets me every time.

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8:

A great case to be made that music should emphasize authentic enthusiasm over perfection for maximum listener enjoyment. I’m along for the ride on this one from the first note onward.

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7:

Semi-hot take: this is their best song of all, even better than “House of the Rising Sun.”  

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6:

Another classic that, like “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” I dock a few points only due to being overplayed (this group had dozens of other great hits, people!). But it’s a keeper regardless.

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5:

Given that surf music doesn’t really impress me as a genre, this is a high ranking indeed for this song. Wonderful harmonies, driving melody, direct lyrics all combine nicely.

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4:

The best solo female up-tempo vocal by far is matched by an equally strong composition and production. It’s a shame Fontella had no other hits besides this amazing one.

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3:

The gold standard (pun intended) among James Bond themes. Composer John Barry took a daunting title and made it memorable, aided immeasurably by Shirley Bassey’s soaring vocals.

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2:

This is one of the best expressions on record of how happy love can make you feel. And all it has basically is a soulful voice and a sparse backing track highlighted by horns. Magnificent.

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1:

“I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”
The Rolling Stones (#1)

An immediate rock anthem when it came out, it retains that status today. Great to hear anytime.

In case you wonder what my runners-up were, here they are in alphabetical order:

• 1. “At the Club,” The Drifters (43)
• 2. “Back in My Arms Again” The Supremes (1)
• 3. “Candy,” The Astors (63)
• 4. “He Touched Me,” Barbra Streisand (53)
• 5. “I Hear a Symphony,” The Supremes (1)
• 6. “I Know a Place,” Petula Clark (3)
• 7. “Keep on Dancing,” The Gentrys (4)
• 8. “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever,” Johnny Mathis (98)
• 9. “The Shadow of Your Smile,” Tony Bennett (95)
• 10. “Steppin’ Out,” Paul Revere and the Raiders (46) 

Let me know what you think.

Meanwhile: I’m off to plan my party!

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