It’s time for the second installment of our series to determine…
Which was better each year on Billboard’s Hot 100:
The Hottest Debuts (hereafter known as “HD”?)
Or:
The Biggest Movers (from here on out, called “BM”?)
I compare the top three in each category for a year and rank them from 1 (worst) to 10 (best) to determine a winner. Sometimes ties occur, resulting in four contenders. In that case, I count the higher score among the two that tied.
Our initial outing gave a 4-2 advantage to BM over HD so far.
Let’s see what happens as we round out the 1960s:
1964
- The Beatles – “A Hard Day’s Night”(entered at 21, peaked at 1)
- The Beatles – “I Feel Fine” (entered at 22, peaked at 1)
- The Beatles – “Can’t Buy Me Love“ (entered at 27 peaked at 1)
- The Four Seasons – “Dawn (Go Away)” (jumped 75-24, peaked at 3)
- The Animals – “The House of the Rising Sun” (jumped 60-10, peaked at 1)
- The Beatles – “Twist and Shout”(jumped 55-7, peaked at 2)
- The Beatles – “She Loves You” (jumped 69-21, peaked at 1)
Get ready to see a lot of the Fab Four in this article. The group’s clean sweep of HD is well deserved, with “I Feel Fine” pioneering the use of feedback in major record releases, putting it just a skoosh ahead of the other two.
“Dawn (Go Away)” shows why the Four Seasons was one of the few American groups to survive the British invasion in 1964. It’s a solid production, although Frankie Valli’s falsetto could be a little better. “The House of the Rising Sun” has Eric Burdon in fine form as lead singer and incredible musicianship in making the folk song into a memorable rocker.
And “She Loves You” remains quintessentially part of the Beatles catalog, while “Twist and Shout” to me is still more of an Isley Brothers tune, so I give the nod to the former, as both leaped 48 notches. Still, “Twist and Shout” is a solid 8.
- HD scores: “A Hard Day’s Night” – 9 + “I Feel Fine” – 10 + “Can’t Buy Me Love” – 9 = 28
- BM scores: “Dawn (Go Away)” – 8 + “The House of the Rising Sun” – 9 + “She Loves You” – 10 = 27
Winner: Highest Debuts (but just barely!)
1965
- Herman’s Hermits – “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” (entered at 12, peaked at 1)
- The Beatles – “We Can Work It Out”(entered at 12, peaked at 1)
- The Supremes – “I Hear a Symphony“ (entered at 39 peaked at 1)
- James Brown– “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (jumped 68-14, peaked at 3)
- The Rolling Stones – “Get Off of My Cloud” (jumped 68-14, peaked at 3)
- Petula Clark – “I Know a Place” (jumped 94-50, peaked at 3)
The fact that something as irritating as “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” held the record for the highest debut on the Hot 100 until 1968 astounds me. It’s nowhere near the quality of “We Can Work It Out” nor “I Hear a Symphony” by any measure. The latter two are near excellent entries by their artists.
Best of all here is James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good,)” one of the all-time great hits. “Get Off of My Cloud” suffers a little in comparison with other early number ones by the Stones (“Ruby Tuesday” as well as “Satisfaction,”) but it holds its own well enough. The same applies to Petula Clark’s peppy follow-up to the better “Downtown.”
- HD scores: “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” – 4 + “We Can Work It Out” – 9 + “I Hear a Symphony” – 9 = 22
- BM scores: “I Got You (I Feel Good)” – 10 + “Get Off of My Cloud” – 8 + “I Know a Place” – 7 = 25
Winner: Biggest Movers
1966
- The Beatles – “Nowhere Man” (entered at 25, peaked at 3)
- The Beatles – “Paperback Writer” (entered at 28, peaked at 1)
- The Royal Guardsmen – “Snoopy vs. The Red Baron “ (entered at 30, peaked at 2)
- The Mamas & the Papas – “Monday, Monday ” (jumped 79-34, peaked at 1)
- The Righteous Brothers – “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration” (jumped 90-45, peaked at 1)
- The Beatles – “Yellow Submarine” (jumped 52-8, peaked at 2)
The Beatles remain as strong as ever. “Nowhere Man” is just slightly less successful than in comparison to every other hit they were having.
In contrast, “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron” is a testament to the popularity of the Peanuts cartoon that inspired it over anything else. I’m offended by its following elements:
- A ghastly chorus for a novelty record that goes, “Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or more!/The bloody Red Baron was rollin’ up the score/Eighty men died tryin’ to end that spree/Of the bloody Red Baron of Germany.”
- The theft of the melody from “Hang On Sloopy” before the third verse
- A general air of cheesiness
- The use of it as a template by The Royal Guardsmen for a few other chart entries – with variations of this mess
“Monday, Monday” shows off the talents of the Mamas and the Papas nicely, though not as well as does “California Dreaming.” I agree with songwriter Cynthia Weil that “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration” is “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” sideways, but I take that as a compliment, despite not quite reaching the same heights as the latter.
As for “Yellow Submarine,” it does have a novelty sound, but a fine and fun one. Not to mention a more enjoyable chorus than Snoopy vs. the Red Baron.
- HD scores: “Nowhere Man” – 8 + “Paperback Writer” – 9 + “Snoopy vs. The Red Baron” – 3 = 20
- BM scores: “Monday, Monday” – 8 + “Soul & Inspiration” – 7 + “Yellow Submarine” – 7 = 22
Winner: Biggest Movers
1967
- The Monkees – “A Little Bit Me, A Little Be You” (entered at 32, peaked at 2)
- The Monkees – “Daydream Believer” (entered at 33, peaked at 1)
- The Beatles – “Hello Goodbye” (entered at 45, peaked at 1)
- Procol Harum – “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (jumped 80-28, peaked at 5)
- Bobbie Gentry – ” Ode to Billie Joe” (jumped 71-21, peaked at 1)
- The Beatles – “Penny Lane” (jumped 85-36, peaked at 1)
- Spanky & Our Gang – “Sunday Will Never Be the Same “ (jumped 98-49, peaked at 9)
“A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” is a little bit of a knockoff of “I’m a Believer” by songwriter Neil Diamond, and only Davy Jones participated in the recording. It’s passable, but just intermittently pleasurable. “Daydream Believer” is better, but as with “Hello Goodbye,” it’s a little shy of the top echelon of the work by the acts involved.
As for BM, we have our first perfect scores for all three. Procol Harum may be considered a one-hit wonder by some here in the United States, but when that one hit is “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” that’s a bigger musical legacy than some acts with dozens of top 40 hits. “Ode to Billie Joe” still gives me chills every time I hear it.
And I don’t care what Tom Breihan has written about it: By vividly creating an enticing vision of a community through music and lyrics, “Penny Lane” is perfection. It overpowers the nice but not great Mamas and Papas knockoff “Sunday Will Never Be the Same” (which is an a 6), which also jumped 49 points in one week.
- HD scores: “A Little Bit Me, A Little Be You” – 6 + Daydream Believer – 8 + Hello Goodbye – 8 = 22
- BM scores: “A Whiter Shade of Pale” – 10 + “Ode to Billie Joe” – 10 + “Penny Lane” – 10 = 30
Winner: Biggest Movers
1968
- The Beatles – ” Hey Jude“ (entered at 10, peaked at 1)
- The Beatles – “Lady Madonna” (entered at 23, peaked at 4)
- The Monkees – “Valleri“ (entered at 24, peaked at 3)
- Jeannie C. Riley – ” Harper Valley P.T.A.” (jumped 81-7, peaked at 1)
- Aretha Franklin – “Ain’t No Way” (jumped 89-37, peaked at 16)
- The Doors – “Hello, I Love You” (jumped 89-37, peaked at 1)
“Hey Jude” is considered one of the Beatles’ all-time best by several sources, and I mostly concur. But I have to admit, I would’ve been fine if they faded out the “na, na na na, na na na na” part at the end sooner. “Lady Madonna” is the Beatles in “Yellow Submarine” novelty territory again due to Paul aping Fats Domino’s vocal and a really odd middle part. Pretty good, but they had better singles. In fact, “Valleri” sounds more like what the Beatles should be doing in 1968 for a solid up-tempo number.
“Harper Valley P.T.A.” is a delightful ditty about small town hypocrisy hampered by some dated production. “Ain’t No Way” is one of Aretha’s finest, which is saying a lot. And “Hello, I Love You” is a fantastic showcase for Jim Morrison’s vocals and the band’s musicianship. It’s another close contest, but BM ekes out a win, nonetheless.
- HD scores: “Hey Jude” – 9 + “Lady Madonna” – 6 + “Valleri” – 8 = 24
- BM scores: “Harper Valley P.T.A.” – 7 + “Ain’t No Way”– 10 + “Hello, I Love You” – 8 = 25
Winner: Biggest Movers
1969
- The Beatles – “Get Back“ (entered at 10, peaked at 1)
- The Beatles – “Something” (entered at 20 peaked at14)
- The Beatles – “Come Together” (entered at 23, peaked at 1)
- Aretha Franklin – “Eleanor Rigby“ (jumped 96-40, peaked at 17)
- The Fifth Dimension – “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (jumped 89-37, peaked at 1)
- Dionne Warwick – “This Girl’s in Love with You“ (jumped 92-40, peaked at 7)
Five years after storming the Hot 100, the Beatles prove they are just as commercially and creatively potent as ever. They just miss a perfect score because I’m slightly not as impressed by “Come Together” as I am with “Get Back” and “Something,” which are classics.
I see little reason for the distaff side of previous hits offered here by Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick. Except maybe that Franklin wanted to show she could an upbeat version of “Eleanor Rigby” and Warwick was contractually bound to record every composition by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Both versions are so-so, fall short of the originals and are mostly forgotten today.
On the other hand, “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” remains a great medley from the musical Hair and is always a joy to hear.
- HD scores: “Get Back” – 10 +“Something” – 10 + “Come Together” – 9 = 29
- BM scores: “Eleanor Rigby” – 5 + “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” – 9 + “This Girl’s in Love with You” – 5 = 19
Winner: Highest Debuts
For the next installment, we enter the 1970s.
We’ll have the Beatles…. some ex-Beatles…. and some really unexpected entries to cover, so stay tuned!
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That’s an incredible lineup of songs, Ozmoe! Only the Snoopy song is a true dog. (Sorry…)
I agree with most of your observations. I’m one of those who picks “Daydream Believer” over “I’m a Believer,” but an 8 is a solid score.
I was wrong about “Can’t Buy Me Love” being in both categories. But it’s certainly a testament to the Beatles’ popularity and the chart’s volatility in 1964 that a 26-point jump wouldn’t have made the top three biggest moves!
Looking forward to next week.
Some part of me giggles when you call the Biggest Movers “BM’s,” as that will always refer to “bowel movements” in my personal lexicon.
Great column, ozmoe! Can’t say I have a dog in the HD vs BM race, but the songs are mostly awesome and it’s great to remember them.
My Top Three from this bunch would be I Got You (I Feel Good), Daydream Believer and Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In. Have I mentioned I’m not much of a Beatles fan? (Though they beat Elvis by a country mile, making this week’s column much more enjoyable than last week’s.)
I would snicker at that BM abbreviation were it not for the fact that my college degree is also abbreviated to BM.
Hope you’ll run this column at least long enough to get to “My Life Would Suck Without You,” with its 97-1 jump!
You’ll have to wait and find out, heh heh!
I agree with all of your 10s, and I’d bump “House Of The Rising Sun,” “Paperback Writer,” and maybe “Can’t Buy Me Love” up to 10 as well. With all this greatness, it’s easy to forget there was a lot of drivel on the charts in the late 60s. Looking at you, Sgt. Barry Sadler.
So does this make it Biggest Movers 8, Highest Debuts 4?
I would definitely give HOTRS a 10 all day every day.
“You are correct, sir!”
I did wonder last week whether a certain British act would be the first to enter in the top 10 (I wasn’t talking about Herman’s Hermits). I’d take pride in being right but it wasn’t exactly a left field guess.
Especially as 16 of the 35 songs you’ve listed are The Beatles. Make that 17 with Aretha’s cover. World domination illustrated once again.
Procul Harum aren’t technically a UK one hit wonder but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone that can name any of their three other top 40 hits.
I think I knew Procul Harum for “Conquistador” long before anything else.
Y’all know that Mrs. Brown was a horse? At least in the movie of the same name. I don’t know about the song and I’m in the middle of the week-long no-google challenge.
Let me clear this up. “Monday Monday” is a better song than “California Dreaming” (though CD does have a flute solo going for it). Also, “Soul and Inspiration” is an absurdly muddy production job that makes a mediocre song sound awful. (Those two songs always touch a couple of nerves with me).
Still…such a great bunch of songs altogether, Ozmoe! I cannot wait to see the stats in the 70s.
Pinch me, I must be California dreaming. How is MM a better song?
“Harper Valley P.T.A.” is an amazing song.
Oh, gosh. I know exactly who the secretary of the Harper Valley PTA analog is. Apparently, this person is never going to resign. This person set a new standard for hypocrisy. I have to stop caring about things I have no control over. But that means not listening to music. “Harper Valley PTA” is definitely a trigger song.
I would love for Jeannie C. Riley to come out of retirement and release a new version. She wouldn’t have to change a word.
“Ode to Billy Joe” is even better. Mercury Rev’s Bobbie Gentry’s The Delta Sweetie Revisited got me interested in Gentry’s music, especially her enigmatic disappearance from public life. And country music of the seventies in general. In particular, Emmylou Harris. Joanna and Klara Soderberg(of First Aid Kit) aren’t her only superfans. South of Sweden, Harris magnanimously appeared on a duet with an obscure Belgian singer-songwriter named Admiral Freebee.
Do you know if Bobbie Gentry liked the album? I can’t find anything online. IMercury Rev coaxed Vashti Bunyan out of retirement. The band must’ve made an inquiry for her services. I like Lucinda Williams, but she seems to be on all the tribute albums.