Oldies-but-Goodies Radio | Late 1960s Hits Rate | Vote Thru June (2024)

Welcome to the most retro rate on Popjustice!

Back when the Beatles rate dropped on Popjsutice I re-discovered so many of their great songs, which inspired me to dive into the decade as a whole. I grew up with my Dad playing Maine's Oldies 100.9 radio station all the time in the car, so my memories were easily triggered when I took that deep dive. I ended up spending most of early 2022 adding hundreds of 1960s hits to my Spotify playlists and eventually decided I wanted to host a rate for it.

Where are the Beatles? Where is "Baby Love"? Where are The Shirelles? etc.

So, in order to ensure this rate introduces people to songs that have not been in a rate, I decided to leave the Beatles out. Let's face it, if I were to pick hit songs by the band, I could choose too many to count and/or have a hard time narrowing it down. More than that though, they've already had their rate. Also @berserkboi's two girl groups rate that spanned every decade since the 1960s had many songs that I left out (like "Baby Love" I mentioned above or other girl groups). Also, the Supremes, as you will see, have many other huge hits that now have a home here.

How did you choose songs?

No special magic here. I tried to balance different artists by limiting them to five songs max, which was the Beach Boys because many people have argued that the decade was a battle between the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Rolling Stones for supremacy. I figured they should get maximum representation plus I love all the songs and didn't want to leave any out. I also didn't want to go too far into left-field for choices and try to keep it as accessible as possible, especially for any new listeners. There was also an eye towards balancing female and male lead vocalists. I can confirm though, that each of these songs was either objectively a big hit chart/sales wise or had a big enough impact culturally. I tried to have all the key artists of the 1960s represented in some fashion too.

Why only the late 1960s?

I just felt like the sound of the later part of decade would be more appreciated by Popjustice as artists started to write deeper, more complex, more socially profound, and interesting (and often psychedelic) music as we headed towards the 1970s. It became less about making the teenage girls scream in droves at the latest bubblegum pop hit and more about having a soundtrack for the real things happening around young people in the world. Music that was starting to be used as a weapon against the status quo and challenge old ideas. There are a few songs pre-1965 but for the most part every song here was released between 1965 and 1969.

How are you splitting up the songs?

Does everyone remember the radio stations from Women of the 90s? Using some of the ones I created back then as inspiration, I have made four 15-song 'radio stations' that will act as albums. Let me present them and remind you where the originals came from:

Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
Bobbie Gentry - Ode to Billy Joe
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bad Moon Rising
Dionne Warwick - Walk On By
Elvis Presley - Can't Help Falling in Love
Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds
The Lovin’ Spoonful - Summer in the City
Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made for Walkin’
Peter, Paul & Mary - Leaving on a Jet Plane
Roy Orbison - Oh, Pretty Woman
Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson
Simon & Garfunkel - Scarborough Fair
Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence
Skeeter Davis - The End of the World
Stone Poneys, Linda Ronstadt - Different Drum

Women of the 90s Station: Pure Moods Vicenza. The connection was @Verandi and the songs were the left-field/atmospheric songs from the 90s. The logo showed the mountains near Vicenza, Italy where they resided at the time and the title font was inspired by their fav Enya's appearance on the famous Pure Moods compilation albums. Now it has all of the more folk-rock artists in the 1960s and anyone that came from a place not highlighted in the next three radio stations (usually the East Coast).

The Animals - House of the Rising Sun
Dusty Springfield - I Only Want to Be With You
Dusty Springfield - Son of a Preacher Man
Dusty Springfield - Wishin’ and Hopin’
Dusty Springfield - You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me
The Hollies - He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother
The Monkees - Daydream Believer
The Monkees - I’m a Believer
Petula Clark - Downtown
Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale
The Rolling Stones - (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
The Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash
The Turtles - Happy Together
Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl
The Zombies - Time of the Season

Women of the 90s Station: Haan-FM Rotterdam's Rock Alternatief. The connection was of course @Sprockrooster, who hails from Rotterdam, Netherlands. Their 90s radio station was all the of alternative rock as well as country in that rate. That little orange rooster from their name makes a return as well as calling it Hann-FM's British Invasion, which I think has a nice ring to it. Now it will simply have any artist that came from the UK. As we all know, the 1960s were highlighted by this 'British Invasion' usually credited to the Beatles for starting it, as many bands and singers made waves in the United States. 14 of the 15 songs here have British artist, except for the Turtles who will be the honorary addition. The band looked like the Beatles at times with how they styled themselves and "Happy Together" is very much in same ballpark sonically.

The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
The Beach Boys - I Get Around
The Beach Boys - Sloop John B
The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice
The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
Jefferson Airplane - Somebody to Love
The Mamas and the Papas - California Dreamin'
The Mamas and the Papas - Creeque Alley
The Mamas and the Papas - Dedicated to the One I Love
The Mamas and the Papas - Monday, Monday
Norman Greenbaum - Spirit in the Sky
Scott MacKenzie - San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)
Sonny & Cher - I Got You Babe

Women of the 90s Station: 93.2 The Code Louisville's Pop to the Nth Power. The connection was @pop3blow2 who loves numbers as we all know very well and their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The Beach Boys are one of their favorite bands, so this was a no brainer. 93.2 Code did horribly against all the other radio stations in 90s rate (a radio station that covered adult contemporary and power pop), so hopefully this list gives it a chance for a rebound! You may also notice the little rainbow infinite symbol that ties into the 90s rate logo. I see a lot of star power and potential winners here. All artists come from California, with the exception of Norman Greenbaum. However, they spent most of their lives in Santa Rosa, California and one listen of "Spirit in the Sky" will bring you to San Francisco's "Summer of Love" in an instant. A song that often introduces a scene from that event, in pop culture.

The 5th Dimension - Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In
Aretha Franklin - I Say a Little Prayer
Aretha Franklin - Respect
Aretha Franklin - Think
Four Tops - I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
Martha & the Vandellas - Nowhere to Run
Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell - Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Mary Wells - My Guy
Sly & the Family Stone - Everyday People
Stevie Wonder - For Once in My Life
The Supremes - Come See About Me
The Supremes - Reflections
The Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go
The Supremes - You Keep Me Hangin' On
The Temptations - My Girl

Women of the 90s Station: Magia 97.1 Rádio R&B de Lisboa. The connection was to @soratami and the fact that I became aware they also like Magic the Gathering card game. They of course call Lisbon, Portugal their home. The 90s station covered the R&B from the decade. The little magic potion makes its return as well. This radio station might also be the most connected to its 1990s station, since many of the Motown hits of the 1960s directly inspired the R&B we loved three decades later. All artists here either recorded their music directly with Motown records or were from the area.

RULES

Unlike the Women of the 90s (or 80s) rates, this will not be a Eurovision Ballot style, but will be the classic 0-10 scoring system like most rates. 0.25, 0.5. 0.75 are allowed for decimals.

Commentary is allowed and encouraged. I will choose comments for the title of each elimination.

You can pick one 11, which was Sophie's Choice for me, so I know it won't be easy. I wish you luck!

There are only 60 songs and I can schedule a listening session on watch2gether to promote early scoring. That said, you will have about one month. I have other forum plans in the fall.

Votes will be due Friday August 11th.

SPOTIFY LIST

YOUTUBE LIST

(thanks to @MilesAngel)

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