1969 Reflection

     We've come to the end...of an era. As I look over not just the top songs of 1969, but also the whole decade, I'm still amazed on how rapidly pop music had progressed. When you compare what was popular in 1960 versus 1969, it seems as if those two years are a whole century apart! 

     1969 was certainly a stronger year than 1968 in terms of #1 pop hits. While there were still a select few entries that I'm skeptical about, there was nothing unlistenable or truly awful. Plus, most of the good #1 hits from '69 are among the most classic songs of all time. As much as I love music from 1967 and 1968, much of the pop songs originating from those years sounds unmistakably dated to that time period. Not so much 1969, it was arguably the first year of timeless "Classic Rock". 

     Compared to previous years, I had absolutely no problems selecting the best and worst #1's from 1969. I hardly think you'll be surprised either when you see what I've picked...

Best #1 Hit Song Of 1969 - "Something" by The Beatles. 

     This winner was a rather easy pick. There were certainly plenty of strong #1's from 1969. A few of these runner's up include "Get Back", "Honky Tonk Woman", "Suspicious Minds" and "Come Together". All of these songs are absolute classics, and all can rank among the finest songs of all time. 

     What made me pick "Something" as the best track is the fact that it's a wholesomely perfect song. It has a fantastic music melody, it is wonderfully sung, and it's one of the most lyrically powerful love songs of all time. Couple with the fact that the song remains a timeless classic to this day, and its status as the best #1 song of 1969 is fully justified. I'd even go as far as to name it one of the top 5 Beatles songs. 

Worst #1 Hit Song Of 1969 - "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies. 

    Again, this was no tricky contest. In fact, it was the only contender for worst hit song of 1969. Which is ironic as Billboard decided back then that this was somehow the finest offering of the year. 

     It doesn't take a sly music reviewer to notice the flaws of "Sugar, Sugar". It has a repetitive and overly simplistic music melody, it is lyrically banal and saccharine. Plus, it was a corporately written pop song, intended to be released under a fictitious cartoon band. It was the 1960's version of pop music for the lowest common denominator of music fans. With that being said, when you compare "Sugar, Sugar" to some of the worst #1's of any subsequent decade, the song is quite tolerable in comparison. 


So join me as we say goodbye to the 1960's, and welcome in the 1970's. You may think that this was a decade chock full of solid music. Unfortunately, this mostly applies to FM radio and what we now refer to as "Classic Rock". As AM and FM radio truly divided themselves into "Top 40 Pop" and "Serious Music" respectively, we'll soon find that in terms of pop music, the 1970's were a rather divided decade. Yet, when the music was good, oh boy was it grand!

                          Coming Up Next - 1970's Reflection. 

        Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rock and I'll see you soon, in 1970!