The Best 40 Singles of 1966

Music is a time machine. A song (or even the sound of a part of a song) can transport you back in so many ways. There are songs that are entangled with memories you never think about until that certain song plays and you're 16 again, feeling the summer or remembering old friends.  The 90s did that for me - a million songs provoking a million memories specific to each song. The 60s holds no such experiences, so judging the music of that decade is much more of an objective exercise than if my formative memories were meshed in the opening chords of a Manfred Mann song.

It strikes me that 1966 was the year music started to rely more on visuals to support the music. Pop promos were becoming more glossy and choreographed which in turn, helped to prop up some mediocre songs. Take Nancy Sinatra's 'These Boots Were Made for Walking' - a plodding dirge with no discernible tune turned into something iconic by its colourful promo featuring women tiptoeing around in what can only be described as, nearly-a-dress. Up the charts the song went and new ways of marketing mediocre music was born in the PR experts' heads.

But what were the best forty songs of the year? Check out the below Spotify playlist and read along...

 

40. I STAND ACCUSED  -  MERSEYBEATS

The Beatles opened a lot of doors for people. They turned bands who played an entirely different sort of music into jangly guitar pop quartets against their better wishes. Liverpool was by now an internationally famous city and therefore, bands chose names that associated themselves with the area. 'The Merseybeats' (named after the river) later became just 'The Merseys' and led to 'Liverpool Express'. How much this contributed to their sucess is debatable but this tune 'I Stand Accused' is quite an important composition. In it, I can hear Elvis Costello, XTC, Squeeze, The Jam, Graham Parker and even The Police, all revered as pioneers of the late 70s sound. I'd trace it all back to the Merseybeats and this track in particular.

A note of trivia: Pete Best was offered a position in the group in 1961 by Brian Epstein after being dismissed from the Beatles but turned it down.

'I Stand Accused' only reached number 38 in January 1966 afterwhich the group shrank and changed their name to the aforementioned 'The Merseys'.

39. ALL OR NOTHING  -  THE SMALL FACES

Each member of the Small Faces had quite an average sized face, all things considered. 'All or Nothing' was written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane and whilst there's nothing particularly outstanding about the musical accompaniment, the song went all the way to number 1.  It's simple and relies a lot on its brief chorus hook but it shifted discs so it kept the publisher happy.

Steve Marriott's mother said he'd written the song about his split with fiancée Sue Oliver. His first wife, Jenny Rylance said Steve told her he'd written the song for her when she'd split up with Rod Stewart. Apparently, both stories are true.

38. GETAWAY  -  GEORGIE FAME AND THE BLUE FLAMES

Georgie Fame's real name was Clive Powell - a quantity surveyors name if ever I heard one. You get the impression this song wasn't written as a serious attempt at a hit pop song and this is borne out by the fact it was originally intended for a petrol commercial. The record company took a chance on it and saw it rise all the way to number 1, as unusual fun and simple songs often did.

The song was originally pressed as a one-sided vinyl to be given away to people who bought four gallons of petrol. It's a perky song which fuses a few styles and has the ability to get you to tap your foot as well as get irritated with it at the same time.

37. DEAD END STREET  -  THE KINKS

This starts off with a similar vibe to 'Sunny Afternoon' but gains an atmosphere of its own entirely. This is another track along with the above Merseybeats song that echoed its influence into the next decade. Appealing to the masses with its message about poverty, unemployment and working class squalor among the slums of dying factory towns, people had music which, whilst affirming their reality, gave it a melody and, almost, a sense of pride and hope. The same message echoes today; those of us who work hard and end up with very little, calling for change. It was a staple of British music right through into the early 80s. Nothing really changes but the Kinks were changing the face of popular music - this was their ninth top ten single in ten releases, reaching number 5 in November.

36. BLACK IS BLACK  -  LOS BRAVOS

Los Bravos were a Spanish rock band, the first in fact to have an international hit single. They worked with British producer Ivor Raymonde who had orchestrated hits for Marty Wilde, Billy Fury and Dave Berry.

Singer Michael Kogel was not a native English speaker so he had to have the lyrics written down phonetically - this gives the performance an edge. The almost stacatto phrasing makes the whole thing sound unusual enough to keep you listening. A lot of listeners at the time thought this the song was being sung by Gene Pitney. I can't hear it myself.

35. YOU MAKE IT MOVE  -  DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK AND TICH

I watched Trumpton in the late 70s as a child, not knowing it was originally broadcast in 1967. On it, there were some firemen whose roll call was recited each episode : 'Pugh! Pugh! Barney! McGrew! Cuthbert! Dibble! Grub!' 

Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky, Mich and Tich could have been the firemen in Camberwick Green for all I knew. Turns out they were a group you could say were the blueprint for 'Madness' with their 'zany' antics and quirky personalities. Their second album, for example, was titled 'If music be the food of love... prepare for indigestion.'

I thought Dave and Dee were different people but it turns out Dave Dee was the only one of the five-piece who got his full name in the title of the band (even though it was just his nickname not his real name, which was David Harman. Yes, it doesn't make sense to me either).

This was the group's first chart hit, reaching a respectable number 26. I think, because it was their first hit, it maybe didn't get the publicity it deserved, not making the playlists for whatever reason, and many people would have missed out on hearing it. It was very fresh sounding; the group thankfully avoiding the usual trope of trying to sound like whatever was popular at the time to have a hit. They went on to have a string of unique-sounding and iconic singles.

I feel sorry for the drummer on this track, just having to keep time with an unchanging bonk bonk bonk bonk for 2m 43s. His arms must have been like Paul Anderson's by the end (ask your Grandad). 

34. HEY JOE  -  JIMI HENDRIX

There aren't many musicians revered as much as Jimi is. I only have people's word for how good he was, not really understanding what makes a good guitar player. I've heard and watched a lot of guitarists who are clearly technically gifted but I suppose being 'good' doesn't always equal being popular but Jimi was immensely popular.

'Hey Joe' was a song whose origin is disputed, sitting in the public domain until Billy Roberts copyrighted it in 1962. A few groups had minor hits with the song before the Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded it. It was Chas Chandler (bassist with The Animals) who discovered Jimi whilst looking for musical acts in the US to produce. The first song he heard Jimi perform was 'Hey Joe' and so took him back to England like a souvenir and turned the guitarist into a star.

'Hey Joe' reached number 6 in the UK despite being quite significantly different to anything else around at the time. The song was also the last to be performed at Woodstock in front of 80,000 people.

Other artists to have a go included Cher, Marmalade, Frank Zappa, Deep Purple and Patti Smith. How much the title 'Hey Joe' influenced Paul McCartney's 'Hey Jude' isn't clear.

33. MUSTANG SALLY  -  WILSON PICKETT

A song first recorded by Mack Rice who will be unfamiliar to UK audiences. Originally called 'Mustang Mama', it was Aretha Franklin who suggested the title be changed to Mustang Sally as the song was about a girl named Sally who just wanted to ride around in her new car all day.

Wilson Pickett had a hit with it in the UK having broken into the charts a year earlier with 'In the Midnight Hour' which reached number 12. He never cracked the top ten however, with 'Mustang' only climbing to number 28.

The song only really came to prominence in the UK when it was featured heavily in the 1991 movie 'The Commitments' as sung by Andrew Strong.

32. RUN  -  SANDIE SHAW

Sandie was well into her stride now with nine hits, six of which made the top 10. This single didn't do so well however, only reaching number 32. Sandie was a mainstay of the 60s, scoring a top 20 hit in each year of the decade since her first release in 1964. She often performed barefoot which gave her that 'quirk' all acts look for to make them identifiable and memorable. 

This is a little bit 'Wild West' and sounds like it should be on the soundtrack to a Spaghetti Western with its slightly Spanish-sounding backing track.

31. GOIN' BACK  -  DUSTY SPRINGFIELD

Goffin and King were back and having another hit single with a song about the loss of childhood innocence that comes with adulthood and a yearning to recapture it.

This was Dusty's tenth hit (all but one were top 20s) and reached number 10 in the chart. It was recorded again the following year by The Byrds (although not released as a single) and by several other artists including Marianne Faithfull, the New Seekers and Phil Collins.

Dusty's voice is so pure here, you almost forget that you're supposed to be listening to the song and the lyrics, you're just listening to her.

30. WATER  -  GENO WASHINGTON AND HIS RAM JAM BAND

You might know Geno Washington from such songs as 'Geno' by Dexys Midnight Runners. This was the first of two charting singles for Mr. Washington, both just scraping into the top 40 at number 39. In the US, their first single was 'Shake, Shake, Senora' but it didn't make any impression and only very moderate success followed with their subsequent singles. 

Their huge popularity came about not because of their singles but because of their energetic live performances and, along with Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, became legends with the Mod movement.

29. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME  -  DUSTY SPRINGFIELD

This song confuses me. I'm convinced it's composed of two completely different songs which they stitched together. The verses don't match the chorus at all and I find it all very jarring so it sits as low as 29 in my list. I do like both halves of the song though, they just don't go together. The chorus starts motoring along with too much contrast to the brooding verse and goes from D minor into D Major which is just too weird.

The song was originally 'lo che non vivo (sanza te)', an Italian song, whose English lyrics were written by Simon Napier-Bell (manager of The Yardbirds) and Vicki Wickham (who became an OBE for services to music in 2013). Weirdly, this was Dusty's most successful single, reaching number 1 in April after knocking the Spencer Davis Group's 'Somebody Help Me' off the top. I personally think she had some much stronger singles. To my ears, the song also inspired 'Hopelessly Devoted to You' from Grease.

Elvis took the song to number 9 in 1971 and Denise Welch got to number 23 in 1995 with it on the back of appearing in the TV show 'Soldier, Soldier' which was also responsible for the abomination that was Robson and Jerome.

28. I FEEL FREE  -  CREAM

The psychedelic era was slowly creeping in with this, Cream's second single. Their first single 'Wrapping Paper' reached 34 and their follow-up became their biggest hit, reaching number 11 in December. There's more than a hint of Roy Orbison about the linking vocals too.

Cream were a 'Supergroup'; that is, a group made up of members who had success with other bands previously. Ginger Baker (of Blues Incorporated), Jack Bruce (of John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and for a short while, Manfred Mann) and Eric Clapton (of The Yardbirds (and John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers)). 

'Cream' is a full episode of Rock Family Trees which just goes on and on. 

27. IN THE COUNTRY  -  CLIFF RICHARD AND THE SHADOWS

I must have heard this song hundreds of times but for some reason, haven't ever associated it with Cliff Richard. Teaming up with Hank Marvin and co. (as Cliff often did) they scored a number 6 hit. It was included on an album featuring music from a 1967 staging of the Pantomime 'Cinderella'. Google doesn't tell me much more than that really so I don't know if Cliff was playing Prince Charming and Hank Marvin was one of the Ugly Sisters or not.

26. GIMME SOME LOVING  -  SPENCER DAVIS GROUP

The drawbar organ on this makes the track appeal instantly. The rest of the track sounds like a real American foot stamping soul tune that would get your blood running cold in a late-night Juke Joint whilst nursing a Jack Daniels and a bowl of peanuts.

The Spencer Davis Group were British however, playing those Yanks at their own game and winning. Their first two top 40 singles went to number 1 but this stalled at number 2 behind the Beach Boys' 'Good Vibrations'. Their first two hits ('Keep on Running' and 'Somebody Help Me') had been written by Jackie Edwards. Their third 'When I Come Home' was also penned by Edwards but only managed to reach number 12. They wrote 'Gimme Some Loving' themselves in about an hour and then recorded it the next day and even played it live that night to rave reviews. 

Another for the rock family tree here, Steve Winwood left the group in 1967 in order to form 'Traffic'.

25. WITH A GIRL LIKE YOU  -  TROGGS

You know you've written a catchy single when the Barron Knights parody it, which is what happened with this song, changing the hook to represent a conversation in the House of Commons to 'B-B-blah-blah-blah, B-B-Blah-blah'.

Thankfully, this single didn't have a 'Wild Thing' vibe like 'Anyway That you Want me' did. Whilst their first release 'Wild Thing' only topped out at number 2, this went all the way to number 1, displacing Chris Farlowe's 'Out of Time' before being usurped themselves by The Beatles' 'Eleanor Rigby'.

The track was written by lead singer Reg Presley (no relation to Elvis) whilst employed as a Bricklayer, using the riff in the song 'Barbara Ann' as inspiration. The song was recorded in two takes because they couldn't afford more studio time. The song hit the top 20 in eighteen different countries.

24. HOMEWARD BOUND  -  SIMON AND GARFUNKEL

Paul Simon isn't my cup of latte but I can appreciate all he's done for the music industry at large. This is a mid-tempo plodder which has general appeal without being anything special. It announced the duo to the world and reached number 9 in the UK. 

The single didn't spark the usual deluge of singles expected from a new act who burst into the top ten with their first hit - in fact, they weren't prolific at all. This single was released in March 1966 with the follow up 'I am a Rock' in June. Their next single didn't arrive until two years later when 'Mrs. Robinson' reached number 4 and then it took a further year until they released 'The Boxer' in 1969. 

Only four top ten hits, yet they're revered as one of the best duos of all time. It's not all about chart numbers.

23. I FOUGHT THE LAW  -  BOBBY FULLER FOUR

This is a blast and way ahead of its time. Written in 1958 by Sonny Curtis and originally recorded in 1959 by The Crickets when he took the place of Buddy Holly. It was the Bobby Fuller Four's only hit and reached number 33.

It was the Clash who brought the song to the collective consciousness with their version, recorded in 1979, which reached number 24. It was released again in 1988 and reached number 29.

22. YOU KEEP ME HANGIN' ON  -  THE SUPREMES

If you could bottle the energy in this song you'd take a swig every morning to get you ready for the day ahead. A Holland-Dozier-Holland composition which, on first listen by anybody on the planet, would have been an obvious number one smash hit. Even Kim Wilde, who was a complete unknown in the US (having just the one top 40 hit there previously, the number 25 peaking 'Kids in Amercia'), hit number one with the song in 1986.

The 'Morse-Code' guitar line hooks you immediately and the rest of the track sweeps you along in a cascade of pop brilliance. It was the Supreme's eighth number 1 in the US but it only rose to number 8 in the UK.

21. WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKENHEARTED  -  JIMMY RUFFIN

This was the first of Jimmy's eleven chart hits from nine different songs. Another Motown classic with more than an emotional edge. Originally written for the Spinners, Jimmy (older brother of The Temptations' David Ruffin) begged lyricist James Dean (not that one) to let him record it.

Reaching number 7 in the US and 8 in the UK, it's one of the most enduring soul tracks of the era. For those who missed it first time around, Jimmy released it again in 1974 and reached number 4.

20. NO MILK TODAY  -  HERMAN'S HERMITS

It starts with what sounds like someone who's been learning guitar for three weeks. It then bursts into one of the catchiest tunes of the year. The mixture of moribund minor lamenting and the 'sun through the clouds' chorus mix brilliantly showing the 'You Don't Have to Say you Love me' writers exactly how to juxtapose two moods.

Saying that 'a milk bottle stands forlorn' is one of those pretentious things a new poet might say to sound profound but here, it works. It tells the age old story of a 'love that's gone away' but in a really clever sideways way. It also captures perfectly, that glaring reality that the sad moments we endure are nothing to the 'people passing by' because they don't 'know the reason why'. Wonderful.

It's odd that the band was called Herman's Hermits, yet on the single cover, they're all outside... together. The song reached number 7.

19. SUNNY  -  BOBBY HEBB

I knew this as a Boney M. song (1977) and so natural did they sound peforming it, I assumed it was theirs alone. Imagine my surprise to find three versions of the song in the same chart in 1966 by three very different artists.  Bobby Hebb's version is the one I've picked for this list because he's so understated; the message of the song is tinged with just a little bit of fear despite the overtly positive lyrics.

Georgie Fame's version is too sickly (reached number 13), Cher's version is really flat (reached number 32) and Bobby just pipped them all by climbing to number 12.

18. SUMMER IN THE CITY  -  LOVIN' SPOONFUL

'Summer in the city, back of my neck getting dirty and gritty'? Is he standing right next to some roadworks? 

The 'chromatic fall' was a cliché in music, even in '66 but they do it so well here don't they, especially by using a Wurlitzer to get that unique hook that defines the atmosphere. There's a couple of styles hidden in the song too. Pop, folk, rock and a bit of what we called 'Indie' in the 90s. There's even a jackhammer solo in the middle!  

The song reached 6, 7 or 8 in the UK depending on which music paper you read and number 1 in the US.

17. HEY GIRL  -  THE SMALL FACES

Loud and melodic, this song found its way onto the football terraces because of its 'hey, hey' hook. Written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane in response to their manager (Don Arden)'s request for them to release a commercial-sounding song, it reached number 10.

There's a legend that goes : Robert Stigwood's management company contacted the Small Faces with a view to signing them. In response, Don Arden took four big blokes with him to Stigwood's office and dangled him out of the window, warning him off speaking to any of his bands ever again. Suffice to say, he decided to back off.

16. DAYDREAM  -  LOVIN' SPOONFUL

I'm not sure what a Lovin' Spoonful is but it sounds better than ice cream doesn't it? I hear a lot of R.E.M. and The Beautiful South in their music which shows how far their influence stretched into subsequent decades.

This is such a light jaunt; catchy, singable and perfect to pop on when you're doing the ironing. This was their first hit, reaching number 2. After this and 'Summer in the City', I'm shocked to learn they only had only one more hit, 1967's 'Nashville Cats', as apparently, the rise of psychedelia ended their popularity. On the strength of those two singles alone I'd think they had a lot more UK hits in them. They did have nine top twenty hits in the US however.

15. HOLD TIGHT!  -  DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK AND TICH

There's another football terrace rhythm in here. This is exactly what a single should sound like. It's loud, full of hooks and has shadows of 70s glam rock - or should that be fore-shadows? 

DDDBMT had 13 hit singles between 1966 and 1969, this was the first of those to break the top ten, settling at number 4.

14. THE SUN AIN'T GONNA SHINE ANYMORE  -  WALKER BROTHERS

When this song starts, I expect F.R. David's 'Words' to ensue. Whilst I seem to be the only person on earth that thinks he stole the intro from this Walker Brothers tune, I think I'm entirely correct.

This song is very Phil Spector even though that awful man wasn't involved in any way. It's very grand and suits that huge 'Wall of Sound' treatment. Frankie Valli released this first, in 1965, but didn't have any success with it. The Walkers removed the brackets from (anymore) in Frankie's version and had a hit. It entered the chart at number 26, rose to number 10 and then sat in the number 1 spot for four weeks, dislodging Nancy Sinatra's walking boots before being nudged down to number 2 by The Spencer Davis Group's 'Somebody Help Me'.

13. LITTLE BY LITTLE  -  DUSTY SPRINGFIELD

This is a track that would have charted in the 80s if had been released by Bananarama using that Fun Boy Three treatment they received on their first few hits.

Dusty's track has a lot of Motown about it and it showcases something different about her vocal showing just how versatile she was. It's just so catchy, just a brilliant single.

12. I CAN'T LET GO  -  THE HOLLIES

There's quite a lot of Beatles about this even though it was written by the same duo who wrote 'Wild Thing' (Gorgoni & Taylor). Paul McCartney praised the track at the time, stopping short of pointing out the similarities between it and his own body of work.

The public was still up for jangly guitar stomping and sent it all the way up to number 2, stalling behind the aforementioned 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' for three weeks.

11. JUST ONE SMILE  -  GENE PITNEY

Everything Gene released in this period was nothing short of epic. From the same grandiose stable as 'Backstage', his voice here would carry over any industrial machinery or jet engine as backing instruments. If you don't feel a lump in your throat at any point during this track then I don't think music is for you.

The song is a Randy Newman composition and contains all the drama of any Italian opera. Dusty Springfield gave us an entirely different perspective on the song on her 'Dusty in Memphis' album.

10. CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'  -  THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS

One of the most famous songs to ever come out of the '60s. Songs with flutes were becoming more commonplace and this led to some quite interesting genre spin-offs later in the decade and into the 70s. Whilst the track reached number 4 in the US it only scraped up to a measly number 23 in the UK. It was clearly ahead of its time whilst also being based on folk songs from the past. Baffling.

I'll just leave this parody from The Sketch Show here for your amusement :

9. EIGHT MILES HIGH  -  THE BYRDS

As commercial airlines only fly at around six miles high, I'm wondering how the members of The Byrds managed to get eight miles high. Could one of them have brought some coloured sweets into the studio? Or something a little stronger perhaps? The bloke on the guitar at he beginning of the song certainly sounds like he's playing on a different song that exists only in the universe his loopy-sweets have taken him to.  

This track (influenced by Ravi Shankar and John Coltrane) was one of the major influences in the development of psychedelia and Indian-influenced pop songs. We were deep in counter-culture here and music of this sensibility started to open young minds up to the possibility that freedom-of-thought might offer them something spiritual that the establishment didn't.

The song has some lovely couplets such as : 'Round the squares, huddled in storms, some laughing, some just shapeless forms' and 'Nowhere is there warmth to be found among those afraid of losing their ground'. 

The song didn't reverse their chart fortunes, having had a number 1 and a number 4 with their first two releases ('Mr. Tambourine Man' and 'All I Really Want to Do'), their third ('Turn! Turn! Turn!) had only managed to climb to number 26. 'Eight Miles High' wasn't catchy enough to climb higher than number 24 and became their last UK hit until 1971's 'Chestnut Mare' which reached number 19 and was the last we saw of them - but not David Crosby who went on to other things.

8. I GOT YOU  -  JAMES BROWN

Talk about becoming part of the very material that makes up the popular music universe. If you're not aware of this song you're either still a foetus or you were born on another planet. James was so unique; full of everything a musical performer, singer, dancer and icon should be made of. Without him there's no Michael Jackson, no Prince - the Hip-Hop scene would have turned out very differently as his rhythms and energy can be heard flowing though the genre like funk juice in arteries made of pure soul.

Even if you've heard this a million times, go and give it another listen. The horns. The screams. The way his voice is more than just an instrument. The way he makes you believe everything he says is true.

I'll let Eddie Murphy tell you the rest :

7. REACH OUT I'LL BE THERE  -  THE FOUR TOPS

One of the great things I've discovered by going back to the years I wasn't around for to listen to every single that charted in the order they were released, is that I'm finally filling in the blanks of when and where. Growing up in the 80s, I didn't know if 'Reach Out' was from the 1800s or 1978. Hearing it nestled in among so many other brilliant songs in 1966 is like the moment Bob Ross adds a stripe of white paint to his nearly-finished picture and the whole thing suddenly comes to life.

This is the sort of track that absolutely needs the right vocalist. Even someone who tries to match the energy and power of Levi Stubbs would just sound like a bad parody. The truth is, the producers put Levi right at the top of his Baritone range to get this performance out of him and it just stops short of 'struggling' and remains within 'passionate' without sounding strained. Very clever writing; what a chorus and there's another flute here to add to your dossier of woodwind instruments creeping into the top 40.

The song hit number 1 in both the US and the UK. How could it not? In the UK it rose to number 2 in its second week on the chart before replacing Jim Reeves' Distant Drums. This was the 'Tops only number 1 single but they did have sixteen other top 20 singles to go with it so I don't think they were too cut up about it. 

6. RIVER DEEP, MOUNTAIN HIGH  -  IKE AND TINA TURNER

The classics just keep on coming. How a single year can throw up so many songs that have gone on to live forever is just short of madness. I've loved Tina since I first encountered her cracked vocals in the 1984 chart singing 'What's Love got to do... got to do with it?'. I'm so grateful to have seen her live in Gateshead in 1996 and whenever I hear her sing, I always get a little bit excited.

I first encountered this song when it was a kind-of bonus track on Erasure's album 'The Innocents'. I knew it wasn't their song but at the same time, didn't know it was a classic. Co-written by Phil Spector, the single didn't perform as expected in the US in '66 and although Spector stated he was happy with the results, he withdrew from the music industry for a few years and began his personal decline, into which we shan't venture.

The song cost an inordinate amount of money to record - there were 21 musicians on the track and amounted to what these days would be near $200,000. The song even features Glen Campbell on guitar! It's reported that Spector made Tina sing the song over and over for several hours trying to get the perfect take. 

The song was a number 3 smash in the UK but somehow struggled to number 88 in the US.

5. YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE  -  THE SUPREMES

The snare drum and tambourine push this song along with so much vigour. Diana Ross' voice is so sweet too, contrasting the lyric which is basically saying 'calm down have a cup of tea and go do something else in the meantime'. Having heard the Phil Collins' version first (and many many times as it was in the top 10 for eight weeks) I'm torn between which is the best version. His is a direct copy but his voice just suits it so well.

Another Holland-Dozier-Holland composition in my top 10, it was based on the 50s gospel song 'You Can't Hurry God (Trust and give him time, no matter how long it takes)'. It was the Supremes' seventh number 1 hit in the US, reaching number 3 here in the UK.

4. GOD ONLY KNOWS  -  THE BEACH BOYS

This isn't a single really. If I'd been A&R at Capitol, it would have remained as an album track. One of those unexpectedly brilliant songs hidden away as track eight on a classic album. Duran Duran's 'Last Chance on the Stairway', Tears for Fears' 'The Working Hour', Peter Gabriel's 'Mercy Street'. All brilliant but unreleased in favour of more commercial fayre. 'God Only Knows' isn't the best tune of all time but its more about what it represents for me. It's in a Baroque style, the harmonies are innovative, its immensley complex, it sounds odd, the chord structures are just a little off-kilter, the melody is carefully constructed and it's got a Harpsicord, a French Horn and Sleigh bells on it. It's only marred by the Beach Boys' inclination to start going 'ba-ba-ba-be-bah' at every opportunity which is a jarring as that weird solo in The Beatles' 'In My Life'.

Talking of the Beatles, Brian Wilson has stated that it was the quality of the 'Rubber Soul' album that  made him want to write a song that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the songs on it. Well, he certainly did that. 

The song was the B-Side to 'Wouldn't it be nice' in the US which only reached number 39 because US DJs were reticent to play a song so strongly tied to the word 'God'. Everywhere else, it was the A-side and, like their previous hit 'Sloop John B', stalled at number 2, this time behind the song which appears at the top of my countdown.

3. SUNNY AFTERNOON  -  THE KINKS

Not really having listened to the lyrics to this song, I can see I've wildly misinterpreted its meaning. Here's me thinking about lazing on the grass with bees divebombing my Zoom lolly when it's nothing to do with lazing on a sunny afternoon after all. Written by Ray Davies, it deals with the same sentiments as the Beatles' 'Tax Man' although, it does so from the point of view of an aristocrat whose wealth is entirely unearned.

This is a million miles away from 'You Really Got Me', which is the sign of a band who aren't just couragous but want to explore their art, creating something entirely unexpected and different. A lot of bands stuck with their style and quickly disappeared. Some went off doing weird things and vanished too but those with the talent managed to make their 'different' still sound commercial. They were in the business of shifting small discs of plastic after all. It's slightly 'music hall' whilst also being slightly 'classical music' with lyrics that appealed to young and old alike. Of course it went to number 1 for two weeks, jumping from number 3 into the top spot on the 7th July, dislodging the awful 'Paperback Writer'.

2. UPTIGHT (EVERYTHING'S ALRIGHT)  -  STEVIE WONDER

See my commentary on James Brown. Well, that - but more. This was the legend that is Stevie Wonder's first hit single in the UK - a number 16 bafflingly - he had to wait an entire year until he managed a top 10 in the UK (I Was Made to Love Her).  He'd already had number 1 singles across the Atlantic. 

The drive behind this song demands that you listen to it. You can't put this song on in the background a do something else. Released on the Tamla (Motown) label, it was the first release that Stevie co-wrote. I'm still not sure how everything can be alright if you're uptight? Maybe it means something different in Detroit? The track features percussion by 'The Funk Brothers' who I assume are like the Chuckle Brothers but a little bit better at syncopated rhythms.

Some of you may remember C.J. Lewis who covered 'Sweets for my Sweet' in 1994? Well, he covered Uptight too and if you missed it, you didn't miss much.

1. YELLOW SUBMARINE/ELEANOR RIGBY  -  THE BEATLES

Why Paul McCartney is vilified for 'The Frog Chorus' when an abomination like 'Yellow Submarine' exists is beyond me. It's clear that neither song was written as a genuine assault on the chart. They're for kids and they make very good nursery school songs! When I was five, my school used to host an extra extended assembly for the infants once the main assembly about road safety and 'Who broke the toilet window with a football' session was concluded with the Lord's Prayer (which none of us knew, we just mumbled along to the sounds everyone else was making). In this 12" version of assembly, we'd sing 'Knees up Mother Brown', 'Lily the Pink' and 'Yellow Submarine' among other nursery rhyme-sounding songs that had troubled the charts.

Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh yes, the Beatles. It's not 'Yellow Submarine' I've chosen as my number 1 song of 1966 - no, its just unfortunate that it was the double A-side to one of the greatest songs ever written of all time ever by anyone ever. Everything about 'Eleanor Rigby' is absolutely perfect. Lyrics. Melody. Mood. Arrangement. Instrumentation. Sentiment. Emotion. Vocal performance. All in two minutes and six seconds. I don't think anyone could name a song at this length that does everything this song does. Stunning is the word for this track, just - stunning.

If you're looking for a top 40 'best of' for another year, have a look at the main page here