The Best 40 Singles of 1967

Listening to every top 40 song in 1967, I was surprised that there were barely 40 singles I liked never mind put them into some kind of order of preference. However, the quality of the 40 I managed to pick, are quite a bit above those in the previous years of the 60s. 1967 was all about quality, not quantity - so let's dive straight in... 

40. Puppet On A String  -  Sandie Shaw

This is why writing a 'Best of' list is so difficult. This is clearly one of the worst and most irritating songs of all time but there it was, top of the charts for three weeks and winning the Eurovision Song Contest (the UKs first of five wins over the years). In her own words: 'I hated it from the very first 'oompah' to the final 'bang' on the big bass drum. I was instinctively repelled by its sexist drivel and cuckoo-clock tune.'

Part of the reason Sandie agreed to do the contest was to try and get back into the public's good-books after a recent divorce scandal - that and the fact her manager wanted to make her more 'cabaret', whatever that means.

This was her third number one single, which was a record for a solo female artist at the time. There are over 200 versions of this song now in over 30 languages so it's not just the UK who had to suffer it.

39. Hi Ho Silver Lining  -  Jeff Beck

Ah! 11:34pm in Buffalo Joes down Newcastle Quayside. This song comes on and just as it reaches the chorus, the DJ slides the volume down to zero and the entire place erupts in 'HI HO SILVER LINING' and then the volume comes back up because nobody knows any of the subsequent words. We all continue to knock back cinnamon shots and wait in a queue for the mechanical bull until the volume is turned down again and... 'HI HO SILVER LINING'. Good times.

This was a hit in 1967 and 1972. It spent three consecutive weeks at number 14 on its original run and peaked at 17 in the latter. The intro was 're-appropriated' in Duran Duran's 1982 single 'Rio' whether they admit it or not.

38. When You're Young And In Love  -  Marvelettes

I only knew the 'Flying Pickets' version from 1984 where they all sang the instrumental backing in a sort of creepy adult choir-boy style and 50s throwback haircuts. I had no idea it was a Motown (Tamla) staple.

Composed by Van McCoy (of 'The Hustle' fame), the song was first recorded by Ruby & the Romantics (who sang the brilliant 'Our Day will Come') in 1964. It was covered in 1967 by The Marvellettes whose chart history had been patchy since hitting the US Number 1 in 1961 with 'Please Mr. Postman'.   'When you're Young...' was their first and only hit on the UK chart.

37. Jimmy Mack  -  Martha And The Vandellas

I wonder if Jimmy Mack ever did come back? Martha's wondering if he's ever coming back because there's this other bloke hanging around who she wouldn't kick out of bed and she just wants him to communicate. The fact she has to ask him at least twelve times in this song is quite the red flag that plunging into a long-term relationship with Mr. Mack, isn't the best idea.

Holland-Dozier-Holland teamed up again to deliver this number 21 peaking song. The song took on an entirely different meaning (much like Oleta Adams' track 'Get Here') than intended; the Vietnam war was underway and the 'when are you coming back' was more about serving in the military than just gadding off with another lass (so to speak).

36. All You Need Is Love  -  The Beatles

Distance was starting to become apparent between the cheeky Liverpudlians. Who wrote what song was becoming more obvious too - it was clear they weren't really writing together anymore and there's a distinct 'going through the motions' about their later years (especially 'Magical Mystery Tour' et al.).

This is lovely though and delivered in quite a languid, bored and 'do I have to?' way by John Lennon. Listen to it again, you'll hear John verbally roll his eyes in the first few verses.

It was the Beatles' contribution to 'Our World', which was the first live global television link. They performed it (to a backing track) at EMI Studios in London in front of 400 million people in 25 countries. The song's lyrics were deliberately simplistic to mitigate most of the audience not having English as their first language and love being as universal a language as you can get.

The song reached number 1 (not a surprise for a Beatles' track) and became an anthem for the growing counterculture movement and the prevalent 'flower power' philosophy.

35. Standing In The Shadows Of Love  -  Four Tops

What a contrast to 'All You Need is Love''s energy this is. The Four Tops are one of those groups that you could have no argument about placing in the main hall of any Music Museum. Holland-Dozier-Holland were at it again and this time, managed to write something almost transcendent of the genre they were the main exponents of.

Not dissimilar to 'Reach Out I'll be There', this takes it up a few notches. It reached number 6 in the UK. I still think the Four Tops should have been called 'Levi Stubbs and the Funk Brothers'.

34. Autumn Almanac  -  The Kinks

Ray Davies was such an imaginative and inventive song writer with a wry sense of humour. The lyrics in this track are all about September merging with October. Musty-coloured yellow leaves, tea and toasted currant buns, summers all gone - you think he's going to start going on about pumpkin spice lattes but then the song crawls into the territory of a latent fear of change. An acceptance that he's trapped where he is, never to change and never to leave (or at least that's true of the person he's observing).

The lyrics are so graphic and atmospheric, they're just wonderful. Hearing this when I was young, my only reference to the word 'almanac' was 'Old Moor's Almanac' which was filled with data on astronomy and annual events. I assumed that an Autumn Almanac was also sold in WH Smith and explained which trees lost their leaves and what kinds of nuts Squirrels liked best.

The song reached number 3 in the UK, stalling behind the Bee Gee's awful 'Massachusetts' and 'Baby, Now that I've found you' by The Foundations.

33. The House That Jack Built  -  Alan Price Set

I've always found Alan Price a little bit of a 'Rich Tea Biscuit'. Its perfectly fine as a biscuit but lacks the spectacular features of a Chocolate Hobnob or the cheeky nuance of the Bourbon. You dip it in your tea and it completely loses all integrity. I went to see Alan Price when he came to my University to do a show in late 1995 - I'm sad to say, I can't remember a single thing about the performance - completely underwhelmed.

This song is quite good, even though it relies on its hook a little too much. This was Alan's first self-composed single and it made it all the way up to number 4 in the chart. Price appeared on Top of the Pops to perform the song. Later in the show, Jimi Hendrix was on to promote 'Burning of the Midnight Lamp'. The backing track for 'The House that Jack Built' played and Jimi commented 'I don't know the words to that one man'. Up until that point, the fact TOTP used backing tracks was a closely guarded secret. Scandal!

32. Guns Of Navarone  -  Skatalites

Whilst this isn't a particularly strong single, it's vital to the entire ska movement and all those that followed. The influence of this track (being one of only a smattering in the public consciousness around at the time) echoed forward for at least 20 years.

It reached number 35 in the UK and was a cover of the music composed for the film of the same name in 1961.

31. Love Is All Around  -  Troggs

I don't need to tell you anything about what happened to this song in 1994; it still haunts me. All I can say is, thank heavens for Whigfield. However, the original version, written by Reg Presley of the Troggs, is a might different to the Wet Wet Wet version and has a lot more spirit. It was written in around 10 minutes (which is why it probably starts with a very 'You've Lost that Loving Feeling' vibe) and reached number 5 in November.

By far the best version of this song is by Bill Nighy (playing the fictional Billy Mack in Love Actually), transformed into 'Christmas is all around' with the lyric 'If you really love Christmas, come on a let it snow.'

30. I'm A Believer  -  Monkees

My wife said, if I don't get rid of all my Monkees memorabilia, she's going to leave me. I thought she was joking but then I saw her face.

This was written by Neil Diamond and sung by Mickey Dolenz. It knocked Tom Jones' 'Green Green Grass of Home' off the top spot (a song that epitomised the dirges covering the 1967 charts like an itchy rash) and stayed at number 1 for four weeks before being dislodged by Petula Clark and the forgotten 'This is my Song'.

Robert Wyatt took it to number 29 in 1974, Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer took the song to number 3 in 1995 and the American band Weezer performed it for the movie 'Shrek Forever After'.

29. Hole In My Shoe  -  Traffic

This is brilliant. The atmosphere is enough to make you think you've eaten a bad cheese sandwich (or similar). Especially when the song reaches the 'Giant Albatross' part.

The song reached number 2 behind 'Massachusetts' and when it was covered by Nigel Planer (playing 'Neil' from BBC sitcom The Young Ones) in 1984, it reached number 2 again, this time behind Frankie Goes to Hollywood's 'Two Tribes'. Nigel's version was almost cut-and-paste with some 'humour' thrown in. The best part being when he sings 'one hundred tin soldiers' and then shouts 'fascists' in the background.

28. A Whiter Shade Of Pale  -  Procol Harum

Terrible name for a pop group. Despite that, this, their debut single, reached number one with little effort, and stayed there for six long weeks. Despite its pedestrian pace, it shifted ten million copies worldwide. I think Radiohead might have been influenced a lot by this track you know.

The song is a reappropriated Bach tune but Keith Reid, Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisher are listed as the songwriters. Similarly, Eric Carmen's 'All By Myself' is taken from Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, The Beatles' 'Let it Be' has more than a little in common with Pachelbel's Canon and 'The White Stripes' 'Seven Nation Army' is actually Bruckner's Symphony Number 5. The little stealers.

27. Happy Together  -  The Turtles

It's always bothered me that one of the Turtles wasn't called Michelle. Striking the number 1 spot in the US (becoming their only hit there) I'm still confused as to how it didn't get to number 1 in the UK - only reaching number 12.

Writers Bonner and Gordon wrote the song when they were members of the group The Magicians. It's the musical juxtaposition that cements this song as a classic. The jaunty verse merges perfectly with the bombastic chorus. Brilliant really.

26. The World Of Broken Hearts  -  Amen Corner

I have to admit, I'm more familiar with 'Bend me, Shape me' and '(If Paradise is) Half as nice' than this one. I was under the impression they got their name from a street in Newcastle (near the High Level Bridge) but I've just read that they were formed in Cardiff so I'm not sure where that rumour came from.

The build on this is great - the chaotic chorus and then the breakdown again really gives you a sense of the euphoria and despair of love and loss. Genius.

Amen Corner formed in 1966, had this hit in 1967, then had four consecutive top 10 hits (one of them a number 1) and then split up in 1969 to pursue other interests.

25. Respect  -  Aretha Franklin

Originally written and recorded by Otis Redding, Aretha arranged the song to suit her perspective and vastly altered the musical arrangement. It hit number 1in the US and won Aretha two Grammy awards.

Hearing this as a young'un, I always thought she was singing 'R-E-S-P-C-T' like she couldn't spell, and then 'Take out some T-C-P', like she needed a bottle of antiseptic fluid for a grazed knee. The lyric is actually T-C-B which apparently means 'Taking Care of Business'. Who knew?

24. Sweet Soul Music  -  Arthur Conley

Bit of a daft question isn't it? 'Do you like good music'? No actually, I hate it. I prefer random noises at different volumes.

This was another song written by Otis Redding (and Conley). It was based on Sam Cooke's 'Yeah Man' and contains a snippet of 'The Magnificent Seven'. It reached number 7 in the UK.

The song is a tribute to the Soul genre, mentioning some classics such as Mustang Sally, Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) and Going to a Go-Go before naming James Brown as 'the king of them all'.

23. Matthew And Son  -  Cat Stevens

Debuting with 'I Love my Dog' (apparently Cat had a Dog), it was 'Matthew and Son' (a song about exploitation in the workplace) that convinced 'Deram Records' to extend his contract. 

This is a Baroque pop song littered with strings and brass. The song was a totally unexpected success, reaching number 2 in the chart behind The Monkees' 'I'm a Believer' and resulting in appearances on Ready Steady Go! and Top of the Pops. It reminds me of Sparks' 'Amateur Hour' rather, which I'm going to guess was inspired by this track.

Cat managed four top ten hits until he hung up his strings in 1974 and changed his name.

22. Itchycoo Park  -  The Small Faces

This song and 'Waterloo Sunset', to me anyway, make you feel like you've smoked something medicinal even though you haven't. Few songs ever reach true legendary status but this is one of those few.

This was the first pop single to feature 'flanging' which at the time was a mechanical process of pressing the flanges of two separate tapes playing the same audio into a master tape, making the sound 'sweep' and 'swoosh'.

Bafflingly, to my 2026 eyes anyway, this song only got to number 3 with Keith West's 'Excerpt from a Teenage Opera' and Engelbert Humperdinck's 'The Last Waltz' ahead of it.

21. It Takes Two  -  Marvin Gaye And Kim Weston

Marvin I'm familiar with. Kim, less so. This was Marvin's first foray into the chart, in the UK anyway. His three subsequent singles were also duets, this time with Tammi Terrell, none of which made much of a splash until his first solo single, 'I heard it through the Grapevine' in 1969.

I always thought Rod Stewart was the Scottish Tina Turner so imagine my surprise when they teamed up in 1990 to cover this classic with aplomb.

Marvin and Kim reached number 16 in the UK.

20. There Is A Mountain  -  Donovan

This is a proper 'round the camp fire at Glastonbury' song isn't it? 

Only one of Donovan's first eight releases missed the top 10 but he never nailed that elusive number 1 spot. This should have been it though - the chart topper he so craved.

I think this might have something to do with the spiritual idea that the thing that you think something is, isn't and then... is again - or something. This is a bongo-filled, flutey, strummy guitar jaunt and it's wonderful.

19. Reflections  -  Diana Ross And The Supremes

Get your tambourine ready and whack it as close to the microphone as possible. At least that's what the percussionist on this track did in the choruses. 

Diana Ross had transcended the Supremes by this point as the group are billed separately on the cover of the single, like she's not a Supreme any more, she's even more supreme than her former peers. Bit arrogant really. Beyoncé didn't even do that to Destiny's Child despite a very similar rise to fame.

The song hit number 2 in the US and number 5 in the UK.

18. I'm A Man  -  Spencer Davis Group

A song about gender identity about sixty years before its time. This was the Spencer's final top ten hit (number 9) after two number 1's and a number 2 over the previous year. It was after this hit that brothers Steve and Muff Winwood left to pursue their own separate careers. 

The song was covered by Chicago in 1969 but because they had problems deciphering the lyrics to the SDG version, "I'm all hung up on music" became "Never had no problems", and "My toilet's trimmed with chrome" became "My body's pretty strong."

17. Soul Man  -  Sam And Dave

Soul Man was written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. Sam & Dave were Samuel Moore and David Prater. Just the three hits for this duo and none of them climbing above the number 15 that 'Soul Sister Brown Sugar' reached in 1968.

Soul man only climbed to 24 despite its obvious brilliance.  It's the sort of single you'd go out, buy and play until the grooves were worn out. Superb!

16. Silence Is Golden  -  The Tremeloes

Silence Is Golden was originally recorded by the Four Seasons, released in 1964 as the B-side to 'Rag Doll', 

The Tremeloes' 1967 cover version reached number 1. It was a direct copy with the same arrangement and silly high voices. It turned out to be a decent career move seeing as it sold over a million copies and earned a lovely shiny gold disc.

15. Penny Lane  -  The Beatles

Don't trust the musical taste of anyone who tells you that 'Strawberry Fields' is a good single. It's not. It's bloated and pretentious and makes no sense musically (although some people seem to like that kind of thing). Same for 'I am the Walrus'. It's an awful song and I think people only like it because it's 'John Lennon' and it's 'The Beatles' and you're 'meant' to like all of their stuff and think it's deep and intellectual.

And then there's Penny Lane. A perfect single in complete contrast to it's other A side. Accessible to the extreme with intelligent chord progressions and a genius melody that dances around key changes effortlessly. Listen to both this and 'Strawberry Weirds' and tell me which is the better songwriter. The success Paul had after the Beatles is something, in my opinion, John couldn't have matched had his career continued into the 1980s and beyond. But then people would argue that John wasn't about selling music, he was more about the art of it all. Well, go and listen to 'Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins' and then come back to me and say you're sorry. (Someone had to say it)

I don't have to tell you that Penny Lane went to number 1. Because it didn't! It stalled at number 2, which was unheard of. It was the first single not to go to number 1 since 'Please Please Me' hit number 2, twelve singles ago in 1963. What held it off the top spot? Something that's nowhere near my top 40 of the year - Arnold George Dorsey and his homage to captivity. Urgh!

14. The Happening  -  The Supremes

This was before Diana became all powerful, allowing the other Supremes to share the billing for this bouncy track. (It sounds quite a lot like 'Dedicated Follower of Fashion' which I think came out after this was released?)

It was the theme song of the 1967 film 'The Happening' (not the weird Mark Wahlberg abomination where trees kill people). While the movie flopped, the song peaked at number 1 in the US and became The Supremes' tenth number 1 single there. It reached number 6 in the UK.

13. Knock On Wood  -  Eddie Floyd

Judging by the single cover, Eddie's idea of 'knocking' on wood is the same as Jack Nicholson's in The Shining.

Steve Cropper has stated in interviews that there was a lightning storm the night that he and Eddie wrote the song, hence the lyrics 'It's like thunder, lightning, The way you love me is frightening'. How do you love someone in a way that's frightening? Maybe it's better not to know.

Knock On Wood was initially written for Otis Redding but Stax label manager Jim Stewart turned it down. Once Floyd had a hit with it, Otis belatedly recorded it with Carla Thomas but couldn't top Floyd's number 17 placing, reaching a modest 35.

You may be more familiar with the Amii Stewart disco version which topped the US charts in 1979 and number 6 and 7 in the UK in 1979 and 1985.

12. The Letter  -  The Box Tops

 This was a number 1 hit in the US, it reached number 5 in the UK

Written by Wayne Carson, it was recorded by American rock band the Box Tops as their first and most successful single.

Rolling Stone magazine had this at number 372 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame added it to the list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". In 2011, the single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. 

11. Groovin'  -  The Young Rascals

This song was apparently such a huge diversion from The Young Rascals usual style that they almost didn't release it. Not that us here in the UK would have noticed as they'd not previously bothered us with their music. This being their UK debut (a number 8 hit) meant we were looking for more of the same - which is probably why they only had one more hit; the number 37 stalling 'A girl like you' later in the year.

This song actually sounds like lying on the grass in your lunch break come summertime. Just lovely.

10. Everlasting Love  -  Love Affair

Five hits in a year and a half, four top tens, one number one, and then they were gone. 'Everlasting Love' has actually lasted since it was released ironically. It pops up every now and then whether you're watching TV, Movies, Tik-Tok or listening to retro-radio. 

It dislodged Georgie Fame's 'Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde' from the top spot for two weeks before being replaced by Manfred Mann's 'Mighty Quinn'.

It was a Robert Knight song originally (in a 'Four Tops' style) but his version only hit number 40 at the same time Love Affair were at the other end of the 40.

9. Daydream Believer  -  The Monkees

This was one of the rare occasions when all four Monkees appeared on one of their songs. Davy Jones sang lead, Mike Nesmith guitar, Peter Tork piano and Micky Dolenz, backing vocals.

'Love is only Sleeping' was supposed to be released instead but the masters weren't ready - Daydream Believer's were so that got the green light.

The Monkees had six hits in 1967 and a couple of minor ones in 1968 - reaching number 5, this was their last top ten hit.

8. Nights In White Satin  -  The Moody Blues

There was a television program in the 80s (The Golden Oldie Picture Show) which played music videos; videos which had been created for songs which were relased before music videos were standard. The one they made for this track sticks in my mind for its trauma-inducing content. 

A family go for a day out at the beach and at the end, they lock the dog out of the car and drive home. The dog is left, just standing on the beach looking a bit confused and sad. Then, at the end of the song, the kid from the family (no more than eight years old) turns up, runs towards the dog and hugs it in a joyous moment of reconciliation. However, there's no car, there's no family - just the kid. Like he's run away from home and plans to live out his days, just him and the dog, on the beach, eating whatever washes up on the shore. Hope they like seaweed.

I was at the City Hall in Newcastle seeing someone in concert - I forget who - but there was a poster for 'The Moody Blues'. This was probably early 2000s. I've just looked at their chart history... they only had two notable hits. 'Go now' and 'Question'. That would have been a short show.

Nights in White Satin only reached number 19. It's brilliant though so it probably didn't impress anyone at the time because they didn't understand it. 

7. Baby Now That I've Found You  -  Foundations

This is what you call a single. It has all the elements required to fly up to the number one spot and stay there for ages. Well, two weeks at least. It knocked the Bee Gees off the top (Massachusetts), only to be knocked off themselves by Long John Baldry and 'Let the Heartaches begin'. 

Although their follow up 'Back on my Feet Again' only reached number 18, they hit the top ten again the following year with 'Build me up Buttercup' ( another Buffalo Joe's staple) and 'In the Bad Bad Old Days'.

6. Flowers In The Rain  -  The Move

Roy Wood is a bit of a legend. His fingerprints can be found on most chart run downs of the late sixties and seventies due to his involvement with The Move, ELO and Wizzard. His hit 'I wish it could be Christmas Every Day' has ensured his immortality too, as it gets played ad infinitum every October in B&M and Home Bargains. 

'Flowers in the Rain' features Oboes, Clarinets, Cor Anglais(es), and French Horns and was the first song to be played on BBC Radio 1. Roy might have thought his quest for the number 1 spot was destined to fail when this reached number 2 behind Humperdinck's 'Last Waltz' and then 'Massachusetts'. The Move's first release 'Night of Fear' also reached number 2 behind 'I'm a Believer'. After 'Fire Brigade' got to number 3, Roy finally achieved his dream when the superb 'Blackberry Way' topped the chart in December 1968.

5.  New York Mining Disaster 1941  -  The Bee Gees

Well I never. I thought for years that this was a Simon and Garfunkle song which could equally have been sung by The Beatles. This was in fact, the Bee Gees debut single and despite there being four blokes on the cover, only three Bee Gees appear on the track.

It rose to number 12 and was the beginning of a rather erratic chart journey which included two number 1s, four more top ten hits but a 25, 23 and a 33 mixed in. Once they hit the early seventies and got involved in that movie soundtrack, they had no trouble hitting the top 10 fourteen more times.

4. Gimme Little Sign  -  Brenton Wood

This fantastic track was written by Brenton but it was the only time he appeared on the chart.  Apparently, according to the internet at least, a version of this song was cacked out into the world by Peter Andre. That's something I can defintely do without listening to.

Number 8 was the highest it climbed in the UK. I'm thinking I should have placed this higher in my rundown - it's brilliant.

3. Handbags And Gladrags  -  Chris Farlowe

Modern audiences will probably be familiar with this track being featured on the intro to Ricky Gervais' 'The Office'. Think beyond that connection however, because the sentiment and execution of this song is what the kids call 'S-Tier'. It's truly heartbreaking without that really being the intention. I find it really sad anyway.

Chris' had had a number 1 in 1966 with 'Out of Time' which I don't recall hearing when I was listening to everything 1966 had to offer so it can't have been all that. His other three hits (this one included) barely made the top 40, this one stalling at number 33. This is one of the best things about listening to every top 40 song of every year - there are some absolute gems which passed many people by and will probably sit unheard for the rest of time. (Obviously not in this case because of the aforementioned theme-tune usuage).

2. Waterloo Sunset  -  The Kinks

I've said plenty enough about Ray Davies up to this point so I'll just say that it's another to add to the list of 'should have been number 1s', a lot like the most famous one 'Vienna'. It was the first of two top-2 songs to feature the word 'Waterloo' - 'Silence is Golden' was the song which kept The Kinks' off the top spot. (Nothing stopped ABBAs 'Waterloo' going all the way in 1974).

Ray has said that if the song was a film, Terry would be Terrance Stamp and Julie would be Julie Christie

1. Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart  -  Gene Pitney

Probably one of the greatest songs and vocal performances of all time this. Gene was at his absolute peak with this track which is sullied a little by the abhorrent Marc Almond effort which topped the chart in 1989. This isn't the only proof that the charts don't always reflect quality of song by any means but its a prime exhibit in the court case - Gene only reached number 5 in 1967 with Val Doonican higher than him in the chart. What's all that about?

If you're looking for a top 40 'best of' for another year, have a look at the main page here - and I'll see you again soon for my 1968 run down.