Top 20 Oldies
Listeners of WCBS FM in NYC have spoken and chosen their top 500 oldies of all time. As always, there's a ton of Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and Diana Ross on the list. I must have missed the Elvis because I haven't heard anything from him yet.
What's debatable is the top 20. I just don't know how many of these I would put among the best oldies of all time or what order I would put them in. But I can certainly say that Boogie Oogie Oogie is not the fourth best of all time, that My Girl is not even the best Temptations song ever, and where oh where is Aretha? My girlfriend Marian is aghast at the selction of Hey Jude as the overall number one and would rank American Pie higher.
For your consideration and input, I present the top 20 in reverse order.
20 Set Me Free
19 For What It's Worth
18 Yesterday
17 Dancing in the Streets
16 Runaround Sue
15 In the Still of the Night
14 Nights in White Satin
13 Let It Be
12 Can't Get Enough of Your Love
11 Grease
10 Heard It Through the Grapevine
9 American Pie
8 Ain't No Mountain High Enough
7 Bridge Over Troubled Water
6 Stand by Me
5 Unchained Melody
4 Boogie Oogie Oogie
3 Mack the Knife
2 My Girl
1 Hey Jude
Comments
It all depends on what you mean by "top". If by "top", you mean the "best" in some objective fashion, good luck on defining any objective criteria. If by "top", you mean the most popular songs as evidenced by how often people list them as their favorite songs, then this list is what it is.
I also think that "favorite" and "best" are not mutually inclusive. I love the song "Spirit in the Sky", but I would never submit it as one of the best rock 'n roll songs ever written and/or performed.
Posted by: Lesley | November 28, 2004 01:00 PM
"Boogie Oogie Oogie"??? Better get a bucket. I fink I'm gonna frow up.
Posted by: Solonor | November 28, 2004 03:43 PM
What? No "Runaway" by Del Shanon? Gads, there is no justice.
Posted by: Randy | November 28, 2004 04:01 PM
Your GF is right. What do they consider 'oldies' I wonder?
Hey Jude has to be about the most over-rated song of all time. I'm not sure it would even make my Beatles top ten.
I agree with Nights in White Satin and Bridge Over Troubled Waters. The rest blows.
Posted by: Jim | November 28, 2004 06:16 PM
Which just goes to show you, because I detest "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" and would replace "Nights in White Satin" with "Tuesday Afternoon" on my top 20 list.
Granted "Hey Jude" wouldn't be anywhere on my top 500, assuming I could even get to such a number. Neither would "Unchained Melody" or "Boogie Oogie Oogie". Blech and double blech. The rest (including "Nights in White Satin") would probably have a place on my top 500. "American Pie" might even be in the top 20. I'd have to think a little on that one. It would definitely be in the top 50.
Posted by: Lesley | November 29, 2004 07:32 AM
There seems to be some confusion over whether or not I've changed my mind on the whole top 20 list thing. I haven't. I still maintain that the list is what it is - what the listeners of WCBS voted for. The fact that I would have voted differently doesn't change that. I also voted for Rick Lazio, but Hillary Clinton is still the junior Senator from New York.
Posted by: Lesley | November 29, 2004 06:56 PM