Showing posts with label singles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label singles. Show all posts

Thursday, October 5, 2023

#TBT - Mel's Top 100 Hits of 1968

 




















THE BEATLES TOP MY 1968 TOP 100 HITS CHART

Unlike the Billboard Top 100 Hits of 1968, my chart differs in that a lot of songs listed there are not listed here. As a long time Beatles fan, this chart contains several Beatles tracks that are acknowledged as part of their greatest hits ever. The Billboard year end chart lists only three songs. This chart expands on that, and features several other rock tracks that The Beatles recorded that did not make the official year end chart for various reasons. On this chart, The Beatles have placed seven tracks.

1968 was also a big year for instrumentals, with 5 of them listed on the chart.

The Rolling Stones managed to put two tracks on this chart, as did The Doors. Aretha Franklin bested them with three as did The Rascals. One of their tracks, "My Hawaii" is an album only track that was a huge hit in the 50th state in 1968. The song has endured over the decades, especially for "Baby Boomers".

The entire Top 100 list appears below and you can listen to the whole thing on my new Spotify Playlist "Top 100 Hits of 1968." Subscribe and enjoy!

TOP 100 HITS OF 1968

RankTitleArtist
1Hey Jude / RevolutionThe Beatles
2Jumpin' Jack FlashThe Rolling Stones
3RevolutionThe Beatles
4Born to Be WildSteppenwolf
5Hurdy Gurdy ManDonovan
6People Got to Be FreeThe Rascals
7While My Guitar Gently WeepsThe Beatles
8(Sittin' On) The Dock of the BayOtis Redding
9Hello, I Love You / Love StreetThe Doors
10Love ChildThe Supremes
11Magic Carpet RideSteppenwolf
12Lady MadonnaThe Beatles
13I Love YouPeople
14Back in the U.S.S.R.The Beatles
15Those Were the DaysMary Hopkin
16Tuesday AfternoonThe Moody Blues
17BirthdayThe Beatles
18Mrs. RobinsonSimon & Garfunkel
19The Good, the Bad and the UglyHugo Montenegro
20My HawaiiThe Rascals
21Young GirlGary Puckett & The Union Gap
22A Beautiful MorningThe Rascals
23Angel of the MorningMerrilee Rush
24I've Gotta Get a Message to YouThe Bee Gees
25I Wish It Would RainThe Temptations
26Midnight ConfessionsThe Grass Roots
27Tighten UpArchie Bell & the Drells
28Ain't Nothing Like the Real ThingMarvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
29Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-DaThe Beatles
30Do It AgainThe Beach Boys
31A Hazy Shade of WinterSimon & Garfunkel
32Sky PilotThe Animals
33Time Has Come TodayThe Chambers Brothers
34Mony MonyTommy James and the Shondells
35Cry Like a BabyThe Box Tops
36Street Fighting ManThe Rolling Stones
37White RoomCream
38Harper Valley PTAJeannie C. Riley
39SpookyClassics IV
40MacArthur ParkRichard Harris
41Jennifer EcclesThe Hollies
42Dance to the MusicSly and the Family Stone
43All Along The WatchtowerJimi Hendrix
44Grazing in the GrassHugh Masekela
45Do You Know the Way to San JoseDionne Warwick
46Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)John Fred & His Playboy Band
47Lady WillpowerGary Puckett & The Union Gap
48ThinkAretha Franklin
49Piece of My HeartBig Brother and the Holding Company
50ValleriThe Monkees
51FireThe Crazy World of Arthur Brown
52The Mighty QuinnManfred Mann
53Woman, WomanGary Puckett & The Union Gap
54You're All I Need to Get ByMarvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
55La-La (Means I Love You)The Delfonics
56For Once in My LifeStevie Wonder
57I Say a Little PrayerAretha Franklin
58The HorseCliff Nobles
59Simon Says1910 Fruitgum Company
60Reach Out of the DarknessFriend & Lover
61ElenoreThe Turtles
62Bend Me, Shape MeThe American Breed
63This Guy's in Love with YouHerb Alpert
64Green TambourineThe Lemon Pipers
65Sunshine of Your LoveCream
66I Thank YouSam & Dave
67Girl WatcherThe O'Kaysions
68It's WonderfulThe Rascals
69Pictures of Matchstick MenStatus Quo
70Suzie Q.Creedence Clearwater Revival
71Love is BluePaul Mauriat
72Jennifer JuniperDonovan
73Hold Me TightJohnny Nash
74Master JackFour Jacks & A Jill
75HoneyBobby Goldsboro
76You Keep Me Hangin' OnVanilla Fudge
77Love Is All AroundThe Troggs
78I Wonder What She's Doing TonightTommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
79The Fool on the HillSérgio Mendes
80Classical GasMason Williams
81Sweet InspirationThe Sweet Inspirations
82Send Me A PostcardThe Shocking Blue
83Stoned Soul PicnicThe 5th Dimension
84Light My FireJosé Feliciano
85Yummy Yummy YummyOhio Express
86Indian LakeThe Cowsills
87Little Green ApplesO. C. Smith
88(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been GoneAretha Franklin
89If I Were A CarpenterThe Four Tops
90Slip AwayClarence Carter
91Nobody but MeThe Human Beinz
92The Look of LoveSérgio Mendes
93The Ballad of Bonnie and ClydeGeorgie Fame
94Sealed with a KissGary Lewis & the Playboys
95The UnicornThe Irish Rovers
96Bottle of WineThe Fireballs
97DelilahTom Jones
98The Unknown SoldierThe Doors
99Summertime BluesBlue Cheer
100In A Gadda Da VidaIron Butterfly

* "Revolution" by The Beatles is listed twice, once as a double sided single with "Hey Jude" and again as a standalone. Same song, two different rankings. It's my chart.

 Songs listed with a / indicate a double sided single with the B side listed after the slash.

Sunday, June 26, 2022

June 26, 2022 - New From Beyonce and Demi Lovato

 Mel’s Current Top 20


June 26, 2022: CHART NOTES

Two big movers leap 10 points in their second week. The first is "Catalonia" by Vance Joy, up from #19 to #9. Right behind him is the revival track of "Running Up That Hill," from Kate Bush, also up ten from #20 last week to #10 this week.

Right behind them is Envy of None with "Never Say I Love You" which was #18 last week and now #11 this week.

Two debut songs: "Break My Soul," the latest from Beyoncé is at #19. The lyric video for that is below. The showcase video this week is from Demi Lovato. It's her rock track "Skin of My Teeth, " first week on at #20.

THE CURRENT TOP 20 CHART

TWSong TitleArtistLW
1HurricaneCannons1
2Heat WavesGlass Animals3
3My LoveFlorence + The Machine4
4Hold My HandLady Gaga2
5BonesImagine Dragons5
6Out of TimeThe Weeknd7
7This HellRina Sawayama10
8EnemyImagine Dragons x J.I.D.       6
9CataloniaVance Joy19
10Running Up That HillKate Bush20
11Never Say I Love You Envy of None18
122StepEd Sheeran8
13No One Dies From Love  Tove Lo15
14Jiggle JiggleDuke & Jones & 12
15One LifeEd Sheeran17
16About Damn TimeLizzo9
17When You're GoneShawn Mendes11
18Western WindCarly Rae Jepsen13
19Break My SoulBeyoncenew
20Skin of My TeethDemi Lovatonew

For Beyoncé, we only have the lyric video for her chart debut.

Thursday, December 31, 2020

Mel's Top 100 Hits of 2020


This year I reactivated Mel's Current Top 20 weekly chart. I decided to do this after 18 weeks of 2020 had already passed. The first chart was published during the week of May 7, 2020. The first #1 song upon reactivation was The Rolling Stones' "Living in a Ghost Town", which to me became the anthem of the 2020... the first year of COVID-19. The song was a reaction to the worldwide lockdowns, closure of many businesses and a new way to deal with everyday life.
"Living in a Ghost Town" held on to the #1 spot on my chart for 8 weeks, spending a total of 15 weeks on. It ended up being my #1 song of 2020. 

Since I came up a bit short of songs for my year end chart, I had to mine several songs that came out in 2019 that I would have probably listed on the chart had it started in January. Hence you will see familiar titles such as Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved" @ #2 and Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" at #5. I will call these holdovers from late 2019 that would have probably been on my chart. There are about a dozen of these songs on the Top 100.

Since this weekly chart contains only 20 positions, songs come and go through the chart fairly quickly, usually about 8 to 10 weeks, though several last longer. This year a song only needed to be listed at least for one week at any position to make it to the chart. Hence we got one week performers such as the Foo Fighters "Shame Shame" scraping in at the lower positions. Doubt that will happen next year.

Some interesting notes about the Top 100

The Rolling Stones' "Living in a Ghost Town" was barely a hit on most charts. I suspect it got some rock radio airplay. It went to #1 in Germany only, #2 in Scotland, and #61 in their native UK. On the U.S. Hot Rock and Alternative chart the single went to #3... which is not too bad for a niche genre.

Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved" is a carryover hit from 2019 and its follow-up "Before You Go" were long lasting #1 hits on my chart. While not officially released as a single, the bonus album track "Let It Roll" went to #2 on my chart.

Taylor Swift had a big year, scoring 4 tracks on my Top 100 chart. Three of those were #1 hit.... "You Need to Calm Down" a 2019 carryover track, "Cardigan" from her Folklore album and just scraping in before the calendar flipped to 2021, "Willow" from her latest Evermore. "The Man" from her Lover album was a #3 hit with "Betty" from Folklore coming in at #7.

Only in Hawaii would Katy Perry's "Harleys in Hawaii" would go to #1. It did on my chart though it was a carryover from 2019. She also scored with "Daisies" and "Smile".

Rock had some big tracks this year... In addition to The Rolling Stones, AC/DC had a huge hit with "Shot in the Dark" from their latest album Power Up. Other rock songs that scored included Blossoms' cover of The Beatles "Paperback Writer", Tom Petty& the Heartbreakers "Leave Virginia Alone," Bruce Springsteen's "Letter to You", Sixx:A.M.'s "Maybe Its Time" and "Caution" by. The Killers.

One of the most unusual songs to make the Top 20 this year was a 43 year old single track from Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album. Stevie Nicks' "Dreams" made a big chart comeback after the song was featured in a viral TikTok video posted by Nathan Apodaca lip synching to it while riding a skateboard and drinking a bottle of Ocean Spray juice. The video has become legendary and sparked a host of imitators including Nicks herself and bandmate Mick Fleetwood. In 1977 "Dreams" became Fleetwood Mac's only #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. This year it got listed again on the Hot 100 peaking at #12, which is the same position that it made it to my Current Top 20 chart.

Paul McCartney scores two songs on the Top 100. "Home Tonight" is a carryover single from 2019 that went to #2 and his latest, "Find Your Way" just made it in this year by being a #10 hit for the second week on the chart (Dec. 31).

Several K-Pop songs made it to my Current Top 20 chart. The biggest was by K-Pop girl group Blackpink. "How You Like That" held on to the #1 spot during part of the summer for 4 weeks, good enough to place it at #4 for the year. They also scored hit singles with "Lovesick Girls," "Ice Cream" (with Selena Gomez) and "Pretty Savage". All of the tracks were featured on their debut LP The Album.

The other K-Pop group to hit the charts this year was boy band BTS. They had a #1 hit with "Dynamite" and came back with another record called "Life Goes On".

These are just some of the songs worthy of my mention. There are plenty more. Just check out the video playlist and chart below.  



THE TOP 100 HITS OF 2020
As compiled from Mel's Current Top 20 weekly charts.

RankSong TitleArtistPeakTAP*Total Weeks
1Living in a Ghost TownThe Rolling Stones1815
2Someone You LovedLewis Capaldi1724
3Do What You Can (featuring Jennifer Nettles)Bon Jovi1512
4How You Like ThatBlackpink1418
5You Need to Calm DownTaylor Swift1414
6Before You GoLewis Capaldi1316
7Shot in the DarkAC/DC1312
8What The Future HoldsSTEPS1312
9Harleys in HawaiiKaty Perry1219
10Watermelon SugarHarry Styles1216
11CardiganTaylor Swift1213
12Zen (featuring K.Flay & grandson)X Ambassadors1213
13A Good Song Never DiesSaint Motel129
14Something in Your EyesSTEPS118
15DynamiteBTS1114
16Supalonely (ft. Gus Dapperton)Benee1114
17WillowTaylor Swift113
18Let It RollLewis Capaldi2512
19MemoriesMaroon 52322
20Home TonightPaul McCartney2219
21Adore YouHarry Styles2216
22JoleneChiquis featuring Becky G2213
23Maybe It's TimeSixx:A.M.2212
24Who's Laughing NowAva Max2212
25WonderShawn Mendes2211
26Kings & QueensAva Max2210
27Only HumanJonas Brothers2111
28Rain on Me (with Ariana Grandé)Lady Gaga219
29Tales From The LoopPhillip Glass & Paul Leonard-Morgan219
30Tick Tock (featuring 24KGoldn)Clean Bandit & Mabel216
31The ManTaylor Swift3210
32Beautiful People (featuring Khalid)Ed Sheeran3119
33SenioritaShawn Mendes3117
34I Don't CareEd Sheeran with Justin Beiber3115
35BluebirdMiranda Lambert3113
36Nice To Meet YaNiall Horan3112
37GirlfriendCharlie Puth319
38Tangerine SkiesDeclan J Donovan4213
39SmileKaty Perry4210
40Lovesick GirlsBlackpink4111
41I HopeGabby Barrett4110
42DaisiesKaty Perry419
43What's Your Country songThomas Rhett415
44GoldenHarry Styles539
45Bad GuyBillie Eilish5121
46YouthGrouplove5111
47PatienceChris Cornell519
48What's Love Got To Do With ItKygo, Tina Turner517
49Mood24kGoldn f/Iann Dior513
50Paperback WriterBlossoms627
51I Think We're Alone NowBillie Joe Armstrong617
52The Worst in MeRob Thomas7113
53Joan of Arc on the Dance FloorAly & AJ7211
54BettyTaylor Swift729
55Fingers CrossedAgnes718
56Ice CreamBlackpink featuring Selena Gomez717
57I Love My CountryFlorida Georgia Line819
58Letter to YouBruce Springsteen818
59SomebodyDagny817
60Oh Santa!Mariah Carey814
61Level of ConcernTwenty One Pilots937
62Sweet MelodyLittle Mix928
63You're Not AloneSemisonic927
64Leave Virginia AloneTom Petty & The Heartbreakers916
65Nobody But You (featuring Gwen Stefani)Blake Shelton1036
66Blues Comin' OnDion1028
67Club ZeroThe Go-Go's1026
68Cowboy Coming HomeChris Petersen1026
69Legends Never DieOrville Peck, Shania Twain1016
70Rescue DogTrain1016
71Wake Up RomeoCaro Emerald1016
72AnxiousKate Voegle1015
73Find My WayPaul McCartney1012
74Nobody's LoveMaroon 51128
75Let Me Reintroduce MyselfGwen Stefani1112
76DreamsFleetwood Mac1225
77How They Remember YouRascal Flatts1225
78911Lady Gaga1216
79SupermanKeith Urban1216
80HeroWeezer1215
81I Should Probably Go To BedDan + Shay1215
82Life Goes OnBTS1214
83X (featuring Karol G)Jonas Brothers1324
84The RisingNancy Wilson1317
85One Too ManyKeith Urban & Pink1315
86Black and WhiteNiall Horan1314
87CautionThe Killers1314
88Sleeping On My DreamsJacob Collier1425
89Hot StuffKygo, Donna Summer1415
90DigFanny Lumsden1412
91Pretty SavageBlackpink1514
92The Good Old DaysJohn Paul White1514
93Say SomethingKylie Minogue1513
94DreamerChris Osmond1613
95Hey!Bryan Lanning1713
96Therefore I AmBillie Eilish1713
97No Time For Love Like NowMichael Stipe & Big Red Machine1712
98News TodayBlack Eyed Peas1911
99BummerlandAJR2011
100Shame ShameFoo Fighters2011
      
 Compiled from Mel's Current Top 20 weekly charts
* TAP = Total Weeks @ Peak Position
   

LISTEN TO MY ENTIRE TOP 100 
PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY! (5 hours 45 min)

Monday, June 29, 2020

Lady Gaga Knocking on the Door of #1


THE CURRENT TOP 20

It looks like Lady Gaga with her accomplice Ariana Grandé is on the verge of claiming the #1 spot from The Rolling Stones. The duo's top hit "Rain on Me" moves up this week from #3 to #2 this week. Will it make it to #1 next week? We'll see.

Not too far away from the top position we find Benee at #5 moving up 7 points from #12 last week with the bubbly track "Supalonely". One point behind her is Saint Motel, who roars up the chart from last week's #19 debut to #6 this week with "A Good Song Never Dies". This is a good song, but will it ever die? We don't know.

The Rolling Stones meanwhile hold on to #1 for the 8th week with "Living in a Ghost Town", one of the best rock songs released in the last year or so. Rock music is a rarity on the charts these days.

Here now is the latest Current Top 20 list:


Monday, June 1, 2020

Mel's Current Top 20 - May 28, 2020 - Published June 1, 2020


The Rolling Stones Hold Strong at #1

Starting this week, the Current Top 20 static post will be issued here. The dynamic post appears on the Current Top 20 page at this blog and also on Mel's Current Top 20 website.

"Living in a Ghost Town" holds at #1 for a 4th week in a row since this chart was revived after a years-long absence. So far it is the new release song that I like best so far this year. The Rolling Stones are in full force with a catchy and timely tune that echo's back to the sounds of the music they put out in the 1980s and 1990s... which is pure, uptempo, radio friendly rock n roll.

Sadly I don't think this record is getting much airplay anywhere since many people say "rock music is dead". Really rock music dead? I refuse to believe that.

The song is currently at #12 on the current Global Top 100 Chart, which is a compilation chart tabulated from user generated, personal charts of those participating at the M4B Charts Central website.

Watch the video player above. Most of my Top 20 songs are on it in some chronological order along with new and recent past tracks.

The rest of my chart is posted below:




Saturday, May 23, 2020

Today's Vinyl Spin - Fleetwood Mac


Today's Vinyl Spin goes back to the very successful Fleetwood Mac line-up of Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckinghman, John McVie, Christine McVie and Mick Fleetwood. Fleetwood Mac is the first album to feature the then new line-up of the group.

Fleetwood Mac enjoyed moderate success as a blues band and a mainstream rock group with numerous membership changes. In 1974 after former lead singer and guitarist Bob Welch left the group, the duo of Buckingham-Nicks were recruited to take his place. The two new members proved to be the best thing that happened to Fleetwood Mac in terms of a new music direction and commercial success.

The band paved its way to becoming a major concert draw with Stevie, Lindsey and Christine showcasing various songs while McVie and Fleetwood provided a solid foundation. It is one of the few bands that I personally saw in concert not once, but twice.

Their debut album Fleetwood Mac with the new line-up slowly crawled to the #1 position on the charts by 1976 while its singles garnered more and more radio airplay. These included "Over My Head", "Rhiannon," "Say You Love Me," and "Blue Letter". "Landslide" also became a hit after Fleetwood Mac recorded it again for their 1997 live album, The Dance.

I was first introduced to this album by an old college friend back in the day. I always knew of Fleetwood Mac but never paid much attention to them. I had only one track of theirs in my record collection which was "Stop Messin' Around" that appeared on a compilation LP. I later liked the song "Hypnotized" after hearing it on the radio. Was not enough for me to buy their records at the time (I was a starving high school student when this stuff first came out)....

Over the years I have owned 2 vinyl copies of Fleetwood Mac as well as 2 CDs of this. Made at least two cassette tapes off the vinyl and later the CD for portability before the digital age.

Fleetwood Mac is definitely one of my favorite albums of all time by them. It's an enjoyable, refreshing listen whenever I give it a spin.
























The back cover of Fleetwood Mac with track list, group members Nicks, Fleetwood, McVie, Buckingham and McVie.



















Fleetwood Mac would be the last of their albums to show up on the Reprise label.

Track List

Side 1

1. Monday Morning
2. Warm Ways
3. Blue Letter
4. Rhiannon
5. Over My Head
6. Crystal

Side 2

1. Say You Love Me
2. Landslide
3. World Turning
4. Sugar Daddy
5. I'm So Afraid
























"Rhiannon" was one of 4 singles released from the album. All 4 singles have different mixes from the versions on the album. When Fleetwood Mac was issued in a special edition CD in 2004, the single tracks were included as bonus material. Nice move on Warner / Reprise's part.

"Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac....






Thursday, May 21, 2020

Top 10 Albums That Made an Impact:
Arthur Lyman "Yellow Bird"

Arthur Lyman - Yellow Bird Graphic
The CD booklet from Arthur Lyman's "Yellow Bird" album.
















DAY #1: Your Top 10 Favorite Albums that had a big impact on you. This is the first of a series of posts that were originally made after being challenged to create such a meme on Facebook by a friend in 2018. This is the updated rewrite of the series with a link back to the original post.

Arthur Lyman - Yellow Bird - Originally posted to Facebook May 11, 2018.

I have compiled Top 10 lists of various records over the years, but on this series, the focus will be on those records that "had a big impact on you".

To start, I go way back to my childhood from 1961 or 1962. My parents bought the Arthur Lyman record, "Yellow Bird".

If you like instrumental music with a tropical flair, Yellow Bird is the album to get. Throughout, Arthur Lyman and his band treat listeners to an array of tropical flavored arrangements utilizing xylophone, marimbas and other percussion instruments plus bird calls for added flavor.

My favorite tracks are "Havah Nagilah", "Bamboo Tamboo", "Adventures in Paradise" (which was the theme music for some 1960s era TV show), and of course "Yellow Bird" which was a top ten hit in 1961 reaching the #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The original vinyl LP we had in our family over the years was played so many times that it badly wore out to the point that it was no longer playable. Years later while browsing Amazon, I purchased the CD reissue on Rykodisc. I think the CD is now out of print, though some of the songs have appeared on compilation albums over the years.

One thing I would like to get is a vinyl copy as released to HiFi Records in good to mint condition. It would be cool to listen to this on vinyl again.

Yellow Bird is highly recommended if you love lounge music and instrumental, tropical exotica.

Listen to Yellow Bird (from YouTube):


Listen to Havah Nagilah (from YouTube):





Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Mel's Current Top 20 Tracks



Mel's Current Top 20 is Back!

Check this page out every week to see what my favorite current single tracks are for the week. This is a resumption of the old Weekly Top 20 that was a posted to this blog. Hopefully we can continue in the tradition.




Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Mel's Current Top 20 - 2018



Mel's Current Top 20 has been updated. It is a revision of the old Mel's Weekly Top 20 page. The Current Top 20 chart will be occasionally updated and reflected on this site through posts such as this one. For more detail on Mel's Current Top 20 visit this link:

http://macpro.freeshell.org/music/WTop20.html