Post subject: Billboard's year-end top 100 hits of 1968
Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 9:57 am
Famous one
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:44 pm Posts: 1880 Location: USA
Gender: Male
Seeing as the Despicable Me movies, and the Minions movie, are so musically-focused, with two great composer/arrangers (in both Heitor Pereira and Pharrell Williams (though the latter did not do any arranging or new songs on the Minions soundtrack), I thought it fitting to give you a look at how the industry's go-to source, Billboard Magazine, rated the top 100 hits of the year 1968 (the setting of the Minions movie). The 1960s, as a decade, was as musically-diverse in sound as any other era since the 1950s, and it definitely shows in this list, with various styles and sounds in evidence. Of course, this was also the decade of the famous British Invasion (http://www.britannica.com/event/British-Invasion)...as well as being the height of the flower child, mod and hippy movements, and of rock music that featured heavily with blues, folk and jazz elements. Of course, several of these songs would be heard at the legendary Woodstock Music & Art Fair, held in 1969 on Max Yasgur's dairy farm near Bethel, New York (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock).
I will only list the top 25 hits on the list, but you can see it in its entirety in the link immediately below, and look up the other hits on YouTube if you were so inclined (and, if any of the YouTube videos below won't play in your country due to copyright restrictions, just try and search out the title and artist in the YT search bar rather than posting about it here. 'Kay? Thanks).
I initially thought of embedding the videos, but a list of 25 embedded YouTube videos would slow down the loading of this topic like crazy. So you can click on the individual links to see the vids and hear the songs.
Here, however, are the top 25 (from #1 through #25)...a few of the most popular and enduring of these you've probably heard before, believe it or not, and some have endured in popularity right up to now. A few have even been remade by other artists. See if you can recognize any of them (some of them are really awesome songs! Check out, for instance, "Dance To The Music" by Sly and the Family Stone):
(*The following year, the R&B group known as "The Friends of Distinction" did a groovy vocal version of Hugh Masekela's tune "Grazing In The Grass", which became about as popular as the original, and it's worth linking here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjYrski71II)
I'll check out these songs a bit later today (it's time to walk the dog at the moment lol). :) And if I can, I may try to find a way to play these songs within a playlist so I don't have to keep coming back to this topic to play the next song.
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Last edited by Mighty on Mon Jan 11, 2016 4:21 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Post subject: Re: Billboard's year-end top 100 hits of 1968
Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 4:05 pm
Famous one
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:44 pm Posts: 1880 Location: USA
Gender: Male
Mightybalto1925 wrote:
I'll check out these songs a bit later today (it's time to walk the dog at the moment lol). And if I can, I may try to find a way to play these songs within a playlist so I don't have to keep coming back to this topic to play the next song.
Sounds good.
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Post subject: Re: Billboard's year-end top 100 hits of 1968
Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:33 pm
Famous one
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:44 pm Posts: 1880 Location: USA
Gender: Male
Now see, of Billboard's Top 100 picks for 1968, my PERSONAL favorites off the list (each of these songs I enjoy to varying degrees far more than the others on the list, and those that didn't make the list) would include...with the ranking before each song from that list (I realize I'm repeating a few links, but it seemed better to maintain consistency across the post). I also changed the URL for the Dance To The Music video...the original one had drowned out the background players and instruments due to some mono-to-stereo conversion. The new version is posted here and in my original post, though it is from an original promo video in which the video lags just a bit behind the audio (in the newer URL, you can hear the song in all its glory!):
Of the twenty-five listed here, I can only say I'm familiar with six of them. Those being: Hey Jude, (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay, The Good, Bad and The Ugly, Mrs. Robinson, Mony Mony by Tommy James & The Shondells , Dance To The Music and Young Girl.
Post subject: Re: Billboard's year-end top 100 hits of 1968
Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 7:18 pm
Famous one
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:44 pm Posts: 1880 Location: USA
Gender: Male
Mightybalto1925 wrote:
Of the twenty-five listed here, I can only say I'm familiar with six of them. Those being: Hey Jude, (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay, The Good, Bad and The Ugly, Mrs. Robinson, Mony Mony by Tommy James & The Shondells , Dance To The Music and Young Girl.
It's a start. I'm impressed that you know that many. Probably your parents' influence, right? But that's how it usually goes. Although SOME of these songs (the rock and R&B songs far more than the pop or easy-listening songs and tunes) were playing on the FM radio stations well into my teenage years...and we're talking the mid 1980s (almost twenty years after they were released). That's staying power!
Sly And The Family Stone have always been one of my most favorite bands of the late 60s/early 70s. They were a mix of R&B and funk, and REALLY were cool! And they had several really catchy, cool hits besides Dance To The Music. Some of which you may also have heard (and each of which is worth the time to listen through the entirety of the songs for Sly's vocal creativity). For example:
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:lol: It's a start. I'm impressed that you know that many. Probably your parents' influence, right? But that's how it usually goes. Although SOME of these songs (the rock and R&B songs far more than the pop or easy-listening songs and tunes) were playing on the FM radio stations well into my teenage years...and we're talking the mid 1980s (almost twenty years after they were released). That's staying power!
Sly And The Family Stone have always been one of my most favorite bands of the late 60s/early 70s. They were a mix of R&B and funk, and REALLY were cool! And they had several really catchy, cool hits besides Dance To The Music. Some of which you may also have heard (and each of which is worth the time to listen through the entirety of the songs for Sly's vocal creativity). For example:
My dad has always listened to the "oldies" since I was little, and still does. In fact, there was a time (around 2004 and 2005) where I would only listen to the older music (mostly 50's music)! I wouldn't even touch the 80's music. ...I really don't know what was going on there at the time. XD
Could you post the links to the videos? The videos show up as grey boxes since I don't have flash installed on my system.
I wouldn't even touch the 80's music. ...I really don't know what was going on there at the time. XD
That's something for another time. lol And maybe a different topic. Because there are plenty of great songs and tunes from the 80s that we need to get you up to speed on! It was a great decade for music too!
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I've actually not heard any of these before. These aren't bad (I would listen to Everyday people and Hot fun in the summertime again), though they don't really spark my interest. I prefer rock n' roll (there are exceptions) or something that's catchy.
Post subject: Re: Billboard's year-end top 100 hits of 1968
Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 8:52 am
Famous one
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:44 pm Posts: 1880 Location: USA
Gender: Male
The Sly and the Family Stone songs are some of the best-known songs of the era. lol (Though "If You Want Me To Stay" perhaps not as much as the others.)
My tastes in music, of pretty much any era, are pretty eclectic. I of course prefer rock music, because that forms the core of what I grew up with. But I enjoy jazz, pop, R&B, and other forms...and certain selections of them. And while I found the 90s and the first handful of years of this century to be a barren wasteland of cruddy rock music with no real soul or creativity, I must admit that there are several rock songs of the last eight or so years that I really do enjoy.
Still, I know all of the songs you posted very well. I like most of them (and have for a long time)...except the Beach Boys. I absolutely despise the Beach Boys. Heh. As to the Mamas & Papas song...well, I'm "meh" about that one. But I know others from their repertoire that I enjoy more (and are far more well-known from the era). To wit:
Post subject: Re: Billboard's year-end top 100 hits of 1968
Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 9:38 am
Famous one
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:44 pm Posts: 1880 Location: USA
Gender: Male
Mightybalto1925 wrote:
I've actually not heard any of these before. These aren't bad (I would listen to Everyday people and Hot fun in the summertime again)...
There is actually an African-American alternative hip-hop band (that included elements of jazz and reggae in their music) from the 1990s, called "Arrested Development" (no relation at all to the TV show of the same name) which did an awesome version of Everyday People, which they retitled "People Everyday" (because it is only based on the song...it includes the basic melody and theme, but features new lyrics and instrumentation). They did a 2002 remaster that was absolutely incredible. I can't post the link here because, unfortunately, it does have a bit of profanity in it, but surprisingly it is not a nasty or crude song. You would have to hear it for yourself to understand. They basically make use of the "n" word in it several times during the song (and not in the usual obnoxious and crude hip-hop fashion)...but being a black group, it's different than if a group formed of another race did so. Especially in this ridiculously politically-correct world of today.
But it is an incredible remake of the old Sly and the Family Stone song, and much better than the original version they did in 1992 (and there are several remixes of the original as well).
If you want to hear it, I can PM you the hyperlink to the video on YT. Trust me, it shouldn't disappoint you, and won't be offensive even in spite of their use of that word. You'd just have to hear it to understand. It's actually a very positive song.
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Last edited by BaltoSeppala on Tue Jan 12, 2016 9:43 am, edited 3 times in total.
My tastes in music, of pretty much any era, are pretty eclectic. I of course prefer rock music, because that forms the core of what I grew up with. But I enjoy jazz, pop, R&B, and other forms...and certain selections of them. And while I found the 90s and the first handful of years of this century to be a barren wasteland of cruddy rock music with no real soul or creativity, I must admit that there are several rock songs of the last eight or so years that I really do enjoy.
Huh. I couldn't imagine the 90's being that bad. Even though I was born in the 90's, my parents only listened to older music, so I didn't hear much of the 90's stuff. As for the 2000's and so on, I can agree there's a lot of garbage out there. Though, for the most part, I listen to a lot of the newer stuff. I don't really keep with what's new or follow any groups, but I listen to the songs I like.
Quote:
Still, I know all of the songs you posted very well. I like most of them (and have for a long time)...except the Beach Boys. I absolutely despise the Beach Boys. Heh. As to the Mamas & Papas song...well, I'm "meh" about that one. But I know others from their repertoire that I enjoy more (and are far more well-known from the era). To wit:
If you want to hear it, I can PM you the hyperlink to the video on YT. Trust me, it shouldn't disappoint you, and won't be offensive even in spite of their use of that word. You'd just have to hear it to understand. It's actually a very positive song.
Post subject: Re: Billboard's year-end top 100 hits of 1968
Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 9:46 am
Famous one
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:44 pm Posts: 1880 Location: USA
Gender: Male
Mightybalto1925 wrote:
Quote:
If you want to hear it, I can PM you the hyperlink to the video on YT. Trust me, it shouldn't disappoint you, and won't be offensive even in spite of their use of that word. You'd just have to hear it to understand. It's actually a very positive song.
I'll give it a whirl. lol
Sent you the PM with the link. Enjoy! lol
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And if I can, I may try to find a way to play these songs within a playlist so I don't have to keep coming back to this topic to play the next song.
It's a start. I'm impressed that you know that many. Probably your parents' influence, right? But that's how it usually goes. Although SOME of these songs (the rock and R&B songs far more than the pop or easy-listening songs and tunes) were playing on the FM radio stations well into my teenage years...and we're talking the mid 1980s (almost twenty years after they were released). That's staying power!