We closed out a decade that so many of us grew up in. If you were born before, say, 1962, you remember a lot of things that happened in 1969. Things like “Broadway” Joe Namath leading the New York Jets to a championship in January when the Super Bowl was still in its infancy. The continuation of the Vietnam War. The Apollo 11 moon landing in July. The Woodstock Music & Art Fair in August. The Miracle Mets winning the World Series in October. The rock musical Hair.
And what a year for pop music! On the dominant Top 40 radio format, rock acts joined R&B artists and popular vocalists to create an amazing melting pot of future classic rock greats. These were the biggest hits of the year on New York’s 77 WABC.
At just 26 years-old, B. J. Thomas was on the brink of stardom with his country, Christian and pop crossover success. His “Hooked on a Feeling,” #38 for the year, became the second biggest hit of his career, topped only by the smash hit later that year: “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head.” “Hooked” is distinctive for its use of an electric sitar. Have a listen…
Here’s all you need to know about Stevie Wonder‘s “My Cherie Amour,” the year’s #37 biggest hit: it became his eighth Top 10 single and he was still just 18! The mind boggles…
The Guess Who‘s breakthrough hit, “These Eyes” at #34 for the year, became the Canadian band’s first of six Top 10 singles in less than two years.
The man really couldn’t sing but the girls didn’t seem to notice. In May 1969, 26-year-old Bobby Sherman began a string of Top 10 singles with “Little Woman.” Sherman became a breakout star thanks to his role as the stuttering Jeremy Bolt on the ABC Western Here Come The Brides and was on the cover of all the fan magazines.
[easy_sign_up title=”Sign up for the Best Classic Bands Newsletter”]
The Youngbloods issued “Get Together” as a single in 1967, and it peaked at #62. Two years later, WABC AM DJ Dan Ingram used it as the background music in a promotional spot. As a result of the exposure, “Get Together” was reissued as a single and became a #5 hit nationally and sold a million copies. It’s a signature song of the 1960s counterculture.
Related: “Get Together”‘s unusual road to the top
If you knew that Johnny Cash‘s huge hit “A Boy Named Sue” was written by Shel Silverstein, author of the children’s book, The Giving Tree, among many others… raise your hand. The song was #28 for the year and Cash’s biggest pop chart success.
When Marvin Gaye‘s cover of “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” was released, it was a #1 pop hit for seven weeks, becoming Motown’s biggest-selling single at the time. Check out this searing live version…
Say what you will but Johnny Maestro of the Brooklyn Bridge could sing his you-know-what off. The group’s “Worst That Could Happen”–written by Jimmy Webb–was WABC’s #25 biggest song of the year.
Three Dog Night had two of the year’s biggest hits. “Easy to Be Hard” (from the rock musical Hair) was #31 and “One,” written by none other than Harry Nilsson, at #20. The group enjoyed no less than 18 Top 20 singles from 1968 to 1974.
The self-titled second album from Blood, Sweat and Tears yielded three #2 singles, two of which were among the year’s biggest: “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” and “Spinning Wheel.”
Creedence Clearwater Revival had an astonishing nine Top 10 singles in two years. One of them, John Fogerty’s “Proud Mary,” was this year’s #18 biggest hit.
Zager and Evans had only one Hot 100 single but it ended up paying a lot of bills. “In the Year 2525” was #1 for six weeks and #15 for the year 1969. Check out the crazy set for this TV appearance…
Related: “In the Year 2525”: The gloomiest #1?
Performers that go by one name, like Cher, Madonna and Prince, generally have a legacy of hits to back up that bravado. Then there was Oliver, who had two big hits this year including “Good Morning Starshine,” yet another smash from Hair, at #14, and not much else after that.
Related: 50 Years Ago – 1969 in Rock Music
“Everyday People” was one of three #1 hits for the multi-gender interracial American rock group Sly and the Family Stone and the year’s #13 biggest single.
Though the family act The Cowsills had only three Top 10 singles, they became the inspiration for TV’s The Partridge Family. “Hair” was, of course, the title song of the Broadway musical. Give me down to there hair, Shoulder length or longer, Here baby there mama, Everywhere daddy daddy Hair.
The Doors were in the midst of their great chart run when “Touch Me’ reached #3 at the beginning of the year. Surprisingly, it was the last of their three Top 10 U.S. hits (and #9 for the year).
British multi-racial group The Foundations had two pieces of ear candy: 1967’s “Baby, Now That I’ve Found You” and “Build Me Up Buttercup,” this year’s 8th biggest hit.
A couple of bands we’re not familiar with–The Beatles and The Rolling Stones–had two of the year’s biggest hits with “Get Back” and “Honky Tonk Women,” at #4 and #3, respectively. We’ll do some research on both acts and get back to you…
The short-lived pop music career of The Archies – a studio group from a TV cartoon series whose records were produced by Jeff Barry and cut by top studio players – was dominated by “Sugar Sugar,” sung by Ron Dante. The single was Billboard’s 1969 Song of the Year, first reaching #1 on September 20 (and #2 overall on WABC).
And at #1? The medley of “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” the year’s four smash single from Hair. Sung by The 5th Dimension, with instrumentation by the Los Angeles session musicians The Wrecking Crew, the song would stay at #1 for six weeks and ultimately win the Grammy for Record of the Year.
Check ’em all out…
40. “Baby I Love You” – Andy Kim
39. “Smile a Little Smile For Me” – The Flying Machine
38. “Hooked on a Feeling” – B.J. Thomas
37. “My Cherie Amour” – Stevie Wonder
36. “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” – Tom Jones
35. “Baby, It’s You” – Smith
34. “These Eyes” – The Guess Who
33. “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” – Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations
32. “Little Woman” – Bobby Sherman
31. “Easy to Be Hard” – Three Dog Night
30. “Get Together” – The Youngbloods
29. “Wedding Bell Blues” – The 5th Dimension
28. “A Boy Named Sue” – Johnny Cash
27. “It’s Your Thing” – Isley Brothers
26. “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” – Marvin Gaye
25. “Worst That Could Happen” – Brooklyn Bridge
24. “This Magic Moment” – Jay and the Americans
23. “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” – Blood, Sweat and Tears
22. “Traces” – Classics IV
21. “Love (Can Make You Happy)” – Mercy
20. “One” – Three Dog Night
19. “Spinning Wheel” – Blood, Sweat and Tears
18. “Proud Mary” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
17. “Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet” – Henry Mancini
16. “I Can’t Get Next to You” – The Temptations
15. “In the Year 2525” – Zager and Evans
14. “Good Morning Starshine” – Oliver
13. “Everyday People” – Sly and the Family Stone
12. “Crystal Blue Persuasion” – Tommy James and the Shondells
11. “Sweet Caroline” – Neil Diamond
10. “Hair” – The Cowsills
9. “Touch Me” – The Doors
8. “Build Me Up Buttercup” – The Foundations
7. “Jean” – Oliver
6. “Dizzy” – Tommy Roe
5. “Crimson and Clover” – Tommy James and the Shondells
4. “Get Back” – The Beatles
3. “Honky Tonk Women” – The Rolling Stones
2. “Sugar, Sugar” – The Archies
1. “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” – The 5th Dimension
Chart courtesy of Musicradio77.com
2 Comments
“Sugar, Sugar” is a perfect pop song. As a rock & roller whose first gig at 11 in 1962 you’d think I wouldn’t and couldn’t stand it: yet, I still turn the song up whenever I hear it.
Just ask Wilson Pickett what he thought!
They (whoever The Archies really were) need to acknowledge their debt to Van Morrison for the riff from “Here Comes the Night.”