Besides being a huge fantasy hockey buff, I’m also a big fan of music. I’m not only one of those people who enjoys and embraces most genres of music, but I’m also into the history and background of music. The story-telling. Mostly Rock ‘n Roll (classic and alternative), but also pop, rap, blues, bluegrass, Latin, Irish and even a little country. I’m that music geek who could bang off the answers to every question in a given Rock ‘n Roll jeopardy show. not most questions – all. I learn about who sings what song and why, and it just sticks in my brain. And every aspect of my life has been influenced by music.
Anyway, my love of songs old and new probably begins with stuff released in the mid-60’s. Anything older than that and the amount of songs I enjoy start to thin.
Unlike most rankings, I won’t be simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because I know better than anybody that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow, if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment. So I’ll group them:
Awesome
Great
Solid
Not Bad
Here’s the first installment. Time permitting, I’ll probably do it through 2002ish. Note: for this initial year, I added some songs from 1964 and 1963 that I didn’t want to exclude just because the lists start in 1965
(Update 12/19/2018 – I gave 1964 and 1963 their own page now, and removed them from this list).
Here are videos of my favorites from this year, with the full (even bigger) list in chart form at the end…
23 Great Songs from 1965
It’s My Life – The Animals
I Feel Fine – The Beatles
A Well Respected Man – The Kinks
Ticket to Ride – The Beatles
Get Off of My Cloud – The Rolling Stones
Mr. Tambourine Man – Bob Dylan
Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers
Help! – The Beatles
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – The Animals
California Girls – The Beach Boys
Day Tripper – The Beatles
We Can Work It Out – The Beatles
You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away – The Beatles
Mr. Tambourine Man – The Byrds
Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season) – The Byrds
All Day and All of the Night – The Kinks
California Dreamin’ – The Mamas & the Papas
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ – The Righteous Brothers
I Can’t Explain – The Who
Norwegian Wood – The Beatles
Yesterday – The Beatles
Help Me Rhonda – The Beach Boys
Iko Iko – The Dixie Cups
6 Truly Awesome Songs from 1965
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – The Rolling Stones
Like a Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
The Sound of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel
We Gotta Get Out Of This Place – The Animals
Eight Days A Week – The Beatles
As Tears Go By – The Rolling Stones
The best of 1965 playlist on YouTube is right here
Here is the complete list:
| Awesome – 1 | Like a Rolling Stone | – | Bob Dylan |
| Awesome – 1 | The Sound of Silence | – | Simon & Garfunkel |
| Awesome – 1 | We Gotta Get Out of This Place | – | The Animals |
| Awesome – 1 | Eight Days a Week | – | The Beatles |
| Awesome – 1 | As Tears Go By | – | The Rolling Stones |
| Awesome – 1 | (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction | – | The Rolling Stones |
| Great – 7 | Ticket to Ride | – | The Beatles |
| Great – 7 | Get Off of My Cloud | – | The Rolling Stones |
| Great – 7 | Mr. Tambourine Man | – | Bob Dylan |
| Great – 7 | Unchained Melody | – | The Righteous Brothers |
| Great – 7 | Help! | – | The Beatles |
| Great – 7 | Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood | – | The Animals |
| Great – 7 | California Girls | – | The Beach Boys |
| Great – 7 | Day Tripper | – | The Beatles |
| Great – 7 | We Can Work It Out | – | The Beatles |
| Great – 7 | You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away | – | The Beatles |
| Great – 7 | Mr. Tambourine Man | – | The Byrds |
| Great – 7 | Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season) | – | The Byrds |
| Great – 7 | All Day and All of the Night | – | The Kinks |
| Great – 7 | California Dreamin’ | – | The Mamas & the Papas |
| Great – 7 | You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ | – | The Righteous Brothers |
| Great – 7 | I Can’t Explain | – | The Who |
| Great – 7 | Yesterday | – | The Beatles |
| Great – 24 | Norwegian Wood | – | The Beatles |
| Great – 24 | Help Me Rhonda | – | The Beach Boys |
| Great – 24 | Iko Iko | – | The Dixie Cups |
| Great – 24 | My Generation | – | The Who |
| Great – 24 | A Well Respected Man | – | The Kinks |
| Great – 24 | I Feel Fine | – | The Beatles |
| Solid – 30 | Positively 4th Street | – | Bob Dylan |
| Solid – 30 | Subterranean Homesick Blues | – | Bob Dylan |
| Solid – 30 | Wooly Bully | – | Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs |
| Solid – 30 | I Got You Babe | – | Sonny & Cher |
| Solid – 30 | Barbara Ann | – | The Beach Boys |
| Solid – 30 | Tired of Waiting for You | – | The Kinks |
| Solid – 30 | Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere | – | The Who |
| Solid – 30 | I’m a Man | – | The Yardbirds |
| Solid – 30 | Baby Please Don’t Go | – | Them |
| Solid – 30 | Hang On Sloopy | – | McCoys |
| Solid – 30 | Here Comes the Night | – | Them |
| Not Bad – 41 | Down in the Boondocks | – | Billy Joe Royal |
| Not Bad – 41 | Land of a Thousand Dances | – | Cannibal and the Headhunters |
| Not Bad – 41 | I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) | – | Four Tops |
| Not Bad – 41 | It’s the Same Old Song | – | Four Tops |
| Not Bad – 41 | I’ll Be There | – | Gerry & the Pacemakers |
| Not Bad – 41 | I’m Henry VIII, I Am | – | Herman’s Hermits |
| Not Bad – 41 | Do You Believe in Magic | – | The Lovin’ Spoonful |
| Not Bad – 41 | My Girl | – | The Temptations |
| Not Bad – 41 | It’s Not Unusual | – | Tom Jones |
| Not Bad – 41 | What’s New, Pussycat? | – | Tom Jones |
| Not Bad – 41 | What the World Needs Now Is Love | – | Jackie Deshannon |
| Not Bad – 41 | Shakin’ All Over | – | The Guess Who |
Dobber's Take 