Billboard - The 100 Best Songs of 1969 (Staff Picks)

[JimGinPA]

Interesting mix. Brief write-ups on every song & many with YouTube links.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/8527328/best-songs-of-1969-top-100?fbclid=IwAR2DmL1JI9lNR-gOGolj8DWN254HLxs_Db8XJmgx6Qtad8leoGLR7EGmS64

1. The Zombies, "Time of the Season" (No. 3, Hot 100)
2. Sly and the Family Stone, "Everyday People" (No. 1, Hot 100)
3. Crosby, Stills & Nash, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" (No. 21, Hot 100)
4. The Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter" (Did not chart)
5. Isaac Hayes, "Walk on By" (No. 30, Hot 100)
6. Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Fortunate Son" (No. 14, Hot 100)
7. Joni Mitchell, "Both Sides Now" (Did not chart)
8. Tommy James and the Shondells, "Crimson and Clover" (No. 1, Hot 100)
9. Bobbie Gentry, "Fancy" (No. 31, Hot 100)
10. The Beatles, Abbey Road Medley (Did not chart)


~snip


97. Chicago, "Questions 67 and 68" (No. 24, Hot 100)
98. Wendy and Bonnie, "Let Yourself Go Another Time" (Did not chart)
99. Friends of Distinction, "Grazing in the Grass" (No. 3, Hot 100)
100. Zager & Evans, "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" (No. 1, Hot 100)

[hlthe2b]

1. 4. The Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter" --Did not chart? Really?

[Cartoonist]

2. Not a single

Just an album track. Same with Abbey Road medley. I could have sworn that Joni's song was a single.

[rurallib]

4. Was the Judy Collins version of "Both Sides Now"

out at the same time as Mitchell's?

And Wikipedia for the answer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Both_Sides,_Now

Both Sides, Now" is one of the best-known songs of Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. First recorded by Judy Collins, it appeared on the U.S. singles chart during the fall of 1968. The next year it was included on Mitchell's album Clouds (which was named after a lyric from the song). It has since been recorded by dozens of artists, including Frank Sinatra, Willie Nelson, and Herbie Hancock. Mitchell herself re-recorded the song, with an orchestral arrangement, on her 2000 album Both Sides Now.

Judy Collins:
Shortly after Mitchell wrote the song, Judy Collins recorded the first commercially released version for her 1967 Wildflowers album. In October 1968 the same version was released as a single, reaching #8 on the U.S. pop singles charts by December. It reached #6 in Canada.[5] In early 1969 it won a Grammy Award for Best Folk Performance.[6] The record peaked at #3 on Billboard's Easy Listening survey and "Both Sides, Now" has become one of Collins' signature songs. Mitchell disliked Collins' recording of the song, despite the publicity that its success generated for Mitchell's own career.[7] The Collins version is featured as the opening title music of the 2014 romantic comedy And So It Goes,[8] and as the end title music of the 2018 supernatural horror film Hereditary.[9] It also features in the first teaser trailer for Toy Story 4.[10]

[Roy Rolling]

3. "Staff Picks"

That means the employees at Billboard chose their favorites.

A nice list, but not likely the same list as someone who listened to music via AM car radio and vinyl records back in 1969.

Sorry, Billboard, this is a total “miss”.

Their #100 song “In the Year 2525” was the #1 record in 1969 for good reason. Yet, it barely gets a mention by 2019 reviewers. It’s revised history.

[Ferrets are Cool]

5. So many great memories here.

I am intimately familiar with each of these except #98.

[ewagner]

6. The Soundtrack of my youth! nt

[bucolic_frolic]

7. Does Abergavenny count?

It didn't make it to the states until 1969.

[femmocrat]

8. Best music ever!

Thanks!

[CaptYossarian]

9. I thought "It's Your Thing--Do What You Wanna Do..."

would be Anthony Weiner's campaign comeback song.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

10. Ha!