The Best and Worst Hit Songs of the 1960s
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Phil Spector
18 min read
The article mentions Spector's deceptive practices with The Crystals and his 'Wall of Sound' production technique. His controversial methods and revolutionary production style shaped 1960s pop music profoundly, making his full story highly relevant context.
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Billboard Hot 100
15 min read
The entire article centers on analyzing #1 hits from this chart since its 1958 inception. Understanding how the Hot 100 methodology evolved and how it measures popularity would deepen appreciation of the author's data-driven approach.
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Hoagy Carmichael
1 min read
Mentioned as the composer of 'Georgia on My Mind' along with classics like 'Stardust' and 'Heart and Soul.' His role as one of the most influential American songwriters of the 20th century provides rich historical context for understanding the Great American Songbook tradition.
Chris Dalla Riva is a guru of data analytics on popular culture. He’s been a longtime friend to The Honest Broker, and I’ve learned a lot from his work.
And now Chris has released a fun and fascinating book, Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves. This is the closest music writing gets to the freewheeling conversations ardent fans have among themselves about bands, songs, and rising or falling reputations.
But Uncharted Territory also draws on the scrupulous research that is Chris’s trademark. (You might have seen some of it on his Substack Can’t Get Much Higher.)
With his permission, I’m sharing an extract below on #1 hit songs of the 1960s. The entire book deserves your attention. You can learn more at this link.
Please support my work—by taking out a premium subscription (just $6 per month).
From UNCHARTED TERRITORY
By Chris Dalla Riva
When I decided that I was going to listen to every song to ever get to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, I wasn’t in a great spot. My mental health was suffering greatly, and I was working a job that I hated. Every waking moment outside of my job was spent with my guitar. Some nights I would literally fall asleep playing. Still, I did not feel good. And nothing seemed to help. Therapy. Medications. Exercise. Socializing. It was all a wash.
For some reason, I decided that a musical quest might help. I set out to listen to every number one hit since the Hot 100 was started in August 1958. Why? Again, I was a musician. I thought it might help my songwriting. Maybe I could unlock some secret to writing a hit and use the knowledge to quit my job. At the same time, I thought it might be good for my sanity. I would only listen to one song a day. Listening to one song a day is an easy thing to accomplish. Maybe one little win could right my mind.
And it kind of did. A friend soon joined me on my journey. Each day, I would text him the number one hit. We’d both listen a few times. I’d play along on my guitar. We’d talk about it and rate the song out of ten. I started tracking those ratings in a spreadsheet. Slowly, that spreadsheet
...This excerpt is provided for preview purposes. Full article content is available on the original publication.