Favorite Songs of 1966

The Beatles continued to dominate the popular music world in 1966, both in terms of output, quality, concerts, and controversy. John Lennon’s “Christ” comment, a grotesque album cover, a scary episode in the Philippines, their last public concert (except for the 1969 impromptu Abbey Road roof concert), and the bizarre Strawberry Fields video put them continually in the news, not all of it favorable. In the midst of all this, they came out with their greatest album ever (to me): Revolver. In America, Revolver was chopped up, with some tracks stuck on their Yesterday and Today album. Tunes like Eleanor Rigby, For No One, Tomorrow Never Knows, Got To Get You Into My Life, and Taxman were among my favorites of the year, as well as the singles release Paperback Writer. The Monkees, America’s (successful) attempt to cash in on the Beatles’ success, kicked off their TV comedy series and with it, some pretty good songs, including Saturday’s Child and Last Train to Clarksville. Meanwhile, Donovan, Britain’s (not-so-successful) attempt to cash in on Bob Dylan’s success, decided to radically change his image after being booed onstage during American concerts. The result was a unique style and songs like Mellow Yellow. I used to watch an weekday afternoon rock music show on ABC called Where the Action Is. The “house band” Paul Revere and the Raiders came up with a string of hits for a few years, in 1966 including the likable Just Like Me and the anti-drug Kicks. Bobby Darin’s beautiful rendition of If I Were a Carpenter didn’t receive enough airplay, in my opinion. Neither did the Beach Boys’ God Only Knows, easily my all-time favorite of theirs. Herman’s Hermits, a band that rode the British Invasion wave to stateside success, finally came out with a song that really grabbed me: No Milk Today. In the “demented” category, Napoleon XIV had his funny They’re Coming to Take Me Away Ha-Ha while Count Five had their psychedelic Psychotic Reaction. Bobby Fuller showed great promise with his country/rock song I Fought the Law, but tragically and mysteriously died in a parked car. Cyrkle had their one hit with the Paul Simon-penned Red Rubber Ball. Syndicate of Sound and the Rolling Stones share the dubious award for the most male chauvinist song of the year with Little Girl and Under My Thumb, respectively. The Lovin’ Spoonful got my attention with their very descriptive Summer in the City, complete with honking cars. Shapes of Things to Come, by the Yardbirds, was one of those songs that I loved back then, but which slipped from my recollection until just recently. Eight Miles High, by the Byrds, was my #3 song of 1966. I liked how the song at times would just seem to disintegrate into a confused jumble of sound! #2 for me that year was the Vogues’s rousing love song (and hate to work song) Five O’Clock World (the male counterpart of Sheena Easton’s 1981 hit Morning Train 9 to 5). And my top favorite of 1966 (back then) was the suspenseful-sounding Time Won’t Let Me, surprisingly the only hit by the Outsiders.