1964: Will I Joke Around and Still Dig Those Sounds?

 9 — The Beatles: "She Loves You"

 8 — The Beatles: "I Want to Hold Your Hand" / "I Saw Her Standing There"

10 — The Beatles: "All My Loving" / "This Boy"

 3 — The Dave Clark Five: "Bits and Pieces"

 5 — Gerry and the Pacemakers: "I'm the One"

 5 — Peter and Gordon: "World Without Love"

 7 — The Dixie Cups: "Chapel of Love"

 7 — The Beach Boys: "I Get Around"

 5 — Johnny Rivers: "Memphis"

 9 — The Four Seasons: "Rag Doll"

 8 — Jan and Dean: "The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)"

 9 — The Beatles: "A Hard Day's Night"

 9 — The Supremes: "Where Did Our Love Go"

 7 — The Animals: "The House of the Rising Sun"

 1 — The Newbeats: "Bread and Butter"

 9 — The Four Seasons: "Save It for Me"

 8 — Roy Orbison: "Oh, Pretty Woman"

 4 — Manfred Mann: "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy"

 9 — The Beach Boys: "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)"

 8 — The Honeycombs: "Have I the Right"

 5 — Elvis Presley: "Ain't That Lovin' You, Baby"

 6 — Jay and the Americans: "Come a Little Bit Closer"

 3 — Lorne Greene: "Ringo"

 4 — Bobby Vinton: "Mr. Lonely"

 8 — Sandie Shaw: "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me"

 7 — The Beatles: "I Feel Fine"

Prior to 1964, a grand total of twenty-nine Canadian number ones had received a score of eight or higher from me: there were three 10's, ten 9's and sixteen 8's. But now these numbers have spiked considerably. No less than twelve chart toppers managed to get a score of eight or higher with six getting a nine and one more receiving top marks. As a result, the average score is a (seemingly) unbeatable 6.65.

Yes, '64 was a pretty great year for pop music. The obvious factor is The Beatles and their four brilliant hits - plus one more that's still above average. But they are hardly alone. This was also the year that both The Beach Boys and The Supremes had their first number one hits as well as perhaps The Four Seasons at peak of their powers. Roy Orbison had maybe his most memorable hit while Jan and Dean pulled off a lightweight but still surprisingly potent single. The Honeycombs and Sandie Shaw (and, to a slightly lesser extent, The Animals) proved that there was more to the British Invasion than John, Paul, George and Ringo. The good significantly outweighs the bad.

Aside from the overall high quality, the other significant factor this year is the fact that twenty-six singles topped the Canadian charts in '64, by far the most up to now. And when I say "up to now" I have good reason for doing so since there will be forty-four in '65 for me to cover. Yes, the transition from the CHUM charts over to RPM becomes increasingly stark with just seven entries over the entire year spending more than just a single week at the top. Yes, I imagine it'll take me a while to get through all of them.

On the other hand, there will be several outstanding entries to look forward to. The Beatles, of course, are going to be back and they will be joined by many of their fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Still, the lack of Motown beyond The Supremes is still glaring and there are a few duds sure to come as well. While I may hate having to listen to pieces of shit like The Newbeats' "Bread and Butter", they can sometimes be fun to write about. I would say it helps bring out my inner grumpy old man but he's typically not one to hide himself away.