10 Classic ’60s Songs That Didn’t Originally Make the Top 40 (Though You Probably Think They Did)
When we think about the 1960s, it’s probably the music that resonates with us as much as anything else — especially for REBEAT readers. Many of the iconic songs from the ’60s gained their status due to airplay, and because, for the most part, this was before the rise of FM radio; if a record was played a lot, that meant it was probably also commercially successful, and success usually translated into sales, and sales into a place on the Top 40 pop charts.
Surprisingly enough, however, there are a number of ’60s classics familiar to music aficionados everywhere, yet those songs never attained great success as single releases, and therefore, did not reach the Top 40. Some were flip sides of 45s that charted, others were more popular when re-released later, and some simply didn’t perform well initially but found a second life in movies, on television, and by their inclusion on greatest hits albums. And these aren’t one-hit wonders; every one of the artists below is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What follows is a list, in alphabetical order by artist, of 10 very well-known ’60s songs that didn’t make the Top 40 when originally released.
1) “What a Wonderful World,” Louis Armstrong (1967, peaked at #116)
This song may well be the poster child for songs everyone has heard, everyone knows, and by extension, everyone figures had to have been Top 40 hits. But not only did it not hit the Top 40, it didn’t even crack the top 100. “What a Wonderful World” was released in 1967 by ABC Records, and in what was now obviously a classic blunder, the label reportedly didn’t believe in the record, didn’t promote it, and it reportedly sold less than 1,000 copies in the US. It did, however, do extremely well in England, going all the way to #1 on the British charts, becoming the year’s best-selling single. The song was featured in a number of television programs and movies over the years, and after being featured in 1988’s Good Morning, Vietnam was re-released and made the Top 40 for the first time, peaking at #32. The song actually charted again in 1999, though in a slightly altered version in which Kenny G dubbed his saxophone onto Armstrong’s original recording. As a result, this song is the only one on this list to later have a version of the song by the original artist actually chart twice after the initial release.
2) “The Weight,” The Band (1968, peaked at #63)
Though the Band’s reputation was never built on their success as measured through single record sales — they only had two singles make the Top 40 and 1969’s “Up on Cripple Creek” charted highest at #25 — this, their best known and most identifiable song, did not make the Top 40 at all. Despite that, this Robbie Robertson composition from their classic album Music from the Big Pink has, over time, been elevated to an almost legendary status: it was rated the 41st most influential song on a list of Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time,” and it is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.” Factor in that it’s been featured in movies from Easy Rider to The Big Chill and clearly this is a textbook example of a song that became a classic without ever being commercially successful as a single.
3) “409,” The Beach Boys (1962, peaked at #76)
In the early ’60s, the Beach Boys’ chart success hinged largely on songs about surfing, girls, and cars, and this song, released as the flip side of “Surfin Safari”(#14), was the first of their car-themed songs to chart. Though it would be followed by “Little Deuce Coupe,” “Shut Down,” “Little Honda,” and many others — all of which would chart higher — it nevertheless became a very identifiable Beach Boys tune. They actually released this track on two different albums (Surfin’ Safari in 1962 and Little Deuce Coupe in 1963), but as a single, it was not a big-seller.
4) “I Should Have Known Better,” The Beatles (1964, peaked at #53)
“I Should Have Known Better” was the flip side of the single cut of “A Hard Day’s Night,” but while the assumption might be that being a B-side was the reason this well-known song didn’t chart higher, history tells us that’s not the case with many Beatles’ singles: “Love Me Do”(#1)/”P.S. I Love You”(#10), “”I Want to Hold Your Hand”(#1)/”I Saw Her Standing There” (#14), “Yellow Submarine”(#2)/”Eleanor Rigby”(#11) and quite a few other Beatles releases were two-sided Top 40 hits. For whatever reason, the pairing of “A Hard Day’s Night” and “I Should Have Known Better” was not one of them.
5) “Lodi,” Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969, peaked at #52)
In the late ’60s and early ’70s, Creedence Clearwater Revival had a long string of hit singles, including “Proud Mary,” “Down on the Corner,” “Up Around the Bend,” “Lookin Out my Back Door,” and many others, all of which not only made the Top 40, but which charted in the top ten. “Bad Moon Rising” was another such single (#2), and listeners who flipped it over found another great CCR song, “Lodi.” This melancholy tune about the failure of a singer’s dreams for success has become a favorite of fans of Creedence over the years, though as a chart record it was only mildly successful, never reaching the Top 40.
6) “Purple Haze,” Jimi Hendrix (1967, peaked at #65)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39DENARnUtM
If you asked people to name Jimi Hendrix’s biggest chart hit, many of them would probably offer up “Purple Haze.” Actually, his only Top 40 hit was 1968’s “All Along the Watchtower,” which peaked at #20. This legendary cut from the equally legendary Are You Experienced ? album was not commercially successful when released as a 45, although today it’s considered a quintessential psychedelic rock classic. Like many songs on this list, the accolades poured in later; it was recognized on Rolling Stone‘s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” (#17) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll,” as well as on other greatest hits lists.
7) “Down On Me,” Janis Joplin (1968, peaked at #43)
“Down on Me” was a protest song, though not from the 1960s, but the 1920s. Joplin, backed by Big Brother and the Holding Company, changed the lyrics, sped up the tempo, and released it in 1968, where it peaked just outside the Top 40. Exhibiting the raw power of Joplin’s early releases while backed by Big Brother, it was, along with “Piece of My Heart,” arguably one of the best recordings released while she was still alive. An exceptional live version of the song, recorded at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit in 1968, was posthumously released as a single in 1972. That version would go to #91 on the charts.
8) “At Last,” Etta James (1961, peaked at #47)
Composed in 1941, “At Last” had been recorded several times before James did it for her debut album At Last in 1961. As the song’s popularity has increased over the years, it has been covered (and sung in James’ style) by everyone from Celine Dion to Beyoncé, who played James in the 2008 film Cadillac Records. The song took a long time to achieve legendary status, however, like James herself; she didn’t win her first Grammy until 1994, and though “At Last” wasn’t nominated for a Grammy in 1961, it was given a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 1999. James’ version is now considered the standard and is a wedding playlist staple.
9) “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” The Rolling Stones (1969, did not chart)
It’s amazing how many ubiquitous Rolling Stones classics did not chart as singles — if they were available as singles at all: “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Street Fighting Man,” and “Gimme Shelter” are just a few among that number. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” was the flip side of “Honky Tonk Women” when it was released in 1969, and the A-side went to #1. The flip side didn’t chart at all, but its growing popularity over the years prompted the Stones to re-release it in 1972, and the second time around it almost made it to the Top 40, stalling at #42. As is the case with so many songs on this list, time has righted that wrong: it logged in at #100 on Rolling Stone‘s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
10) “I Want to Take You Higher,” Sly & The Family Stone (1969, peaked at #60)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDjnB_61k58
Though the song was (appropriately) played at Woodstock and has been covered many times since by artists from Ike and Tina Turner to Duran Duran, its single release fizzled. It was originally the flip side of “Stand” in 1969, and though “Stand” reached # 22 in an era when double-sided hits were common, “I Want to Take You Higher” couldn’t break the Top 40. Retribution of a sort came in 1970 when its re-release went to #38 — still somewhat low for such an iconic song.
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