Monday, January 2, 2012

On With The Countdown (#170 - 161)

#170 - THEY'RE COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY, HA-HAA!!! 
by NAPOLEON XIV
Believe it or not, the HOTTEST record in the country for about two weeks in 1966.  This one RACED up the charts and reached #1 in both Record World AND Cash Box before the "novelty" wore off (or enough radio stations banned it).  Incredibly this record ... and HARPER VALLEY PTA by JEANNIE C. RILEY (coming up later in the countdown) had perhaps the most IMMEDIATE chart impact during this era ... but then both records burned out quickly once we'd heard them enough times!



#169 - YOUNG GIRL by GARY PUCKETT AND THE UNION GAP
These guys never had a #1 Record in Billboard ... but you'll find TWO of their titles on OUR list!!!

#168 - NOWHERE MAN by THE BEATLES

#167 - CECILIA by SIMON AND GARFUNKEL

#166 - MELLOW YELLOW by DONOVAN

#165 - WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN by THE CARPENTERS

#164 - FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE by STEVIE WONDER

#163 - GEORGY GIRL by THE SEEKERS



#162 - SUNNY by BOBBY HEBB

#161 - LOUIE LOUIE by THE KINGSMEN
Yes!!!  Thank God for Cash Box Magazine!!!  While Billboard and Record World took the safe route and charted "Dominique" by The Singing Nun and "There, I've Said It Again" by Bobby Vinton in the top spot, Cash Box acknowledged the record we were REALLY buying and listening to!  (In fact, "Louie Louie" topped their chart for two weeks back in 1964!)


A couple of other surprises ... I think most of the world recognizes "Cecilia", "We've Only Just Begun", "For Once In My Life", "Georgy Girl" and "Sunny" as #1 Records ... yet NONE of these titles topped the chart in Billboard.  It's great to be able to finally honor them now!