[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, Four Tops, The Rolling Stones, We Five, The Righteous Brothers, Petula Clark, The Beatles, Herman's Hermits, Elvis Presley, The Temptations. End description]
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Choose your favorite song from 1965
1. Wooly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs
2. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) by Four Tops
3. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones
4. You Were on My Mind by We Five
5. You Lost That Lovin' Feelin' by The Righteous Brothers
6. Downtown by Petula Clark
7. Help! by The Beatles
8. Can't You Hear My Heartbeat by Herman's Hermits
9. Crying in the Chapel by Elvis Presley
10. My Girl by The Temptations
Voting ended onMay 1, 2023
A lot of heavy-hitters are coming at us in 1965. Beatlemania is still going strong, continuing their rise from "famous" to "cultural milestone". Fellow English rock band, The Rolling Stones, would also explode in popularity and success around this year. The two bands were often pitted against each other for the title of commander of the British Invasion -- leading up to this poll. We're all part of history today. Rock and roll itself is starting to evolve more in the mainstream, favoring a harder, almost messier sound that would have been too intense for previous (white) audiences. Hard rock, blues rock, psychedelic rock, and garage rock will come to define the genre at this moment in time.
R&B is also having a huge moment this year, especially the music coming from the powerhouse record label: Motown Records. I talked about the significance of the label briefly in the 1964 post, and like The Beatles and Elvis Presley, there's so much behind their history that I feel intimidated to talk more. But without going too much into it, Motown Records is also notable for the image they sold along with their records. Everything from the artists' sound, to their looks, to how they carried themselves in public had to exude class and sophistication. Here's a link to an interview with Maxine Powell, the finishing instructor who worked with many of these artists. While brand recognition played a major role in this (as Motown became something of its own genre in addition to being a record label), this image was essential for crossover appeal. The music of Motown may not have been overtly political at this time, but it was still monumental in normalizing Black artists and business owners in mainstream white spaces during the height of the 60's Civil Rights Movement.
There's another major historic moment I want to touch on here, but its impact won't be seen on the polls until the next one. 1965 marks the year when American ground troops first entered Vietnam. President Johnson would demand for the monthly draft to double, conscripting 1,000 men every day. Those who are at least somewhat familiar with American pop culture already know why I'm bringing this up in a music poll. But the people who think that American music about the Vietnam War was all Creedence and Dylan may be surprised. See you all in 1966.
