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The 100 Greatest Songs of 1969 #1 Something (8 Viewers)

76. BJ Thomas  “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” (released as a single) 

https://youtu.be/sySlY1XKlhM

Another legendary song by Hal David and Burt Bacharach from the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. (It’s also been used in many other films since, including Spider-Man II). 

When I was 19 I spent a summer working at Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park. I was stationed right next to the Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy exhibit and this song was set on a continuous replay, so I had to listen to it dozens of times each shift. Needless to say I was so sick of this that for years afterward I absolutely detested it. But I can’t deny it’s legendary status. 

 
Ghost Rider said:
Ah yes, the old 8-tracks. I worked with a guy once who had Dark Side of the Moon on 8-track and he said it drove him nuts. 
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My senior year in high school (‘89) my grandparents gave me “The Golden Canoe”, a ‘77 Pontiac Catalina, with a 8-track with an appetite for eating the tapes. My buddies and I  would hit yard sales and buy a while shoebox full of randomness for a buck, ranging from the Moody Blues to KISS to Barry Manilow and all points in-between.

When it inevitably ate a cartridge, the rule was you had to grab the next one blind from the box, and we had to listen all the way through at least once (or until it too, was eaten) no matter how awful it was. Eventually saved up enough to replace the stereo with something with a cassette, but man those were some good times. I still miss that car. Got almost seven years out of it.

 
timschochet said:
77. Johnny Winter “Be Careful With a Fool” (from Johnny Winter) 

https://youtu.be/1qcRNyW-sys

Johnny Winter’s cover of B.B. King’s “Be Careful With a Fool”, from Winter’s debut album, is quite simply the best electric guitar playing I’ve ever heard. Because I love the blues and love electric guitar I’ve listened to all the greats, from Clapton to Hendrix to Allman to Stevie Ray to Hendrix to B.B. himself. And there are better blues songs out there than this one, including at least one coming up later on in this list. But this is the best guitar: If you’ve never heard it, try it out and enjoy. It won’t take more than a few seconds to get the gist (though it REALLY gets extraordinary towards the middle of the song.) 
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That's awesome.  Hadn't heard it before.

 
75. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Green River” (from Green River) 

https://youtu.be/YUlZ6D5fxBg

When you hear that guitar riff, when you hear that “Waaa”, you think you’re deep in the Louisiana swamp with John Fogerty, right? I always have. 
Except that Fogerty isn’t even from the south. He wasn’t “born on the Bayou” (another great CCR classic that I ran out of room for on this list). He’s from Berkeley and the “Green River” is a stream in Northern California. Greatest fraud in rock ever. But it sure works though. 

 
after a Sunday evening of perverse hops between KC-LV football and the American Music Awards, i suddenly became very grateful for this and other timthreads. my online life is, among other things, a relentless ongoing audit of all the "OKBoomer" things in me as i express my views upon the world. but switching over to "slutpower" performance after "brag-audacious" performance after "WAPpin'assslutpower" performance on the AMAs and i marvel that young people dont know how much they're being played. like it or not, there was not a genuine moment in three hours of expression - setpieces of performance engineering interspersed with speeches on "how 'blessed' my publicist says i should feel". afta dat, gimme some '69 (except for Neil Diamond), timmy, and make me feel it!

 
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timschochet said:
77. Johnny Winter “Be Careful With a Fool” (from Johnny Winter) 

https://youtu.be/1qcRNyW-sys

Johnny Winter’s cover of B.B. King’s “Be Careful With a Fool”, from Winter’s debut album, is quite simply the best electric guitar playing I’ve ever heard. Because I love the blues and love electric guitar I’ve listened to all the greats, from Clapton to Hendrix to Allman to Stevie Ray to Hendrix to B.B. himself. And there are better blues songs out there than this one, including at least one coming up later on in this list. But this is the best guitar: If you’ve never heard it, try it out and enjoy. It won’t take more than a few seconds to get the gist (though it REALLY gets extraordinary towards the middle of the song.) 
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I'd never heard this before. Wow! - thanks.

 
timschochet said:
74. Led Zeppelin “Good Times, Bad Times” (from Led Zeppelin) 

https://youtu.be/lsZG7n7ries

The first song from the first album. I wonder what it must have been like for some teenager putting on that record for the first time, instantly hearing Page’s guitar and Plant sing about the days of his youth. 
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One of my favorite Zep songs and one of my favorite songs period.  I know it’s not their best work but it just continues to hit me every time after all these years.  

 
73. James Brown “Give It Up Or Turn It a Loose” (released as a single) 

https://youtu.be/921kqkHOHDo

This might be James Brown at his absolute peak. As usual the band is fantastic, particularly the lead guitar and bass. Best dance music ever made. 

 
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72. Janis Joplin “Kozmic Blues” (from I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again, Mama!) 

https://youtu.be/nLN72sR9w0M

In 1969, there were two opposing forces in Janis Joplin’s life: her family and close old friends who sought to help her defeat the heroin, pills and booze that were slowly but surely destroying her, and enablers with greed in their eyes who thought only of profiting from her incredible talent. It’s a tale as old as rock and roll and this time the good guys tragically lost. 
“Kozmic Blues” was recorded during one of Janis’ brief spells of sobriety, and it helps to cement her position as one of the greatest blues singers who ever lived. 

 
70. B.B. King “The Thrill Is Gone” (from Completely Well) 

https://youtu.be/oica5jG7FpU

B.B. King had been around for decades before 1969, but this was the year he scored his biggest hit with a cover of the 50s slow blues classic “The Thrill Is Gone”, which became the signature song for the rest of his career. The recording features King’s understated guitar picking, so sweet and good. 

 
69. The Band “Up On Cripple Creek” (from The Band) 

https://youtu.be/EisXJSsULGM

Written by Robbie Robertson, sung by Levon Helm, one of their most definitive songs about an alcoholic and his savior lady. 
Question for @Pip's Invitation: I’ve always loved that very short Neil Young song “Cripple Creek Ferry.” Is there a connection? There can’t be that many Cripple Creeks out there...

 
timschochet said:
69. The Band “Up On Cripple Creek” (from The Band) 

https://youtu.be/EisXJSsULGM

Written by Robbie Robertson, sung by Levon Helm, one of their most definitive songs about an alcoholic and his savior lady. 
Question for @Pip's Invitation: I’ve always loved that very short Neil Young song “Cripple Creek Ferry.” Is there a connection? There can’t be that many Cripple Creeks out there...
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From SongFact:

The album was intended as a soundtrack for a film of the same name that was never made. To Young's memory, the only tracks that were immediately inspired by the script were “Cripple Creek Ferry” and "After The Gold Rush." 

The script that the song was written for has been lost to the dusts of time, with only a few people remembering vaguely (and possibly inaccurately) what it was about. Young himself barely recalls much about it. So, we'll likely never know what scene or situation this song was written to accompany.

If there's any deeper meaning to the song, it's too buried in subtext to tell. Lyrically and musically it's just a trip on the Cripple Creek ferry. Presumably, it's talking about Cripple Creek, Colorado - an old gold mining camp that's now preserved as a historic site. This could also be the location of the Band's "Up On Cripple Creek."

 
BoerumHill said:
From SongFact:

The album was intended as a soundtrack for a film of the same name that was never made. To Young's memory, the only tracks that were immediately inspired by the script were “Cripple Creek Ferry” and "After The Gold Rush." 

The script that the song was written for has been lost to the dusts of time, with only a few people remembering vaguely (and possibly inaccurately) what it was about. Young himself barely recalls much about it. So, we'll likely never know what scene or situation this song was written to accompany.

If there's any deeper meaning to the song, it's too buried in subtext to tell. Lyrically and musically it's just a trip on the Cripple Creek ferry. Presumably, it's talking about Cripple Creek, Colorado - an old gold mining camp that's now preserved as a historic site. This could also be the location of the Band's "Up On Cripple Creek."
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Thanks! 

 
timschochet said:
69. The Band “Up On Cripple Creek” (from The Band) 

https://youtu.be/EisXJSsULGM

Written by Robbie Robertson, sung by Levon Helm, one of their most definitive songs about an alcoholic and his savior lady. 
Question for @Pip's Invitation: I’ve always loved that very short Neil Young song “Cripple Creek Ferry.” Is there a connection? There can’t be that many Cripple Creeks out there...
Click to expand...
Love this song...Gomez does a nice cover

 
timschochet said:
69. The Band “Up On Cripple Creek” (from The Band) 

https://youtu.be/EisXJSsULGM

Written by Robbie Robertson, sung by Levon Helm, one of their most definitive songs about an alcoholic and his savior lady. 
Question for @Pip's Invitation: I’ve always loved that very short Neil Young song “Cripple Creek Ferry.” Is there a connection? There can’t be that many Cripple Creeks out there...
Click to expand...
Not that I know of. 

 
67. Chicago “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” (from Chicago Transit Authority) 

https://youtu.be/7uy0ldI_1HA

Chicago Transit Authority was actually the name of the band during the first half of 1969 amd when this album was released; it was shortened due to legal concerns. This jazz- infused song, with its interesting opening keyboard arrangement, must have seemed  rather unique when it first appeared: 

 
timschochet said:
67. Chicago “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” (from Chicago Transit Authority) 

https://youtu.be/7uy0ldI_1HA

Chicago Transit Authority was actually the name of the band during the first half of 1969 amd when this album was released; it was shortened due to legal concerns. This jazz- infused song, with its interesting opening keyboard arrangement, must have seemed  rather unique when it first appeared: 
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This is another treasure trove album.

 
Speaking of CTA, 1969 was the champ of "wear it the #### out" records cuz we were being slammed by bombs of total newness every week it seemed, CTA, LZ1, Stand!, Kick Out the Jams, With a li'l Help from me Friends (sry, k4), Tommy, Beck Ola, CSN, Blind Faith, Stand Up, Then Play On, Court of the Crimson King, Allmans, LZII, Volunteers, Let it Bleed. And that's not even talking about the records that later grew into our imaginations and often surpassed the listed. I barely had time to masturbate...

 
timschochet said:
69. The Band “Up On Cripple Creek” (from The Band) 

https://youtu.be/EisXJSsULGM

Written by Robbie Robertson, sung by Levon Helm, one of their most definitive songs about an alcoholic and his savior lady. 
Question for @Pip's Invitation: I’ve always loved that very short Neil Young song “Cripple Creek Ferry.” Is there a connection? There can’t be that many Cripple Creeks out there...
Click to expand...
The Last Waltz was held Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976.
Happy Anniversary Levon, Robbie, Rick, Garth, Richard  😀. 

 
timschochet said:
67. Chicago “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” (from Chicago Transit Authority) 

https://youtu.be/7uy0ldI_1HA

Chicago Transit Authority was actually the name of the band during the first half of 1969 amd when this album was released; it was shortened due to legal concerns. This jazz- infused song, with its interesting opening keyboard arrangement, must have seemed  rather unique when it first appeared: 
Click to expand...
does anybody really care? ............ABOUT TIMMMMMMMMME!!!

 
66. Townes Van Zandt “Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel” (from Townes Van Zandt) 

https://youtu.be/KUxB014-0Qk

More Townes goodness. Such a brilliant song. This will be the last Van Zandt song on this list even though there are so many other classics from this year like “Columbine” and “Tecumsah Valley”. I simply don’t have room for them. So so good. 

 
timschochet said:
65. The Beatles “Hey Bulldog” (from Yellow Submarine) 

https://youtu.be/M4vbJQ-MrKo

I’ve always loved this song and felt it was underrated, because it’s one of the few originals from the movie soundtrack (the other noteworthy original, “All Together Now”, failed to make my cut even though I like it very much as well.) That guitar riff is awesome as is the chorus. 
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Krista will be disappointed with no ATN because Paul does the BEST counting on that one.

 
64. The Velvet Underground “Some Kinda Love” (from The Velvet Underground) 

https://youtu.be/Fh-GNnCwHj4

Between thought and expression, lies a lifetime. 

One of Lou Reed’s most famous lines. “Between thought and expression” was also used as the title for a Lou Reed anthology, and a Lou Reed biography, etc. I also love this line: 

Like a dirty French novel, combines the absurd with the vulgar. 
 

 
63. Bob Dylan “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You” (from Nashville Skyline) 

https://youtu.be/9ZhLGP5dF2k

From the books I’ve read, Dylan fans in 1969 were not enamored with the shift to country in Nashville Skyline. There is great irony here because these fans loved Dylan’s folk rock of the last 4 albums, whereas that in turned pissed off his original purist folk listeners. 
In any case this is simply a great country love song, but as it happens my personal favorite version is his bootleg live in Montreal with Rolling Thunder from 1976, when he turned it into a rock song with a great electric guitar riff: 

https://youtu.be/5l394wXm5k0

 
62. The Kinks “Victoria” (from Arthur)

https://youtu.be/z2GHlcwlT1Y

Victoria is a good example of Ray Davies at the height of his songwriting powers: brilliant satire lyrics set to great rock and roll music. In terms of the lyrics, Davies rivals Randy Newman in setting down an ironic tale from the viewpoint of a loving worshipper of the British Empire in its heyday. In doing so, with great humor and deference he actually is able to express an idea better than many long winded historians of the era which I have read. 

 
61. Led Zeppelin “Communication Breakdown” (from Led Zeppelin) 

https://youtu.be/3EH7QMVnSRI

The downstroke guitar riff, created by Jimmy Page, which begins this song had a huge effect on  hard rock music, not to mention punk: The Ramones credit it with creating their sound. 
This is a great rock song and I might have placed it even higher on this list except that Plant’s singing is a little bit unintelligible. 

 
timschochet said:
61. Led Zeppelin “Communication Breakdown” (from Led Zeppelin) 

https://youtu.be/3EH7QMVnSRI

The downstroke guitar riff, created by Jimmy Page, which begins this song had a huge effect on  hard rock music, not to mention punk: The Ramones credit it with creating their sound. 
This is a great rock song and I might have placed it even higher on this list except that Plant’s singing is a little bit unintelligible. 
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Downgrading Communication Breakdown for unintelligible singing is like downgrading Patrick Mahomes because he can’t play defensive tackle.

 
Pip's Invitation said:
timschochet said:
I might have placed it even higher on this list except that Plant’s singing is a little bit unintelligible. 
Click to expand...
Downgrading Communication Breakdown for unintelligible singing is like downgrading Patrick Mahomes because he can’t play defensive tackle.
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The story is that the group didn't think they needed backup singers and thought the rest of the group could do the backup vocals then they heard the vocals.

They NEVER sang backup ever again.

Truly TRULY HORRIBLE backup vocals by the rest of the group.  

 
60. The Byrds “Ballad of Easy Rider” (from Ballad of Easy Rider) 

https://youtu.be/r8jC1lRZGTU

The Byrds were on their last legs as a coherent rock band in 1969, but Roger McGuinn had enough left to write this gorgeous ballad for the movie soundtrack and album. A Bob Dylan biography I’ve read says that Dylan helped to co-write this but I can’t verify it. 

 
timschochet said:
60. The Byrds “Ballad of Easy Rider” (from Ballad of Easy Rider) 

https://youtu.be/r8jC1lRZGTU

The Byrds were on their last legs as a coherent rock band in 1969, but Roger McGuinn had enough left to write this gorgeous ballad for the movie soundtrack and album. A Bob Dylan biography I’ve read says that Dylan helped to co-write this but I can’t verify it. 
Click to expand...
According to the liner notes of the Byrds box set, Dylan and McGuinn were having dinner and Dylan wrote down the first verse, gave it to McGuinn and said it was his to do with as he pleased. 
 

I disagree with your first clause. The Untitled album from 70 is excellent, and this lineup of the Byrds was one of the era’s best live bands. They could have carved out a Grateful Dead-like existence if they’d wanted to. 

 
timschochet said:
60. The Byrds “Ballad of Easy Rider” (from Ballad of Easy Rider) 

https://youtu.be/r8jC1lRZGTU

The Byrds were on their last legs as a coherent rock band in 1969, but Roger McGuinn had enough left to write this gorgeous ballad for the movie soundtrack and album. A Bob Dylan biography I’ve read says that Dylan helped to co-write this but I can’t verify it. 
Click to expand...
Love this song. Absolutely perfect use in Easy Rider.

 
59. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Bad Moon Rising” (from Green River) 

https://youtu.be/5BmEGm-mraE

I don’t mean to sound repetitive but how about another all time classic from CCR? This one always makes me think of An American Werewolf in London. I particularly love the “all right!” just after the second chorus before the guitar solo. 

 
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