Here’s a sampling of charting singles (and B-Sides that charted) from rock and pop music from the 50s through the 80s – the BEST music ever made!
Entries are: Year • Artist • Track Title • Genre • Album • B-Side
(If a non-album single, then [Single]. If the charting track was the B-Side, then [B-Side]. Any “UK” entry designates a single different from its US counterpart).
May 15
1970 • Free • “All Right Now” [UK] • Hard Rock • Fire And Water • “Mouthful Of Grass”
1970 • Carpenters • “(They Long To Be) Close To You” • Soft Pop • Close To You • “I Kept On Lovin’ You”
1973 • Blue Ash • “Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?)” • Power Pop • No More, No Less • “Dusty Old Fairgrounds”
1982 • Rush • “Subdivisions” [UK] • Prog/Art Rock • Signals • “Red Barchetta”
1982 • Genesis • “Paperlate” • Prog Rock • 3 X 3 • “You Might Recall”
1984 • Michael Jackson • “Farewell My Summer Love” • Pop-Soul • Farewell My Summer Love • “Call On Me”
1984 • R.E.M. • “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” • Alt. Pop-Rock • Reckoning • “Walters Theme”
1985 • Prince & The Revolution • “Raspberry Beret” • Pop-Rock • Around The World In A Day • “She’s Always in My Hair”
1989 • Paula Abdul • “Forever Your Girl” [UK] • Dance-Pop • Forever Your Girl • “Next To You”
1990 • Mariah Carey • “Vision Of Love” • R&B-Dance • Mariah Carey • “Prisoner”
1992 • The Cure • “Friday I’m In Love” [UK] • Pop-Rock • Wish • “Halo”
May 16
1960 • Brenda Lee • “I’m Sorry” • Country-Pop • Brenda Lee • “That’s All You Got To Do”
1961 • Sam Cooke • “Cupid” • Soul • [Single] • “Farewell My Darling”
1969 • Elton John • “It’s Me That You Need” [UK] • Light Pop • [Single] • “Just Like Strange Rain”
1973 • Carpenters • “Yesterday Once More” • Soft Pop • Now & Then • “Road Ode”
1975 • Paul McCartney & Wings • “Listen To What The Man Said” • Pop-Rock • Venus And Mars • “Love In Song”
1975 • The Bee Gees • “Jive Talkin'” [UK] • Disco • Main Course • “Wind Of Change”
1980 • Sheena Easton • “9 To 5 (Morning Train)” [UK] • Pop-Rock • Sheena Easton • “Moody (My Love)”
1980 • Hall & Oates • “Running From Paradise” [UK] • Blue-Eyed Soul • X-Static • “Bebop” / “Drop”
1980 • The Ramones • “Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio?” • Punk-Rock • End Of The Century • “Let’s Go”
1984 • Prince & The Revolution • “When Doves Cry” • Dance-Pop • Purple Rain • “17 Days”
1994 • Pearl Jam • “Dissident” [UK] • Grunge Rock • Vs. • “Rearview Mirror” [Live]
1994 • Pearl Jam • “Dissident” • Grunge Rock • Vs. • “Rearview Mirror” [Live]
1994 • Pink Floyd • “Take It Back” [UK] • Prog Rock • The Division Bell • “Astronomy Domine” [Live]
May 17
1963 • The Hollies • “(Ain’t That) Just Like Me” [UK] • Brit Beat • [Single] • “Hey What’s Wrong With Me”
1963 • Jan & Dean • “Surf City” • Surfer Rock • Surf City And Other Swingin’ Cities • “She’s My Summer Girl”
1972 • The Hollies • “Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)” • Pop-Rock • Distant Light • “Look What We’ve Got”
1974 • Steely Dan • “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” [UK] • Pop-Rock • Pretzel Logic • “Any Major Dude Will Tell You”
1993 • Tears For Fears • “Break It Down Again” • Synth-Pop • Elemental • “Bloodletting Go”
2004 • Jimmy Buffett • “Hey Good Lookin'” • Neo-Trad Country • License To Chill • [None]
May 18
1961 • Jan & Dean • “Heart And Soul” • Pop-Rock • [Single] • “Those Words”
1968 • Gary Lewis & The Playboys • “Sealed With A Kiss” • Teen Pop • Gary Lewis Now! • “Sara Jane”
1972 • Looking Glass • “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” • Pop-Rock • Looking Glass • “One By One”
1979 • James Taylor • “Up On The Roof” [UK] • Folk-Rock • Flag • “Chanson Française”
1979 • Joe Jackson • “One More Time” [UK] • Post-Punk Hard Rock • Look Sharp! • “Don’t Ask Me”
1987 • Thompson Twins • “Long Goodbye” [UK] • New Wave Synth-Pop • Close To The Bone • “Dancing In Your Shoes”
2014 • The Flaming Lips feat. Miley Cyrus • “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” • Pop-Rock • With A Little Help From My Friends • [None]
May 19
1958 • Jerry Lee Lewis • “High School Confidential” • Rockabilly • Jerry Lee Lewis • “Fools Like Me”
1958 • Jerry Lee Lewis • “Fools Like Me” • Rockabilly • Jerry Lee Lewis • [B-Side]
1958 • Bobby Darin • “Splish Splash” • Novelty Pop • [Single] • “Judy Don’t Be Moody”
1967 • Strawberry Alarm Clock • “Incense And Peppermints” • Psychedelic Pop • Incense And Peppermints • “The Birdman Of Alkatrash”
1972 • Sweet • “Little Willy” [UK] • Pop-Rock • Sweet • “Man From Mecca”
1973 • Paul Simon • “Kodachrome” • Folk-Pop • There Goes Rhymin’ Simon • “Tenderness”
1975 • Aerosmith • “Sweet Emotion” • Hard Rock • Toys In The Attic • “Uncle Salty”
1975 • Eagles • “One Of These Nights” • Country-Rock • One Of These Nights • “Visions”
1975 • Lynyrd Skynyrd • “Saturday Night Special” • Southern Rock • Nuthin’ Fancy • “Made In The Shade”
1978 • Dire Straits • “Sultans Of Swing” [UK] • New Wave/Post-Punk • Dire Straits • “Eastbound Train” [Live Version]
1978 • Steely Dan • “Deacon Blues” [UK] • Jazz-Rock • Aja • “Josie”
1981 • The Moody Blues • “Gemini Dream” • Prog Rock • Long Distance Voyager • “Painted Smile”
1986 • Genesis • “Invisible Touch” • Prog Rock • Invisible Touch • “The Last Domino”
1986 • Bananarama • “Venus” • New Wave Dance-Pop • True Confessions • “White Train”
May 20
1955 • Bill Haley & His Comets • “Rock Around The Clock” • Rock ‘n’ Roll • Shake, Rattle And Roll • “Thirteen Women (And Only One Man in Town)”
1960 • Buddy Holly • “True Love Ways” [UK] • Pop-Rock • [Single] • “Moondreams”
1969 • Blood, Sweat & Tears • “Spinning Wheel” • Horn-Rock • Blood, Sweat & Tears • “More and More”
1977 • Queen • “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy” [UK] • Glam Rock • Queen’s First E.P.[EP] • “Death on Two Legs (Dedicated To) / Tenement Funster / White Queen (As It Began)”
1979 • Kiss • “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” • Disco-Rock • Dynasty • “Hard Times”
1983 • Big Country • “In A Big Country” [UK] • Alt. Pop-Rock • The Crossing • “All Of Us”
1983 • The Police • “Every Breath You Take” • New Wave Pop-Rock • Synchronicity • “Murder By Numbers”
1990 • Roxette • “It Must Have Been Love” • Soft Rock/Pop • Pretty Woman[Sndtrk] • “Chances”
1991 • Bonnie Raitt • “Something To Talk About” • Blues-Rock • Luck Of The Draw • “One Part Be My Lover”
May 21
1963 • Stevie Wonder • “Fingertips, Pt. 2” • Soul-Pop • Recorded Live! The 12-Year Old Genius • [B-Side]
1963 • Stevie Wonder • “Fingertips, Pt. 1” • Soul-Pop • Recorded Live! The 12-Year Old Genius • “Fingertips, Pt. 2”
1964 • The Beatles (Die Beatles) • “Sie Liebt Dich” • Brit Beat • [Single] • “I’ll Get You”
1964 • Marvin Gaye • “Try It Baby” • Soul • How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) • “If My Heart Could Sing”
1965 • The Who • “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” [UK] • Power Pop • [Single] • “Daddy Rolling Stone”
1965 • The Hollies • “I’m Alive” [UK] • Pop-Rock • Hear! Here! • “You Know He Did”
1968 • Diana Ross & The Supremes • “Some Things You Never Get Used To” • Soul-Pop • [Single] • “You’ve Been So Wonderful To Me”
1968 • Elvis Presley • “Your Time Hasn’t Come Yet Baby” • Pop-Rock • [Single] • “Let Yourself Go”
1968 • Elvis Presley • “Let Yourself Go” • Pop-Rock • [Single] • [B-Side]
1968 • Gary Puckett & The Union Gap • “Lady Willpower” • Pop-Rock Ballad • Incredible • “Daylight Stranger”
1969 • The Isley Brothers • “I Turned You On” • Soul-Funk • The Brothers: Isley • “I Know Who You Been Socking It To”
1976 • Steve Miller Band • “Take The Money And Run” [UK] • Album Rock • Fly Like An Eagle • “Sweet Maree”
1976 • Carpenters • “I Need To Be In Love” • Soft Pop • A Kind Of Hush • “Sandy”
1996 • Metallica • “Until It Sleeps” • Thrash Metal • Load • “Overkill”
2001 • The Calling • “Wherever You Will Go” • Alt Rock/Post-Grunge • Camino Palmero • “Adrienne”
2004 • Rush • “Summertime Blues” • Prog/Art Rock • Feedback • [None]
