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).
August 15
1965 • Donovan • “The Universal Soldier” [UK] • Folk-Rock • Fairytale • [Multiple]
1965 • Otis Redding • “Respect” • Soul • Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul • “Ole Man Trouble”
1968 • Big Brother & The Holding Company • “Piece Of My Heart” • Blues-Rock • Cheap Thrills • “Turtle Blues”
1980 • The Jam • “Start!” [UK] • Punk/Mod Revival • [Single] • “Liza Radley”
1983 • R.E.M. • “Radio Free Europe” [UK] • Alt. Pop-Rock • Murmur • “There She Goes Again”
1987 • John (Cougar) Mellencamp • “Paper In Fire” • Roots Rock • The Lonesome Jubilee • “Never Too Old”
1989 • Aerosmith • “Love In An Elevator” • Hard Rock • Pump • “Young Lust”
1995 • Michael Jackson • “You Are Not Alone” • Dance-Pop • HIStory: Past, Present, Future, Book I • “Scream Louder”
1995 • R.E.M. • “Crush With Eyeliner” • Alt. Pop-Rock • Monster • “Crush with Eyeliner” [Instrumental]
2002 • No Doubt • “Underneath It All” • Ska Pop/Reggae Fusion • Rock Steady • “Underneath It All” [Radio Version]
August 16
1965 • Paul Revere & The Raiders • “Steppin’ Out” • Pop-Rock • Just Like Us! • “Blue Fox”
1966 • The Monkees • “The Last Train To Clarksville” • Pop-Rock • The Monkees • “Take A Giant Step”
1967 • The Beach Boys • “Heroes And Villains” [UK] • Pop-Rock • Smiley Smile • “You’re Welcome”
1973 • B. W. Stevenson • “My Maria” • Country-Pop • My Maria • “August Evening Lady”
1977 • Debby Boone • “You Light Up My Life” • Country-Pop • You Light Up My Life • “Hasta Mañana” [The Boones]
1979 • Paul McCartney & Wings • “Getting Closer” [UK] • Pop-Rock • Back To The Egg • “Baby’s Request”
1983 • The Moody Blues • “Blue World” • Prog Rock • The Present • “Sorry”
1986 • Eddie Money • “Take Me Home Tonight (Be My Baby)” • Power Pop • Can’t Hold Back • “Calm Before The Storm”
August 17
1962 • The Tornados • “Telstar” [UK] • Rock ‘n’ Roll Instrumental • The Sounds Of The Tornados • “Jungle Fever”
1963 • The Ronettes • “Be My Baby” • Girl Groups • [Single] • “Tedesco And Pitman”
1964 • Cilla Black • “It’s For You” • Pop-Rock • [Single] • “He Won’t Ask Me”
1967 • Brenda Holloway • “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” • Soul-Pop • [Single] • “I’ve Got To Find It”
1968 • The Marvelettes • “What’s Easy For Two Is Hard For One” • Soul-Pop • Sophisticated Soul • [B-Side]
1968 • The Marvelettes • “Destination Anywhere” • Soul-Pop • Sophisticated Soul • “What’s Easy For Two Is Hard For One”
1973 • The Rolling Stones • “Angie” [UK] • Power Ballad • Goats Head Soup • “Silver Train”
1973 • Joe Walsh • “Rocky Mountain Way” [UK] • Blues-Rock • The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get • “{Day Dream} Player”
1973 • The Isley Brothers • “That Lady (Part 1)” [UK] • Soul-Funk • 3 + 3 • “That Lady (Part 2)”
1983 • Prince • “Delirious” • Synth-Funk • 1999 • “Horny Toad”
1985 • Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers • “Rebels” • Heartland Rock • Southern Accents • “Southern Accents”
1988 • Guns N’ Roses • “Sweet Child O’ Mine” • Hard Rock • Appetite For Destruction • “It’s So Easy” [Live]
1989 • The Rolling Stones • “Mixed Emotions” • Blues-Rock • Steel Wheels • “Fancyman Blues”
1996 • Bryan Adams • “Let’s Make A Night To Remember” • Pop-Rock • 18 Til I Die • “Star”
1998 • The Rolling Stones • “Out Of Control” • Blues-Rock • Bridges To Babylon • “Out Of Control” [Remix]
1999 • The Moody Blues • “English Sunset” • Prog Rock • Strange Times • [None]
2002 • Red Hot Chili Peppers • “The Zephyr Song” • Alt Psych Rock • By The Way • “Body Of Water”
2010 • Soundgarden • “Black Rain” • Seattle Grunge • [Single] • “Black Rain” [Album Version] / “Beyond the Wheel” [Live]
August 18
1964 • Paul Revere & The Raiders • “Over You” • Pop-Rock • [Single] • “Swim”
1965 • Dino, Desi & Billy • “Not The Lovin’ Kind” • Teen Pop • [Single] • “Chimes Of Freedom”
1966 • The Four Tops • “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” • Soul-Gospel • [Single] • “Until You Love Someone”
1967 • The Rolling Stones • “Dandelion” [UK] • Psychedelic Pop • [Single] • [B-Side]
1967 • The Rolling Stones • “We Love You” [UK] • Psychedelic Rock • [Single] • “Dandelion”
1978 • The Jam • “David Watts” [UK] • Punk/Mod Revival • [Single] • “”A Bomb In Wardour Street”
1986 • Genesis • “In Too Deep” [UK] • Prog Rock • Invisible Touch • “Do The Neurotic”
1987 • Kiss • “Crazy Crazy Nights” • Glam Metal • Crazy Nights • “No, No, No”
1997 • Foo Fighters • “Everlong” • Grunge • The Colour And The Shape • “Drive Me Wild”
1998 • Aerosmith • “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” • Hard Rock • Armageddon[Sndtrk] • “Animal Crackers”
August 19
1966 • Gary Lewis & The Playboys • “My Heart’s Symphony” [UK] • Brit Beat • (You Don’t Have To) Paint Me A Picture • “Tina (I Held You In My Arms)”
1966 • Episode Six • “Here, There And Everywhere” [UK] • Psychedelic Pop • [Single] • “Mighty Morris Ten”
1967 • Engelbert Humperdinck • “The Last Waltz” [UK] • Easy Listening Ballad • The Last Waltz • “That Promise”
1968 • Pink Floyd • “Let There Be More Light” • Psychedelic Rock • A Saucerful Of Secrets • “Remember A Day”
1975 • Linda Ronstadt • “Love Is A Rose” • Country-Rock • Prisoner In Disguise • “Silver Blue”
1983 • The Moody Blues • “Sitting At The Wheel” • Prog Rock • The Present • “Going Nowhere”
1985 • Thompson Twins • “Don’t Mess With Doctor Dream” [UK] • New Wave Synth-Pop • Here’s To Future Days • “Big Business”
1986 • Don Johnson • “Heartbeat” • Pop-Rock • Heartbeat • “Can’t Take Your Memory”
1991 • Dire Straits • “Calling Elvis” [UK] • New Wave/Post-Punk • On Every Street • “Iron Hand”
August 20
1955 • Elvis Presley • “Mystery Train” • Rockabilly • [Single] • [B-Side]
1955 • Elvis Presley • “I Forgot To Remember To Forget” • Rockabilly • [Single] • “Mystery Train”
1964 • The Temptations • “Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me So Blue)” • Soul-Pop • [Single] • “Baby, Baby I Need You”
1965 • The McCoys • “Hang On Sloopy” [UK] • Garage Rock • Hang On Sloopy • “I Can’t Explain It”
1965 • The Rolling Stones • “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” [UK] • Blues-Rock • Out Of Our Heads • “The Spider And The Fly”
1965 • Barry McGuire • “Eve Of Destruction” [UK] • Folk-Rock • Eve Of Destruction • “What Exactly’s The Matter With Me”
1965 • Gary Lewis & The Playboys • “Everybody Loves A Clown” • Brit Pop • Everybody Loves A Clown • “Time Stands Still”
1979 • David Bowie • “Look Back In Anger” • Glam Rock • Lodger • “Repetition”
1979 • Bob Dylan • “Gotta Serve Somebody” • Folk-Rock • Slow Train Coming • “Trouble In Mind”
1982 • Afrika Bambaataa And The Soul Sonic Force • “Planet Rock” [UK] • Electro-Hip Hop • [Single] • “Planet Rock” [Instrumental]
1983 • UB40 • “Red Red Wine” [UK] • Reggae-Pop • Labour Of Love • “Sufferin”
2007 • Eagles • “How Long” • Country-Rock • Long Road Out Of Eden • “How Long” [Remix]
August 21
1954 • Bill Haley & His Comets • “Shake, Rattle And Roll” • Rock ‘n’ Roll • [Single] • “A.B.C. Boogie”
1961 • The Marvelettes • “Please Mr. Postman” • Soul-Pop • Please Mr. Postman • “So Long Baby”
1961 • The Dovells • “Bristol Stomp” • Rock ‘n’ Doo-Wop • The Bristol Stomp • “Letters Of Love”
1969 • Diana Ross & The Supremes And The Temptations • “The Weight” • Soul-Pop • Together • “For Better Or Worse”
1970 • Simon & Garfunkel • “El Cóndor Pasa” • Folk-Pop • Bridge Over Troubled Water • “Why Don’t You Write Me”
1970 • Carpenters • “We’ve Only Just Begun” • Soft Pop • Close To You • “All Of My Life”
1978 • Paul McCartney & Wings • “London Town” • Pop-Rock • London Town • “I’m Carrying”
1980 • The Doobie Brothers • “Real Love” • Pop-Rock • One Step Closer • “Thank You Love”
1981 • Rick James • “Super Freak” [UK] • Funk • Street Songs • “Super Freak (Part 2)”
1989 • The Rolling Stones • “Mixed Emotions” [UK] • Blues-Rock • Steel Wheels • “Fancyman Blues”
1989 • The Cure • “Lovesong” • Pop-Rock • Disintegration • “2 Late” / “Fear Of Ghosts”
1995 • Michael Jackson • “You Are Not Alone” [UK] • Dance-Pop • HIStory: Past, Present, Future, Book I • “You Are Not Alone” [Remixes]
2000 • Madonna • “Music” • Electro-Funk • Music • “Cyberraga”
2006 • The Rolling Stones • “Biggest Mistake” [UK] • Blues-Rock • A Bigger Bang • “Hand Of Fate”
2008 • Metallica • “The Day That Never Comes” • Thrash Metal • Death Magnetic • “No Remorse” [Live]