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 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”
1963 • The Chiffons • “One Fine Day” • Girl Groups • [Single] • “Why Am I So Shy”
1963 • The Essex • “Easier Said Than Done” • Soul-Pop • Easier Said Than Done • “Are You Going May Way”
1965 • The Searchers • “Bumble Bee” • Merseybeat • Sounds Like The Searchers • “Everything You Do”
1967 • Eric Burdon & The Animals • “When I Was Young” [UK] • Blues-Rock • [Single] • “A Girl Named Sandoz”
1967 • Strawberry Alarm Clock • “Incense And Peppermints” • Psychedelic Pop • Incense And Peppermints • “The Birdman Of Alkatrash”
1967 • Spanky & Our Gang • “Sunday Will Never Be The Same” [UK] • Sunshine PopPop • Spanky And Our Gang • “Distance”
1968 • Barbara Ackin • “Love Makes A Woman” • Pop-Soul • Love Makes A Woman • “Come And See Me Baby”
1968 • Steppenwolf • “Born To Be Wild” • Proto Metal • Steppenwolf • “Everybody’s Next One”
1972 • Sweet • “Little Willy” [UK] • Pop-Rock • Sweet • “Man From Mecca”
1973 • Paul Simon • “Kodachrome” • Folk-Pop • There Goes Rhymin’ Simon • “Tenderness”
1973 • Billy Preston • “Will It Go Round In Circles” • Funk • Music Is My Life • “Blackbird”
1975 • Lynyrd Skynyrd • “Saturday Night Special” • Southern Rock • Nuthin’ Fancy • “Made In The Shade”
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”
1978 • Dire Straits • “Sultans Of Swing” [UK] • New Wave/Post-Punk • Dire Straits • “Eastbound Train” [Live Version]
1978 • Steely Dan • “FM (No Static At All)” • Jazz-Rock • FM • “FM-Reprise”
1978 • Steely Dan • “Deacon Blues” [UK] • Jazz-Rock • Aja • “Josie”
1981 • The Moody Blues • “Gemini Dream” • Prog Rock • Long Distance Voyager • “Painted Smile”
1982 • Stevie Wonder • “Do I Do” • Pop-R&B • Original Musiquarium • “Rocket Love”
1984 • ZZ Top • “Legs” • Southern Rock • Eliminator • “Bad Girl”
1986 • Genesis • “Invisible Touch” [UK] • Prog Rock • Invisible Touch • “The Last Domino”
1986 • Bananarama • “Venus” • New Wave Dance-Pop • True Confessions • “White Train”
May 20
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”
1981 • The Tubes • “Talk To Ya Later” [UK] • New Wave • The Completion Backward Principle • “What’s Wrong With Me”
1983 • The Police • “Every Breath You Take” • New Wave Pop-Rock • Synchronicity • “Murder By Numbers”
1983 • Big Country • “In A Big Country” [UK] • Alt. Pop-Rock • The Crossing • “All Of Us”
1990 • Roxette • “It Must Have Been Love” [UK] • Soft Rock/Pop • Pretty Woman[Sndtrk] • “Paint”
1991 • Bonnie Raitt • “Something To Talk About” • Blues-Rock • Luck Of The Draw • “One Part Be My Lover”
May 21
1962 • The Isley Brothers • “Twist And Shout” • Soul-Funk • Twist & Shout! • “Spanish Twist” [The I. B. Special]
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 • Stevie Wonder • “Hey Harmonica Man” • Soul-Pop • Stevie At The Beach • “This Little Girl”
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 Hollies • “I’m Alive” [UK] • Pop-Rock • Hear! Here! • “You Know He Did”
1965 • The Who • “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” [UK] • Power Pop • [Single] • “Daddy Rolling Stone”
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 • The Carpenters • “I Need To Be In Love” • Soft Pop • A Kind Of Hush • “Sandy”
1976 • Steve Miller Band • “Take The Money And Run” [UK] • Album Rock • Fly Like An Eagle • “Sweet Maree”
1984 • Madonna • “Borderline” [UK] • Dance-Pop • Madonna • “Think of Me”
1984 • The Smiths • “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” [UK] • Alt. Pop-Rock • Hatful Of Hollow • “Suffer Little Children”
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]
May 22
1967 • Aretha Franklin • “Lee Cross” • Soul • Take It Like You Give It • “Until You Were Gone”
1967 • The Byrds • “Have You Seen Her Face” • Folk-Rock • Younger Than Yesterday • “Don’t Make Waves”
1967 • The Byrds • “Don’t Make Waves” • Folk-Rock • [Single] • [B-Side]
1970 • Christie • “Yellow River” • Pop-Rock • Christie • “Down The Mississippi Line”
1970 • Mungo Jerry • “In The Summertime” [UK] • Skiffle • In The Summertime • “Mighty Man”
1970 • Joni Mitchell • “Big Yellow Taxi” [UK] • Folk-Rock • Ladies Of The Canyon • “Woodstock”
1972 • The Raspberries • “Go All The Way” • Power Pop • Raspberries • “With You In My Life”
1979 • Diana Ross • “The Boss” • Disco • The Boss • “I’m In The World”
1981 • Phil Collins • “If Leaving Me Is Easy” [UK] • Pop-Rock • Face Value • [Multiple]
1981 • John Cougar [Mellencamp] • “Ain’t Even Done With The Night” [UK] • Blue-Eyed Soul • Nothing Matters (And What If It Did) • “To M.G. (Wherever She May Be)”
1986 • The Fixx • “Secret Separation” • Techno-Pop • Walkabout • “Sense Of Adventure”
1989 • Madonna • “Express Yourself” [UK] • Dance-Pop • Like A Prayer • “The Look Of Love”
May 23
1962 • Tommy Roe • “Sheila” • Bubblegum Pop • Sheila • “Save Your Kisses”
1969 • Thunderclap Newman • “Something In The Air” [UK] • British Rock • Hollywood Dream • “Wilhelmina”
1975 • 10cc • “I’m Not In Love” [UK] • Art Pop-Rock • The Original Soundtrack • “Good News”
1975 • Paul McCartney & Wings • “Listen To What The Man Said” • Pop-Rock • Venus And Mars • “Love In Song”
1978 • Bruce Springsteen • “Prove It All Night” • Heartland Rock • Darkness On The Edge Of Town • “Factory”
1980 • U2 • “11 O’Clock Tick Tock” [UK] • Alt. Pop-Rock • [Single] • “Touch”
1987 • Bob Seger • “Shakedown” • Album Rock • Beverly Hills Cop II[Sndtrk] • “The Aftermath” [Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band]
1988 • Cheap Trick • “The Flame” [UK] • Power Ballad • Lap Of Luxury • “Through The Night”
1988 • The Moody Blues • “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere” • Prog Rock • Sur La Mer • “Miracle”
2011 • Blondie • “Mother” [UK] • Pop-Rock • Panic Of Girls • “Mother” [Instrumental]
May 24
1963 • Lesley Gore • “It’s My Party” [UK] • Girl Group • I’ll Cry If I Want To • “Danny”
1963 • Gerry & The Pacemakers • “I Like It” [UK] • Merseybeat • [Single] • “It Happened To Me”
1968 • The Rolling Stones • “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” [UK] • Rock ‘n’ Roll • [Single] • “Child Of The Moon”
1968 • Martha Reeves & The Vandellas • “I Promise to Wait My Love” [UK] • Soul-Pop • Riding High • “Forget Me Not”
1968 • Donovan • “Hurdy, Gurdy Man” [UK] • Psychedelic-Pop • The Hurdy Gurdy Man • “Teen Angel”
1973 • Led Zeppelin • “Over The Hills And Far Away” • Hard Rock • Houses Of The Holy • “Dancing Days”
1974 • Elton John • “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” [UK] • Pop-Rock • Caribou • “Sick City”
1974 • 10cc • “The Wall Street Shuffle” [UK] • Art Pop-Rock • Sheet Music • “Gismo My Way”
1976 • The Beach Boys • “Rock And Roll Music” • Rock ‘n’ Roll • 15 Big Ones • “T M Song”
1982 • Glenn Frey • “I Found Somebody” • Pop-Rock • No Fun Aloud • “She Can’t Let Go”
1983 • Michael Jackson • “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'” • Dance-Pop • Thriller • “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'” [Instrumental]
1986 • AC/DC • “Who Made Who” • Hard Rock • Who Made Who • “Guns For Hire” [Live]
1993 • AC/DC • “Big Gun” • Hard Rock • Last Action Hero[Sndtrk] • “Back In Black” [Live]
2012 • Aerosmith • “Legendary Child” • Hard Rock • Music From Another Dimension! • [None]
May 25
1961 • Marvin Gaye • “Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide” • Soul • The Soulful Moods Of Marvin Gaye • “Never Let You Go (Sha-Lu Bop)”
1971 • Elvis Presley • “Life” • Gospel-Pop • [Single] • “Only Believe”
1973 • George Harrison • “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)” [UK] • Pop-Rock • Living In The Material World • “Miss O’Dell”
1973 • Mott The Hoople • “Honaloochie Boogie” [UK] • Glam Rock • Mott • “Rose”
1979 • Dave Edmunds • “Girls Talk” [UK] • Pub Rock • Repeat When Necessary • “Bad Is Bad”
1979 • Robert Palmer • “Bad Case Of Lovin’ You (Doctor, Doctor)” [UK] • Rock ‘n Roll • Secrets • “Love Can Run Faster”
1992 • The Cure • “Friday I’m In Love” • Jangle Pop • Wish • “Halo”
1997 • Sublime • “Wrong Way” • Ska Punk • Sublime • “Wrong Way” [Album Version]
