The 2002 Musicradio 77 Web Site All Time Favorite Hits

Commentary and analysis by Mike Riccio

(as voted by site visitors 10/29/02 through 12/1/02)

It's the fifth annual Musicradio77.com Top 77 All-Time Favorite list as voted by you!

'Tis the 2002 holiday season and by now the All Time Top 77 is a tradition that surely has taken hold at the MusicRadio77 web site. This year proved to be the most exhausting survey to date for me to compile and tabulate, yet it's your fantastic response every year and the terrific feedback I get that keeps me going.

We ended up with nearly 1,000 voters and over 1,000 different songs receiving votes. Nearly 79% of all voters were male. About 16% were female, with the balance being undetermined due to "unisex" first names.

Votes came in from all over the world, including Australia, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, Canada and Brazil. Here in the U.S.A., all of the states were heard from except for Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

And as the results rolled in and the classic hits piled up votes, I was amazed at some of the lesser-known songs being voted for as I realized that each of those were actually someone's ALL TIME favorite! (I won't name the specifics out of respect for our voter's taste...LOL!)

Once again, site visitors chose from a fascinating selection of music from the 50's through today, with some voters going back to the 1940's and earlier. And as the smoke cleared and the final tally came together, it was simply amazing to look over the final list to see superhits and superstars, one-hit wonders and no-hit wonders, and songs that make you wanna say "huh?" right next to each other.

I love the comments that come in as the compilation goes on. It's good to know, from Mike Gallant from Knoxville, Tennessee, that my bleary-eyed overnighters doing this survey are "greatly appreciated!" And to Louis Iacueo of Covina, California who thanked me for "the endless time...put into this project every year" as he voted for "New York" related hits saluting the city ("I'm Doin' Fine Now" by New York City), one of its suburban counties ("Funky Nassau"), and the "sixth borough" (Miami with "Rock Your Baby"). And thanks, Lynn Krausse of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, who voted for songs that make her "smile, laugh and dance" while commenting with a thanks for the "impressive job...with this survey every year!" These kind of comments keep me going through it all.

And voters once again showed their compassion and sense of perspective by remembering some of the greats we lost this year, like Richard Harris whose "MacArthur Park" Arneil DeWitt of Flushing, New York called "my all-time favorite thirty-five years in a row now". Danny Arlington of Farmingdale, New York, laments that some kids from today will only remember Richard Harris from the Harry Potter movies. That's a good and accurate thought, Danny.

It was interesting to note the different philosophies being voted for as visitors chose both "Love Will Keep Us Together" by the Captain and Tennille and "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division. And "Summer Wind" by Sinatra and "Summer Rain" by Johnny Rivers. Can you guys please make up your minds?

And what's with the gems this year? "Diamonds and Rust", "Diamonds and Guns" and "Diamond Girl" all got votes. But none of them were bright enough to make the final cut.

It was interesting to see how many people voted along "party lines" or for certain themes, like Bill Wickline of Mentor, Ohio, who voted strictly for the ladies - although I'm willing to bet that most people wouldn't really remember "Pop-Pop-Popeye" by the Sherrys and "Ride!" by Dee Dee Sharp. Or voters who voted ONLY for one artist, like Paul Cusumano of Sewell, New Jersey who was strictly Bee Gees. Albert G. of Richmond, Virginia, voted for "1966 Motown Memories of WABC". And there were those ballot-stuffers who voted simply for Diana Ross and the Supremes. Of course, that was balanced off by people like Tom Shanihan of New York who voted for "anything BUT 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough'".

Dave Coyle of Pleasanton, California, saluted his state with "California Dreamin'", "California Girls" and "California Sun". Can a run for governor by Dave be far behind?

And then there's Alan from Chatham, New Jersey, who saluted the weather by voting for "Stormy", "Windy" and "Sunny". I loved it!

Douglas Schwabe of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who urged us to "keep up the great work", honored the 20th anniversary of the end of MusicRadio by voting for only 1982 hits.

Some voters loved other years, like Lou Orfanella of Patterson, New Jersey, who voted only for songs from the summer of 1980, which he described as a "great time for driving around with WABC on the radio".

Mario Epstein of Washington, D.C. disagrees, as he voted for songs out of 1969, "...the best year for radio".

And no, Trevor Moore of Kings Park, New York, I wasn't fooled when you voted for "yawA eM ekaT oT er'yehT" by VIX noelopaN. I may be one of the only people on the face of the earth who know that you were voting for the flip side of "They're Coming to Take Me Away" by Napoleon XIV, which was in reality a backwards version of the hit side. Oh, and by the way, you forgot the "Ha-haaa!" in the title. So there!

And those music mixes you voted for never cease to amaze me. Like Aron Laufer of Springfield, New Jersey who voted for Mott the Hoople and Bobby Darin. Or Hilary from Pennsylvania who voted for Benny Goodman's "Moonglow" followed closely by the Rolling Stones "Let It Bleed"!

Or Pete Redner of Paterson, New Jersey, whose vote for the doo-wop Channels was followed by one for hard-rocking Van Halen and country-tinged rocker Jerry Lee Lewis. Or Dirk Benson of Huntsville, Alabama, who voted for "just a bunch of fun, goofy, sing-a-long songs" like his #1 favorite, "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)" by the Beatles.

Some of our visitors names were eye-catching, like that of "James Dean" from Georgia. It's nice to have such a revered actor represented. Or "Jett Lightning" of Whitestone, New York. Am I really supposed to believe that name exists? And "Muggy Milford" of Connecticut. What a great name that would be for a DJ. "Tom Trigger" of St. Louis, Missouri, sounds like he should be a major western cowboy movie star. "Carlus Maximus" of San Paulo, Brazil sounds like either a constellation or a Roman emperor, but cheers to his Brazilian friends who voted for some GREAT songs.

And it was nice to hear from industry legends like Pat St. John, whose vote for "The Twist" actually made the difference on that song sneaking into the Top 77. And Big Jay Sorenson's vote for "Hey Jude" sure helped the Beatles out in a year of stiff competition.

Thanks to voters like site regular Chris D'Lites (great name) from New York City, who supplied not only his top three favorites, but in fact rounded out his entire top ten! Well, those other votes didn't count, Chris, but it was nice seeing some great titles mentioned. And to Devin Gershoff of Plainview, Long Island, New York, thanks for supplying the peak Billboard survey positions along with the votes. Now that's what I call being thorough!

And then there were those who felt compelled to explain why they voted as they did, like William Bledsoe of Columbus, Indiana, who loved Gordon Lightfoot's live show, feels Diana Ross needs a new manager and a new album so she can be "rediscovered", and explains why T Rex is so strong on the list this year, "one of the greatest rock acts of all time...just listen to the TV car ads for proof". Hmmm...I wonder if Marc Bolan would have liked having to wait for thirty years to be validated by a TV commercial!

Or Indiana's Scotty Seymour, who believes Heatwave is an "under-rated band who deserves a revival" and voted for Richard Harris because he was "a real good man who (he) met years ago in London".

And I'm still trying to figure out Steve Green of Allantown, Pennsylvania's descriptions of "Da Doo Ron Ron" ("...choreographed immediacy while still mindless candy..."), "Love the One You're With" ("...a thrilling intro that would sound good coming out of Judgement Day..."), and "Twist and Shout" ("...good, clean rhythmic filth"). Whoa, now THAT'S heavy stuff!

But best of all was New Jersey's Bill Fiedler. Bill LOVED his top three favorites...but...er...with certain reservations. Friend and Lover's "Reach Out of the Darkness" is his #1, except for "...the part with the wimpy guy singing all schmaltzy". And #2, "SInce I Don't Have You"...but...ummm...ONLY "...the very end of the song with the 'you-oous' in it". And, oh yeah, #3 is "Magic Carpet Ride", but...ehhhh...only the 45 version because the album version has the "...lamest, worst solo...in the entire history of rock and roll!" Now, have you EVER heard of such a love-hate relationship in your life???

I had to chuckle at some of the gaffes, which out of compassion, I'll call typos. I especially liked the vote for the "Almond Brothers" (I wonder if they have that in pecan and pistachio, too!).

So, with thanks to all of you for voting, 'nuf said and let's move on to the results! Once again, here's a reminder of how this list was compiled. Voters were asked to choose their three all-time favorite songs from any era, not just the years that WABC was a music station. Songs voted for received three points if they were voted as a number one favorite, two points as a number two favorite, or one point as a number three favorite. If a voter specifically wrote that their favorites were in no particular order, each song voted for received two points. Points were tallied and those songs with the most votes were ranked highest. The number of people who voted for each song was also factored in with a variably weighted system for the final ranking. Ties were broken based on the number of voters for each song, then the number of #1 votes for the song, and finally, if still tied, by the higher ranking song on the WABC and national surveys.

SO without further adieu...the envelope, please, maestro!

It's time to look at your list for 2002...the all-time greats,
voted by you! Once again, let's "scroll 'em down" from #77 to #1!

 

THE WABC MUSICRADIO77 WEB SITE ALL TIME TOP 77
2002 edition

www.musicradio77.com

(Peak)/(Yrs)/(Last)/(This)
(77) (1) (--) 77. TAINTED LOVE - Soft Cell (1982)
(26) (3) (26) 76. *THE TWIST - Chubby Checker (1960 & 1962)
(75) (1) (--) 75. I AM THE WALRUS - Beatles (1967)
(74) (1) (--) 74. OH GIRL - Chi-Lites (1972)
( 9) (4) (--) 73. *JAZZMAN - Carole King (1974)
(72) (1) (--) 72. *DAYDREAM BELIEVER - Monkees (1967)
(24) (5) (34) 71. *NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN - Moody Blues (1972)
(70) (1) (--) 70. *BENNIE AND THE JETS - Elton John (1974)
(36) (3) (--) 69. CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE - Elvis Presley (1962)
(68) (2) (--) 68. WHAT DOES IT TAKE (TO WIN YOUR LOVE) - 
                   Jr. Walker & the All Stars (1969)
(67) (1) (--) 67. MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA - 
                   Gladys Knight & the Pips (1973)
(66) (1) (--) 66. *WOMAN WOMAN - Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (1968)
(47) (2) (--) 65. *TURN TURN TURN - Byrds (1965)
(64) (1) (--) 64. WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD - Louis Armstrong (1967 & 1988)
(63) (2) (--) 63. DON'T WORRY BABY - Beach Boys (1964)
(24) (4) (24) 62. LAYLA - Derek & the Dominoes (1971 & 1972)
(50) (3) (77) 61. *STONED SOUL PICNIC - Fifth Dimension (1968)
(60) (1) (--) 60. SOMETHING - Beatles (1969)
(33) (2) (--) 59. BURNING LOVE - Elvis Presley (1972)
(58) (1) (--) 58. SURF CITY - Jan & Dean (1963)
(32) (3) (41) 57. *YESTERDAY - Beatles (1965)
(56) (1) (--) 56. TIGHTER TIGHTER - Alive & Kicking (1970)
(55) (1) (--) 55. CARA MIA - Jay & the Americans (1965)
(21) (4) (62) 54. BRANDY (YOU'RE A FINE GIRL) - Looking Glass (1972)
(53) (1) (--) 53. MY DING-A-LING - Chuck Berry (1972)
(52) (1) (--) 52. ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER - Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)
(51) (1) (--) 51. SISTER GOLDEN HAIR - America (1975)
(50) (1) (--) 50. YOU'VE MADE ME SO VERY HAPPY - 
                   Blood, Sweat & Tears (1969)
(49) (2) (69) 49. *(THEY LONG TO BE) CLOSE TO YOU - Carpenters (1970)
(48) (2) (--) 48. *CRYSTAL BLUE PERSUASION - 
                   Tommy James & the Shondells (1969)
(19) (5) (64) 47. *BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER - Simon & Garfunkel (1970)
(46) (1) (--) 46. SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT - Nirvana (1992)
(45) (1) (--) 45. I WILL - Beatles 
                  (from "The Beatles" double "white" album) (1969)
(44) (1) (--) 44. *STAYIN' ALIVE - Bee Gees (1978)
(33) (3) (33) 43. IN MY LIFE - Beatles 
                  (from the "Rubber Soul" album) (1966)
(42) (3) (--) 42. YOUR SONG - Elton John (1970)
(41) (1) (--) 41. BETCHA BY GOLLY WOW - Stylistics (1972)
(40) (2) (--) 40. *THE RAIN, THE PARK AND OTHER THINGS - Cowsills (1967)
(39) (1) (--) 39. BABY TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS - Jefferson (1970)
(38) (1) (--) 38. I CAN'T GET NEXT TO YOU - Temptations (1969)
(13) (4) (13) 37. BECAUSE - Dave Clark Five (1964)
(36) (1) (--) 36. BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - Queen (1976 & 1992)
(35) (2) (--) 35. MY WAY - Frank Sinatra (1969)
(34) (2) (--) 34. WHISPERING BELLS - Dell-Vikings (1957)
(33) (1) (--) 33. *YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE - Debby Boone (1977)
(32) (1) (--) 32. *TO SIR WITH LOVE - Lulu (1967)
(28) (2) (--) 31. *I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE - Marvin Gaye (1968)
(22) (3) (22) 30. *YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELIN' - 
                   Righteous Brothers (1965)
(29) (1) (--) 29. HOW CAN I BE SURE - Young Rascals (1967)
( 6) (3) ( 7) 28. BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME - 
                   Gladys Knight & the Pips (1974)
(12) (4) (16) 27. A DAY IN THE LIFE - Beatles (1967)
                  (from the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album)
(22) (2) (22) 26. MY SWEET LORD - George Harrison (1970)
(25) (2) (69) 25. SUPERSTAR - Carpenters (1971)
(24) (2) (31) 24. *MAGGIE MAY - Rod Stewart (1971)
( 7) (5) (18) 23. GOOD VIBRATIONS - Beach Boys (1966)
(22) (4) (56) 22. *RAG DOLL - Four Seasons (1964)
( 4) (3) (--) 21. BEYOND THE SEA - Bobby Darin (1960)
(20) (4) (40) 20. TAXI - Harry Chapin (1972)
( 4) (5) (20) 19. *SHE LOVES YOU - Beatles (1964)
(18) (1) (--) 18. DAY AFTER DAY - Badfinger (1972)
(17) (4) (21) 17. UNCHAINED MELODY - Righteous Brothers (1965 & 1990)
(16) (4) (59) 16. LIKE A ROLLING STONE - Bob Dylan (1965)
( 7) (5) (14) 15. *I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND - Beatles (1964)
(14) (4) (19) 14. *LET IT BE - Beatles (1970)
( 8) (5) (12) 13. STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN - Led Zeppelin (1971)
                  (from the unofficially titled album "Led Zeppelin IV") 
(12) (4) (52) 12. *INCENSE AND PEPPERMINTS - Strawberry Alarm Clock (1967)
( 2) (5) (15) 11. *LIGHT MY FIRE - Doors (1967)
( 9) (5) ( 9) 10. IMAGINE - John Lennon (1971)
( 9) (2) (11)  9. I LOVE YOU - Climax Blues Band (1981)
( 6) (5) ( 6)  8. *A HORSE WITH NO NAME - America (1972)
( 3) (5) ( 3)  7. *AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH - Diana Ross (1970)
( 2) (5) ( 2)  6. IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT - Five Satins (1956)
( 3) (5) (10)  5. *AMERICAN PIE - Don McLean (1972)
( 4) (1) (--)  4. BANG A GONG (GET IT ON) - T Rex (1972)
( 3) (5) ( 5)  3. MACARTHUR PARK - Richard Harris (1968)
( 2) (5) ( 4)  2. *(I CAN'T GET NO) SATISFACTION - Rolling Stones (1965)
"WABC Winner...(#onederful)"
( 1) (5) ( 1)  1. *HEY JUDE - Beatles (1968) (FIFTH straight year at #1)
Asterisks (*) indicate a former #1 song on the WABC weekly survey.
Analysis by Mike Riccio

There you have it!

The official WABC Musicradio77 Web Site Top Hit List -
2002 Edition - As voted by you!

With the fifth year of voting now under our belt, I changed the columns on the above list to
include highest position reached to date, number of years on the survey,
position last year, and of course, position this year.

So, where do I begin? This year out of the top 77, two songs came from the 50's, three from the 80's, and three from the 90's. 50% of your votes were for 1960's hits and about 39% of your votes came in for hits out of the 1970's. It's interesting to note how strong the 1960's songs showed up in this year's votes. That decade had been steadily losing ground over the last few years, but this year, half of all the votes were from the 60's, most noticeably 1964 through 1969. Overall, lots of great songs received votes, with 30 of the Top 77, or 39%, being former #1 songs on MusicRadio.

What can be said about "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. It sure looks like they have their own little dynasty on our survey as the song holds onto the number one position for the fifth straight year. That's simply amazing! It was very touch and go for "...Jude" this year. For most of the voting period, the song was bouncing between #1 and #4, but in the end it prevailed and now it will become a yearly challenge to see how long its reign will last.

This year, both "MacArthur Park" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" proved formidable opponents for "Hey Jude", with each of those songs spending some time at #1. There was a noticeable drop in votes after the top four songs, meaning that - surprisingly - songs like "American Pie" and "In the Still of the Nite", although strong, never really challenged for the top slot. In the end, the #2 song "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" proved to be a real "sleeper" by sneaking into the runner-up position and accumulating consistent votes when no one was expecting it.

As a group, the Beatles really dominated, with ten songs in the top 77. Overall, an amazing 43 Beatles songs got votes this year, far outdistancing the runner-up Beach Boys and Rolling Stones, both of whom wound up with 14 songs getting votes.

It simply amazes me that there people who still attempt to stuff the ballot box. In the long run, it only ends up hurting the artists involved. Affected this year were results for Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, the Bee Gees, Billy Joel, Richard Harris, T Rex and many more. Both "Life Is a Rock" by Reunion and "Magic" by Pilot lost so many votes due to duplicate entries and phony votes that they ended up not even making the top 77. If the people trying to "stuff" those songs onto the list would have let the votes fall as they would have, both songs might have made the final cut.

As for surprises? Well, how about "Bang a Gong"! It debuts at #4 (even AFTER losing some points due to ballot-stuffing), and this only proves the power of TV advertising. Just as "At Last" by Etta James made the list last year due to TV ad exposure, the car ad that included this T Rex classic obviously helped put "Bang a Gong" over the top this year.

Other debuts that were refreshing to see this year include "Day After Day" (strong at #18), the Carpenters' "Superstar" (good to see that one remembered at #25), classics like "Bohemian Rhapsody' (#36), "Stayin' Alive" (#44), and "All Along the Watchtower" (#52). And it was a pleasant surprise to see the votes pile up for 60's classics "Surf City" (#58), "Something" (#60), "To Sir With Love" (#32), and "Daydream Believer" (#72).

Where on earth did the mid-chart hit "Baby Take Me in Your Arms" by Jefferson come from? I can only guess that a ground swell of activity occurs when voters look at songs being voted for, and then decide to include one of those songs in their own list of top three favorites.

Well, I guess if Chuck Berry can be forgiven for that embarrassment called "My Ding-a-Ling" after a rock legacy that included "Johnny B. Goode" and "Roll Over Beethoven", site visitors can be forgiven for voting for that atrocious 1972 novelty hit. Just please, folks, think twice next time!

It was interesting to see how last year's surprise entry,"I Love You" by the Climax Blues Band, held strong at #9 this year. But the more surprising jumps on the list went to Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Incense and Peppermints" (a 30 point jump), Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" (a 43 point jump) and Harry Chapin's "Taxi" (a 20 point jump). These were all songs that have done well in the past and were starting to slip. Yet this year they all came back strong.

On the other end of the spectrum are Gladys Knight's "Best Thing..." (which dropped to #28 from #7 largely due to ballot-stuffing) and "Because" by the Dave Clark Five (always strong on this survey, but this year dropping out of the top 20 to #37 with this classic). It's "look out below!" for classics "Yesterday" (#41 to #57), "Layla" (#24 to #62), and "Nights in White Satin" (#34 to #71), which are all in danger of dropping out of the top 77 for the first time in many years.

It seems like site voters are quite undecided about Bobby Darin. Both "Mack the Knife" and "Beyond the Sea" keep bouncing up and down the list each year. This year, "Beyond the Sea", which has been as high as #4, comes back at #21. But poor old Mack, which reached #2 just three years ago, drops off the Top 77 and lands at #100. Hmmm!

It was a case of the old replacing the old, as "My Girl" finally drops off the top 77 only to be replaced by another Temptations classic, "I Can't Get Next to You". And it was a case of the new replacing the old as "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana edged out heavy, older classics like "Us and Them" by Pink Floyd. I can safely say that NO radio station survey would EVER include Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong on the same list as Nirvana. (At least none since the days of true "top 40" radio like WABC used to feature, which I guess is one of the very points of doing this Top 77 to begin with).

As mentioned, both the 60's and 70's hits were very strong this year, as the 50's, 80's and 90's decades slipped into a minor supporting role on this countdown. The oldest hit "almost to make it" onto the Top 77 was also this year's "Missed It By THAT Much" award winner, "Earth Angel" from 1955 by the Penguins came in at #78. And the most recent song "almost to make it" was "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne, which wound up just outside of the top 100. And I must mention the foreign hit "Remember Me" by Rita Pavone. For the third straight year this international hit just missed making the survey as worldwide voters continue to include her among their favorites.

Now here are some specific breakdowns based on ALL votes, not just the Top 77 portion of the survey:

 

Who voted?

Here are the top states by percent of overall votes:

1. New York (36.6%)
2. New Jersey (15.7%)
3. Pennsylvania (5.1%)
4. California (4.9%)
5. Florida (4.3%)
6. Connecticut (3.6%)
7. Tennessee (2.9%)
8. Massachusetts (2.7%)
9. (tie) Georgia and Ohio (2%)
10. (tie) Indiana and Texas (1.6%)
This year Virginia dropped off the top ten, 
and Georgia, Ohio and Indiana were the new entries. 
Votes from New Jersey increased greatly this year. 
At the same time, most of the "ballot stuffers"
 were from New Jersey, 
so many of these voters were disqualified.

www.musicradio77.com
Analysis by Mike Riccio

 

 

Top Vote-Getters by Artist

1. Beatles (1) 43 songs
2. Rolling Stones (2) 14 songs
3. Beach Boys (6) 14 songs
4. Elvis Presley (9) 13 songs
5. Supremes (7) 11 songs
6. Elton John (3) 10 songs
7. Billy Joel (--) 10 songs
8. Four Seasons (8) 7 songs
9. Dave Clark Five (5) 7 songs
10. Frank Sinatra (--) 7 songs
Ties were broken by top total points. 
Last year's position is in brackets.
So how about the "Chairman of the Board" 
making it into the top ten artist section? 
Good job Frank! 
This year, Madonna, Chicago and George Harrison 
dropped out of the top ten.

www.musicradio77.com
Analysis by Mike Riccio

 

 

Top Hits by Decade
1950’s
1. In the Still of the Nite - Five Satins (1956)
2. Whispering Bells - Dell-Vikings (1957)
3. Earth Angel - Penguins (1955)
4. Since I Don't Have You - Skyliners (1959)
5. Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin (1959)
6. Come Go With Me - Dell-Vikings (1957)
7. I Wonder Why - Dion & the Belmonts (1958)
8. Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley (1957)
9. Tequila - Champs (1958)
10. Gloria - Channels (1956)

 

1960’s
1. Hey Jude - Beatles (1968)
2. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (1965)
3. MacArthur Park - Richard Harris (1968)
4. Light My Fire - Doors (1967)
5. Incense and Peppermints - 
   Strawberry Alarm Clock (1967)
6. I Want to Hold Your Hand - Beatles (1964)
7. Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan (1965)
8. Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers (1965)
9. She Loves You - Beatles (1964)
10. Beyond the Sea - Bobby Darin (1960)

 

1970’s
1. Bang a Gong (Get It On) - T Rex (1972)
2. American Pie - Don McLean (1972) 
3. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross (1970)
4. Horse with No Name - America (1972)
5. Imagine - John Lennon (1971)
6. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin (1971)
7. Let It Be - Beatles (1970)
8. Day After Day - Badfinger (1972)
9. Taxi - Harry Chapin (1974)
10. Maggie May - Rod Stewart (1971)
It's interesting to note that 
for the second straight year,
 not one song from the top ten 
is from after 1974.

 

1980’s
1. I Love You - Climax Blues Band (1981)
2. Tainted Love - Soft Cell (1982)
3. Little Jeannie - Elton John (1980)
4. Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd (1980)
5. Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (1981)
6. Jump - Van Halen (1984)
7. The Tide Is High - Blondie (1981)
8. The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby & the Range (1986)
9. Every Breath You Take - Police (1983)
10. Drive - Cars (1984)

1990’s 
1. Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers (1990)
2. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (1992)
3. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana (1992)
4. Smooth - Santana featuring Rob Thomas (1999)
5. Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton (1992)
The remaining votes were too scattered
 to list a balance of the top ten.

2000's
1. Complicated - Avril Lavigne
The remaining votes were too scattered
 to list a balance of the top ten.

 

www.musicradio77.com
Analysis by Mike Riccio

 

So that's it! Another year of voting under our belts, and another terrific "All Time Top 77". My thanks to the site's program manager, Allan Sniffen and to fellow "survey guy" Tom Natoli for their input and advice on various questions as my work progressed with the survey. Thanks to all the "survey detectives" who helped me snoop out the ballot stuffers. Special thanks to Ron Kovacs of RadioMaxMusic.com for making this survey come "alive" in audio version at his web site. His hours of tireless effort, along with Allan's much appreciated work voicing my scripts, cannot go by without due recognition. And thanks to all of you who sent me comments, encouragement and good wishes during the voting period. I'll repeat what I've said in past years it's mainly due to your enthusiastic response that I continue with this massive project from year to year. When your interest in it disappears, my enthusiasm to continue compiling this list will also diminish. So, again, thanks to all of you who participated in making this as much of a tradition for us as were the yearly WABC top 100's of the year.

And please take time to send me your comments at mikericcio@juno.com or to post your comments at the New York Radio Message Board. I'd love to read them!

Now, it's time for me to hibernate (and recover from this) until next fall!

Mike Riccio (MusicRadio77.com "Survey Guy")

 

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