The 2012 Top 77 Final Results!
Commentary and analysis by Mike Riccio.

Well, we did it AGAIN!

For the FIFTEENTH time, you've voted for your favorites and we've compiled the results right here! After weeks of voting and thousands of songs receiving votes, here are the biggest hits as decided by YOU in our 15th annual poll of the "Top 77 Songs All Time."

Below, we present the "countdown" version of the results, where, in print, we count down the hits" from #77 to #1, with an interesting insight on "What Came Next" for the act or the song involved!

As a bonus, we're starting off with the "extras"...the songs that just missed the top 77. And then we'll go right to the heart of the list...YOUR 14th annual All-Time Top 77 Songs!

Asterisks (*) indicate a former #1 song on WABC.

100 - Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers - 1965/1990 (Peaks: WABC #4, Nat’l #4)

99 - Gloria - Cadillacs - 1954 (Peaks: WABC – Pre-Dates Chart, Nat’l - Pre-Dates Chart)

98 - When Will I See You Again - Three Degrees - 1974 (Peaks: WABC #2, Nat'l #2)

97 - *We Can Work It Out - Beatles - 1966 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

96 - Twist And Shout - Beatles - 1964 (Peaks: WABC #2, Nat'l #2)

95 - I Wonder Why - Dion & the Belmonts - 1958 (Peaks: WABC – Pre-Dates Chart, Nat’l #22)

94 - *Happy Together - Turtles - 1967 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

93 - Don't Sleep In The Subway - Petula Clark - 1967 (Peaks: WABC - 18, Nat'l  #5)

92 - Walk Away Renee - Left Banke - 1966 (Peaks: WABC #2, Nat’l #5)

91 - Let's Hang On - Four Seasons - 1965 (Peaks: WABC #4, Nat’l #3)

90 - *The Rain The Park & Other Things - Cowsills - 1967 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat'l #2)

89 - Morning Girl - Neon Philharmonic - 1969 (Peaks: WABC - Did Not Chart, Nat'l  #17)

88 - If I Fell - Beatles - 1964 (Peaks: WABC $33, Nat'l #53)

87 - California Nights - Lesley Gore - 1967 (Peaks: WABC #10, Nat'l #16)

86 - *Crimson And Clover - Tommy James and the Shondells - 1969 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat'l #1)

85 - In My Life - Beatles - 1966 From the LP "Rubber Soul" (Peaks: WABC – Did Not Chart, Nat’l – Did Not Chart)

84 - *Reach Out I'll Be There - Four Tops - 1966 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1) 

83 - Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi - 1987 (Peaks: Post-dates WABC Chart, Nat'l #1)

82 - *The House Of The Rising Sun - Animals - 1964 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat'l #1)

81 - Out In The Country - Three Dog Night - 1970 (Peaks: WABC #17, Nat'l #15)

80 - Rocket Man - Elton John - 1972 (Peaks: WABC #7, Nat'l #6)

79 - Worst That Could Happen - Brooklyn Bridge - 1969 (Peaks: WABC #3, Nat'l #3)

78 - And Your Bird Can Sing - Beatles - 1966 From the LP "Revolver" (Peaks: WABC - Did Not Chart, Nat'l - Did Not Chart)

Now let’s move to the songs you voted into the Top 77!... Did YOUR favorites show up?...

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77 - Summer Of '69 - Bryan Adams - 1985 (Peaks: WABC - Post-dates Chart, Nat'l #5)

WHAT CAME NEXT - For Bryan Adams, this would be part of an incredible 20 consecutive top 40 songs, a string that continued through 1995 with "Have You Never Met a Woman?". Strangely, after that song hit #1 for five weeks, Bryan would have just six more top 100 songs, only one of which made the top ten, and NONE that made the top five.

76 - Son Of A Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield -1969 (Peaks: WABC #19, Nat'l #10)

WHAT CAME NEXT - Dusty would never make the top 20 again after this song peaked at #10. It would take an appearance with The Pet Shop Boys on "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" in 1987 to bring her back into the top ten at #2 for the final time  before she passed in 1999 from cancer.

75 - Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen - 1976/1992 (Peaks: WABC #3, Nat'l #2)

WHAT CAME NEXT - After it leaped into the top ten at #9 as their second charter in 1979, Queen followed with 21 more Top 100 songs, including two number one hits. By the time the movie "Wayne's World" provided a comeback for this song in 1992, Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury had died. Queen would only chart twice more, once with a revival of "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions",  and then in 1993 with a live version of "Somebody to Love" with George Michael.

74 - Since I Don't Have You - Skyliners - 1959 (Peaks: WABC - Pre-dates chart, Nat'l - #12)

WHAT CAME NEXT: No more top 20 hits, but two classics in "This I Swear" and "Pennies from Heaven". Sadly, tenor Janet Vogel would commit suicide in 1980 at age 37.

73 - Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley & His Comets - 1955 (Peaks: WABC - Pre-dates Chart, NAt'l  #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: 20 more appearances on the top 100 culminating with a reappearance at #39 in 1974 for this song. And in the meantime, Bill Haley gained rock legend status.

72 - Day After Day - Badfinger - 1972 (Peaks: WABC #3, Nat'l #4)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Only one more top 20 hit, "Baby Blue", but shockingly and more significantly, two of the three group members would commit suicide before age 38.

71 - Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) – Looking Glass -1972 (Peaks: WABC #2, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Only one more top 100 song, "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne", which got to #33. Group member Piet Sweval would go on to join the group Starz.

70 - I Saw Her Standing There - Beatles - 1964 (Peaks: WABC #29, Nat'l #19)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Kinda obvious...Incredible superstardom. But did you know that this would be the first of 26 flip-sided top 100 songs for these guys?

69 - *Wedding Bell Blues - Fifth - Dimension - 1969 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat'l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A long marriage and a pretty successful career for two of the original members, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. And although this song could be viewed as their personal love song, these two actually married on July 26, 1969, about two months before this song hit the chart.

68 - Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - 1967 (Peaks: WABC #6, Nat'l #19)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Eleven more chart songs for this duo, including five more top 40 songs and and four top ten songs.

67 - *It's Too Late - Carole King - 1971 (WABC #1, Nat'l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Fifteen more top 100 hits and seven other top 20 titles, putting Carole into the vocal highlight after years of being acknowledged as a songwriting superstar.

66 - Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home) - Crystals - 1963  (Peaks: WABC #3, Nat'l #3)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Only three more chart entries and one more chart hit, "Then He Kissed Me" at #6, before The Crystals left Phil Spector's label for United Artists and sadly never made the chart again.

65 - *Windy - Association -1967 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat'l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: "Never My Love" and "Requium for the Masses", the only Association double-sided chart entry, even though the  "Requium..." side just squeaked through at #100.

64 - The Wanderer - Dion - 1962 (Peaks: WABC #5, Nat'l #2)

WHAT CAME NEXT: THREE (!) consecutive top ten hits beginning with the letter "L", "Lovers Who Wander", "Little Diane", and "Love Came to Me".

63 - Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good) - Neil Diamond - 1969 (Peaks: WABC #2, Nat'l #4)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Somehow "Sweet Caroline" became "Obnoxious Caroline" with those chants of "so good, so good" added to the chorus by Neil's concert-goers. And the addition of the song to the 7th inning stretch at Fenway Park was the last straw! Baa-Baa-Baaa...

62 - Then He Kissed Me - Crystals - 1963 (Peaks: WABC #3, Nat'l #6)

WHAT CAME NEXT: The Beatles. By the time this song dropped off the chart in November, 1963, the British Invasion was about to begin, and along with it the end of America's musical age of innocence. The Crystals' next, and final, two chart songs would peak at #92 and #98 in 1964.

61 - Rainy Night In Georgia - Brook Benton - 1970 (Peaks: WABC #9, Nat'l #4)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Brook's last three chart songs, neither one of which peaked higher than #45.

60 - Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen - 1975 from the Lp "Born to Run" (Peaks: WABC - Did Not Chart, Nat'l - Did Not Chart)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Superstardom for Bruce. 18 top 40 singles, 12 top ten hits, eight of them consecutive, 15 top 20 LPs, eight of which were #1 and NONE that peaked lower than #11.

59 - Elusive Butterfly - Bob Lind - 1966 (Peaks: WABC: #6, Nat'l #5)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A rather enemic double-sided charter. One side, "Remember the Rain", got to #64. The other, "Truly John's Blues", got to #65. After that, Lind would never again make the Hot 100.

58 - *The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh) - Tokens - 1961 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat'l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Believe it or not, following this #1 smash, the group would never have another #1 song, or a top ten song, or a top 20 song...

57 - *Be My Baby - Ronettes - 1963 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat'l #2)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Lead-singer Ronnie Bennett being kept as producer Phil Spector's virtual prisoner as his girlfriend and wife  until finally escaping his mansion. In Ronnie's words, "I can only say that when I left in the early 1970s, I knew that if I didn't leave at that time, I was going to die there."

56 - Nights In White Satin - Moody Blues - 1972 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #2)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Entry for the song in both the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

55 - Dawn (Go Away) - Four Seasons - 1964 (Peaks: WABC #2, Nat’l #3)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A continuation of a four year span in which the group debuted an incredible 27 songs onto the top 100, ten of which made the top ten.

54 - Hotel California - Eagles - 1977 (Peaks: WABC #2, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

 53 - Things I'd Like To Say - New Colony Six - 1969 (Peaks: WABC #5, Nat’l #16)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Three more years for the New Colonly Six attempting to find another top 20 song, only to manage one song making the top 50 out of five more top 100 entries.

52 - Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell - 1968 (Peaks: WABC #2, Nat’l #3)

WHAT CAME NEXT: "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour", a TV show spurred on by the success of this song. The show lasted until 1972.

51 - I Only Have Eyes For You - Flamingos - 1959 (Peaks: WABC – Pre-Dates Chart, Nat’l #11)

WHAT CAME NEXT: One song that got to #30 for this group, and no other record that charted any higher than #45.

Let's continue on with the "reveal" of this year's Top 77 of All-Time as YOU Voted It!

50 - *Yesterday – Beatles – 1965 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Over 2,500 additional recordings of this song by various acts over the next several decades, And the flip side of this record, "Act Naturally", making the charts to #47 with Ringo on lead.

49 - *California Dreamin’ – Mamas and the Papas – 1966 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #4)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Nine top 30 hits by the end of 1967...and then five low-ranking chart songs followed by the group break-up.

48 - You Really Got Me - Kinks - 1964 (Peaks: WABC #2, Nat'l ##7)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Two more top ten hits released within the next six months, but then no more top tens until ONE in the 70s ("Lola" and ONE MORE in the 80s ("Come Dancing").

47 - Midnight Confessions – Grass Roots – 1968 (Peaks: WABC #3, Nat’l #5)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A TV career on the show "The Office" for guitarist Creed Bratton...even if it did take almost 40 years to happen.

46 - Earth Angel – Penguins – 1955 (Peaks: WABC – Pre-Dates Chart, Nat’l #8)

45 - *Philadelphia Freedom - Elton John - 1975 (Peaks: WABC #1, Natl #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Two more songs and then Elton's first two-sided hit, "Grow Some Funk of Your Own"/"I Feel Like a Bullet", surprisingly one of only TWO double-sided hits for Elton, despite enormous popularity and over 65 chart appearances.

44 - Sister Golden Hair - America - 1975) Peaks: WABC #6, Nat'l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Four more top 100 songs, two of which made the top 40. Then, the group stopped using Beatles' producer George Martin, and "You Can Do Magic" became their only other top 20 hit through the end of their chart career in 1983.

43 - Can't Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley – 1962 (Peaks: WABC #8, Nat’l #2)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Elvis' very next chart song would be the number one hit, "Good Luck Charm". But after that, the king would have only one more chart-topper, and that would come more than seven years later, with "Suspicious Minds".

42 - *Crystal Blue Persuasion - Tommy James and the Shondells - 1969 (Peaks: WABC #1, Natl #2)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Tommy's last top 20 hit with the Shondells, "Ball of Fire". As a solo act starting in 1970, Tommy only had one more top ten hit and another top 20 song.

41 - *Honky Tonk Women - Rolling Stones - 1969 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat'l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Nothing much. For two years, the Stones disappeared from the singles charts, finally re-emerging in 1971 with the number one hit "Brown Sugar".

40 - *Runaway – Del Shannon – 1961 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1) 

WHAT CAME NEXT: A career that saw a total of nine top 40 songs and three top ten hits. Del's last top 40 hit, "Sea of Love", was produced by Tom Petty and came 25 years after his previous top 100 song.

39 - *Stoned Soul Picnic – 5th Dimension – 1967 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #3)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Two more top 40 hits to round out 1968 and then three top 20 hits in 1969. But it was in 1970 that the group really swamped the top 100, charting with an incredible eight titles. And suprisingly, only their very last chart song that year made the top 20, "One Less Bell to Answer" at #2.

38 - *Will You Love Me Tomorrow – Shirelles – 1961 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A re-release of a song that only got to #83 in 1959. But on the heels of THIS hit, "Dedicated to the One I Love" surged to #3 in 1961.

37 - *To Sir With Love – Lulu – 1967 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Following this monster hit, Lulu would have to wait until 1981 to have another top 20 hit, "I Could Never Miss You", which peaked at #18.

36 - Here Comes The Sun - Beatles - 1969 from the LP "Abbey Road" (Peaks: WABC - Did Not Chart, Nat'l - Did Not Chart)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Two more albums charted before the group broke up in 1970, one being the compilation LP "Hey Jude", and the other being "Let It Be". But in reality, "Abbey Road" was the last LP the Beatles recorded in-studio as a band.

35 - God Only Knows – Beach Boys – 1966 (Peaks: WABC – Did Not Chart, Nat’l #39) 

WHAT CAME NEXT: "Good Vibrations", which would be The Beach Boys last #1 song for over 22 years, until "Kokomo" came along in 1988, but not on WABC, where the boys never did better than #2.

34 - Strawberry Fields Forever – Beatles – 1967 (Peaks: WABC #34, Nat’l #8)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A thorough examination of the fade on this song in connection with the "Paul Is Dead" mystery, with listeners in 1969 trying to figure out if John really says "I buried Paul" as the song ends. John claimed all along it was "cranberry sauce".

33 - Mack the Knife – Bobby Darin – 1959 (Peaks: WABC – Pre-Dates Chart, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Hit songs through 1966 in genres that included pop, r&b, country and rock and roll, making Bobby one of the most diversified hit-makers in chart history.

32 - *Maggie May – Rod Stewart – 1971 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT:  This song was one of three of Rod's songs named in "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".

31 - Suspicious Minds - Elvis Presley - 1969 (Peaks: WABC #4, Nat'l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A continuation of Elvis' rebirth into the concert circuit that followed his "Comeback" TV show from the year before. It was on this tour that Elvis met Cassandra Peterson, later television's Elvira. While working as a Vegas showgirl, she remembers Elvis being vehemently anti-drug and not only being deeply opposed to recreational drugs, but also rarely drinking.

30 - *The Sound of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel – 1965 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A career. Once this song -  originally recorded as an acoustic piece for their first album "Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M." in 1964  - was released in late 1965, the duo followed with eleven more top 20 hits and a career that has made them music legends. The song was written in February 1964 by Paul Simon in the aftermath of the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy.

29 - *Lightnin' Strikes – Lou Christie – 1966 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Continued success with both MGM and Buddah Records, but most surprisingly, a turn as lead singer of Meco's Cantina Band in 1981 on a Beach Boys song tribute called "Summer '81 Medley".

28 - He's a Rebel – Crystals – 1962 (Peaks: WABC #2, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A bit of petty payback. When Darlene Love, the true lead singer on this song, asked for more recognition from producer Phil Spector, he responded by removing her voice from the track of "Da Doo Ron Ron" and cutting back her workload.

27 - My Girl – Temptations – 1965 (Peaks: WABC #4, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Turnover. Turmoil within the group and untimely deaths led to this group having some 22 members over the years.

26 - *Incense and Peppermints – Strawberry Alarm Clock – 1967 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A follow-up called "Tomorrow", but not much after that. Their chart career would end in 1969 with their own version of Oliver's hit, "Good Morning Starshine".

CHECK BACK FOR THE TOP 25...THE BIGGEST OF THE BEST ON THIS YEAR'S TOP 77.

Let's continue on to reveal all the numbers right up to the top on this year's Top 77 of All-Time as YOU Voted It!

25 - *You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' – The Righteous Brothers – 1965 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: The end of their relationship with producer Phil Spector.  After three more top ten hits on Spector's Philles label, their contract was sold to Verve/MGM Records in 1965 since the singers did not get along well with Spector. Their first release in 1966, "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" was a Phil Spector sound-alike song and made it all the way to #1.

24 - Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen – 1975 (Peaks: WABC #36, Nat’l #23)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Starting with the album that featured this song and debuted on the LP chart the same week as this song did on the Hot 100, 14 of Bruce's next 15 albums would peak at either #1. #2. or #3 on the charts.

23 - Taxi – Harry Chapin – 1972 (Peaks: WABC #9, Nat’l #24)

WHAT CAME NEXT: In the mid-1970s, Chapin focused on social activism which included raising money to combat hunger in the United States. He co-founded the organization World Hunger with radio personality Bill Ayres before returning to music with "On the Road to Kingdom Come". His daughter Jen said: "He saw hunger and poverty as an insult to America". He also released a book of poetry, "Looking...Seeing" in 1977.

22 - Waterloo Sunset – Kinks – 1967 (Peaks: WABC – Did Not Chart, Nat’l – Did Not Chart)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Accolades for this song. A London FM radio poll named the song the "Greatest Song About London", while Time Out named it the "Anthem of London". It holds the #42 spot on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. And Pitchfork Media named it the 29th best song of the 1960s.

21 - *Sherry – Four Seasons – 1962 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A song that sounded just like "Sherry" but actually did better on the charts! "Big Girls Don't Cry" not only made it to #1,  but stayed on the top 100 for two additional weeks. And while that song was charting, their version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" got to #23 on the Hot 100.

20 - *Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures) – 5th Dimension – 1969 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A Grammy for Record of the Year and one more #1 song that year, "Wedding Bell Blues".

19 - *Cherish – Association – 1966 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Surprisingly, two chart flops followed this monster hit. It wasn't until the following summer that they hit the top again with "Windy".

18 - *She Loves You – Beatles - 1964 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: No other Beatles chart songs from this label, Swan; however, in an attempt to capitalize on the group's success, Swan did release this song in its German version, where it earned the dubious honor of being the lowest ranking chart song ever on the top 100 for this group, when it peaked at #97.

17 - *Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross - 1970 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Five more number one songs and top ten hits through 1984, when "Missing You", a song tribute to the end of Marvin Gaye's career ironically became Diana's last hit song.

16 - Like a Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan - 1965 (Peaks: WABC #3, Nat’l #2)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A bona fide top 40 career, despite his anti-establishment poetic and protest beginnings. He followed with 22 top 100 hits, three more top ten’s and five top 20 hits for a total of 13 career top 40 songs.

15 - *Downtown – Petula Clark – 1965 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Success in the U. S. Before this song, Petula had substantial success as a child actress in England and as a singer worldwide, except in the States. But she struck with a vengeance in 1965, as this song started a string of 15 consecutive top 40 hits through 1968.

14 - Imagine – John Lennon Plastic Ono Band – 1971 (Peaks: WABC #4, Nat’l #3)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A fight from being deported out of the U.S. that lasted until 1976, when he was finally awarded a permanent Visa.

 13 - *Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel – 1970 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: The duo split up. And it was largely due to creative differences surrounding this song and the LP it came from. They would reunite several times for brief periods, but never again recorded as a permanent act.

12 - Good Vibrations – Beach Boys – 1966 (Peaks: WABC #4, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A song many felt was a paltry attempt to emulate the sound of "Good Vibrations". It was "Heroes and Villains", and only peaked at an anemic #12, becoming a largely forgotten song in the Beach Boys catalogue.

11 - *Let It Be – Beatles – 1970 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: "The Long and Winding Road" and the end of The Beatles. Although re-releases and re-hashed singles and LPs would follow, 1970 marked the "official" end of The Beatles, with both John Lennon and Paul McCartney announcing the end of the group.

10 - Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin – 1971 (Peaks: WABC – Did Not Chart, Nat’l – Did Not Chart)

WHAT CAME NEXT: The LP, "Houses of the Holy", which was the first Led Zeppelin LP NOT to be self-titled. And there would be no more self-titled LPs until 1990, when a compilation album titled "Led Zeppelin" made it to #18.

9 - *Light My Fire – Doors – 1967 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Defying Ed Sullivan. The TV host insisted that the Doors change the lyrics of the song to "Girl we couldn't get much better" due to what was perceived as a reference to drugs in the original lyrics.  Morrison sang the song with the original lyrics anyway, claiming that he simply forgot to make the change. This infuriated Sullivan who refused to shake hands with Morrison or any other band member after their performance and then had a show producer tell the band that they will never do The Ed Sullivan Show again.

8 - In the Still of the Nite - Five Satins - 1956 (Peaks: Pre-dates WABC Charts, WMGM-NY #13, Natl #24)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Doo wop legendary status. Even though this song did no better than #24 in three separate chart runs on the national charts, by the 1970s both the song and the group came to represent the entire doo wop era, with this song being the flag bearer for an era.

7 - *A Horse with No Name - America - 1972 (Peaks: WABC #1, Natl #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Questions about what this song was about. No one seemed to understand it. Although many thought it to be a song about drugs, lead singer Dewey Bunnell says he merely wrote the lyrics based on images he saw while visiting the U.S.

6 - *I Want to Hold Your Hand – Beatles – 1964 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Eight more consecutive months where a new Beatles title entered the Hot 100. That time frame accounted for an astounding 28 chart songs.

5 - *(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – Rolling Stones – 1965 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: An appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show where the lyrics were changed. But few remember that that wasn't the ONLY time the lyrics presented problems.  When the Rolling Stones performed the song on the TV show Shindig! in 1965, the line “trying to make some girl” was censored.  And again, when they performed it later on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1966 the same line – “trying to make some girl”– was not used.

4 - MacArthur Park – Richard Harris – 1968 (Peaks: WABC #2, Nat’l #2)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Long 45's. Up until that time, single releases were generally kept to three minutes or less. But in 1968 with the success of this song and "Hey Jude", recording acts and their labels, and subsequently radio stations, started accepting singles that stretched to four minutes and beyond.

3 - *American Pie – Don McLean – 1972 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Over analysis. As it seemed every amateur song interpreter in the country took a stab at figuring out who the jester, the marching band, and Satan represented in McLean's lyrics. When asked what "American Pie" meant, McLean himself replied, "It means I never have to work again", and then more seriously stated, "You will find many interpretations of my lyrics but none of them by me.... songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence."

2 - *Rag Doll – Four Seasons – 1964 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: A long wait for their next #1. It didn't come until 1975 when "December 1963" made it to the top.

1 - *HEY JUDE - BEATLES – 1968 (Peaks: WABC #1, Nat’l #1)

WHAT CAME NEXT: Nearly worldwide recognition of this song as the ultimate Beatles song. The song reached #1 in Austria, Canada, on the Dutch Top 40, in Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the U.S.A. and other countries.

There you have it! The “Countdown” version of the 15th Annual Top 77 of All-Time as YOU voted it.