Every Friday, I’m publishing my top ten songs from a single year and this week it’s the turn of 1967.
For previous top ten tunes, please click on the year: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Mick Jagger & Keith Richards arrested for possession of illegal drugs. Neither of them spent more than a day in prison despite their sentencing.
In 1967, was the Summer of Love, which was a social phenomenon that involved thousands of hippies or flower children converging in San Fransisco and other parts of the US and Europe, racing driver Donald Campbell is killed in a crash on Coniston Water in the Lake District trying to break his own speed record, the UK win the Eurovision Song Contest with Sandie Shaw’s performance of Puppet on a String– it was the first song in the English language to win the contest, the Beatles release their album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones is arrested and jailed for a year for drug possession and Mick Jagger is jailed for 3 months, the first colour television broadcasts take place, private acts of consensual male homosexuality are decriminalised, English road cyclist Tom Simpson dies of exhaustion during the Tour de France, the Concorde was unveiled in France, Arab forces attack Israel beginning the Yom Kippur War where the Arab forces were defeated and Israel took possession of additional territory, Muhammad Ali is stripped of his heavyweight title for refusing induction into US army, United Kingdom and Ireland apply officially for EEC membership, Otis Redding tragically dies in a plane crash aged only 26 years old, the films The Graduate, Cool Hand Luke, the Jungle Book, The Dirty Dozen, Bonnie and Clyde and Belle de Jour are all released.
The 60s are most definitely swinging now. This week’s list features two of my all-time favourite singers- Aretha and Otis. If you get a chance, I strongly recommend watching both of the videos below. They were both such amazing singers and performers and these videos capture this perfectly. Also, this week begs the question, will the Beatles be my most featured artist across all of these top ten tunes lists? Beating Madonna? Maybe…Anyway, here’s my top ten tunes from 1967, in no particular order.
1. Everything’s Gonna Be Alright by PP Arnold
2. Respect by Aretha Franklin (one of my favourite clips of Queen Aretha performing. Also, in 1967 she released 6 amazing singles and it was almost arbitrary which one I picked)
3. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
4. Everlasting Love the Love Affair
5. Daydream Believer by the Monkees
6. People Are Strange by the Doors
7. Foxey Lady by Jimi Hendrix
8. Big Spender by Shirley Bassey
9. Hello, Goodbye by the Beatles
10. Try a Little Tenderness by Otis Redding (try watching this without a tear in your eye, whilst remembering he died the day after this was recorded at only 26 years old)
Of course, this week my favourite is Queen Aretha, but Love Affair & Otis are a verrrrrrry close second. Let me know which of these tracks from 1967 is your favourite.
See you next week for 1968!
Just Another Blog From a Woman 
So hard to pick love them all for different reasons ! If I have to pick Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding.
What about this one by the Who
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good one.
Aretha and Otis are two of the very few that can legitimately be called “Legends” xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes indeed and legends are what they are now 💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Doors and the Beatles. Jim Morrison in his prime was just divine, and that voice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the Doors. So many good songs & weirdly they weren’t that commercially successful over here. These top Tens are making me listen to all the Beatles albums. Am currently listening to the White album 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like a great way to spend the day to me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Since I was still in junior school, I was really only aware of two of the things in your list – Sgt Pepper and Puppet on a String. My uncle, still living with my grandparents, had the LP of Sgt Pepper and I spent a lot of time in their front room listening to it on the record player.
I’m afraid none of your choices was my favourite at the time. That was Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Child me obviously didn’t know what it was about, nor did she care that it didn’t make sense. Of the songs on the list Big Spender is my favourite. Few people could or can deliver a song like Shirley Bassey.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Weirdly, the Beatles never released a single from Sgt Pepper’s. I do love that album though and in particular “A Day In The Life”. And yes, no one could emulate Dame Shirley.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love The Doors!
LikeLiked by 1 person
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
LikeLike
I almost couldn’t get past the history part of the post (but I am glad I watched Otis). My grandmother, the one who flew airplanes for the Women’s Air Service Pilots in WWII, had a love affair with flying. When the Concord arrived on the scene, she made it a life’s mission to ride it. Soon after she managed to take the flight, the Concord took it’s last flight. I have a picture of my Grammy in my office at work and I happened to be looking at it today. One never knows how little reminders of times gone by will strike. In my case, my heart hurt, but in a good way, to think of her. And what she must have thought about that great airplane. She would have been just a few years older than I am now, 49 if my math is correct in 1967. Oh what a year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I heart Otis so much. The news is so often hard to swallow, isn’t it? How lovely to hear about your grandmother, Angela. I am so glad she achieved her life ambition. As a small coincidence, it was also my grandmother’s life ambition to fly on Concord. Sadly, she was never able to achieve her ambition, so it makes me even happier to hear that you Grammy did. I’m also very happy that my little post reminded you of someone very special.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Marvin and Tammi – what a combination! Just perfect.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love those two together.
LikeLike