Our Favorite Songs of 1963 | Songs of the Year

Welcome to our Songs of the Year series. Today we're looking at 1963! If you saw any of our Albums of the Year videos then you'll kind of know how this goes, but we've added a few new twists.

Every Friday we will each be choosing our favorite songs of a year, starting in 1958 and going all the way through 2021. We will be making five selections from the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Any song that broke the Hot 100 at any point during the year is eligible. After that we'll be making five more 'wildcard' selections. These picks can come from anywhere. They could've charted as well, but they could also be album cuts, from soundtracks, b-sides...anything at all. And lastly, we'll also be choosing our least favorite song to crack the Top 40.

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Here's the Year End Top 50. Will any of these make our lists?

1 "Surfin' U.S.A." - The Beach Boys
2 "The End of the World" - Skeeter Davis
3 "Rhythm of the Rain" - The Cascades
4 "He's So Fine" - The Chiffons
5 "Blue Velvet" - Bobby Vinton
6 "Hey Paula" - Paul & Paula
7 "Fingertips" - Little Stevie Wonder
8 "Can't Get Used to Losing You" - Andy Williams
9 "My Boyfriend's Back" - The Angels
10 "Sukiyaki" - Kyu Sakamoto
11 "So Much in Love" - The Tymes
12 "Puff, the Magic Dragon" - Peter, Paul & Mary
13 "Blowin' in the Wind" - Peter, Paul & Mary
14 "Wipe Out" - The Surfaris
15 "I Love You Because" - Al Martino
16 "Wild Weekend" - The Rebels
17 "You're the Reason I'm Living" - Bobby Darin
18 "Walk Like a Man" - The Four Seasons
19 "Mockingbird" - Inez & Charlie Foxx
20 "I Will Follow Him" - Little Peggy March
21 "Pipeline" - The Chantays
22 "Surf City" - Jan & Dean
23 "It's My Party" - Lesley Gore
24 "Blame It on the Bossa Nova" - Eydie Gormé
25 "You Can't Sit Down" - The Dovells
26 "Heat Wave" - Martha and the Vandellas
27 "Denise" - Randy & the Rainbows
28 "Walk Right In" - The Rooftop Singers
29 "If You Wanna Be Happy" - Jimmy Soul
30 "If I Had a Hammer" - Trini Lopez
31 "Easier Said Than Done" - The Essex
32 "Ruby Baby" - Dion
33 "Our Day Will Come" - Ruby & the Romantics
34 "Hello Stranger" - Barbara Lewis
35 "Be My Baby" - The Ronettes
36 "South Street" - The Orlons
37 "Days of Wine and Roses" - Henry Mancini
38 "The Monkey Time" - Major Lance
39 "Candy Girl" - The Four Seasons
40 "Sugar Shack" - Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs
41 "Still" - Bill Anderson
42 "Blue on Blue" - Bobby Vinton
43 "Cry Baby" - Garnet Mimms & the Enchanters
44 "Two Faces Have I" - Lou Christie
45 "Busted" - Ray Charles
46 "Da Doo Ron Ron" - The Crystals
47 "Foolish Little Girl" - The Shirelles
48 "Memphis" - Lonnie Mack
49 "In Dreams" - Roy Orbison
50 "More" - Kai Winding
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Remeber to vote for which of our winners is your favorite and check out the playlists:

Vote Here:

Songs of the Year 1963 (Spotify):

Songs of the Year 1963 (YouTube):

Songs of the Year Winners (Spotify):

The Worst Top 40 Songs (Spotify):

We hope you'll play along down in the comments. See ya there. Thanks for watching!

#SongsoftheYear #1963 #Songsof1963 #Oldies
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[davidgagen]

1. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right - Bob Dylan
2. In My Room - Beach Boys
3. Ring Of Fire - Johnny Cash
4. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall - Bob Dylan
5. In Dreams - Roy Orbison
6. Please Please Me - The Beatles
7. Masters Of War - Bob Dylan
8. Walkin' To New Orleans - Fats Domimo
9. Up On The Roof - The Drifters
10. Sweet Dreams - The Everly Brothers
11. Girl From The North Country - Bob Dylan
12. I Wanna Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
13. Blowin' In The Wind - Bob Dylan

[ELDuderino]

My Top Ten for 1963
1)In My Room - Beach Boys
2)Surfer Girl - Beach Boys
3)Little Deuce Coupe - Beach Boys
4)Don't Think Twice, It's alright - Bob Dylan
5)I Can't Stay Mad At You - Skeeter Davis
6)Shame Shame Shame - Jimmy Reed
7)Come & Get These Memories - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
8)I'm So Proud - The Impressions
9)Walk Like A Man - The Four Seasons
10)Walkin' The Dog - Rufus Thomas

[AnthonyArena-gl]

Da Doo Ron Ron by The Crystals is my favorite for this year. La La Brooks on lead vocals and Hal Blaine on drums, with tge wrecking xrew..just sensational.

[josejones]

Regardless of Hot 100 vs wildcard…My top 5 for 1963:

1. Be my baby
2. In my room
3. Twist and shout
4. Then he kissed me
5. Surfer girl

[dereks]

Be My Baby is not only the best song of 1963 but in my opinion it's a Top 3 song of all time.

[pauljohnson]

Has to be “In Dreams” by Roy Orbison for me. Probably has more to do with Dean Stockwell miming it whilst Dennis Hopper wells up beside him in “Blue Velvet” by the master, David Lynch. It gets me every time. 🎙

[johnjackson]

1. A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall Bob Dylan
2. Be My Baby The Ronettes
3. Don't Think Twice Bob Dylan
4. Twist and Shout The Beatles
5. Girl from the North Country Bob Dylan
6. Wipe Out The Safaris
7. Blue Bayou Roy Orbison
8. Act Naturally Buck Owens
9. Blowing in the Wind Bob Dylan
10. In My Room Beach Boys

[mirasolbalaga]

Great picks all around. I agree with Jason about Be My Baby. It’s one of the greatest songs of all time. I love Ronnie Spector’s vocals RIP.
I’ve been a Beatles fan for decades, and I’m just now loving the song, It Won’t Be Long. Just like Kramzer says, it’s so cool and edgy and I love the Yeah, yeah, yeahs. There’s a harmony part that is surprisingly glorious.

[scottanthonyweidner]

Y'all (and most of the listening world, from what I can see) are absolutely out to lunch in not having my number one on your lists. Crazy.

10. The Chiffons - "One Fine Day" - Lovely blast of girl group energy that had nothing to do with Phil...
9. The Beach Boys - "Surfer Girl" - Ah, that longing in Brian's voice.
8. Jan and Dean - "Surf City" - Cheesy, but catchy as hell, especially the rhythmic rush of "shootin' the curls..." The unheralded Brian Wilson gem, a full-bodied track above and beyond most of what the Beach Boys were doing at the time.
7. The Crystals - "And Then He Kissed Me" - Joy Division even quoted it on their final version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart." So joyful.
6. The Crystals - "Da Doo Ron Ron" - A rush of girly enthusiasm, full of propulsive vocal hooks. The huge reverb just makes it that much more fun.
5. The Beach Boys - "Surfin' USA" - Speaking of propulsive! Oh my word!
4. The Beatles - "Twist and Shout" - Preach it, John, preach it!
3. The Ronettes - "Be My Baby" - Absolutely lovely chorus. So romantic.
2. Little Stevie Wonder - "Fingertips Parts 1 & 2" - Apocalyptically catchy. As insulting as it may be to his mature artistic mastery, this might be my favorite Stevie track of all time. One of the few tracks out there that I cannot listen to without this creaky, white half-century-old body being forced to get up and dance. Hide your eyes!
1. The Beatles - "She Loves You" - Come on, guys, this is the **one song** that changed rock 'n' roll forever. A juggernautic rush of musical enthusiasm, and catchy as hell. Ringo rocks it, as do those driving guitars. Fantastic harmonies. Absolutely a top five Beatles song, "A Day in the Life" and other mature achievements not withstanding, and head and shoulders the best thing they did before Rubber Soul. It's just that everyone moronically associates it with the so-called "bubble-gum" of Beatlemania. But this is the sh*t. Absolutely where Ric Flair got "Woooo!!!" indeed.

[Vanessa.P]

Lots to choose from this year and a few tough decisions but here is my list.

Hot 100 Picks:
- The Chiffons - One Fine Day
- Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire
- The Ronettes - Be My Baby
- Skeeter Davis - The End of the World

Wildcard Picks:
- Martha Reeve & The Vandellas - (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave
- The Beach Boys - Surfer Girl
- The Beatles - All My Loving
- The Crystals - Da Doo Ron Ron
- The Beatles - Twist and Shout

Worst Top 40: "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" by Allan Sherman. I watched a live clip of this from the time and people were laughing their asses off at every line. I don't get it.

My #1: "In Dreams" by Roy Orbison. I've loved this song for years, something about how dramatic it is gets me every time.

[jackedmonston]

1. Be My Baby - Ronettes
2. In my room - Beach Boys
3. Louie, Louie - Kingsman
4. Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals
5. Twist and Shout - The Beatles

[komoleeray]

1963 ( in no order)
Chart stuff:
Sweet Dreams ( Patsy Cline)
In Dreams ( Roy Orbison)
Be My Baby ( Ronettes)
It’s Alright ( Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions)
I only want to be with you ( Dusty Springfield)

Other stuff:
Saturday Night Blues ( Kenny Burrell)
Monk’s Dream ( Thelonius Monk)
I’ll go crazy ( James Brown : Live at the Apollo )
Mickeys Monkey : Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
Twist and Shout : The Beatles

Worst song: How do you do it? (Gerry and the Pacemakers)

[roxannewalsh]

5. Dave Dudley - Six Days on the Road (Oh my...I cannot help it...The only thing that helps is not to be ashamed of it)
4. Marvin Gaye - Can I Get a Witness
3. Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire
2. Beach Boys - Surfin' USA
1. Bob Dylan - Blowin' in the Wind (I cannot recall when I first heard the name Bob Dylan but it was probably long after I knew the song. The song was everywhere and we sang it in my first week in school, so that was 1964. It was a real folk song in the way that folks of all generations sang it on various occasions - it was later that I learned that someone had written it and it was not just blowin in the wind. My life without Dylan, possible but not worth it...)

[pete]

10. Ray Price - Make the World Go Away
9. The Crystals - Then He Kissed Me
8. The Beatles - Twist and Shout
7. James Brown - Prisoner of Love
6. Roy Orbison - In Dreams
5. Sam Cooke - Little Red Rooster
4. Martha & the Vandellas - Heat Wave
3. The Crystals - Da Doo Ron Ron
2. The Ronettes - Be My Baby
1. The Beatles - I Want to Hold Your Hand

[nightowl]

Billboard:
5. It's All Right - Impressions
4. Can I Get a Witness - Marvin Gaye
3. One Fine Day - Chiffons
2. Surfer Girl - Beach Boys
1. Be My Baby - Ronettes

Wild cards:
5. Just One Look - Doris Troy
4. Mean Woman Blues - Roy Orbison
3. Ring Of Fire - Johnny Cash
2. Hello Stranger - Barbara Lewis
1. Don't Think Twice, It's Alright - Bob Dylan

Worst: Couldn't pick a worst song this year.
Best: Be My Baby -- phenomenal
Bonus: Surfin' Bird - The Trashmen. Still amuses me more than it should.

[baumbart]

10. Jack Nitzsche - The Lonely Surfer
9. Lesley Gore - You Don't Own Me
8. The Beatles - I Want To Hold Your Hand
7. Bob Dylan - A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall
6. Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan's Blues
5. Dionne Warwick - Anyone Who Had A Heart
4. The Drifters - On Broadway
3. Barbara Lewis - Hello Stranger
2. Bob Dylan - Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
1. The Ronettes - Be My Baby

[Zeitghoul]

Yes Id go further Jason....the production, the size of the sound, yet it's intimate, immediate, beautiful....I think the song is genius....the Ronettes♥️

[AABB-bmkk]

Best country song: Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash ✌️🙂

[murdockreviews]

Kudos for all the (listening) work you put into this series.

[expresscp]

A lot of nice picks, 1963 was a great year!
Here's my top 10 for 1963. I won't be including any Beatles songs until 1964 when they were released in both the USA and Canada.
I also agree the album of the year for '63 was 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'. The only album I own that was recorded before I was born (I was born in '64).
1 A HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL - Bob Dylan
2 SURFIN’ U.S.A. –•– The Beach Boys
3 BE MY BABY –•– The Ronettes
4 SURFER GIRL –•– The Beach Boys
5 MY BOYFRIEND’S BACK –•– The Angels
6 THE END OF THE WORLD –•– Skeeter Davis
7 BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND –•– Bob Dylan
8 THEN HE KISSED ME –•– The Crystals
9 LITTLE DEUCE COUPE –•– The Beach Boys
10 HEAT WAVE –•– Martha and the Vandellas