THE RESULTS ARE IN! And we thank all who participated in our seventh annual survey!

Once again this year, as we did last year in the spirit of the WABC countdowns, we're "revealing" the results in segments, with the final, full survey posted here on New Year's. Each day, we'll reveal eleven new numbers until we get to #1! And as a bonus, I've added commentary and insight into each song that made the top 77 to add more "flavor" to the survey.

Today's edition takes us all the way to #1. It's the complete list, revealed for the first time!

So with no further delay, let's "count 'em down"!

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By the time 1969 rolled around, the original "Jay" (Trainor, that is) was replaced by the second "Jay" (Black, that is) who was really David (Blatt, that is). And the song itself originally made it to #16 in 1960 (by the Drifters, that is). Did you get all that? Well anyway, one Mr. Black has now injected his oldie shows with some very "blue" material - for adults only. (Gee, how the mighty have fallen!) So does that makes him "Black, and Blue"? Anyway, this song was one of eight national and nine WABC top 20 hits, peaking at #6 nationally and #4 on MusicRadio, yet it was their only song to receive votes on our survey. With their very last top ten hit, it's NYU's very own...#77 - THIS MAGIC MOMENT - Jay and the Americans (1969).

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Our next hit didn't even show up on our surveys until our third edition, and since then it's made our top ten twice. But not this year! Dropping down all the way from #30 last year, it's Atlanta's superstars with one of 16 national top 20 hits, a song that peaked at #3 both nationwide and on WABC...#76 - BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME - Gladys Knight and the Pips (1974).

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If you've been wondering how long it would take to get to something by the Beatles, wait no longer! Here's something...er...here's "Something" by the Beatles. It was #20 last year, but this year it just made the cut. So, which title of this single backed with "Come Together" did better? Both nationally and on WABC, "Come Together" was the champ. In fact, "Something" only got to #7 on WABC. It was one of an incredible 41 Beatles songs you voted for overall this year...#75 - SOMETHING - Beatles (1969).

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Pull out those white jackets and slacks please. Now, point to the sky and do a few spins! Ah, here they are, the kings of "Saturday Night Fever's" floor show. And if it was up to movie producer Robert Stigwood, the song would be called "Saturday Night, Saturday Night". But the Bee Gees thought that title was way too common and corny, so they insisted it become "Stayin" Alive". It peaked at #1 both nationally and on WABC...#74 -STAYIN' ALIVE - Bee Gees (1978).

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They morphed from Jefferson Airplane to Jefferson Starship to Starship, but this song was their first. Originally titled "Someone to Love" when recorded by the original artists The Great Society, it peaked at #4 and was one of their seven top 20 songs on WABC...# 73 - SOMEBODY TO LOVE - Jefferson Airplane (1967).

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This group's one and only hit came in late summer of 1965. But you decided to acknowledge it by voting their song at #72. It's a true one-hit wonder out of California...#72 - YOU WERE ON MY MIND - We Five (1965.

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He's not exactly "Stuck in the Middle with You" in the Top 77...he's kind of stuck near the bottom of the top 77... but he DID have a top ten hit in 1973 as co-leader of the one-hit wonders Stealers Wheel. Here, his biggest solo hit makes the list for the first time. It peaked at #2 both nationally and on MusicRadio...#71 - BAKER STREET - Gerry Rafferty (1978).

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According to 22 year-old Thomas Jackson, this song was inspired by words he found in the Old Testament of the Bible. And it always reminded the singer of Woodstock, since the song was peaking during that infamous summer of 1969. One of nine top 20 hits and three number ones on WABC, here is Mr. Jackson...that would be Tommy James...with his band...#70 - CRYSTAL BLUE PERSUASION - Tommy James and the Shondells (1969).

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Newark, New Jersey's Gloria Gaynor stood front and center while the guys got bashed on the head over and over and over for nearly six months in 1979 as this feminist anthem assaulted the discos and made its way to #1. But, you know what, it was a good song...and you could dance to it. (I'll give it a 10, Dick...Oops, that's another show!). It was one of two top 20 hits for her...#69 - I WILL SURVIVE - Gloria Gaynor (1979).

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Wow! Now I'm SO proud of you. This almost makes up for the year you voted My Ding-a-Ling" onto the Top 77. Even so, let's clear up some misconceptions about this next rock and roll classic. First, it was NOT this guy's first hit, and second, it was not a number one song back in 1958. Nope, not even top five! It peaked at #8 nationally and #12 in New York (on WMGM). But it IS a classic. It's from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Charles Edward Anderson Berry...#68 - JOHNNY B. GOODE - Chuck Berry (1958).

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Lead singer Jim Peterik had some tough times before he clicked with this one hit wonder. First, his band had to dress up in capes and masks as Batman and the Boy Wonders at the insistance of the club owner who was hiring them. Then as The Ides of March, their record label told them they had to wear wigs and speak in British accents. Finally in 1970, they joined up with Warner Brothers and were allowed to just be themselves and came up with this #2 national and #9 WABC hit. And when he finished up with this group, Jim joined Survivor and notched seven more top twenty songs. #67 - VEHICLE - The Ides of March (1970).

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Check back tomorrow as we unveil three Beatles songs in our next group of eleven, including one huge, loooooong superhit that has taken an unreal nosedive on this year's survey!

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Day Two - #66 to #55

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Ah, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The steel mills, the coal mines, and the Allegheny River. And a classic early rock and roll hit that did much better in New York than it did nationally. If fact, it was their only national top 20 song, peaking at #12. But in New York City, it was a #1 song and one of three top 20 hits, followed by "This I Swear" later in the year and "Pennies from Heaven" in 1960. This year, you voted it into the Top 77 for the fifth time. Lead vocals come from 19 year-old Jimmy Beaumont...#66 - SINCE I DON'T HAVE YOU - The Skyliners (1959).

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I guess having 21 national top 20 hits and five number ones as lead singer of the Four Seasons wasn't enough for Francis Castaluccio. As a solo act starting in 1967, he had six more national top 20's and two number ones. This one peaked at #2 nationally, kept out of the top spot by the Association's "Windy". But in New York it made it all the way to #1. His stage name comes from Texas Jean Valley, the singer who took him to his first audition...#65 - CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF OF YOU - Frankie Valli (1967).

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Say aaaah! Well, that's how this song begins, anyway. Building a psychedelic-sounding melody around two of his favorite words, "crimson" and "clover", Dayton, Ohio's Tommy Jackson ended up with his second number one song, one of eleven national top 20 hits for him...#64 - CRIMSON AND CLOVER - Tommy James and the Shondells (1969).

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Here's a song that you voted onto the Top 77 for the second time and it's a song that was NEVER played by WABC. Originally released in 1967, it didn't make the national top 100 chart until 1988 when it reached #32 after being featured in the Robin Williams film "Good Morning Vietnam". Born in New Orleans in 1901, he's the guy nicknamed "Satchmo"...#63 - WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD - Louis Armstrong (1967/1988).

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This year, site visitors voted for an incredible 41 Beatles songs overall, making them far and away the number one artist on the survey once again. This one was all John Lennon's song, including the opening guitar lick with the first feedback ever put on record. Slated for release on December 5, a bootleg copy was first played by L.A. station KRLA on November 6. Capitol Records forced them to stop playing it, but KQV in Pittsburgh started airing the song and gave a copy to sister station WABC. Stamping the song heavily with Dan Ingram announcing "You Heard It First on WABeatle-C", MusicRadio added it to their playlist on November 10. Four weeks later, it was #1...#62 - I FEEL FINE - The Beatles (1964).

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Scotland's favorite one-hit wonders are back on the Top 77 with the song that peaked at #5 nationally and #2 on WABC. In England, they actually got to #1 with a follow-up hit called "January". Here, they were never heard from again...#61 - MAGIC - Pilot (1975).

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So when is a "Crystal" not a "Crystal"? Why, when it's Darlene Love, of course! Although the label says "The Crystals", in reality it was super-session singer Darlene Love and her group the Blossoms who sang on this Gene Pitney penned hit. It seems producer Phil Spector wanted it recorded immediately to beat out the competition from Vicki Carr, and the real Crystals just weren't available. In fact, by the time the Crystals heard their new record for the first time, it was already a hit on the radio so they realized that they had better learn the lyrics in a hurry! A #1 hit for two weeks nationally, it peaked at #2 on WABC and has finished as high as #31 on our Top 77...#60 - HE'S A REBEL - The Crystals (1962).

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Guess who's back this time with a song that had the working title of "Scrambled Egg". And although the record label read "The Beatles", John, George and Ringo weren't even in the studio when Paul recorded this. According to the Guiness Book of World Records - it's one of the most recorded songs in the history of music. And it was number one for two weeks in 1965...#59 - YESTERDAY - The Beatles (1965).

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Next on our survey is a VERY familiar artist...yet surprisingly, although this song is considered a standard now, when the 62 year-old "Chairman of the Board" recorded it, it only climbed to #27 nationally. In fact, WABC didn't even PLAY this song! Originally a tune by French singer/songwriter Claude Francois', Paul Anka translated it and re-wrote it...#58 - MY WAY - Frank Sinatra (1969).

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Now, you wanna talk about surprises...huh? HUH? Then here we go! This rock and roll founder and legend charted over 150 times nationally with some of the biggest hits in rock and roll history. Yet site voters chose THIS song, written by Eddie Rabbit, to be in our Top 77. It peaked nationally at #16. And on WABC, it only got to #26...TWENTY-SIX!!! Who knows?...maybe Eddie Rabbit's family voted for it...Go figure...#57 - KENTUCKY RAIN - Elvis Presley (1970).

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There were Beatles songs before this one, and there were long songs before this one. But there was never a long Beatles song before this one. And this year this song, considered by many to be the greatest cut from the greatest album of all-time, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", drops down ALL the way from #22 last year. (Come on, admit it. You thought it was "Hey Jude". Well, never mind). The LP was #1 for 15 weeks and won the Grammy for Album of the Year. This song was actually a combination of two unfinished songs, one by Paul, the other by John. Many use the reference to the car crash in the lyrics as proof of the "Paul Is Dead" rumors that were making headlines back then , but in reality the man who "blew his mind out in a car" was Tara Browne, a friend of the Beatles who was killed when his Lotus hit a parked van...#56 - A DAY IN THE LIFE - The Beatles (1967).

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You might remember Undisputed Truth with a hit called "Smiling Faces Sometimes". But did you know that they recorded this next song four months BEFORE it was a hit for another Motown group? It only got to #63 originally. But even more surprising is that this vocal hit won a Grammy for "Best R&B Instrumental". (The song was so long - almost 12 minutes - that the edited single's B side consisted strictly of the instrumental part of the song.) It peaked at #1 nationally and #2 on WABC...#55 - PAPA WAS A ROLLIN' STONE - The Temptations (1972).

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So there you have it, the second installment of our Top 77. Next up, #'s 54 through 44, which - oddly enough - include NO Beatles songs. But it DOES feature the oldest hit on our survey back to back with the newest hit on the list.

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Day 3, and #'s 54 to 44.

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Only the Beatles could let these guys look like poor runners-up. And they did just that, as the Stones - with 14 songs getting votes - finished a weak second (as far as groups go) to the Fab Four. Back to the hot, summer days ushering out the last year of the sixities decade, this song stayed on top for five weeks on MusicRadio...#54 - HONKY TONK WOMEN - The Rolling Stones (1969).

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Here's the hit that's been voted onto the Top 77 six out of a possible seven times - finishing at #9 on our first Top 77. It's the Brooklyn New York native born Carole Klein responsible for writing such monster hits as "Go Away Little Girl", "The Locomotion", and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". In 1971, she became a hit singer in her own right as her "Tapestry" LP charted for 68 weeks, staying at #1 for 15 weeks and winning the Grammy for "Album of the Year". This song peaked at #1 on MusicRadio and comes from her #1 "Wrap Around Joy" album. It's one of six national top 20 hits for her...#53 - JAZZMAN - Carole King (1974).

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OK...here's a quickie quiz for you. Who was Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie? We'll give you some clues. She was born in Glasgow, Scotland and was just 18 years old when she had her biggest hit. Her first group was called the Gleneagles before she became somewhat more popular with her name in front of the Luvvers. She was also married to Bee Gee Maurice Gibb from 1969 to 1973. One last clue. Called the "Scottish Brenda Lee", she had a bit part in a Sidney Poitier movie but was MUCH better known as the lady who sang the title song (#1 for two weeks on WABC) from that movie. Give up?...#52 - TO SIR WITH LOVE - Lulu (1967).

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This next song has made our survey every year but one, missing only in 1999. (...Hmmm, I wonder if Prince had something to do with that!) The song didn't do well when it was first released. In fact, in 1971 it only got to #51 on the national top 100. In 1972, it resurfaced in its full, unedited seven minute and ten second version and peaked at #7 on WABC. With vocals from Eric Clapton, here's the song titled after his girlfriend's nickname. Only problem at the time was that his girlfriend, Patti Boyd, was married to Beatle George. Oops!...#51 - LAYLA - Derek and the Dominoes (1972).

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Now it's time for the guys from Mississippi originally formed as a gospel group back in 1954. Their 20 minutes of fame came with this song (and the album version of it lasted about 20 minutes as I recall...or did it just SEEM that way!). It peaked at #11 nationally, but got all the way up to #6 on WABC. Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes, they really ARE all brothers...#50 - TIME HAS COME TODAY - The Chambers Brothers (1968).

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Ah, Elvis had NOT left the building. Why, here he is again with one of 17 songs out of the nearly 1000 you voted for this year. His 19 national #1 hits put him second only to the Beatles who had 20. But how many Elvis albums do you think made it to #1? Actually, nine Elvis LPs made it to the top, and 49 albums charted on the national list, making him second only to...those guys from England again. (So what else is new?) This hit was the last national #1 single for Elvis during the WABC era. It came out of the first recording session the King had in Memphis since 1955. Backed by Ronnie Milsap and Jeannie Greene, it peaked at #4 on WABC...#49 - SUSPICIOUS MINDS - Elvis Presley (1969).

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We can always count on Newport, Rhode Island to rally around their hometown favorites on our survey. Originally recorded for a TV special, this song from the Broadway musical "Hair" eventually climbed to #2, being kept from the top spot, appropriately, by the Fifth Dimension's "Aquarius...", ANOTHER song from that same play. Shortly after this hit, the group was approached to star in a TV show based on their lives. But since the network wanted Shirley Jones to play the mom and NOT use the group's real mom, dad said no. Soooo..."The Partridge Family" went on to become a legendary TV series, and the Cowsills went on to record two more songs, neither one of which peaked any higher than #74. Errr...I'm sure the group would like to say..."thanks dad!"...#48 - HAIR - The Cowsills (1969).

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We hardly ever hear the original version of this next song anymore, with most stations playing the long album version that was NEVER aired when the song was out. (Aha! So now you know what REALLY bugs me in life!). This was the biggest hit and the only #1 song for this Newcastle, England group, one of ten national and five WABC top 20 hits. In fact, after this hit, they could get no higher than #9 nationally and #15 on MusicRadio...#47 - THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN - The Animals (1964).

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Hey, ya wanna know what RECENT hit did the best on this year's list? Well, ya need look no further than right here at #46. A number one national hit for nine weeks just about a year ago, it's Big Boi and Andre 3000 (Huh? What ever happened to names like John Smith and Mary Jones?). Well, anyway, ya must have seen the video for this song, a takeoff of the Beatles appearance on the "Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964. But I bet ya didn't know that the song was originally called "Thank God for Mom and Dad", did ya?...#46 - HEY YA - Outkast (2003).

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So, now that we've checked out the most recent song on the list, how about revealing one that was recorded on April 12, 1954! Entering the charts in May of the following year, it was #1 for eight weeks and is considered by many to be the very first rock and roll song. It's from the classic movie "Blackboard Jungle"...#45 - (WE'RE GONNA) ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK - Bill Haley and the Comets (1955).

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OK...so must we set the record straight yet AGAIN for you guys? Yes, although one Mr. DiMucci did marry a woman named Sue, this song was REALLY written about a girl named Roberta, but who would remember a song called "Runaround Roberta", anyway? It was one of 13 national and 11 New York top 20 hits and was #1 for six weeks on WABC! The uncredited backup singers are the Del-Satins...#44 - RUNAROUND SUE - Dion (1961).

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Mission accomplished, with day three in the books. Next up, #'s 43 through 33, featuring the very first artist to use a symbol for a name (sorry Prince, it ain't you!) and a song based on the opera to make the list!

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Day 4, and #'s 43 to 33. Onward and upward!

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Maybe this next group should have been called Bad KARMA instead of Badfinger since two thirds of the band ended up committing suicide - first guitarist Pete Ham in 1975 and then bass player Tom Evans in 1983. Originally called The Iveys, this was one of the first acts signed to the Beatles' Apple label. In fact, not only can you hear rock legend Leon Russell on piano, but you'll also hear George Harrison helping out on guitar on this hit. Peaking at #3 on WABC in 1972, it was one of their four top 20 hits...#43 - DAY AFTER DAY - Badfinger.

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A mysterious lead singer who never removed his sunglasses and used a symbol for his name...why that would be Prince, right? Wrong! The first guy to do it was one Rudy Martinez with a song that's acknowledged as a forerunner of the punk movement. The group was originally called XYZ and the song was originally a poem called "Too Many Teardrops" written by Rudy in the early sixties. Recorded in a living room, the song climbed to #1 nationally and #3 on WABC before this group slid into one-hit wonder obscurity forever...#42 - 96 TEARS - ? and the Mysterians (1966).

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Here's a song that really didn't get much airplay when it was released, mainly because most radio stations were playing the "A" side, "Wouldn't It Be Nice". But somehow through the years this song, which only got to #39 nationally and wasn't even played on MusicRadio, has become a fan favorite. Said to have inspired The Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere", it's Carl Wilson on the lead on brother Brian's song...#41 - GOD ONLY KNOWS - The Beach Boys (1966).

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This New York City native was a member of the Brooklyn Heights Boys Choir and then went on to become a documentary movie maker in the 60's before signing with Elektra Records and having this #9 hit for WABC. On the national charts this song only made it to #24...in fact, nationally this guy only had one top 20 hit, the #1 "Cat's in the Cradle" in 1974. And in a further ironic twist of fate, it took eight years for Harry Chapin to release part two of this tale, a song called "Sequel" in 1980. That made this story both his first and very last chart hit. We lost him way too early at age 39 from an auto crash in 1981...#40 - TAXI - Harry Chapin (1972).

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Next up is the song recorded on April 13, 1965 that made it to #1 for Labor Day of that year. Written by John Lennon, he considered it a cry for help during a period that he was very insecure and, as he put it, "completely lost". He also later admitted that, although he loved his lyrics, he always felt the song was too fast. From the movie originally called "Eight Arms to Hold You" after the eight-armed god Kali in the flick, this was the title track, back on our Top 77 for only the second time in seven years...#39 - HELP! The Beatles (1965).

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Well, whadaya know! Look who's back! Why, it's the Fab Four with a song from the "Rubber Soul" LP making its fifth appearance on the survey and surprisingly emerging as one of your favorite Beatles cuts year after year. The album stayed on the charts for 6 months, with six weeks at #1. But this song was never released as a single...#38 - IN MY LIFE - The Beatles (1966).

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Breathe deep! (Or so they say on this song). It's a hit that took four years, eight months, and 25 days to reach its peak position on the chart. Originally released in 1968 and only peaking at #103, it stayed a fan favorite and was re-released four years later when it finally got to #2 nationally and #1 on MusicRadio WABC. Written for a stage show about a day in the life of a guy named "Moody Blue", this song represented the "night" part of that stage show...#37 - NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN - The Moody Blues (1972).

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Here's the very first of 19 songs to make the WABC top 20 and 36 hits to make the national top 20 charts. It's from 23 year-old Reginald Kenneth Dwight...a superstar who was originally in a group called Bluesology. Once that band split up, Reg got in touch with lyricist Bernie Taupin, and then combined the names of Bluesology members Elton Dean and John Baldry to come up with a new name for himself, Elton John. This song is returning to the Top 77after a one year absence. With lyrics written by then-17 year old Bernie Taupin in 1967, it peaked at #10 on WABC...#36 - YOUR SONG - Elton John (1971).

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It's time for "The Boss". With 13 top 20 national hits and three #1 albums, this song is considered to be his signature song. But it was NOT one of his biggest chart successes, peaking only at #23 nationally and #36 on WABC. And, interestingly enough, after the album this single came from was released, a legal battle prevented Bruce from releasing any other albums for another three years...#35 - BORN TO RUN - Bruce Springsteen (1975).

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It was George Harrison, known as the "quiet Beatle", who was the first to reach #1 AFTER the group's breakup. But the song that he did it with, written in late 1969, was really meant to be recorded by Billy Preston. It was only at the last minute that George called on producer Phil Spector to help out and release it as the writer's own single. And even though the courts ruled that the song infringed on the copyright of the 1963 Chiffons hit "He's So Fine", George says that it was really the sound of the 1969 hit "Oh Happy Day" by the Edwin Hawkins singers that inspired him to write this hit. On WABC it peaked at #2 in late 1970 and early 1971 and was one of his nine national solo hits...#34 - MY SWEET LORD - George Harrison (1971).

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Opera anyone? Well it sure sounds like it in parts, as we visit another song that charted two separate times and actually did better the second time around. Originally peaking at #9 nationally and #3 on WABC in 1976, it was Wayne and Garth lip-syncing the words in the movie "Wayne's World" that resurrected the single in 1992 and helped propel it to #2 on the national top 100 and #1 on New York's Z100. It's the late Freddy Mercury in the lead singing all about "scaramouch, scaramouch" (actually, that means "a boastful coward")...#33 - BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - Queen (1976/1992).

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That's a wrap! (or is is a "rap"...oh no, it can't be, there are no curse words here). Anyway, we're finished up to #33. Now, stay tuned kiddies, as we explore #32 to #22 next, and find only one song NOT from the sixties out of our next 14 entries. What WILL it be?

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Day 5 - and what have we for #'s 32 to 22?

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Let's lead off this segment with the first top ten hit for the Motown group that would wind up with 45 top 100 songs and 14 top 20 hits on WABC. Written by the superstar team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, lead singer Levi Stubbs didn't like how this particular "take" sounded and was promised he could return the next day to try it again. But what Stubbs wasn't told was that there was no session scheduled for the next day, and producer Brian Holland had full intentions of releasing the original take which he felt came out perfectly. So the song we've been singing along to for 40 years is, in reality, the version of this hit that the Four Tops NEVER wanted to release...#32 - I CAN'T HELP MYSELF - The Four Tops (1965).

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Our next entry was written in just over a half-hour and was originally intended to be a slow melody, almost like a waltz! But the Blue Danube would have to wait once this L.A. group got hold of it. Recorded in a converted garage, this former #1 was one of five top 20 hits for these guys...#31 - CHERISH - The Association (1966).

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Please pass the rigatoni and the marinara sauce. It's time for Lugee Geno Sacco, the Italian-Polish singer from Pennsylvania who started his career in 1961 as part of "Lugee and the Lions". And you wanna talk about identity crisis? This poor guy didn't even know his name when his first hit, "The Gypsy Cried", was released. It seems that the record company never told him that they changed his name to "Lou Christie", a name that he absolutely hated, by the way. Here's a former #1, one of his four top 20 hits...#30 - LIGHTNIN' STRIKES - Lou Christie (1966).

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Take two groups, the Distants and the Primes, and add in a song that was written by Smokey Robinson as a companion piece to Mary Wells' "My Guy" and...voila!...instant Motown hit. Actually, Smokey originally planned to record this with his group, The Miracles. But the Temptations heard him practicing it at the Apollo theatre in Harlem, New York and begged him to let them record the song. He said yes, and they went to the bank with a #1 national and #4 WABC hit...#29 - MY GIRL - The Temptations (1965).

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Here's a song that was originally a "B" side, yet through the years has become more popular than its "A" side, "Penny Lane". Spliced together from two separate John Lennon songs, we all know by now how the spoken words "cranberry sauce" at the end of the song were interpreted to say "I buried Paul", further adding to the 1969 hysteria that Paul was, indeed, dead. But did you know that a Morse code message is tapped out after John sings "Let me take you down..."? And that message says...says...says...well, actually, it translates as simply two letters being tapped out..."J" and "L". Oh, Johnny, you were such a kidder! This one peaked at #8 nationally, and #34 on WABC...#28 - STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER - The Beatles (1967).

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Three cheers for Rhode Island! Once again, here's that state's family group that became the inspiration for the Partridge Family TV show three years after this next song was a hit. Discovered on the "Today" show when they were still known as "The Cowsill Brothers", these five siblings along with little sister Susan and mom Barbara had three top 20 national hits, with this one reaching #1 for two weeks on WABC in 1967. But don't be listening for mom Barbara on this one. It was recorded BEFORE she was in the group...#27 - THE RAIN, THE PARK AND OTHER THINGS - The Cowsills (1967).

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Here's a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and inspired by the Four Tops' "Baby I Need Your Lovin'". It was penned specifically for the Righteous Brothers after legendary producer Phil Spector signed them to his record label. When Bill Medley, the low-voiced member of the duo, was given the entire first verse to sing, partner Bobby Hatfield sarcastically asked what he was supposed to do during that verse. Without missing a beat, Phil Spector told him he could go to the bank to collect his royalties. And he was right. Peaking at #1 for three weeks on MusicRadio in 1965 and two weeks nationally, here's the song that's a prime example of what was known as "blue-eyed soul"...#26 - YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELIN' - The Righteous Brothers (1965).

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The Supremes' lyrics "...sometimes up, sometimes down..." could easily apply to this song. It's been all over our Top 77 through the years, as high as #2 and then OFF the list entirely for two of the seven years. This year, he's back. It's the singer who vowed to be a legend by the age of 25 because he thought he wouldn't live to be 30. Unfortunately, he wasn't wrong by much, dying in 1973 from heart trouble at only 37 years old. He recorded this song to prove he wasn't just a rock and roller, and though he didn't want to release it as a single, it became his biggest hit, a #1 song for 9 weeks nationally in 1959. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Kevin Spacey!...#25 - MACK THE KNIFE - Bobby Darin (1959).

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Next up...the six man psychedelic group making the Top 77 for the sixth time. Originally called Thee Sixpence, this group changed their name to "Strawberry Alarm Clock" after the then-current Beatles hit, "Strawberry Fields Forever". And the lead singer on this song about "meaningless nouns" strung together only because they rhymed was a fill-in friend of the band who disappeared after the recording session! As a result, the drummer - a guy named Al Seol famous for playing bongos with his hands on fire - performed this song in concert since his voice most closely matched that of the mysteriously vanished lead singer. It was #1 for one week in 1967...#24 - INCENSE AND PEPPERMINTS - Strawberry Alarm Clock (1967).

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So what do you think was the biggest selling Beatles single in England? Why, it's this next hit from the Fab Four. It was #1 for six weeks during the British Invasion, and if it was up to Paul's dad, they would have sung "She Loves You, Yes, Yes, Yes" because it sounded more dignified than "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!" It's a good thing producer George Martin insisted on the "yeahs" and the Beatles went along with it!...#23 - SHE LOVES YOU - The Beatles (1964).

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Let's go to New Jersey for our next act, the group known through the years as...get ready now and take a deep breath...the Variatones, Frankie Love and the Four Lovers, Frankie Valle and the Romans, Billy Dixon and the Topics, the Village Voices, and eight other names before finally deciding on "The Four Seasons" after a New Jersey bowling alley where they had auditioned. After singing backup for Bobby Darin, Freddy Cannon, Danny and the Juniors and others, they finally connected with this hit and went on to have 44 top 100 hits and two more under the name "The Wonder Who". Even their lead singer, Frankie Valli, managed 14 top 100 national hits. And they landed 26 top 20 hits on MusicRadio. In an interview, group member and writer Bob Gaudio remembered that "Sherry was a quickie." Ummm, better explain that, Bob. "It took 15 minutes. I sat down at the piano and it just came out." Errr...OK - That's enough there, Bob. Better shut up now. No more explaining. 'Bye Bye. (OK, Is he gone? Whew!)...#22 - SHERRY - The Four Seasons (1962).

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So now we've completed our list to #22, and we're ready for the biggies as we enter the top 20 with our next installment. You want hints, you want HINTS. Well our next 11 songs feature only ONE Beatles song, four very long songs and FIVE movie titles. Whoa!

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Day 6 - and #'s 21 to #12...Let's go!

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It was spring of 1964 and we were wondering..."Were they the 'new' Beatles? Would the Fab Four be dethroned so quickly?" Well, the answer was no, but these guys DID do pretty well. In just over three years, they placed 14 top 20 songs and 12 top 20's on WABC. Yet with all those hits, they only had ONE #1 hit on either the national or local charts. And that one was..."Over and Over" in late 1965. The song you voted in at #21 peaked at #6 nationally and #7 on WABC, and we'll NEVER forget that kick-butt drum intro from Dave himself...#21 - GLAD ALL OVER - The Dave Clark Five (1964).

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Here's one of those movie titles that made this year's survey, and in fact it's a NEW movie title. Kevin Spacey...er...make that Walden Robert Cassotto is back again with his follow-up to "Mack the Knife". It was originally done by Benny Goodman in 1948, and was based on the 1945 French song titled "La Mer". Peaking at #6 nationally and #3 in New York on WMGM (WABC wasn't doing Top 40 at the time.) Nationally, he wound up with 41 top 100 hits and 14 top 20 songs...#20 - BEYOND THE SEA - Bobby Darin (1960).

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Oooohhh...How dez it feeeeelll...to be awn yer oooown...a compleeeet un-knooown...Well, you get the idea! Here's the folk-rock legend who's made our Top 77 with this song every year but the first. He says this signature song came from "a long piece of vomit about 20 pages long". It broke all sorts of Top 40 boundries. Most significantly, it was one of the first singles to run substantially over the four minute mark, which at the time was almost an unwritten "time limit" given to artists who expected to make the singles charts. With six national top 20 hits, this one peaked at #2 nationally and #3 on WABC. Born Robert Allan Zimmerman, he changed his name to Bob Dylan NOT after poet Dylan Thomas, but instead after an uncle named Dillon...Jeez, and all this time I thought he was named after "Gunsmoke's" Marshall Dillon!...#19 - LIKE A ROLLING STONE - Bob Dylan (1965).

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Here's another legendary hit from a founding member of the Beatles. Although it only peaked at #4 on WABC and #3 nationally, it's become an anthem of sorts that sums up the life philosophy of a generation and the man we lost in 1980. As such, it was the very LAST song chosen to be played before MusicRadio became TalkRadio in 1982...#18 - IMAGINE - John Lennon (1971).

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The Beatles are back with a song thought to be religious, but one that Paul actually wrote for his late mother, Mary. Although this song stayed on top for only two weeks nationally, on WABC it set the record as their longest running #1 song...staying there for seven weeks. Recorded in January 1969 before the LP "Abbey Road", it wasn't released until March of 1970 and, ironically and appropriately - was the #1 song on April 10, 1970 when the Beatles announced their break-up. It drops down from #4 last year, its highest position ever on our surveys...#17 - LET IT BE - The Beatles (1970).

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Ah, that pumping single drum beat...over...and over...and over...and over...four times...then the single guitar entry on beat five, then more guitars leading to...that incredible voice bleeding out the title...Ohhhh! Prettttttty music! Whoa, I DO tend to get carried away...Sorry!...Well anyway, this was the biggest hit for this 28 year old Texan. Staying at #1 for two weeks, it was inspired by a writer's comment that "A pretty woman never needs any money" after the singer's wife asked for shopping money. This song turned out to be Roy Orbison's last top 20 hit until "You Got It" made the top ten nearly 25 years later. It was one of eight top 20 hits in New York on WABC, and one of eleven national top 20 hits, and the title was used for a 1970 hit movie. We lost this legend in December, 1988. Let's salute a classic singer and a classic song, coming in at its highest position ever on the Top 77...#16 - OH, PRETTY WOMAN - Roy Orbison (1964).

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This next song charted ten different times by seven different artists on the national top 100 surveys. In 1955, three versions of this song were in the top 20 at the same time...by Les Baxter, Al Hibbler, and Roy Hamilton, while a fourth version by June Valli peaked at #29. And the Righteous Brothers had two of their own versions of this song in the top 20 at the same time when in 1990, the song was featured in the "Ghost" movie soundtrack (pottery, anyone? eee-yeah!). The re-release of the original got to #13 (and spent three weeks at #1 on Z100 in New York)...a re-recorded version peaked at #19. On WABC, this version made it to #4...#15 - UNCHAINED MELODY - The Righteous Brothers (1965/1990).

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So how many songs so far have appeared on EVERY one of our seven Top 77 surveys? Well, this next song is on that very select list. It's from the New York City folk-rock duo who first recorded as "Tom and Jerry" in 1957. One of 13 national top 20 hits, it spent six weeks on top nationally and four weeks at #1 on WABC. Although the album and single won six Grammies, it would be the last studio LP for these guys, as tension caused them to split up right after this song made the charts. And if you listen to the final verse of this song ("Sail on silver bird, sail on by..."), know that Art Garfunkel wrote it and his partner went along, but to this day Paul HATES that verse and feels it doesn't fit...#14 - BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER - Simon and Garfunkel (1970).

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The "Boys of Summer" are back again with a song that took two months, 90 hours of studio time and 70 hours of taping to complete, at the time making it the most expensive pop song ever recorded at a cost of $40,000. Called a "Pocket Symphony" by author Brian Wilson, it was one of four #1 hits nationally for these guys. Mysteriously, it stalled at #4 on WABC...#13 - GOOD VIBRATIONS - The Beach Boys (1966).

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Classic album...classic song...classic group...legends all. And every dj loves this song since it gives them a chance to take a "break de toilette". (Is that really French?). Let's just call this "the biggest single that never was". By far the band's most popular song, group leader Robert Plant refused to edit the song down to an acceptable time for commercial release. Nevertheless, it received lots of Top 40 and album rock play in late 1971 and 1972 and shows up on nearly every rock AND pop "All Time Greats" list. Surprisingly, although the group had eleven top 20 albums and six #1 LPs, the album this song was on, the group's untitled fourth LP, only got to #2...#12 - STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN - Led Zeppelin (1971).

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So here we are with only eleven more songs to go. Oh, no. I can't STAND the excitement! Get ready for our journey from #11 to...to...to...(dare I say it)...the #1 song on the brand new Top 77! OK, OK, here's some stuff you can ponder until the final reveal tomorrow. Not every song of the final eleven has made every Top 77...one of the biggies never ever made our top ten...and many different decades of music are represented in the final batch of goodies. Puh-lease, come back here again tomorrow. Unless I'm still sleeping from exhaustion, I promise you some big surprises!

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Should auld acquaintance be forgot...oh, sorry, that's not until midnight! OK, so...you're looking for something here? Oh, yeah...the Top 11 of our Top 77 survey. Let's see, I know I have it written down here SOMEWHERE! Aha! Found it!...Shall we begin?

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This next song has emerged as your favorite from this British invasion group. Interestingly enough, it rebounds from its lowest position on our Top 77 to wind up at its highest position ever. Formed in Tottenham, England, they had 14 national top 20 songs beginning in 1964. It peaked at #4 on WABC...And the guy you hear on lead on this song - and all the group's hits - was Mike Smith. Group founder Dave Clark is on drums...#11 - BECAUSE - The Dave Clark Five (1964).

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Into the top ten we go, with a surprise entry that jumps all the way up from #33 and finishes in its highest spot ever. So here's a quickie quiz for you. Can you name four groups from the sixties with "Four" in their name to make the top ten charts? It's not as easy as you think. So ponder that while we check in with the song that stayed at #1 for six weeks on WABC. Written by Bob Gaudio, it was inspired by a raggedy little girl who cleaned his windshield while he was stopped at a light on New York's West Side Highway. The recording of the song itself was a rush job, done in a basement of a demo studio in Manhattan without their usual engineer or back-up band. And it's a young (27 year-old) Frankie Valli on lead on this song. The group, along with the Four Tops, the Brothers Four, and the Bobby Fuller Four, were a sixties "Four" group...#10 - RAG DOLL - The Four Seasons (1964).

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Now it's time for a true rock and roll classic. It's made the top 20 of our top 77 every year so far. Writing a song about "the first and last person (he) ever really idolized as a kid", Don McLean composed an eight minute, twenty-seven second classic that was too long to fit on one side of a 45 rpm vinyl single. So the record company divided it into two parts. But...surprise, surprise...radio stations felt the song was too powerful to only play the abbreviated version. So most of them played the complete song. It peaked at #1 for four weeks nationally and six weeks on WABC. Betcha can't name his two other top 20 hits. Come on, I'm waiting...dum dee do dee...Oh, OK...There was "Vincent" and "Crying". #9 - AMERICAN PIE - Don McLean (1972).

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Who can forget songs like "My Boy", "Didn't We" and "The Yard Went On Forever"? Oh, YOU did? Well, unfortunately for this artist, so did most everyone else! But the song at #8 is the only one that counts. It slips to its lowest position in five years after resting at its highest slot last year. Originally turned down by the Association, this song by a singer who was primarily an actor at the time, went all the way to #2. It was his only hit. #8 - MACARTHUR PARK - Richard Harris (1968).

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This next act made the national Top 100 seven times, but three of those times it was with this song! Recorded in a New Haven church basement, it never got any higher than #24. And in New York, it only peaked at #13 on WMGM radio. (Their follow-up, "To the Aisle" got to #25 nationally). Even so, the song has become a rock and roll classic. The lead vocal comes from Fred Parris. #7 - IN THE STILL OF THE NITE - The Five Satins (1956).

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So where were YOU when you heard this song for the first time? They were called "The Beatles", and THIS was what the fuss was all about, huh? Whether you heard it in 1964 or 1994 for the first time, this song was a real eye-opener. Written in the basement of Paul's girlfriend's house, it was meant to have a gospel feel to it, with hand-clapping and enthusiastic, joyful vocals. It was the first of three consecutive #1 songs nationally for these guys, and stayed on top for six weeks on WABC...#6 - I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND - The Beatles (1964).

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Let's keep going with another one of the few songs to make the survey every year so far, and in a top 20 position each time. It's the group of Americans who met in England and took their name from the "Americana"-brand jukebox in a London pub. This was the first of eight national top 20 hits, and it was #1 for three weeks on WABC in 1972. But what on earth is the song about? Simple...Written by group member Dewey Bunnell, he says it "...paints a picture of the America and desert country I was homesick over while living in Britain". Gotcha, Dewey! #5 - A HORSE WITH NO NAME - America (1972).

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Our next song on the Top 77 is a real classic and a true group effort, with band member Ray Manzarek coming up with the intro, Jim Morrison and Rob Krieger writing the lyrics, and John Densmore choosing the beat. Since the original version was six minutes and fifty seconds, the band - at the request of the record label - re-recorded the song as a shorter version for single release. But they weren't happy with the result, and hesitantly agreed to allow Elektra records to edit the instrumental bridge out of the original LP version. Rebel Morrison was invited to sing this on the "Ed Sullivan Show" in 1967 provided that they change the line "Girl, we couldn't get much higher". He said OK, and then sang that line anyway, and the Doors were never invited back on the show. It was #1 for four weeks on WABC, and one of six Doors top 20 hits...#4 - LIGHT MY FIRE - The Doors (1967).

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And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain...oh, oops, 'scuse me...I'm just getting sentimental as I come to the end of our Top 77 journey. Oh yeah, you wanna know the top three...sorry. #3, #3, #3...what CAN I say? It was voted the "Best Rock and Roll Song of All Time" on VH1. Keith Richard came up with the chord progression while fighting insomnia one night and the next morning Mick Jagger just threw out a working title that stuck. Richard really didn't think that the song was strong enough to be an "A" side. Obviously he was wrong. With an intro riff inspired by Martha and the Vandellas' 1964 hit "Dancing in the Street", it was one of eight national #1 songs...#3 is "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones from 1965. At #2 on the All Time Top 77, may we please page Ms. Diane Earle, diva extraordinaire! It was her second solo single after leaving the Supremes, as she followed up "Reach Out and Touch" - which only peaked at #20 nationally - with this #1 hit on MusicRadio in 1970. Written by Nick Ashford about his determination to be successful in New York City by letting nothing stand in the way, it features background vocals by Nick's wife Valerie Simpson and the speaking voice from Diana Ross that Nick felt would add an alluring touch to the song. It stays in the exact spot it finished last year on the list. #2 is "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross from 1970. And now, for #1, the cream of the crop, the king of the hill, the big kahuna, the...oh forget it! In an INCREDIBLE surprise this year...#1 on the survey as voted by you is..."OVER AND OVER"!!! Oh, wait, sorry. I meant...#1, as voted by you, over and over, is ONCE AGAIN from the Fab Four! As much as some of you might want a new #1, many many more of you just love this song. It led the pack from the beginning of the voting period right through the end, and it wound up 35% stronger than its nearest competition! It was one of 11 Top 77 songs for the group (not mentioning two solo hits from ex-Beatles), which means that one of every seven songs you voted into the Top 77 were from these guys. As for the song itself, it was #1 for six straight weeks in 1968...and at the time, its length of 7 minutes and eleven seconds made it the longest song to ever get to #1. And the singing on that "na na na --- nana nana" fade? Actually that's just a little of the Beatles, and much more of the forty piece orchestra that backed them up on his hit. Starting off with one instrument and ending with 50, it's the song you voted #1, "Hey Jude" by The Beatles from 1968.

And now, let's start the countdown all over again with the #500 hit this time...oh no, NO, NO...I must get some sleep. After all, before I know it you guys will be voting all over again and Tom Natoli and I will be walking like zombies, sleepless through the last few months of the year!