Nashville Sound

8th Class Results! Motown Joins the Hall of Songs!

That’s right: The Hall of Songs has a new inductee, and it’s from Hitsville U.S.A.! So what is the 15th member of our exclusive hall of fame for songs? Listen and find out!

Okay. Don’t scroll if you want to be spoiled.

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Alright. Let’s congratulate the following song on making the Hall of Songs …

Do You Love Me / The Contours – 70.58%

Continuing to the next round of voting

Georgia on My Mind / Ray Charles – 58.82% (3rd round)
Only the Lonely / Roy Orbison – 58.82% (3rd round)
Wake Up Little Susie / The Everly Brothers – 58.82% (6th round)
Runaway / Del Shannon – 52.94% (2nd round)
That’ll Be the Day / The Crickets – 52.94% (5th round)
Green Onions / Booker T & The M.G.’s – 52.94% (1st round)
You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me / The Miracles – 52.94% (1st round)
I Fall to Pieces / Patsy Cline – 47.05% (2nd round)
Tutti Frutti / Little Richard – 47.05% (8th round)
Wonderful World / Sam Cooke – 47.05% (3rd round)
Love Me Do / The Beatles – 47.05% (1st round)
The Wanderer / Dion – 41.17% (2nd round)
Sherry / The Four Seasons – 41.17% (1st round)
Mack the Knife / Bobby Darin – 35.29% (4th round)
You Don’t Know Me / Ray Charles – 35.29% (1st round)

Eliminated from the ballot

Runaround Sue La Bamba / Ritchie Valens – 29.41% (5th round)
Please Mr. Postman / The Marvelettes – 23.52% (2nd round)
I Can’t Stop Loving You / Ray Charles – 23.52% (1st round)
Miserlou / Dick Dale and the Del-Tones – 17.64% (1st round)
If I Had a Hammer / Peter, Paul and Mary – 17.64% (1st round)
The Loco-Motion / Little Eva – 11.76% (1st round)
Telstar / The Tornados – 11.76% (1st round)
He’s a Rebel / The Crystals – 11.76% (1st round)

1962: Our Nominees for the Hall of Songs

1962 is a weird year in music. “The Twist” comes back early in the year, and some jazz musicians bring Brazilian bossa nova to America around the holidays. In between, it’s a whole lot of everything on the charts with some impressive leaps forward.

Among our 1962 nominees are three instrumentals, two songs from arguably the first true effort at a cohesive album, and recordings by self-contained groups that could sing and play instruments. You’ve definitely heard of them both.

After listening, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1962, plus tunes from 1961, ’60, ’59, ’58, ’57, and ’55, are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! Vote now and come back on July 23 to find out which song or songs get in!

Our 1961 nominees:

“You Don’t Know Me” as performed by Ray Charles
- Written by Cindy Walker and Eddy Arnold; recorded February 1962; released April 1962
“I Can’t Stop Loving You” as performed by Ray Charles
- Written by Don Gibson; recorded February 1962; April 1962
“Miserlou” as performed by Dick Dale
- Written by Nick Roubanis, Fred Wise, Milton Leeds and Chaim Tauber; recorded March 1962; released April 1962
“The Loco-Motion” as performed by Little Eva
- Written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King; recorded late 1961; released June 1962
“Do You Love Me” as performed by The Contours
- Written by Berry Gordy Jr.; recorded June 1962; released June 1962
“If I Had a Hammer” as performed by Peter, Paul and Mary
- Written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays; recorded early 1962; released July 1962
“Sherry” as performed by The Four Seasons
- Written by Bob Gaudio; recorded July 1962; released August 1962
“Telstar” as performed by The Tornados
- Written by Joe Meek; recorded July 1962; released August 1962
“He’s a Rebel” as credited to by The Crystals
- Written by Gene Pitney; recorded July 1962; released August 1962
“Green Onions” as performed by Booker T. & the M.G.’s
- Written by Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Lewie Steinberg and Al Jackson Jr.; recorded early 1962; released May and August 1962
“Love Me Do” as performed by The Beatles
- Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney; recorded September 1962; released October 1962
“You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” as performed by The Miracles
- Written by Smokey Robinson; recorded October 1962; released November 1962

Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. Scroll down or click here to vote. Then, come back on July 25, 2021, for our discussion on 1963.

7th Class Results! 4 New Hall of Songs Inductees!

The hits just keep on coming! We have four new inductees to the Hall of Songs after the latest round of voting. One song skates right through without a problem, another is a bit of a surprise, and two get in by the skin of their teeth.

Okay. Don’t scroll if you want to be spoiled.

…

Alright. Let’s congratulate the following songs on making the Hall of Songs …

Crazy / Patsy Cline – 86.27%
Can’t Help Falling in Love / Elvis Presley – 82.35%
Stand By Me / Ben E. King – 66.67%
Crying / Roy Orbison – 66.67%

Continuing to the next round of voting

Georgia on My Mind / Ray Charles – 60.78% (2nd round)
I Fall to Pieces / Patsy Cline – 58.82% (1st round)
Only the Lonely / Roy Orbison – 56.86% (2nd round)
The Wanderer / Dion – 54.9% (1st round)
That’ll Be the Day / The Crickets – 52.94% (5th round)
Wake Up Little Susie / The Everly Brothers – 50.98% (5th round)
Please Mr. Postman / The Marvelettes – 43.13% (1st round)
Tutti Frutti / Little Richard – 41.17% (7th round)
La Bamba / Ritchie Valens – 41.17% (4th round)
Runaway / Del Shannon – 41.17% (1st round)
Wonderful World / Sam Cooke – 37.25% (2nd round)
Mack the Knife / Bobby Darin – 35.29% (3rd round)

Eliminated from the ballot

Runaround Sue / Dion – 33.33% (1st round)
The Twist / Chubby Checker – 31.37% (2nd round)
Running Scared / Roy Orbison – 9.80% (1st round)
Back Door Man / Howlin’ Wolf – 3.92% (1st round)
Let’s Go Trippin’ / Dick Dale and the Del-Tones – 3.92% (1st round)

1961: Our Nominees for the Hall of Songs

It’s 1961 and we’re twisting again on Hall of Songs! OK, “Let’s Twist Again” is not one of our 12 nominees from this year, BUT we talk about dance crazes before hopping into the new songs on the ballot.

We get to know some new artists for this episode, including Patsy Cline, Del Shannon, Dion, Dick Dale, and Howlin’ Wolf. Plus, we hear once again from established stars like Roy Orbison and Ben E. Keith (formerly of the Drifters), and the newly discharged Elvis Presley. And we travel back to Motown to find a girl group bursting onto the scene with an exciting song about the U.S. mail.

After listening, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1961, plus tunes from 1960, ’59, ’58, ’57, and ’55, are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! Vote now and come back on July 9 to find out which song or songs get in!

Our 1961 nominees:

“I Fall to Pieces” as performed by Patsy Cline
- Written by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard; recorded November 1960; released January 1961
“Runaway” as performed by Del Shannon
- Written by Del Shannon and Max Crook; recorded January 1961; February 1961
“Running Scared” as performed by Roy Orbison
- Written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson; recorded February 1961; released March 1961
“Stand By Me” as performed by Ben E. Keith
- Written by Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller; recorded October 1960; released April 1961
“Back Door Man” as performed by Howlin’ Wolf
- Written by Willie Dixon; recorded June 1960; released spring 1961
“Crying” as performed by Roy Orbison
- Written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson; recorded June 1961; released July 1961
“Please Mr. Postman” as performed by The Marvelettes
- Written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland, and Robert Bateman; recorded April 1961; released August 1961
“Let’s Go Trippin'” as performed by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones
- Written by Dick Dale; recorded summer 1961; released September 1961
“Runaround Sue” as performed by Dion
- Written by Dion DiMucci and Ernie Maresca; recorded summer 1961; released September 1961
“Can’t Help Falling in Love” as performed by Elvis Presley
- Written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss; recorded March 1961; released October 1961
“Crazy” as performed by Patsy Cline
- Written by Willie Nelson; recorded August 1961; released October 1961
“The Wanderer” as performed by Dion
- Written by Ernie Maresca; recorded October 1961; released November 1961

Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. Scroll down or click here to vote. Then, come back on July 11, 2021, for our discussion on 1962.