1 of 1- aflem
- Member
Offline 
- Registered: August 11, 2019
- Posts: 1,433
Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
It's not a fair question, of course, because there are literally thousands of tunes that are so catchy, you can't help singing along with them.
It obviously has to meet certain criteria - it has to be a well known song, it has to have easily recognizable lyrics and it has to have a readily familiar chorus. That could be any record.
But the one I'm choosing has a reason behind it.
It happened a few years ago when I was called into a meeting of our radio newsroom staff. While everyone was waiting for the meeting to get going - there were about 12 people or so in the room - for some reason, I just happened to blurt out, "There she was, just a-walking down the street singing..."
And to a man (and a woman) every single one of those people responded with "Do Wah Diddy Diddy Dum Diddy Do," almost like they couldn't help themselves. It was a very odd moment. So that's why I'm picking the Manfred Mann song as the most sing-able of all time. If it can make a roomful of hardened news people stop and belt out a lyric with no warning, it certainly is in the running.
- Taz
- Member
Offline
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 269
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
When I saw “Singalong”, I thought of Mitch Miller so I’ll go with Yellow Rose Of Texas, #1 in 1955.
- GrimsbyFan
- Member
Offline
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 219
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
"Sugar Sugar" - Annoying song but guaranteed to have everyone singing along.
- It's me Karen
- Member
Offline
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 381
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
aflem, seriously, when I started reading your post, "Do Wah Diddy" came to my mind and that's what I was going to list.
- mike marshall
- Member
Offline
- Registered: May 15, 2020
- Posts: 5
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
Taz wrote:
When I saw “Singalong”, I thought of Mitch Miller so I’ll go with Yellow Rose Of Texas, #1 in 1955.
I'm thinking 1957 for mine, Taz. Slouched in a canoe at summer camp, with one
foot dangling in warm Georgian Bay waters...
White Silver Sands - Don Rondo
- Scotty
- Member
Offline
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 71
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
Sweet Caroline would be a contender.
- It's me Karen
- Member
Offline
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 381
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
Sweet Caroline would be a contender.
I think you nailed it, Scotty.
- Lorne
- Administrator
Offline
- From: Toronto, Ontario
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 1,308
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
In the same vein, I would also suggest that Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye would be right up there.
- GrimsbyFan
- Member
Offline
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 219
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
A few more suggestions:
Downtown
My Girl
Da Doo Ron Ron
Love Potion #9
I will Follow Him
And one that is somewhat out of our usual time frame (1978) - YMCA
- aflem
- Member
Offline
- Registered: August 11, 2019
- Posts: 1,433
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
The chorus of Queen's We Are The Champions also fits this category, especially at a sports stadium after your team just won it all. (Sadly, that doesn't happen very often around here!)
- •
Thread Starter- Lorne
- Administrator
Offline
- From: Toronto, Ontario
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 1,308
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
The chorus of Queen's We Are The Champions also fits this category, especially at a sports stadium after your team just won it all. (Sadly, that doesn't happen very often around here!)
For those who don't already know, the "here" that aflem is referring to is Toronto. And this is so true that even though I had thought of the (over)use of We Will Rock You at sporting events, the use of We Are The Champions by teams winning a championship at home hadn't even occurred to me.
- Jim Southern
- Member
Offline
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 230
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
One that I have used multiple times is the "Na Na Na Na Na....." from the long forgotten Cannibal & The Headhunters and then again by well known Wilson Pickett in "The Land Of 1000 Dances". I do recall hearing it elsewhere but can't remember where.
- It's me Karen
- Member
Offline
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 381
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
Depending on the years this board recognizes, I'd say we can't deny that Journeys' "Don't Stop Believing" is a contender.
- Lorne
- Administrator
Offline
- From: Toronto, Ontario
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 1,308
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
Depending on the years this board recognizes, I'd say we can't deny that Journeys' "Don't Stop Believing" is a contender.
I'm definitely ok with discussing 80s music here. Although discussion on the former board was officially supposed to be about music from the 50s to the 70s, I noticed that Ron Smith allowed discussion of 80s music ... there might have been a time that he didn't, but certainly in more recent years he did.
But I think it's also better for this board to allow for discussion of 80s music to give us more to discuss. As I've mentioned before, although I was still visiting the oldies board in its final years I was increasingly finding that there wasn't that much being posted there and not much discussion of what was posted. So I've wanted to encourage more postings and discussions here, and so discussing 80s music helps with that in a way that I still feel is consistent with an oldies board.
- Little Rich
- Member
Offline
- From: Juneau, Alaska
- Registered: December 31, 2018
- Posts: 331
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
Thx Lorne. I agree many of us are reminiscing great music from 50s thru 70s but the buck didn't stop there. I think that many of us continued discovering not only old stuff that we didn't like originally appreciate, but have grown to better appreciate over time. In addition, there is certainly more contemporary music by both new artists and "mature artists" which many of us listen too as well. Good example IMHO: "Murder Most Foul" by Bob Dylan, just released this past April - it's great music and some of his best. In addition, Mick & the Gang (Stones) with "Living In A Ghost Town" released only days after Dylan's song. Ghost Town, IMHO is deja vu mid-60s-style - it's great. In addition there are artists who didn't debut until later, e.g. The Indigo Girls. I call them the contemporary female counterpart to Simon & Garfunkel - super harmony, great melody, very provocative lyrics, mix of bluegrass, country, folk and rock. They didn't even start until ~1985 and are still going.
Bottom Line: it's a combination of music nostalgia but the music styles are good too. I've never seen much discussion on this forum about disco - that's nearly all 70s, clearly meeting the established parameters of the old site but, from my anecdotal observation, not many people that visit this site are into that subgenre. So, it's mostly style with a smattering of chronological timing, i.e. 50s thru 70s.
Once again, Lorne, I GREATLY appreciate your continuation of this site and applaud you for this. I learn a great deal and it provokes me to research more and more. I'm still a "fledgling" radio DJ (30 years) looking for more tidbits of trivia to share with listeners with hopes of teaching them about the music they listen to.
- It's me Karen
- Member
Offline
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 381
Re: Is This The Greatest Top 40 Singalong Oldie Of All Time?
Thanks Lorne. I agree with Little Rich in his feelings on the age of the music and to also thank you for being the keeper of this board. The other day I just realized I've been posting on Ron's board, then here for 20 plus years. My goodness! That can't be true!