The Top 10 Rock Songs of 1962

In this blog post, we’ll be counting down the top 10 rock songs of 1962. This was a great year for rock music, with many classic songs being released.

The Beatles – “Love Me Do”

The Beatles – “Love Me Do”
The Beatles’ first single, released on October 5th, 1962 in the UK, was “Love Me Do.” It was a moderate success for the band, reaching number 17 on the UK charts. The song was written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and features Lennon on lead vocals.

The Rolling Stones – “Come On”

The Rolling Stones – “Come On”
Released: May 10, 1962
peak position: No. 21
The Stones’ first single was also their first hit, reaching the Top 30 in the UK. “Come On” was a raw, raucous blues song, with a sound that was a radical departure from the polished pop music of the time. It established the Stones as one of the most exciting and dangerous bands of the ’60s.

The Beach Boys – “Surfin’ Safari”

“Surfin’ Safari” is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released as a single in October 1962 with “409” as the B-side, reaching number 14 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. It was included as the opening track on their debut album Surfin’ Safari, issued in November 1962.

The song’s conception is credited to Brian Wilson, who initially wrote it as an instrumental piece called “Kuk,” which was later retitled as “Crusted”. The final version of the song was completed by Wilson and co-writer Mike Love after multiple rewrites. It is notable for being one of the first surf songs to achieve national mainstream success outside California. The Beach Boys recorded “Surfin’ Safari” during two sessions held on June 12 and September 3, 1962 at Western Recorders in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Initially intending to work on other material, the group began playing around with “Kuk”, an instrumental composition written by Wilson. The track was later renamed after lyricist Al Jardine suggested its name change to match its subject matter.

The Kinks – “You Really Got Me”

The Kinks – “You Really Got Me”
Released: August 4, 1964
Album: You Really Got Me
Writer(s): Ray Davies
Producer: Shel Talmy
Rock subgenre: Garage rock, proto-punk
Length: 2:14
Label: Pye Records
Chart positions: 8 (UK), 33 (US)
RIAA certification: Gold

“You Really Got Me” is a song written by Ray Davies for English rock band the Kinks. The song was released as the third single from their debut album, You Really Got Me and reached number one in the UK Singles Chart. In 1998, it was voted 28th on The Daily Telegraph’s poll of the “100 Greatest Tracks ever Recorded”. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed “You Really Got Me” at 145 on its list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. It is also one of their greatest commercial successes, reaching number 4 in both Canada and America.

The Beatles – “Please Please Me”

“Please Please Me” is a song recorded by English rock band the Beatles for their eponymous debut album, Please Please Me. It was written primarily by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. Released as a single in January 1963, it was the Beatles’ fifth record issued by EMI and their first single produced by George Martin. It knocked Del Shannon’s “From Me to You” off the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and became a No. 1 hit in several other countries, including Britain, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa.

In March 1963, “Please Please Me” topped Australia’s Go-Set National Top 40 singles chart. The song also topped Billboard magazine’s Easy Listening chart for six weeks in April and May 1963 andCash Box magazine’s Rhythm & Blues Records chart for three weeks in May 1963. It became the Beatles’ first of three No. 1 hits on both Cash Boxand Billboard’s R&B charts; the second was “Can’t Buy Me Love”, which spent two weeks atop both lists in 1964; followed by “A Hard Day’s Night”, which did likewise for two weeks at the top of Cash Box’s R&B listings only in July 1964.

Roy Orbison – “Oh, Pretty Woman”

Orbison’s signature hit wasn’t even released as a single until 1964, yet it’s such a timeless classic that it’s hard to imagine a time when it didn’t exist. It’s the perfect example of Orbison’s gift for writing catchy, yet deeply emotional melodies, and his soaring vocal performance is nothing short of perfection.

The Beach Boys – “Fun, Fun, Fun”

“Fun, Fun, Fun” is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released in 1964 as a single backed with “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”, reaching number 5 in the US. The song is a remake of the Chuck Berry tune “Maybellene”.

In the UK, “Fun, Fun, Fun” peaked at number four on its original release in February 1964. In October that year, after the success of the Beach Boys’ album Surfin’ Safari, it was re-released and reached number two. In 2000, it was voted number281 in Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The song was included on the Beach Boys’ studio albums Shut Down Volume 2 (1964), Little Deuce Coupe (1963), Made in U.S.A. (1986), Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 (1996) and Endless Summer (1974). It has been covered by numerous artists such as MxPx and Less Than Jake.

The Beach Boys performed “Fun, Fun, Fun” on several television shows such as American Bandstand and The Ed Sullivan Show

The Four Seasons – “Sherry”

The Four Seasons’ “Sherry” was released in July 1962 and was the first single from the band’s album, ‘The 4 Seasons Sing Big Hits by Burt Bacharach, Hal David & Bob Dylan’. The song was written by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe and became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, spending five weeks at the top spot. “Sherry” also peaked at #3 on the Billboard R&B chart and #4 on the UK Singles Chart.

The Crystals – “He’s a Rebel”

“He’s a Rebel” is a song written by Gene Pitney and produced by Phil Spector. It was first recorded by The Blossoms and issued as a single in September 1962, on Spector’s label Philles Records, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November of that year. The Cryrals’ version of the song was overshadowed by the success of the Vicki Carr recording, which was released on Epic Records at the same time and reached number 5 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart.

The Isley Brothers – “Twist and Shout”

The Isley Brothers – “Twist and Shout”

Released in February 1962, “Twist and Shout” was written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns. The song was originally recorded by the Top Notes, but it was the Isley Brothers’ cover that made it a huge hit. The song reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #2 on the R&B chart. It has been covered by many artists over the years, including the Beatles, who included it on their first album.