Here are the rules:
One song per year.
The song must have been a top 10 Billboard Hit for the year.
No choosing the same artist more than once.
Here are my picks, along with song’s spot on the Billboard chart for the year. Listen here.
1960: Cathy's Clown, Everly Brothers (3)
1961: Runaway, Del Shannon (5)
1962: I Can't Stop Loving You, Ray Charles (2)
1963: Surfin' USA, Beach Boys, (1)
1964: Where Did Our Love Go, The Supremes, (10)
1965: I Can't Help Myself, Four Tops, (2)
1966: California Dreamin', Mamas and the Papas (1)
1967: Light My Fire, The Doors (6)
1968: Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding (4)
1969: Honky Tonk Woman, Rolling Stones (4)
1970: War, Edwin Starr (5)
1971: Maggie May, Rod Stewart (2)
1972: I Gotcha, Joe Tex (6)
1973: Let's Get It On, Marvin Gaye (4)
1974: Bennie & The Jets, Elton John (9)
1975: Fame, David Bowie (8)
1976: Play that Funky Music, Wild Cherry (5)
1977: Best of My Love, The Emotions (3)
1978: Night Fever, The Bee Gees (2)
1979: My Sharona, The Knack (1)
1980: Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Queen (6)
1981: Jessie's Girl, Rick Springfield (5)
1982: Jack & Dianne, John Mellencamp (7)
1983: Billie Jean, Michael Jackson (2)
1984: When Doves Cry, Prince (1)
1985: Money for Nothing, Dire Straits (8)
1986: Addicted to Love, Robert Palmer (10)
1987: The Way It Is, Bruce Hornsby (8)
1988: Sweet Child O Mine, Guns N Roses (5)
1989: Miss You Much, Janet Jackson (5)
1990: Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinead O'Connor (3)
1991: Unbelievable, EMF (6)
1992: Under the Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers (8)
1993: Can't Help Falling in Love, UB40 (3)
1994: Stay, Lisa Loeb (6)
1995: Waterfalls, TCL (2)
1996: Give Me One Reason, Tracy Chapman (6)
1997: You Were Meant for Me, Jewel (2)
1998: I Don't Want to Wait, Paula Cole (10)
1999: Livin' La Vida Loca, Ricky Martin (10)
2000: Maria Maria, Santana (3)
2001: Fallin’, Alicia Keys (2)
2002: U Got it Bad, Usher (9)
2003: Crazy in Love, Beyonce & Jay-Z (4)
2004: Hey Ya!, Outkast (4)
2005: Gold Digger, Kanye West (6)
2006: Crazy, Gnarls Barkley (7)
2007: Umbrella, Rihanna (2)
2008: Lollipop, Lil Wayne (4)
2009: Poker Face, Lady Gaga (2)
2010: Love the Way You Lie, Eminem (7)
2011: Rolling in the Deep, Adele (1)
2012: Somebody That I Used to Know, Goyte (1)
2013: Blurred Lines, Robin Thicke (2)
2014: Happy, Pharrell Williams (1)
2015: Uptown Funk, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars (1)
2016: Stressed Out, 21 Pilots (5)
2017: Humble, Kendrick Lamar (4)
2018: I Like It, Cardi B, J Balvin, and Bad Bunny (7)
2019: Bad Guy, Billie Eilish (4)
2020: Blinding Lights, The Weeknd (1)