Great Pop Instrumentals from the Sixties, Part Two
Memorable instrumentals from the second half of the decade
Part One of this article covered instrumental hits that reached at least the Top 25 on the annual listing of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for each year from 1960 to 1964.
In Part Two, I offer you instrumental hits for each year from 1965 to 1969 with a slight difference. Only 1968 had multiple instrumentals that made it to the Top 25 of the year end Billboard Hot 100. There was just one instrumental hit that made the year end Top 25 in 1965 and one in 1969; there were none in 1966 and 1967. That doesn’t mean excellent instrumentals didn’t appear in those years — they simply didn’t have a lot of staying power.
That’s why I’ve changed up the format for Part Two, adding other instrumentals, in chronological order, that I think are worthy of mention, despite not being in the year end Top 25.
I hope you enjoy listening to these memorable hits, many of which are timeless.
1965
The In Crowd (#18)
Written by Billy Page, “The In Crowd” charted twice in 1965 — but it was by two different artists. The 1964 vocal version with lyrics by Dobie Gray had a big sound; Gray’s smooth voice was complemented by a brass…
