In the  1969Billboard Hot 100 post I noted that nearly all the #1 songs that year were (are?) really great songs – some by lesser known artists and others  by music icons.  Click the link here for the chart and see for yourself.  Of the seventeen songs that reached #1 that year, all but a handfull are commonly heard today in heavy rotation on classic rock or oldies stations.  And because there are so many, I felt that I should feature a few of them besides the “winners” I posted yesterday.  A couple of them (in addition to the two that I mentioned in yesterday’s post) I had featured in earlier posts:  Henry Mancini’s Love Theme From Romeo and Juliet,  and Every Day People by Sly and The Family Stone.  OK.  So I have established that I like these songs, therefore they are “great”.  Whether you like them or not, you will have to agree with me that one of them is universally known and heard even today in movies, in commercials and of course on the radio or streaming media.  It’s been covered by many successful mainstream artists.  I doubt that more than a day or two goes by without one hearing it in some form somewhere.  If you’ve looked at the chart, you can probably guess which one I’m talking about:  I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye:

Oh, yeah.  That’s some R&B right there.  Alright.  Next up is a song that nearly defines the band that recorded it, a band that is one of the most successful of all time and is still recording and touring today with nearly their original lineup.  Pretty amazing, considering that this song hit #1 just a little over 35 years ago.  The song and band?  Honky Tonk Women by The Rolling Stones:

So there you have it.  1969 was a very good year.  And perhaps….my peak music year.  We shall see.