The 40 best songs of 1966, turning 60 this year, courtesy of Ultimate Classic Rock

Immortal songs from... sixty years ago. The magazine Ultimate Classic Rock continues its work of revisiting the classics of the past, publishing its ranking of the 40 "Best songs of 1966". “If 1965 was the year that pop and rock music began taking its first, tentative steps into adulthood – as more and more artists started conceiving albums as fully realized statements, rather than mere collections of hit singles and hastily recorded covers – then 1966 was the year that pop finally grew up,” the online magazine recalls in its introduction. “In the list that follows, dedicated to the 40 best songs of 1966, popular music stands on the threshold of even more ambitious developments. Just around the corner were artists ready to upend expectations: the 45 rpm single was no longer confined to two and a half minutes of radio-friendly sweetness. With records willing to take risks – in sound, length and content – the decade had by now turned toward brighter horizons. Many of the artists featured here had a particularly intense and productive year: Beach Boys, Beatles and Bob Dylan released in 1966 what are considered their most important albums, along with a series of essential singles, so it's only natural to find them here more than once. But they represent just the tip of the iceberg of the extraordinary musical abundance this pivotal year had to offer,” Ultimate Classic Rock concludes.

Here, then, is Ultimate Classic Rock's ranking of the 40 best songs of 1966 (full feature here).

40. Otis Redding – "Try a Little Tenderness"

39. The Monkees – “I’m a Believer”

38. The Easybeats – “Friday on My Mind”

37. The Who – “Substitute”

36. Sam & Dave – "Hold On, I'm Comin'"

35. The Rolling Stones – “Under My Thumb”

34. The Kinks – “Sunny Afternoon”

33. Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels – “Devil With A Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly”

32. Buffalo Springfield – "For What It's Worth"

31. The Rolling Stones – “Paint It, Black”

30. The Beatles – “Eleanor Rigby”

29. The Troggs – “Wild Thing”

28. ? And The Mysterians – “96 Tears”

27. The Spencer Davis Group – “Gimme Some Lovin'”

26. Bob Dylan – "Just Like A Woman"

25. The Supremes – “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”

24. The Young Rascals – “Good Lovin'”

23. The Electric Prunes – “I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)”

22. Dusty Springfield – “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”

21. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Hey Joe”

20. Love – “7 And 7 Is”

19. The 13th Floor Elevators – “You’re Gonna Miss Me”

18. The Beatles – “Paperback Writer”

17. The Temptations – “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg”

16. The Isley Brothers – “This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You)”

15. Eddie Floyd – "Knock On Wood"

14. The Supremes – “You Can’t Hurry Love”

13. The Count Five – “Psychotic Reaction”

12. Lorraine Ellison – “Stay With Me”

11. Bob Dylan – "I Want You"

10. The Beach Boys – “God Only Knows”

9. The Byrds – “Eight Miles High”

8. Percy Sledge – "When A Man Loves A Woman"

7. The Left Banke – “Walk Away Renee”

6. Four Tops – "Reach Out I'll Be There"

5. The Beatles – “Rain”

4. The Beach Boys – “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”

3. Ike And Tina Turner – “River Deep — Mountain High”

2. The Beatles – “Tomorrow Never Knows”

1. The Beach Boys – “Good Vibrations”

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