The Best Songs of 1958 - Nos. 10 to 6

10. Rave On – Buddy Holly

Rave On

Add to My Profile More Videos

This song is wonderfully representative of Buddy Holly’s work of the period, with all the hiccupping and whatnot going on. I love that stuff. This one only made it to number 39 on the pop chart, but it’s a damn good song anyway.

9. Summertime Blues – Eddie Cochran



Rockabilly legend Eddie Cochran captured the teenage zeitgeist of the day with this slacker anthem. It’s been covered by damn near everybody at one time or another, but the best versions were probably by The Who and Blue Cheer.

8. Rebel Rouser – Duane Eddy



Nobody else sounded quite like that. That twang was phenomenal. Rebel Rouser was another classic guitar instrumental. My dad, who is really into great guitar music, had a ton of old Duane Eddy albums in his collection when I was a kid.

7. Try Me – James Brown



This beautiful soul ballad is very unusual within James Brown’s normally frenetic canon. After “Please, Please, Please” was a hit, he had nine singles in a row flop and was in danger of being dropped from his label before this song made it to number one on the R&B charts. This one is a beauty.

6. Stagger Lee – Lloyd Price



Lloyd Price made it to the top of the pop and R&B charts with this tale of murder. Stagger Lee was an old blues number that has been covered countless times, but it may be this version that is the most well known.