These harmonies still give us chills. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the vocal harmonies with stunning arrangements guaranteed to stir something deep within their listeners.
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00:00🎵Sky rockets in flight, afternoon delight🎵
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo,
00:06and today we're counting down our picks for the vocal harmonies with stunning arrangements
00:11guaranteed to stir something deep within their listeners.
00:14🎵I found in you, my endless love🎵
00:24Number 30.
00:25It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.
00:28Boyz II Men.
00:29Boyz II Men's End of the Road has some stunning harmonies.
00:32🎵And I hope that we go to the end, still I can't let go🎵
00:40However, their cover of It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday hits even harder.
00:45Recorded a cappella to honor the late rapper MC Trouble, who passed away just months earlier,
00:50this track is pure beauty.
00:52🎵How do I say goodbye?🎵
00:59Their voices mix perfectly, creating a mix that's both powerful and tender.
01:03These harmonies are so intricate and rich that they resonate deeply, leaving a lasting impact.
01:08🎵And I'll take with me the memories🎵
01:16The emotion in their voices heard through every note and phrase draws you in completely.
01:21The way they sing makes you feel every word.
01:23Those harmonies add so much depth and feeling.
01:26It's a song that never fails to move you.
01:28🎵It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday🎵
01:36Number 29.
01:37The Longest Time.
01:38Billy Joel.
01:39Here's another a cappella song with harmonies to get you all tingly.
01:42🎵For the longest time🎵
01:49This track highlights Joel's impressive vocal layering,
01:52creating a rich, full sound that feels big and lush yet still personal at the same time.
01:57Also, yes, that is Joel singing every part.
02:00🎵What else could I do? I'm so inspired by you🎵
02:05Each harmony is carefully crafted,
02:07blending seamlessly to put the melody front and center while amplifying the song's romantic message.
02:12The simplicity, combined with the warmth and the purity of the harmonies,
02:16touches something profound within us.
02:17🎵You're wonderful so far, and it's more than I hoped for🎵
02:23It's a throwback to classic doo-wop,
02:25and that timeless quality, paired with Joel's emotive delivery,
02:29well, who wouldn't fall in love?
02:31We could listen to it for the longest time and never stop feeling those chills.
02:35🎵I think you ought to know that I intend to hold you for the longest time🎵
02:42Number 28.
02:44Alone.
02:44Heart.
02:45Alone taps into themes of loneliness and longing, which we can all relate to at times.
02:50🎵You don't know how long I have waited, and I was gonna kill you tonight🎵
02:57So when those harmonies kick in,
02:59they really heighten those feelings and create a strong emotional response.
03:03The whole melody has a stronghold on us, but those harmonies are something else.
03:07🎵How do I get you alone?🎵
03:12They come in at just the right moments,
03:14building up tension and then releasing it in a way that will hit you deep in the feels.
03:18Anne and Nancy Wilson are famous for their amazing vocal range,
03:22and how perfectly they complement each other's voices.
03:24🎵I never really cared until I met you🎵
03:30Their harmonies are so tight and smooth, creating a gorgeous, almost angelic sound.
03:35This sonic perfection never fails to pull at the old heartstrings.
03:39Number 27.
03:40Telephone Line.
03:41Electric Light Orchestra.
03:42The harmonies here are absolutely electrifying.
03:45🎵Do I, do they do they do I, do I do they🎵
03:52They really draw you into the singer's fantasy of what he might say
03:56should the subject of his affection pick up the phone.
03:58🎵Oh, telephone line, give me some time🎵
04:06Those harmonies dig into that desire and heartbreak
04:08with such intensity that it's almost overwhelming.
04:11Jeff Lynne's layered vocals have this rich,
04:13textured quality that wraps around you with every note.
04:16🎵Do I, do they do they do I, do I🎵
04:23When those harmonies hit with perfect timing,
04:25they take you along the telephone line straight into the singer's headspace,
04:29making the whole experience feel incredibly intense.
04:32Add in those stunning orchestral touches,
04:35and the song hits you hard and sticks with you long after it's over.
04:38🎵Give me some time, I'm living in twilight🎵
04:46Number 26.
04:47Silence is Golden.
04:48The Tremelos.
04:49If anyone was going to give us a song with spine-tingling harmonies,
04:53it would be the Four Seasons.
04:54🎵Silence is golden, golden🎵
04:59Yet if you can believe it,
05:00the Tremelos cover of this classic sends those shivers
05:03already charging throughout us into overdrive.
05:06🎵Oh, don't let her deep inside🎵
05:13Their clean and melancholic timbre adds even more to the emotional weight of the song.
05:18Their harmonies layer on top of the melody in a way that adds to the singer's sorrow,
05:22as if we're feeling it from our own place of heartache.
05:24🎵She'll be the last one to know🎵
05:33Yet the chorus offers a shift
05:35that almost feels as if the clouds are lifting with their every note.
05:38These harmonies are truly golden.
05:40🎵Silence is golden, golden🎵
05:45🎵But my eyes still see🎵
05:48Number 25.
05:50Scarborough Fair, Canticle.
05:52Simon & Garfunkel.
05:53This iconic duo combined an old English folk ballad
05:56with a reworked version of Paul Simon's The Side of a Hill,
05:59giving it the new title, Canticle.
06:01🎵Are you going to Scarborough Fair?🎵
06:07The result is a melody that's both eerie and enchanting,
06:10perfectly paired with their otherworldly harmonies.
06:13These harmonies feel like a bridge to the past,
06:15adding a sense of mystery and wonder.
06:17🎵Marsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme🎵
06:24While the overall sound is sweet and harmonious,
06:27there's something almost ethereal about it.
06:29The soothing arrangement helps you fully appreciate every note and lyric.
06:33🎵And gathered it all in a bunch of heather🎵
06:40Meanwhile, the contrast between their distinct voices
06:43makes the arrangement even more magnetic.
06:45It's a sound that draws you in and keeps you mesmerized.
06:49🎵She once was a true love of mine🎵
06:55Number 24.
06:56Aquarius' Let the Sunshine In, The Flesh Failures, Fifth Dimension.
07:01You probably know these songs from the start and end of the musical Hair.
07:04🎵Aquarius, Aquarius🎵
07:14After a serendipitous event with a lost wallet,
07:16the group caught the show and was inspired to record these tracks.
07:19Their harmonies capture the song's uplifting and transcendent spirit,
07:23with their voices intertwining to create a beautiful and joyous sound.
07:27🎵And love, just hear this one🎵
07:30🎵This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius🎵
07:35You really feel the emotional punch when they shift from the dreamy cosmic Aquarius
07:40to the powerful, freeing Let the Sunshine In.
07:42Their layered harmonies send you into a euphoric state,
07:45making the message about peace, love, and unity wash over you like a wave.
07:49🎵Come on, sunshine in🎵
07:53🎵Everybody just sing along🎵
07:56🎵Sunshine in🎵
07:58And to think, lead singer Billy Davis Jr. ad-libbed his part on the spot. Magical.
08:04🎵Let it shine on you🎵
08:12Number 23. The Air That I Breathe, The Hollies.
08:15Eric Clapton has gone on record as saying that from the very start,
08:19this song, quote, had more soul than anything he'd ever heard.
08:23🎵Peace came upon me🎵
08:27Indeed, it fills us with warmth and invites us to partake in its intimacy.
08:31But then we reach the chorus, and this is where the magic truly happens.
08:36🎵Sometimes, all I need is the air that I breathe🎵
08:44It explodes with rich, close, three-part harmonies
08:46that wrap around you like a big, comforting hug.
08:49🎵Silent angel, go to sleep🎵
08:54At one point, they even take a beautiful, unexpected detour,
08:58rising above the lead melody for a moment that's guaranteed to give you chills.
09:02Yet it's their smooth, unified sound that truly digs into your heart and soul.
09:07Never to let go.
09:08🎵All I need is the air that I breathe🎵
09:13🎵And to love you🎵
09:15Number 22, Early Morning Rain, Peter, Paul & Mary.
09:19This folk music trio is often credited with giving the genre a fresh boost
09:23and bringing it back into the mainstream.
09:24🎵In the early morning rain🎵
09:29Their harmonies are so hypnotic that it's no wonder they've built such a devoted following.
09:34One standout example is their song, Early Morning Rain.
09:37🎵When I'm out here on the grass🎵
09:42These three singers use just the strength and beauty of their voices
09:45to stir up a whirlwind of emotions.
09:47When they harmonize, their voices come together as one,
09:51showing a collective vulnerability that really resonates with listeners.
09:54🎵Hear the mighty engine roar🎵
09:59🎵See the silver wing on high🎵
10:04They keep it simple, avoiding too many extra flourishes,
10:07so we can fully appreciate the charm of their vocal blend
10:10and let it take hold of us until the final note fades.
10:13🎵Jump in and play🎵
10:18🎵Like a carefree train🎵
10:22Number 21, Cherish, The Association.
10:25This group is famed for its tight vocal harmonies,
10:28and this song is one of their finest.
10:30🎵Cherish is a word I used to describe🎵
10:38Even though the lyrics are not as lovey-dovey as the title suggests,
10:41the harmonies are so captivating, it feels almost like a serenade.
10:44🎵That I am not gonna be the one to share🎵
10:47🎵What seems to be the life that you could cherish🎵
10:51The way their voices work together is dreamlike, often taking surprising turns.
10:56You can literally feel the hairs on your arms stand up
10:58as the harmonies wash over you with a rush of awe and pure joy.
11:02🎵Then have the right amount of pleasure🎵
11:05🎵Just the right sound that could make you hear🎵
11:09It's like a wave of voices combining to create this pleasing-to-the-ear sound,
11:13teasing with dissonance, only to resolve beautifully at the last moment.
11:17It definitely leaves us all tingly, and we cherish every moment.
11:22🎵And I do cherish you🎵
11:30🎵I don't wanna give up but baby🎵
11:37🎵It's time I had two feet on the ground🎵
11:40Hold On may be the better-known single from Wilson Phillips' debut album from 1990,
11:45but don't sleep on this song.
11:46Release Me features wonderful triple harmonies from all the members of Wilson Phillips,
11:50which is no mean feat.
11:52The song also boasts that polished production style
11:55that was so indicative of the late 80s and early 90s.
11:58🎵'Cause we wanna be free🎵
12:02🎵Somehow it's just not that easy🎵
12:06This slickness allows those aforementioned harmonies
12:09to shine brightly above the restrained musical arrangements.
12:12The end results highlight the talents of Chyna Phillips,
12:14Carnie Wilson, and her sister Wendy,
12:16making Release Me a tour de force of vocal-oriented pop rock.
12:20🎵Then baby you just got to release me🎵
12:24Number 19.
12:26Eternal Flame, The Bangles.
12:28🎵Say my name🎵
12:30🎵Bloodshots through the rain🎵
12:32The songwriting process can be approached in myriad ways.
12:36Susannah Hoffs collaborated with compositional pros Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg
12:40for this hit with her group The Bangles.
12:42This group effort mentality also applies to the song's arrangements,
12:46which allow for evocative, almost gothic backing harmonies to Hoffs' lead vocal.
12:50🎵I believe it's meant to be, darling🎵
12:56Eternal Flame is relatively sparse with regard to instrumentation,
13:00and this space allows The Bangles to truly work as a team.
13:03Hoffs carries the main melody,
13:05but the backing harmonies that begin with Close Your Eyes
13:07lift up Eternal Flame to a place of pop ballad perfection.
13:11🎵Do you feel the same?🎵
13:15🎵Am I only dreaming?🎵
13:19Number 18.
13:20I'll Never Find Another You, The Seekers.
13:23🎵There's a new world somewhere🎵
13:27🎵They've all come inside🎵
13:30The 1960s was a wondrous time for fans of folk music.
13:34There was a significant crossover with regard to the pop realm,
13:37allowing for artists like Australia's The Seekers to see chart success.
13:41I'll Never Find Another You is one of the group's best songs
13:44thanks largely to the crazy amount of vocal talent on display.
13:48🎵When I walk through the store🎵
13:51🎵You'll be my guide, be my guide🎵
13:55Folk music's intrinsically intimate and minimalist approach
13:58allows the quadruple vocal attack of Judith Durham,
14:01Athol Guy, Keith Potgur, and Bruce Woodley to shine.
14:04There's a marked melancholy tinge to the song,
14:07as well as a time capsule sentiment that makes I'll Never Find Another You
14:11feel forever locked in a dance with the decade in which it was recorded.
14:15🎵I don't know what I'll do🎵
14:18🎵But I know I'll never find🎵
14:22Number 17, More Than Words, Xtreme.
14:25🎵Saying I love you🎵
14:29🎵Is not the words I want to hear🎵
14:34The world of glam metal may not exactly be the place
14:37where one might seek out a tender acoustic ballad.
14:39Yet here we are with Xtreme's More Than Words,
14:42a massive crossover hit for this Boston-based group of hard rockers.
14:46The band's rhythm section has nothing to do here,
14:48and they even poke gentle fun at this during the song's music video.
14:52Yup, More Than Words is all about the performance of guitarist Nuno Bettencourt
14:56and singer Gary Cherone, as the pair harmonize with a laser focus.
15:00🎵More than words🎵
15:04🎵Is all you have to do🎵
15:07Bettencourt's restrained plucking carries a relaxed groove,
15:10as he locks in with Cherone's powerful lead vocal.
15:14It ends up sounding like gangbusters.
15:16🎵I had already known🎵
15:21Number 16, Helplessly Hoping, Crosby, Stills and Nash.
15:26🎵Helplessly hoping🎵
15:28🎵Her heart again hovers nearby🎵
15:33There are a number of vocal groups out there, particularly from the 1960s,
15:37that have become synonymous with this ability to really nail a vocal harmony.
15:41Crosby, Stills and Nash certainly fit within this category,
15:44as evidenced by this single from 1969.
15:46🎵Love isn't lying, it's loose in a lady who lingers🎵
15:54Helplessly Hoping is a song where the triple vocal harmonies are crafted to
15:58work together with the song's alliterative lyrics.
16:00It's a relatively simple relationship song on the surface,
16:04but more research and a deeper listen will reveal
16:06just how high the level of complexity is here with CSN.
16:09🎵They are for each other🎵
16:15Number 15, Don't Let Go Love, En Vogue.
16:17🎵Home and friends, hold me tight and don't let go🎵
16:24It speaks volumes to the collective talents of En Vogue that they've managed
16:27to stand so tall within the crowded field of vocal R&B.
16:31There have been a lot of genre-defining girl groups out there,
16:34yet Don't Let Go Love is still such a dizzyingly awesome listen,
16:38years on since its 1996 release.
16:41The warm production gives the guitar and drum accompaniment a funky rock feeling
16:45that serves up great contrast to En Vogue's vocal power.
16:48🎵Love making, heart breaking, soul taking, what you gonna do🎵
16:55Subtlety is largely eschewed here on Don't Let Go,
16:58in favor of raw emotion and unbridled skill.
17:01The harmonies weave in and out,
17:03punctuating words and phrases within the verses and that amazing chorus
17:07to give Don't Let Go this vibe of feeling cool forever.
17:10🎵You and I, don't let go🎵
17:17Number 14, The Chain, Fleetwood Mac.
17:19🎵I can still hear you say, you would never break the chain🎵
17:26The sound of romantic fracture and emotional turmoil
17:28reverberates throughout this 1977 banger from Fleetwood Mac.
17:32The group's Rumors LP was the soundtrack to multiple relationships
17:36within the band falling apart, and that pain is laid bare on The Chain.
17:39🎵Break the silence, damn the dark, damn the light🎵
17:45The vocals of Stevie Nicks, Lindsay Buckingham, and Christine McVie
17:48weave together like strings on some arcane musical loom,
17:51crafting stardust magic with every harmony.
17:54The determined quarter-note rhythm of the verses
17:56builds to a final bass-driven crescendo.
17:59It's here where The Chain enters Hall of Fame territory,
18:02as Fleetwood Mac serves up ghostly harmonies for love's bittersweet farewell.
18:06🎵The chain will keep us together🎵
18:10Number 13, Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen.
18:13🎵Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality🎵
18:20If there's one obvious entry on this list, perhaps it's this one.
18:25Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen just feels like one of those slam-dunk
18:28examples of the vocal harmony as high art.
18:32It's there right from the jump,
18:33as Freddie Mercury and the boys declare their statement of musical intent.
18:36🎵Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me🎵
18:40🎵Galileo🎵
18:42All of the members from Queen could sing,
18:44so here on Bohemian Rhapsody, they do just that,
18:47and make musical history in the process.
18:49Each movement of the song ushers in a new opportunity
18:52for the members of Queen to show off their chops.
18:55From that aforementioned intro, to the moody verses,
18:57to that fiery hard rock finale,
18:59it's all here in gloriously overblown bombast.
19:02🎵The elgin book has a devil put aside for me🎵
19:07Number 12, Rainy Days and Mondays, The Carpenters.
19:11🎵Run and find the one who loves me🎵
19:16Soft rock isn't an insult,
19:18at least not when it comes to The Carpenters.
19:20This sibling duo helped define 1970s pop radio,
19:23but don't think for a second that this diminishes
19:26the talents of Karen and Richard Carpenter.
19:28🎵No need to talk it out, we know what it's all about🎵
19:33Rainy Days and Mondays was written by the legendary
19:36Paul Williams and Roger Nichols,
19:38and features Wrecking Crew recording alum Hal Blaine on the drums.
19:42Karen herself was an accomplished percussionist,
19:44but it's her vocals that embrace the listener
19:46like the warmest, most comforting sweater.
19:49Richard's harmonies and electric piano playing
19:51never overshadow his sister's magnificent lead vocal,
19:55yet their combined talents turn Rainy Days and Mondays
19:58into a mood full stop.
20:00🎵Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down🎵
20:12Number 11, To Love Somebody, The Bee Gees.
20:15🎵You don't know what it's like, baby you don't know what it's like🎵
20:22The Bee Gees may be more closely associated with 1970s disco,
20:27but their early work feels far more indebted
20:29to the psychedelic pop and rock from the 1960s.
20:32To Love Somebody arrives straight from this underrated period
20:35in the group's history,
20:36yet fans can hear that trademarked Bee Gees vocal talent
20:39even at this early stage.
20:41🎵Baby do you know what it's like to love somebody🎵
20:47The baroque pop musical arrangements are evocative as hell,
20:50feeling much more like The Beatles than Saturday Night Fever.
20:53This is no slight to either period,
20:56but it's refreshing to hear the Gibbs siblings harmonize
20:58in this more rock-focused fashion.
21:00Their work on that chorus in particular flutters and soars like a robin.
21:04It's magical stuff.
21:06🎵To love somebody, the way I love you🎵
21:15What constitutes a perfect vocal harmony?
21:18They're everywhere in music,
21:19but the best ones reach out, grab our hearts and make us feel something.
21:23🎵We had a love, a love, a love you don't find every day🎵
21:29Call it the chills, nostalgia or simply that love and feeling,
21:33but we know it when we hear it.
21:34The Righteous Brothers work perfectly off each other here
21:37on 1964's You've Lost That Love and Feeling,
21:39while Phil Spector's Wall of Sound production
21:42amplifies everything to evoke a certain time and place.
21:44🎵You've lost that love and feeling🎵
21:50🎵Lost that love and feeling🎵
21:54Bill Medley's lead baritone vocal sets everything up
21:56before Bobby Hatfield hits the high harmony for the chorus.
21:59Hatfield also delivers some banger high notes near the song's tail end,
22:03but it's all about that chorus, man.
22:05🎵You've lost that love and feeling🎵
22:08🎵Cause it's gone, gone, gone🎵
22:21We're sticking with the Phil Spector Wall of Sound style here once again
22:24for our next entry,
22:25an absolute classic slice of early 60s pop.
22:28Ronnie Spector, then under the name Veronica Bennett,
22:31is actually the only member of the Ronettes to sing on the track,
22:34overdubbing all of the backing harmonies that lift up her soaring vibrato.
22:38🎵I'm taking my toy behind🎵
22:42🎵Be my, be my baby now🎵
22:47It's these sweetly sung backing oohs and ahhs
22:50that make Bennett's already powerful work on the chorus feel truly iconic.
22:54The end result evoke those nostalgic, slightly sad memories
22:58that make Be My Baby tug at so many heartstrings.
23:02🎵Be my, be my baby🎵
23:06🎵I'm on it, I'm feeling it🎵
23:09Number 8.
23:10Turn, Turn, Turn.
23:11The Byrds.
23:12🎵To everything🎵
23:14🎵Turn, turn, turn🎵
23:17🎵There is a season🎵
23:20The Byrds may not have written Turn, Turn, Turn.
23:22That honor belongs to folk singer Pete Seeger,
23:25but it's their version that's arguably gone down as the most well-known.
23:29It also doesn't feel unfair to surmise that the band's amazing harmony vocal work
23:34helped make their take on Turn, Turn, Turn feel so indicative of the 1960s.
23:38Roger McGuinn takes the lead,
23:40while David Crosby and Gene Clark assist on harmony vocals,
23:43and it's truly the stuff of magic.
23:46🎵A time to build up🎵
23:48🎵A time to break down🎵
23:50🎵A time to dance🎵
23:52🎵A time to mourn🎵
23:54It's still folky, sure, but there's also a rock backbeat
23:57and a proto-psychedelia that would define the Byrds' musical direction into the future.
24:02The vocals are insistent and captivating,
24:04possessing this glorious echo that makes Turn, Turn, Turn
24:07feel and sound like no other song from the era.
24:10🎵A time for peace🎵
24:13🎵I swear it's not too late🎵
24:17Number 7.
24:18God Only Knows.
24:19The Beach Boys.
24:20🎵I, I, I, I, I, I, I🎵
24:27One does not simply discuss rock vocal harmonies without
24:31praying at the altar of the Beach Boys.
24:32It doesn't matter if we're listening to the old-school surf rock fun of I Get Around
24:36or our number 7 entry God Only Knows.
24:39The Beach Boys are absolute masters of their craft.
24:42🎵You never need to doubt it🎵
24:46🎵I'll make you so sure about it🎵
24:49A bevy of instruments were laid down in the studio for this latter song,
24:53including everything from sleigh bells and clarinets to everyday kitchen cups.
24:57At the end of the day, however,
24:59it's all about how Brian Wilson and Bruce Johnston harmonize Carl Wilson's soaring lead vocal.
25:04This is a tender yet deceptively complex song with devastating arrangements
25:08and the kind of vocal performances that make the goosebumps rise
25:12and the hair stand on end.
25:14🎵God only knows what we rely on🎵
25:18🎵God only knows what we rely on🎵
25:21Number 6.
25:22Because.
25:23The Beatles.
25:24🎵Because the world is round🎵
25:28🎵It turns me on🎵
25:32The Beatles were another band whose career trajectory saw them embracing
25:36some of the most forward-thinking vocal arrangements
25:38to go along with their influential songwriting talents.
25:41Because, from 1969, could not sound further removed from the band's early pop hits,
25:46but instead feels more at home with late-period gems
25:49like Eleanor Rigby and While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
25:51🎵Ah, love is old, love is new🎵
25:59The direct inspiration from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
26:02lends Because a gothic and grandiose atmosphere,
26:05like something out of the Castlevania franchise.
26:07Elsewhere, the Moog synthesizer and electric harpsichord
26:10underline those haunting vocal harmonies
26:12that stress that aforementioned melody lift from Beethoven.
26:16It's brilliant stuff.
26:17🎵It makes me cry🎵
26:24Number 5.
26:25Thank You For The Music.
26:26ABBA.
26:27🎵But I have a talent, a wonderful thing🎵
26:31🎵'Cause everyone listens when I start to sing🎵
26:36The opening of Thank You For The Music by ABBA
26:38sounds like a Broadway show tune,
26:40which is fitting because it would later be used in Mamma Mia.
26:43There's a grand cabaret style to this track
26:45that's not quite the disco for which ABBA was largely known,
26:48but more of a sweeping pop ballad with great vocal harmonies.
26:51🎵What will that be?🎵
26:54🎵Without a song for this, what are we?🎵
26:58The group had already proved they could deliver
27:00some amazing harmonies on songs like Knowing Me, Knowing You,
27:04and Thank You For The Music underlines this fact in a great way.
27:07The chorus sounds particularly massive,
27:09as Agnetha Fältskog handles the lead,
27:12while Anne-Frid Lyngstad and the other backing vocals
27:14echo Fältskog in fantastic fashion.
27:16🎵So I say thank you for the music🎵
27:21🎵For giving it to me🎵
27:25Number 4.
27:26The Sound Of Silence.
27:27Simon & Garfunkel.
27:29🎵And no one dared to stir the sound of silence🎵
27:37It seems difficult to believe that the debut album
27:39from Simon & Garfunkel,
27:41featuring the original version of The Sound Of Silence,
27:43failed to make an impact back in 1964.
27:46Yet if that hadn't happened,
27:48then perhaps we'd never have this 1965 remix to enjoy.
27:52A take many feel is the definitive version of the song.
27:55🎵Hear my words that I might teach you🎵
28:00🎵Take my arms that I might reach you🎵
28:03The electrified instrumentation
28:05doesn't hamper the folk duo's amazing harmony vocals.
28:08If anything,
28:09they amplify how The Sound Of Silence resounds
28:11as a defining song of the 1960s,
28:13an evocative tune where Simon & Garfunkel become,
28:16almost in an instant,
28:17icons of their generation.
28:19This reputation would be further cemented
28:21on tearjerkers like 1970s Bridge Over Troubled Water.
28:25🎵I'm sailing right behind🎵
28:32Number 3.
28:33Seven Bridges Road.
28:34The Eagles.
28:35🎵Stars in the southern sky🎵
28:41The dude may hate The Eagles,
28:43but even he probably couldn't deny the vocal harmonies
28:45present on their version of Steve Young's Seven Bridges Road.
28:48Or maybe we better address the elephant in the room
28:51by calling it Ian Matthews' arrangement of Seven Bridges Road
28:53that was allegedly heisted by The Eagles for their 1980 hit.
28:57🎵And I have loved you in a sane way🎵
29:07It doesn't really matter on which side of the argument you lay
29:09because there's no denying that this live track
29:11really captures how well the band harmonized out on stage.
29:15The quintuple harmony in particular is incredible to behold,
29:18creating a moment of musical history
29:20that's difficult to beat.
29:21The control and attention to detail is just astounding.
29:25🎵Down the Seven Bridges Road🎵
29:35Number 2.
29:36California Dreamin'.
29:37The Mamas and the Papas.
29:38🎵All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray🎵
29:45The musical climate of the 1960s was one that supported huge growth,
29:49from West Coast folk and psych rock to psychedelia and British invasion imports.
29:53The Mamas and the Papas were from the former camp,
29:55and their hit California Dreamin' is perhaps the song
29:58that could serve as a time capsule relic from this very important decade.
30:01🎵I'd be safe if I was in L.A. If I was in L.A.🎵
30:10The lead vocal by Denny Doherty,
30:12as well as the harmonies by John and Michelle Phillips with Cass Elliot
30:16were actually laid over instrumentation by the Barry McGuire version of the song.
30:20Yet it's the Mamas and the Papas' warm harmonies,
30:22together with a ghostly improvised flute solo by Bud Shank,
30:25that makes California Dreamin' one for the ages.
30:28🎵I'm born in the dreamin' I'll touch you in the dream🎵
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31:04What is it about pop hits from the 1950s that make us cry every single time?
31:10There's an innocence and nostalgia associated with songs like All I Have to Do is Dream
31:14that makes the listener yearn for a time and place that may or may not exist.
31:18The harmonies of the Everly Brothers on here are bittersweet and slightly melancholic.
31:22🎵Only trouble is, to you is, I'm dreamin' my life away🎵
31:32Their voices evoke imagery so closely associated with this decade.
31:36Sharing milkshakes, young sweethearts holding hands at the drive-in,
31:40and those same sweethearts dancing close to the song.
31:43The Everly Brothers captured lightning in a bottle with All I Have to Do is Dream.
31:46Their harmonious voices achieving not only billboard chart success,
31:50but musical immortality.
31:59What vocal harmonies give you chills?
32:01Let us know in the comments.
32:11Do you agree with our picks?
32:12Check out this other recent clip from MsMojo.
32:14And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.