Top 10 Dave Clark Five Songs

Photo: CBS Television [Public domain]

Our Top 10 Dave Clark Five Songs list examines some of the best music the band released during their decade-long run in the 1960s. The Dave Clark Five originated in the London Borough of Haringey in England. The group was first formed in 1957. Like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and many other bands hailing from the United Kingdom, The Dave Clark Five released different versions of their albums on both sides of the Atlantic. The same also went for their singles release schedules. In the end, as fans, we are left with a tremendous body of work often overlooked in The Beatles’ shadow.

The Dave Clark Five released their first album in 1964 entitled Glad All Over. The album featured Dave Clark on drums, Mike Smith on lead vocals and keyboards, Lenny Davidson on guitar, Rick Huxley on bass, and Denis Payton on saxophone. Between 1964 and 1970, The Dave Clark Five released close to thirty albums when combining their U.K. and U.S. releases. Many of those albums were compilations combining singles and different tracks from both the U.K. and U.S.

Dave Clark’s reluctance to license his music to CD and current streaming services made it even more challenging to track his songs. Most original vinyl issues have never made it to CD or been reissued in any other format. Nonetheless, our Top 10 Dave Clark Five Songs list attempts to showcase some of the best songs the band released during their fabulous run in the 1960s.

# 10 – Can’t You See That She’s Mine

We open our Top 10 Dave Clark Five Songs list with the Dave Clark Five band single “Can’t You See That She’s Mine.” The song was released in 1964 on their debut album Dave Clark Five Return. It was the first and only single released from the record. The song is very similar in groove and melody to The Beatles “I Saw Her Standing There.” The song was a massive hit in the United States, where it reached all the way up to number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Dave Clark and Mike Smith composed the song.

# 9 – The Red Balloon

The Dave Clark Five song “The Red Balloon” was released in 1968. The song was released as a non-album single. The song did very well in the United Kingdom, reaching number seven on the singles charts. The song “The Red Balloon” failed to chart in the United States. It was a great example of how different tastes could be between fans in the United States and fans in the United Kingdom.

# 8 – Any Way You Want It

The great Dave Clark Five song “Any Way You Want It” is one of the most covered Dave Clark Five songs in their catalog. Kiss covered the song on their Kiss Alive II album. It was covered by The Ramones, with Eddie Vedder singing lead vocals. Tom Petty also recorded the song. “Any Way You Want It” is one of the most potent rockers the band ever released. The song was released on the Coast to Coast album in 1964.

# 7 – Because

For anyone who grew up in the 1960s in the U.S., the sound of that organ lick at the beginning of “Because” will be instantly recognizable. The mid-tempo ballad was a massive hit in the United States. The song was a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number three. The song was never released as a single in the United Kingdom.

# 6 – Catch Us If You Can

In 1965, The Dave Clark Five released the album Having a Wild Weekend. One of the most successful singles released from the album was the great Dave Clark Five song “Catch Us If You Can.” The song hit number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was so popular worldwide that a television show in Australia was named after the song.

# 5 – Everybody Knows

Watching old television clips of The Dave Clark Five perform is interesting. If one could not figure out that this was Dave Clark’s band by the group’s name, the stage set up of having the drummer Dave Clark placed in front of the rest of the musicians would confirm whose band this was. “Everybody Knows” was an early hit of the band, released in 1964.

# 4 – I Like It Like That

“I Like It Like That” is a song by Chris Kenner and Allen Toussaint. Chris Kenner had a big hit with his song in 1961, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The Dave Clark Five recorded the song in 1965 and released it on the I Like It Like That album.

# 3 – Bits and Pieces

As we get closer to number one on our Top 10 Dave Clark Five Songs list, we turn to three of the band’s most successful songs. The outstanding track “Bits and Pieces” was released in 1964 and issued on the band’s debut album Glad All Over. The song was a huge hit for the band, reaching number two in the United Kingdom and number four in the United States.

# 2 – Over and Over

We will close out this Top 10 Dave Clark Five Songs list with two number-one singles. The classic Dave Clark Five song “Over and Over” was released in 1965. The song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the band’s only number-one single in the United States. In the United Kingdom, the song only reached the number forty-five position.

# 1 – Glad All Over

While “Over and Over” served as the band’s only number-one single in the U.S., the Dave Clark Five celebrated another number-one single in the United Kingdom with their legendary track “Glad All Over.” The song served as the title track for their debut album, Glad All Over, released in 1964. Dave Clark and Mike Smith wrote the song. The song helped fuel the competition they had with The Beatles in 1964. The competition was wrapped in comparisons between the Beatles Mersey sound and the so-called Tottenham Sound.

Professional Sources, research, experience, and citations

Charting information used in the analysis and research of the commercial success of these songs comes from Billboard Magazine Charts

https://www.billboard.com/charts/

The Story Of Classic Rock

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dave_Clark_Five

Other sources for important factual information include the band’s website

Further analysis and original thoughts are provided by the writer Brian Kachejian’s experience as a professional musician and music collector for over 50 years and his experience as a New York State certified music and history educator and professional music journalist with the New York Press.

These articles are updated regularly.