I didn't answer top 70 (already yes to top 40).

1-5 Released between 1965-1969
6 Did not reach #1
7-9 dead solo male performer
10 performer not in the RnR HoF
11-13 song hit the top 20

I'm drunk and will promptly STFU now

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Was it released in '65, '66, or '67?

Yes

I was hoping we could narrow it down to 2 years and not 3....

I have in mind to narrow it down further to a specific year. Or we could see if the song was in the year end top 100 songs. Or ask if the artist ever had any other top 20 songs on the billboard charts. Presumably, he can't have too many since he's not in the HOF. He might be a one-hit wonder. But we're at 14 questions already.

I think getting the year would be good. We’re probably going to need to start poking through Hot 100 lists at some point so limiting how many of those we have to go through would help.

Any other top 20 might be a good q too but it might not be as good once we see what actually fits.

15. Was it released on or after June 1, 1966?

Yes

Did the song finish on the Billboard Year End Top 100 list for 1966 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billbo...ingles_of_1966

or 1967? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billbo...ingles_of_1967

Please be yes!

No is not a terrible result either though so it is a good q!

I'm a little concerned that we might be dealing with a song that didn't get popular until much after it was released. It's related to chillrob's answer of "Not sure if this is going to be the most productive path, but we'll see." to a release date q. So I'm hoping it's just a yes.

The good news is that the majority of songs in the top 20 during this period were not by solo performers so hopefully there's just a handful of things that fit.

Is this just supposed to be one question (Yes if either or both, No if neither)?

I'm just going to assume this was one either/or question and answer

No

for either list. Also in case I led you astray earlier I would also say I don't think it's on any Billboard Top 100 year end list (I only checked these two and 1968, but it's not a song that gained more popularity years after its release).

1-5 Released between 1965-1969
6 Did not reach #1
7-9 dead solo male performer
10 performer not in the RnR HoF
11-13 song hit the top 20
14-15 released June 1966-December 1967
16 did not make any Billboard Year End Top 100 list

Well, I've started looking at the top 20, week by week. Might take a while. And I just learned that Frank Sinatra isn't in the HOF, which is shocking, considering that Jay-Z and NWA are in the HOF. Stay tuned.

Frank definitely wasn't RnR. Of course those guys weren't either, but they were added after the HoF started adding people who had nothing to do with RnR.

If ABBA, Louis Armstrong, and Johnny Cash are in the HOF, maybe there's room for Frank. All are great artists. None are RnR.

Do you want to give me a range of dates to check to break it up?

I went from June '66 through to the beginning of March '68. Here's what I've got.

The More I See You	Chris Montez
Barefootin'	Robert Parker
Sweet Pea	Tommy Roe
(I Washed My Hands In) Muddy Water	Johnny Rivers
The Pied Piper	Crispian St Peters
That's Life	Sinatra
Sunny	Bobby Hebb
Sweet Dreams	Tommy McLain
Summertime	Billy Stewart
Working in the Coal Mine	Lee Dorsey
The Joker Went Wild	Bian Hyland
Wade in the Water	Ramsey Lewis
What Becomes of the *******earted	Jimmy Ruffin
Hooray For Hazel	Tommy Roe
If I Were A Carpenter	Bobby Darin
Love is a Hurtin' Thing	Lou Rawls
Born Free	Roger Williams
Tell it Like it is	Aaron Neville
Cry	Ronnie Dove
Coming Home Soldier	Bobby Vinton
I've Passed This Way Before	Jimmy Ruffin
98.6	Keith
Green, Green Grass of Home	Tom Jones
Stand by Me	Spyder Turner
Baby I Need Your Lovin'	Johnny Rivers
My Cup Runneth Over	Ed Ames
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy	Cannonball Adderley
Sweet Soul Music	Arthur Conley
Release Me (And Let Me Love Again) Engelbert Humperdink	Engelbert Humperdink
Can't Take My Eyes Off You	Frankie Valli
The Tracks Of My Tears	Johnny Rivers
San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hairs)	Scott McKenzie
There Goes My Everything	Engelbert Humperdink
GimmeLittle Sign	Brenton Wood
Little Ole Man (Uptight, Everything's Alright)	Bill Cosby
Please Love Me Forever	Bobby Vinton
Everlasting Love	Robert Knight
An Open Letter To My Teenage Son	Victor Lundberg
Skinny Legs And All	Joe Tex
Summer Rain	Johnny Rivers
Boogaloo Down Broadway	The Fantastic Johnny C
Who Will Answer?	Ed Ames
Am I That Easy To Forget	Engelbert Humperdink

Not sure I'll be able to focus without someone explaining this entry into the profanity filter.

Nice work on that, bolt. Any ideas on the best way to narrow this down?

If we assume that it's a song that most of us would recognize today, it's a pretty short list.

That's Life - Sinatra
Working in the Coal Mine - Lee Dorsey
What Becomes of the Broken Hearted - Jimmy Ruffin
Green Green Grass of Home - Tom Jones
Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Frankie Valli
Everlasting Love - Robert Knight


Of these songs, Everlasting Love is more recognizable for the covers than the original, most notably by Love Affair.

I've never heard of Green Green Grass of Home, but everyone knows Tom Jones, so I included it as a possibility.

Frankie Valli was inducted with the Four Seasons but never as a solo artist. I doubt that he's the answer here.

So that leaves Sinatra, Lee Dorsey, and Jimmy Ruffin as my top picks. I've got a pretty good feeling it's Sinatra.

I'll leave it to your imagination, but on my most recent post I just split it into 2 words and eluded the filter.

Bolt, where are you finding your lists?

Billboard's site has historical lists of their top 100. I literally went through, week by week, and scanned the top 20.

List seems reasonable. I'd add "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)" solely on the basis that I know what that song is (and I don't recognize any of the other ones that you didn't include).