The article argues that July 1966’s UK chart top three marked a symbolic shift in popular music, with The Kinks, The Beatles and Ike & Tina Turner representing rock, British pop and soul’s growing influence. It contrasts their success with Frank Sinatra’s fifth-place position, presenting the chart as evidence that the musical tastes associated with the post-war era were being overtaken by newer styles.

The Kinks were number one with ‘Sunny Afternoon’, a song Ray Davies said drew on influences including Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Bach and Bob Dylan. The Beatles followed with ‘Paperback Writer’, while Ike & Tina Turner were third with ‘River Deep, Mountain High’; Sinatra, who had criticised rock and roll, was fifth. The article suggests these songs and artists illustrate how the mid-1960s mainstream had moved towards a more varied and youth-driven sound.