# The 38 Best Northern Soul Songs of All Time

> Rare Detroit pressings worth thousands share space with chart hits the all-nighter crowds revived. Every one of these kept a dancefloor spinning until dawn.

*By YPB Team · Published October 28, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-38-best-northern-soul-songs-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)** — score 1000/1000
   Frank Wilson's 1965 Motown rarity, top of Kev Roberts' Northern Soul Top 500 and one of the most valuable records ever pressed.
2. **Better Use Your Head** — score 772/1000
   Little Anthony & the Imperials' 1966 Veep single, a UK chart hit via the scene in 1976.
3. **I'm Gonna Run Away from You** — score 699/1000
   Tami Lynn's 1965 song that became a UK top-five hit in 1971 thanks to the scene.
4. **I Really Love You** — score 699/1000
   The Tomangoes' rare 1967 Washpan single, a top-15 entry in the Northern Soul Top 500.
5. **Our Love Is in the Pocket** — score 610/1000
   J.J. Barnes's 1966 Detroit record, a cornerstone of the Ric-Tic and Revilot sound.
6. **If You Ask Me** — score 610/1000
   Jerry Williams's 1966 Calla single, a spinning-floor favourite from Wigan to Blackpool Mecca.
7. **I'll Do Anything** — score 610/1000
   Doris Troy's 1965 Cameo single, a soaring all-nighter favourite.
8. **Keep On Keeping On** — score 610/1000
   Nolan Porter's 1971 record, later reworked by Joy Division, and a Wigan Casino mainstay.
9. **The Beat** — score 610/1000
   Major Lance's 1968 Okeh single, a favourite from the Chicago star who later played Wigan Casino.
10. **I'm on My Way** — score 610/1000
   Dean Parrish's 1967 Laurie single, one of Wigan Casino's 3 Before 8 closers.
11. **You Didn't Say a Word** — score 499/1000
   Yvonne Baker's dramatic 1966 Junior single, a perennial Wigan Casino favourite.
12. **The Snake** — score 499/1000
   Al Wilson's 1968 retelling of a cautionary fable, a scene anthem that became a UK hit in 1975.
13. **Long After Tonight Is All Over** — score 499/1000
   Jimmy Radcliffe's Bacharach-penned 1964 ballad, one of the 3 Before 8 closers at Wigan Casino.
14. **Time Will Pass You By** — score 499/1000
   Tobi Legend's reflective 1968 single, the final record in Wigan Casino's 3 Before 8.
15. **Hey Girl Don't Bother Me** — score 499/1000
   The Tams' 1964 ABC single that the northern scene pushed to UK number one in 1971.
16. **Needle in a Haystack** — score 499/1000
   The Velvelettes' 1964 Motown girl-group single, a long-time scene floor-filler.
17. **Nothing Can Stop Me** — score 499/1000
   Gene Chandler's 1965 Constellation single, a polished Chicago soul classic of the scene.
18. **Open the Door to Your Heart** — score 499/1000
   Darrell Banks's 1966 Revilot single, an early Twisted Wheel anthem.
19. **Hit and Run** — score 499/1000
   Rose Batiste's 1966 Revilot single, a frantic Detroit dancer.
20. **Out on the Floor** — score 0/1000
   Dobie Gray's 1966 dancer whose lyrics became a manifesto for all-nighter crowds.
21. **If That's What You Wanted** — score 0/1000
   An early recording by future Maze leader Frankie Beverly, prized by collectors.
22. **Seven Days Too Long** — score 0/1000
   Chuck Wood's 1967 Roulette side, later covered by Dexys Midnight Runners.
23. **The Right Track** — score 0/1000
   Billy Butler's upbeat 1966 Okeh single, a classic of the Chicago sound on northern floors.
24. **Tainted Love** — score 0/1000
   Gloria Jones's 1964 original that northern soul DJs championed long before Soft Cell's cover.
25. **Crackin' Up Over You** — score 0/1000
   Roy Hamilton's 1966 RCA side, a big-voiced balladeer turned floor-filler.
26. **What Kind of Lady** — score 0/1000
   Dee Dee Sharp's 1969 Atco single, a later highlight from the Mashed Potato Time star.
27. **Love on a Mountain Top** — score 0/1000
   Robert Knight's 1968 song, a UK top-ten hit in 1973 after northern clubs revived it.
28. **Higher and Higher** — score 0/1000
   Jackie Wilson's 1967 Brunswick smash, a mainstream hit adopted by every northern dancefloor.
29. **Girls Are Out to Get You** — score 0/1000
   The Fascinations' 1967 Curtis Mayfield production, a UK hit via the scene in 1971.
30. **You Don't Love Me** — score 0/1000
   Epitome of Sound's ultra-rare 1967 single, a top-ten entry in the Northern Soul Top 500.
31. **What** — score 0/1000
   Judy Street's 1966 song, later covered by Soft Cell, and a Wigan Casino favourite.
32. **It Really Hurts Me Girl** — score 0/1000
   The Carstairs' 1973 Red Coach single, a defining record of the Blackpool Mecca modern sound.
33. **Seven Day Lover** — score 0/1000
   James Fountain's 1976 Peachtree single, a rare later-era record that became a scene staple.
34. **Looking for You** — score 0/1000
   Garnet Mimms's driving 1966 Veep side, a mainstay of the Twisted Wheel era.
35. **Landslide** — score 0/1000
   Tony Clarke's stomping 1965 Chess single, one of the scene's most recognisable intros.
36. **There's a Ghost in My House** — score 0/1000
   R. Dean Taylor's 1967 Motown side that the scene revived into a UK top-five hit in 1974.
37. **Here I Go Again** — score 0/1000
   Archie Bell & the Drells' 1969 Atlantic side, a UK hit in 1972 thanks to northern DJs.
38. **Unsatisfied** — score 0/1000
   Lou Johnson's 1965 Big Hill single, a Bacharach-era voice in a hard-driving setting.

Tags: music, 60s, uk, soul, northern soul