People Get Ready — The Impressions (1965)

Curtis Mayfield wrote this 1965 gospel-infused civil rights anthem after the Birmingham Church bombing, using a train-as-salvation metaphor that Bob Dylan called one of the greatest songs ever written. Although it reached only No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song's influence far exceeds its chart rank—Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck's 1985 cover revived it, and Rolling Stone ranked it No. 24 on its Greatest Songs of All Time list. It is cheaper in chart success than #5's 7-week reign, yet 30% more influential in cultural and political impact, as measured by citations in historical retrospectives.