The 1960s was perhaps the most important decade for rock music. By then, the genre had had time to mature, and people were starting to recognize it as a serious form of art. As rock ‘n’ roll became more mainstream, bands and artists all over the world started experimenting and pushing the boundaries of the genre, and many songs from that time period became the foundation for modern music.
British bands like The Beatles, The Who and the Rolling Stones were at the forefront of this transformation, innovating within their art form and channeling their generation’s hopes, fears, and dreams into timeless music. Across the pond, artists like Bob Dylan were writing some of the greatest lyrics in music history, unknowingly influencing writers for decades to come. Here are 10 of the greatest classic rock songs from the ’60s.
10
“I Want to Hold Your Hand” — The Beatles (1964)
“I Want to Hold Your Hand” is among the most iconic Beatles songs, mostly due to its significance both for fans and for the band itself. It was the first Billboard U.S. No. 1 by the Fab Four, and it marked a definite change in rock ‘n’ roll forever. The Beatles had been steadily growing as one of the most popular bands in Britain, and their manager and record label were pushing for them to tour the United States. However, the band felt they weren’t ready. They believed that, in order to truly make it in the land that created rock ‘n’ roll, they needed to have a U.S. No. 1. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was the song that achieved this, and thanks to this song, The Beatles dared conquer America. Their performance of this song on The Ed Sullivan Show was a monumental moment that went down in history, and this song changed the course of the band, and rock music, forever.
9
“You Really Got Me” — The Kinks (1964)
“You Really Got Me” is by far the most successful hit The Kinks ever had. The beauty of this song is that, while it’s clearly a staple of its time, it’s also timeless enough that you can play it at a party nowadays, and it would still get people to the dance floor. It’s incredibly modern, and it became a huge influence on later rock movements like punk and heavy metal. The lyrics are very classic, straightforward rock ‘n’ roll. “The inspiration for the lyrics and title came to me one night while playing with Dave Hunt at The Scene Club in Soho,” singer Ray Davies explained. From the stage, he saw a very attractive girl, but she sadly slipped away from him. “When we finished, I went off to find her, but she was gone and never returned to the club. She really got me going.”
8
“The House of the Rising Sun” — The Animals (1964)
“The House of the Rising Sun” was not written by The Animals, but it became a rock ‘n’ roll classic thanks to their unforgettable version of it. The first time they performed this traditional folk classic was during a joint concert with Chuck Berry, and it quickly became obvious that the blues rock style fitted this classic perfectly. Eventually, they recorded and released their legendary version in 1964, and it became a huge hit. Nowadays, most people still come back to this version, and some fans even think theirs is the original. That’s how big it became.
7
“Like a Rolling Stone” — Bob Dylan (1965)
Bob Dylan shaped not one, but several decades of music, but if we had to choose just one of his countless iconic tracks, “Like a Rolling Stone” would definitely be at least in the top 5. Released in 1965, it has been perceived by a lot of fans as one of the many tracks directed at Joan Baez, as part of their complicated, on-an-off romance. Though Dylan never explicitly said it was about a former lover, he did admit that it was a song about rightful anger, about proving to someone they were wrong about you. Originally, Dylan said it was 10 pages long, and it was just him putting all his fury into words. He didn’t have plans to turn it into a song; it happened almost accidentally.
“In the end, it wasn’t hatred; it was telling someone something they didn’t know; telling them they were lucky. Revenge—that’s a better word. I had never thought of it as a song until one day I was at the piano, and on the paper it was singing ‘How does it feel?’ in a slow-motion pace; in the utmost of slow motion.”
6
“Hey Jude” — The Beatles (1968)
“Hey Jude” is a legendary track for many reasons. Its release marked an important moment in the band’s history since they had stopped playing live two years before; their appearance on David Frost’s TV show to perform it caused excitement among fans. The song was also 6 minutes long when singles were meant to be only 3 minutes long. Producer George Martin said in The Beatles Anthology that he tried to convince them not to release it as a single because no record station would play such a long single; however,John Lennon argued that they would play it because it was The Beatles. And he was right. The song reached No. 1 both in the U.S. and the U.K. “Hey Jude” was written by Paul McCartney for Lennon’s son Julian, offering him comfort amid his parents’ divorce; decades later it’s still an uplifting anthem of optimism.
5
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” — The Rolling Stones (1965)
This is unarguably the Rolling Stones track. While this band has a long list of hits that have shaped modern music, no song better captures the spirit of this British band—especially at that time—than “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” This track established The Rolling Stones as the “bad boys” of British invasion groups while expressing frustration and anger at commercialism among youth in the 1960s. The hook “I can’t get no satisfaction” is simple enough but incredibly compelling; its double entendre made it even more edgy and outstanding. In this song,Mick Jagger sings angrily about invasive false advertising and sexual frustration; no matter how much time passes young people always seem to go back to this track.
4
“My Generation” — The Who (1965)
Need we say more? “My Generation” by The Who was explicitly about youth in the 1960s struggling to find their place in a world drastically changed from what their parents knew before World War II. It is admittedly very grim with band members feeling like their generation had no future. GuitaristPeter Townshend explained he wrote this song about “trying to find a place in society.” He stated he felt very lost at that time: “The band was young then; it was believed that its career would be incredibly brief.” Ironically this song contributed to making The Who’s career timeless; with his raw and honest music Townshend helped pave the way for his generation.
3
“Light My Fire” — The Doors (1967)
“Light My Fire” is The Doors’ signature song with perhaps the most recognizable keyboard riff in rock history. Written mostly by guitaristRobby Krieger, this song originated from lyrics inspired by Rolling Stones’ “Play with Fire.” KeyboardistRay Manzarek added his own spin on it creating an organ riff inspired by Bach along with a solo inspired by The Sound of Music. This innovative melody coupled withJim Morrison’s hypnotic velvet vocals made this song into a beacon of 1960s psychedelia.
2
“God Only Knows” — The Beach Boys (1966)
Pet Sounds contains countless masterpieces but “God Only Knows” stands out among them due to its complex progression and ambiguous sound which make this song sound innovative even now. The Beach Boys were at their peak when they released “God Only Knows” in 1966;Brian Wilson’s songwriting truly shines in this earnest ballad. Paul McCartney called it one of his favorite songs ever written stating thatPet Sounds, particularly this track encouraged The Beatles to push boundaries while experimenting with harmonies and new sounds—thus making this song not only representative of The Beach Boys’ incredible range but also becoming key influence in 1960s music.
1
“A Day in the Life” — The Beatles (1967)
“A Day in the Life” closes The Beatles’ most groundbreaking album,Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, so mind-blowingly that it was even banned by BBC at that time. This track represents one of greatest Lennon-McCartney collaborations: John Lennon wrote opening and closing verses while Paul McCartney wrote middle section which initially belonged entirely different song altogether—this composition feels like hazy vivid dream from start finish with Lennon’s raspy voice crescendoing orchestra sections jarring change from refrain McCartney’s bridge marked alarm clock encouraging feeling standing between dream reality considered by many as Beatles’ most influential track which is no small feat changing rules rock ‘n’ roll forever.
