There are a ton of classic singles that dropped in 1969 that we still can’t get out of our heads. The following three tracks are shoo-in examples of 1969 songs that sounded ahead of their time back then, and still sound weirdly contemporary and fresh today. Maybe you’ll agree with me here.
“Time Of The Season” by The Zombies from ‘Odyssey And Oracle’
This psychedelic pop-oriented rock song has a smooth bass line from Chris White and a unique vocal delivery à la Colin Blunstone, and it still manages to sound fresh after all these years. “Time Of The Season” by The Zombies closed out the album Odessey And Oracle beautifully, and it was also a bit of a surprise hit when released as a single in the United States. It took a while, though. After about a year from its original release date, “Time Of The Season” became a sleeper hit and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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“Come Together” by The Beatles from ‘Abbey Road’
I couldn’t forget this one, could I? “Come Together” was one of the biggest songs of the year in 1969. And the way this funky, psychedelic Fab Four classic was arranged still sounds way ahead of its time. When one thinks of The Beatles, many think of “Come Together” right away.
This classic from Abbey Road reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart in the US. It also hit No. 4 in the UK. In general, it was a Top 10 hit across the globe.
“Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival from ‘Green River’
While this song does have that rootsy swamp rock vibe of its era, something about it just continues to delight new fans to this day. That’s thanks to John Fogerty’s top-notch songwriting skills, I’d say. This entry on our list of classic singles from 1969 that still sound fresh is one of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s most memorable hits. And you’d be hard-pressed to miss it on classic rock radio nowadays.
“Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival reached the Top 10 globally. It peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the UK Singles chart.
(Photo by Basul Parik/Getty Images)
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