3 Male Classic Rock Singers From the 60s Who Could Make You Cry

The 1960s were rich with emotion. From rebellious rage to soft-hearted flower power magnetism, the era was known for big swells of feeling. And with that came music that could also do the same. Perhaps more than any decade, the 60s cared about how you felt internally, and thus, there were songwriters who aimed to access that part of you with their melodies and poetry.

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Below, we wanted to highlight three great examples of that. Three songwriters and performers from the classic rock era of the 1960s who could summon great emotion from you, including a few tears along the way. Indeed, these are three male classic rock singers who could simply make you cry.

Bob Dylan

Sometimes the plain, hard truth is enough to make you weep. And in the 1960s, Bob Dylan seemed just about as interested in reporting on world events as he was about singing or playing the guitar. But more than his hard-nosed honesty, Dylan was also a sensitive person and an eloquent, poetic songwriter. His vivid imagery could take you away, transporting you to a new place and time. His ideas were mind-expansive, especially at the time. And with each new idea came an opportunity to shed both an old one and a solitary tear.

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney blended poetic and imaginative lyrics with melodies that seemed plucked from the gods’ own record collection. He was sublime in his choices. And when he really wanted to dig into deep emotion, he could do it as well or better than anyone. Take the song “Eleanor Rigby”, the strings and the subject matter are enough to get you on your knees and staring up at the sky. Why is being a human so tough? Why are we so alone? These are the questions you might think when basking in the awe-inspiring and tear-inducing songs from the former Beatle.

Brian Wilson

If there was ever anyone on the planet who could match melodies with Paul McCartney, it’s Brian Wilson. The mastermind behind The Beach Boys wrote harmonies that were more divine than human. More lasting than seemingly time itself. Wilson seemed to mine his songs from the great caverns of his brain, and with each sun-dropped lyric came an opportunity to cry happy tears. It was like seeing the great light shine down from the heavens. That’s enough to stop you in your tracks. Enough to get the emotions flowing.

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