In the 1960s, pop music wanted to entertain and educate. If you were driving down the highway, listening to your radio on the porch, or even dancing to a new tune on the weekend, chances were the song would make you think a bit.
That’s just what we wanted to dive into below. We wanted to highlight three songs from back in the day that sparked the imagination. Indeed, these are three pop songs from the 1960s that will actually make you smarter.
Videos by American Songwriter
“I Say A Little Prayer” by Dionne Warwick from ‘The Windows Of The World’ (1967)
While this song sounds simply just so sweet and loving, there is a deeper, sadder subtext to it. It’s written and sung from the perspective of a young woman who is watching her beau go off to serve in the deadly Vietnam War. Thinking about music on a deeper level than just the surface is a worthwhile endeavor. Not only do you learn by investigating the meaning behind the lyrics, but you also strengthen your brain by just doing the mental exercise. That’s just what the legend Dionne Warwick gave listeners here.
“Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” by The 5th Dimension from ‘The Age Of Aquarius’ (1969)
Most pop songs are about love (or the absence of it). But this popular track from the group The 5th Dimension deals with some much headier stuff. At times, listening to “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” from the band’s 1969 LP can feel like you’re sitting in a university philosophy class. Indeed, with lyrics like “When the moon is in the Seventh House /
And Jupiter aligns with Mars / Then peace will guide the planets / And love will steer the stars“, this track can’t help but make you think better and live smarter. It’s like listening to a college lecture set to a beat.
“Son Of A Preacher Man” by Dusty Springfield from ‘Dusty In Memphis’ (1969)
Whenever someone hears this song for the first time, there is always an a-ha moment—some epiphany always goes off in their brain. For some reason we keep religion on one side of our psyches and romantic crushes on another. But this tune somehow pits them together, and it’s almost too much to conceptualize. Except that it isn’t. The creativity and performance prowess Dusty Springfield brings to the song is exquisite. It’s timeless. And it’s mind-blowingly interesting.
Photo by M. McKeown/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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Wayne Fontana (white shirt) with his backing group The Mindbenders consisting of left to right: Eric Stewart, Bob Lang and Rick Rothwell, photographed before recording the ABC television show "Thank Your Lucky Stars". 3rd May 1964. (Photo by MSI/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images) -
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – Megan Moroney performs onstage for the Capital One JamFest during the 2026 NCAA March Madness Music Festival on April 05, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for TNT Sports) -
QUEENS, NY – August 20: MANDATORY CREDIT Bill Tompkins/Getty Images Joan Jett perfoming at Shea Stadium on August 20, 1983 in Queens. (Photo by Bill Tompkins/Getty Images) -
English rock band The Kinks at London Airport (later Heathrow), UK, 12th January 1965. They are flying to Marseille in France for two concert dates in the city. From left to right, Ray Davies, Dave Davies, Pete Quaife and Mick Avory. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) -
American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman plays her Fender acoustic guitar at a recording studio in Los Angeles, California, circa 1988. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images) -
Posed portrait of Bill Withers, 1972. (Photo by Gilles Petard/Redferns)
