3 Proto-Punk Songs From the 1960s That Secretly Started the Punk Rock Movement

Punk rock came to be in the 1970s, and it hasn’t disappeared yet. The genre was, at its core, a rejection of the commercialization of mainstream rock music. So many bands lifted the genre to mainstream attention in a major way by the end of the 1970s. But, a decade prior in the 1960s, a few ahead-of-the-curve bands and musicians delivered proto-punk jams that predicted the future of punk rock. Let’s look at a few examples, shall we?

“Helter Skelter” by The Beatles (1968)

This jam from The Beatles has been hailed as one of the first heavy metal tunes ever made, but it also has proto-punk elements that can’t be ignored. McCartney himself admitted that the song was simply an attempt to make something as loud and dirty as possible. And what’s louder and dirtier than punk rock? Sadly, “Helter Skelter” is often remembered for its association with the Charles Manson murders, which is far from the fault of the band or the song itself.

“Wild Thing” by The Troggs (1966)

It’s “wild” to think this song by The Troggs came out in 1966. “Wild Thing” is a pure garage rock jam, but there are so many proto-punk elements found throughout the song. In fact, many fans believe that this is the first punk song to ever be released, though there’s no way to know for sure if that’s true. Still, “Wild Thing” was influential, and there’s a reason why it often makes an appearance on lists of the greatest songs of all time.

“Psychotic Reaction” by Count Five (1966)

The Count Five should have been bigger than they were. This oddball group of American garage rock musicians, draped in Dracula capes, put out some excellent tunes. In fact, the 1966 song “Psychotic Reaction” is considered a pioneering track in garage rock. It also remains the band’s biggest hit. I included “Psychotic Reaction” on our list of proto-punk songs from the 1960s because garage rock really was at the core of punk rock in the 1970s. Without garage rock, punk rock might have never happened. And “Psychotic Reaction” had a big hand in that. It’s crazy to me that this band didn’t make it out of the 1960s.

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