Need some stellar rock songs to add to your 1960s playlist, particularly a few gems from 1964? We’ve got you covered! A lot of really good singles hit the charts in 1964. However, I think the following three rock songs have aged the best over the last 65 years or so. Let’s take a look!
“The House Of The Rising Sun” by The Animals
This is probably The Animals’ most famous song, and for good reason. It’s a haunting, incredibly 60s-sounding version of an age-old traditional folk song. The Animals’ 1964 rock version of this Appalachian classic from the 1930s was an instant success, hitting the top of the pop charts in the UK and US, among other countries. And it’s one of the greatest songs to come out of the 1960s, period. It still has a little bit of that folk element to it, with just enough bluesy swag to captivate fans in any decade.
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“The Girl From Ipanema” by Stan Getz and João Gilberto
This is an insanely memorable little Bossa Nova jazz tune, and it’s been sampled and covered often through the years. However, the OG version of “The Girl From Ipanema” came out in 1964 and was recorded by Stan Getz and João Gilberto. It won a Grammy that year, and it’s a Brazilian classic that has really stood the test of time. It’s the kind of song that makes you want to sit on a beach somewhere, or groove in a dimly lit 1980s nightclub. It’s both ahead of its time and very of its time.
“A Hard Day’s Night” by The Beatles
I couldn’t leave this Fab Four hit off our list of rock songs from 1964. “A Hard Day’s Night” by The Beatles hit the airwaves in the US and UK in July 1964. And it remains one of the band’s most famous John Lennon-penned tunes. The title track of the hit album of the same name, this little rock song was at the heart of Beatlemania at the time. While the group would go on to release many more legendary chart-topping hits, there’s something about the 1964 mop top suit-wearing era of the band that just feels cozy.
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