By 1969, the decade was coming to an end, with the music out in 1969 reflecting some pretty decent changes. These are three of the best rock songs that came out in 1969, songs that are so good that it’s likely that every 60s kid can still sing them by heart today.
“Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin’s first Top 5 single, “Whole Lotta Love”, appears on their sophomore Led Zeppelin II album. The song is written by band members John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant.
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“Whole Lotta Love” begins with, “You need cooling, baby, I’m not fooling / I’m gonna send you back to schooling / Way down inside, honey, you need it / / I’m gonna give you my love / I’m gonna give you my love / Want a whole lotta love / Want a whole lotta love.”
Songwriter Willie Dixon was later credited as a songwriter, since “Whole Lotta Love” is based on the 1962 Muddy Waters song, “You Need Love”, which was written by Dixon.
“Get Back” by The Beatles
On Let It Be, the Beatles’ final album is “Get Back”. The song is written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, billed as Lennon-McCartney.
A six-week No. 1 hit, “Get Back” says, “Jo Jo was a man who thought he was a loner / But he knew it couldn’t last / Jo Jo left his home in Tucson, Arizona / For some California grass / Get back, get back / Get back to where you once belonged / Get back, get back / Get back to where you once belonged / Get back Jo Jo / Go home.”
In 1976, Rod Stewart had a moderate hit with his version of this song.
“Honky Tonk Women” by The Rolling Stones
On The Rolling Stones’ Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) is “Honky Tonk Women”. The song is written by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.
“Honky Tonk Women” says, “I met a gin-soaked, bar-room queen in Memphis / She tried to take me upstairs for a ride / She had to heave me right across her shoulder / ‘Cause I just can’t seem to drink you off my mind / It’s the honky tonk women / That gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues.”
Richards later said he and Jagger wrote “Honky Tonk Women” while spending a few days on a ranch. The song was originally titled “Country Honk”.
“Mick and I were sitting on the porch of this ranch house,” Richards remembers. “And I started to play, basically fooling around with an old Hank Williams idea. ‘Cause we really thought we were like real cowboys. Honky-tonk women. And we were sitting in the middle of nowhere with all these horses.”
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