3 Songs From 1962 That Every Baby Boomer Knows by Heart

If you’re a baby boomer, especially an “elder” baby boomer, you got to enjoy some pretty amazing songs from the early 1960s, especially from 1962. The following three songs, specifically, are probably still buried in your brain today. Let’s get a little nostalgic, shall we?

“Roses Are Red (My Love)” by Bobby Vinton from ‘Roses Are Red’

“Roses are red, my love / Violets are blue / Sugar is sweet, my love / But not as sweet as you.”

Bobby Vinton had quite the traditional pop hit on his hands with “Roses Are Red (My Love)”. Written by Paul Evans and Al Byron, this pop hit almost never got a chance to shine. Vinton allegedly found the song in a pile of “rejects” at Epic Records and recorded it with an orchestra in 1962. When the song dropped, it shot up the charts to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Hot R&B Sides chart.

“I Can’t Stop Loving You” by Ray Charles from ‘Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music’

“I can’t stop loving you, I’ve made up my mind / To live in memories of the lonesome times.”

Ray Charles really switched up the game in 1962 with this hit song. Charles decided to take a step to the left of R&B and soul to cover a number of country songs on his famous album Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music. “I Can’t Stop Loving You” was one of several successful songs from that album. And it was the one that peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and earned Charles a Grammy Award.

“The Loco-Motion” by Little Eva from ‘Llllloco-Motion’

“Everybody’s doin’ a brand new dance, now / Come on, baby, do the Loco-Motion.”

When one thinks of songs from 1962, one might think of this super-catchy pop R&B tune from Little Eva, especially among baby boomer fans. “The Loco-Motion” was one of the biggest songs of the year, peaking at 1 across the board. This song really stood the test of time, too. Grand Funk Railroad and Kylie Minogue each brought the song back to the Top 5 in the 1970s and 1980s, respectively. Nobody did it quite like Little Eva, though.

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