If you were a 60s teen, you might just remember what it was like getting your first car. It was probably an incredible experience, and you couldn’t wait to show off your new digs at school. For many teens in 1965, specifically, there were also a ton of songs that dropped that year that made it to their car stereos’ regular rotation. Let’s get nostalgic and revisit some classics from your teen years, shall we?
“Help!” by The Beatles from ‘Help!’
This song was an enormous hit for The Beatles, and nobody backed up the Fab Four quite like 60s teens. This song and the album of the same name were easily the soundtrack of the year in 1965. This pop rock classic dropped in the summer of 1965 and was a fast hit on the charts and peaked at No. 1 in numerous countries, including the US, Canada, UK, and elsewhere. Despite its catchiness and upbeat sound, John Lennon later admitted that “Help!” was, quite on the nose, a cry for help.
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“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones
Young rock fans fell in love with The Rolling Stones in the 1960s, and this particular song was the anthem of teenage rebellion of 1965. Plenty of adults loved it too, of course. How else would this hard rock hit make it all the way to No. 1 across the board globally, including charts in the US, UK, and much of Europe? Despite the controversy surrounding the song for being suggestive, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” remains The Stones’ signature song.
“My Girl” by The Temptations from ‘The Temptations Sing Smokey’
This entry on our list of 1965 songs that teens loved technically dropped right at the end of 1964. But “My Girl” by The Temptations became a smash hit in early 1965, and many a lovestruck teen couldn’t help but play it on repeat in their first car back in the day. The soulful pop hit “My Girl” by The Temptations made it all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in 1965.
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