The Summer of Love in 1967 was a counterculture phenomenon that occurred in San Francisco, California. Beatniks and hippies converged in Golden Gate Park and the Haight-Ashbury district in droves, numbering close to 100,000 to perform music, enjoy certain substances, and protest the Vietnam War. It was an enormous migration of America’s youth, and at the heart of it was psychedelic rock music. But the year prior, in 1966, some bands and musicians were already dishing out tunes that one would expect to come out the following year during the Summer of Love. Let’s take a look at a few examples, shall we?
“Tomorrow Never Knows” by The Beatles
The Beatles always had their collective thumb on the pulse of pop music trends. And even when they got experimental, they always seemed to be ahead of their time. Or maybe they influenced music trends that followed their releases. Who knows? When it comes down to it, “Tomorrow Never Knows” from the 1966 album Revolver is a psychedelic masterpiece that sounds like it would have been debuted during the Summer of Love.
Videos by American Songwriter
“California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & The Papas
This song technically came out at the tail end of 1965. But since it charted in 1966, and this is a list of ahead-of-the-curve songs that should have been released in 1967, I’ll include it. This is really the quintessential Californian psychedelic pop tune. And “California Dreamin’” remains one of the short-lived outfit The Mamas & The Papas’ most memorable tunes. Today, this particular jam remains closely associated with the counterculture era of the 1960s. It’s also just an all-around well-aged tune that never seems to get old.
“You’re Gonna Miss Me” by The 13th Floor Elevators
The 13th Floor Elevators remain, in my opinion, one of the most underrated acid rock outfits of the 1960s. Everybody knows Jefferson Airplane and the like. But The 13th Floor Elevators were also dishing out some amazing psychedelic tunes in the 1960s. For our list of songs released in 1966 that were ahead of the Summer of Love era, I went with the track “You’re Gonna Miss Me”. It’s an electrifying psychedelic rock song with a surf guitar riff, and it’s just one of many amazing ahead-of-the-curve tracks from The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Most Viewed
-
These 1980s rock artists earned one pop crossover and let it completely change their careers. Revisit their multi-genre hits. -
BERKELEY, CA – SEP 24: Elton John performs at the Berkeley Community Theater in Berkeley, California on September 24, 1979. (Photo by Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images) -
English guitarist Pete Townshend appears in Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert at the Rainbow Theatre, London, 13th January 1973. He is playing a Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins. (Photo by P. Floyd/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) -
Close-up of American musician and actor Neil Diamond prior to his one?man show at the Winter Garden, New York, New York, October 1972. (Photo by Jack Mitchell/Getty Images) -
English rock group the Beatles hold a press conference at the Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles before their live performance at the Dodger Stadium, California, 28th August 1966. From left to right, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images) -
Singer Graham Russell with AIR SUPPLY performs in concert, October 8, 1983 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)
