Teens can really make or break a famous musician’s career. They also play a key role in the evolution, ebb, and flow of popular music. What pop star would be here today if it weren’t for an audience of young people ready to embrace a new sound that the older folk had dismissed? When it comes to the following hit songs from the late 1960s, specifically, I believe teens were an important part of the audience that propelled them to the top of the charts.
“Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles (1969)
Quite a few songs by The Beatles that were released between 1967 and 1969 could have made it to this list. Teenagers in the mid-to-late 1960s propelled the Fab Four’s career in a major way, after all. That being said, I went with “Here Comes The Sun” specifically because it seems to still resonate with teenagers (and everyone else) today. Currently, this George Harrison-penned tune from the 1969 album Abbey Road is the most-streamed Beatles song on Spotify. Some songs are just timeless.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel (1968)
Folk music was definitely not for “older” people in the 1960s. Quite a few folk acts were keeping the genre going, including legendary folk duo Simon & Garfunkel. Their hit song “Mrs. Robinson” resonated a lot with teens, particularly because it managed to blend folk, rock, and pop together so seamlessly. “Mrs. Robinson” was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also a Top 10 hit across the board globally.
“Those Were The Days” by Mary Hopkin (1968)
We mentioned The Beatles earlier and how teens played a big role in propelling them to fame. The same could be said of Mary Hopkin. This young Welsh singer had a big hit on her hands with “Those Were The Days”. The song was produced by Paul McCartney and released through the Fab Four’s label, Apple. It’s a sweet, folky, baroque-pop jam that climbed the charts to No. 1 across the board, from the US to the UK to Japan and beyond. It’s one of the most memorable songs of the late 1960s, and teens who were fans of The Beatles likely vibed with the song quite a bit.
Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images