Rock songs in 1967 had a lot of psychedelia baked in, and mainstream rock and pop listeners were all about it. If you were young in 1967, these timeless rock songs released that year will send you straight back in time in an instant.
“Somebody To Love” by Jefferson Airplane from ‘Surrealistic Pillow’
The chorus of this song just sounds like the Summer of Love. Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody To Love” is the perfect mix of trippy psychedelia and early hard rock, and listeners at the time adored it. Technically, though, this song is a cover. The original version of “Somebody To Love” was written by Darby Slick and recorded by The Great Society. After Grace Slick left the band and joined Jefferson Airplane, she brought the song with her. It’s a good thing she did. Jefferson Airplane’s version of the psych-rock song made it all the way to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1967.
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“Ruby Tuesday” by The Rolling Stones from ‘Between The Buttons’
The Rolling Stones were still very much in their pop-focused stage in 1967, but the rock-flavored baroque pop song “Ruby Tuesday” is still very much worthy of a spot on this list. This psychedelic tune dropped in early 1967 and was the alternate A-side to “Let’s Spend The Night Together”. While that song might be better remembered, “Ruby Tuesday” is still a killer song, one that did numbers on the charts. “Ruby Tuesday” topped the Hot 100 as well as the Cash Box Top 100 chart.
“Penny Lane” by The Beatles
The Beatles released a few timeless rock songs in 1967. But I went with “Penny Lane” because of those fascinating modulations and the use of a piccolo trumpet. It’s a fairly unique Fab Four track instrumentally, and listeners at the time vibed with it. “Penny Lane” by The Beatles peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100. It also reached No. 2 on the UK Singles chart.
Fun fact: “Penny Lane” is a real road in south Liverpool, which was home to a roundabout that three of the four Beatles (excluding Ringo) frequented in their youth.
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