In the 1960s, the music had its own unique sound and style, which is still being enjoyed decades later. So many great songs came out in the first part of the decade, including these three tunes. All out in 1963, it’s almost a certainty that every 60s kid still knows these songs by heart today.
“Surfer Girl” by The Beach Boys
The title track of The Beach Boys’ third studio album, “Surfer Girl” remains one of their most memorable songs. Band member Brian Wilson is the only writer of this song. Wilson actually wrote or co-wrote all 12 songs on the record.
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“Surfer Girl” says simply, “Do you love me, do you, surfer girl? / Surfer girl, my little surfer girl.“
This song gave Wilson his first credit as a producer. A song in the 1940 film Pinocchio became the unlikely inspiration for what became “Surfer Girl”, when Wilson found himself humming the melody to that song. Wilson was just 19 years old when he wrote “Surfer Girl”.
“On Broadway” by The Drifters
“On Broadway” became a Top 10 hit for The Drifters. On their Under The Boardwalk album, “On Broadway” was written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller.
An anthem of resilience, “On Broadway” says, “They say that I won’t last too long on Broadway / On Broadway / I’ll catch a Greyhound bus for home, they all say / On Broadway / But oh, they’re dead wrong, I know they are / ‘Cause I can play this here guitar / And I won’t quit till I’m a star on Broadway.“
In 1978, George Benson released a version of “On Broadway”. His version of this song became a Top 5 hit.
“500 Miles Away From Home” by Bobby Bare
“500 Miles Away From Home” is one of the biggest crossover hits by Bobby Bare. The song, written by Hedy West, is the title track of Bare’s first record. “500 Miles Away From Home” hit the Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, and Country charts.
The chorus says, “Away from home, away from home / Cold and tired and all alone / Yes, I’m five hundred miles / Away from home.”
“500 Miles Away From Home” first appears on The Journeyman’s self-titled debut album, out in 1961. It has been covered multiple times, including by Sonny & Cher and Rosanne Cash. A version of “500 Miles Away From Home” has also been released in numerous other countries, translated into their language of origin, including Chinese, Hindi, and Japanese, among others.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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English rock band Procol Harum posed outside the Centre Point office building at St Giles Circus in London in May 1967. Members of the group are, from left, Ray Royer, Bobby Harrison (1939-2022), David Knights, Gary Brooker (1945-2022) and Matthew Fisher. (Photo by Ivan Keeman/Redferns) -
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 11: Dwight Yoakam performs at Northrup Auditorium at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 11, 1993. (Photo by Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 06: (L-R) Trent Reznor and Boys Noize perform onstage during the World Premiere of Disney's Tron: Ares at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, CA on October 06, 2025. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Disney) -
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
1975: Singer and songwriter C.W. McCall (William Dale Fries, Jr.) poses for an MGM Records publicity still in 1975. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
American singer-songwriter Paul Simon performing at the Palladium Theatre, London, December 1975. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images) -
NEW YORK – CIRCA 1965: The Shangri-Las pose for a portrait circa 1965 in New York City, New York. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
