By the end of the 1960s, the decade was making way for a new sound that came with the 1970s. Still, so many of the songs that came out at the end of that time period still sound incredible today, including these three. All out in 1969, it’s almost certain that every 60s kid still knows them by heart today.
“Love Me Tonight” by Tom Jones
Tom Jones had a Top 10 hit with “Love Me Tonight”. The song, which he did not include on an album, is actually a reworking of an Italian song, written by Lorenzo Pilat, Mario Panzeri, and Daniele Pace. Barry Mason later wrote the song in English.
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The sexy song says, “Tell me, baby, that you need me, say you’ll never leave me / Love me tonight / Hold me now my heart is aching, until the dawn is breaking / Love me tonight.”
Also in 1969, Johnny Mathis included his version of this song on his Love Theme From “Romeo And Juliet” (A Time For Us) album.
“Oh, What A Night” by The Dells
The Dells liked “Oh, What A Night” so much that they recorded it twice. “Oh, What A Night” first appeared with a slight spelling change as “Oh, What A Nite” in 1956. That song is the title track of their freshman album, which wasn’t actually released until 1959. The song became The Dells’ first Top 5 single.
13 years after its original release, The Dells released the song again, this time as “Oh, What A Night”. By the time The Dells re-released the uptempo tune, they had already had success with songs like “Stay In My Corner”, their first No. 1 single, plus “Always Together” and “I Can Sing A Rainbow”, among others.
“Oh, What A Night” was written by band members Marvin Junior and Johnny Funches. The song says, “Oh, what a night to love you, dear / Oh, what a night to hold you near / Oh, what a night to squeeze you, dear / That’s why I love you so.”
“Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond is the sole writer of “Sweet Caroline”. The song is part of his Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show record.
The singalong chorus says, “Sweet Caroline / Good times never seemed so good / I’ve been inclined / To believe they never would / Oh, no, no.“
“Sweet Caroline” is Diamond’s first multi-platinum single. He later revealed it was Caroline Kennedy who inspired “Sweet Caroline”.
Photo by Ivan Keeman/Redferns
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