4 Classic Songs From the 1960s That Make Every Baby Boomer Feel Like a Kid Again

The music we listen to as a kid—from actual childhood to the early twenties when we think we’re grown, but we’re really not—can have the greatest, most long-lasting impact on our musical preferences. And if you identify as a member of the baby boomer generation, then your kid self had some of the best music imaginable to grow up to, including these four songs from the 1960s.

“Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles

George Harrison’s contribution to The Beatles’ Abbey Road, “Here Comes The Sun”, is an inspiring track regardless of age. But there was something particularly hopeful about that song when it first came out in the late 1960s. It was a tumultuous time, but there was also plenty of promise. Harrison wrote the song about the arduous tail end of The Beatles’ career and the band’s impending conclusion. Yet, almost everyone could relate to the idea of wistfully looking ahead to sunnier days on the horizon, no matter the specific context.

“Jump In The Line” by Harry Belafonte

Baby boomers who were born in the first half of this generation’s year range remember bouncing along to Harry Belafonte’s 1960 calypso hit, “Jump In The Line (Shake, Señora)”. The upbeat dance number has made its way into film and television in the decades since, perhaps most notably in the 1988 film Beetlejuice, allowing subsequent generations to dance along to the catchy refrain, “Shake, shake, shake, Señora, shake your body line.”

“Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison

Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” is a quintessential nostalgia track, fondly recalling days gone by with a special someone. Interestingly, the Irish singer-songwriter has expressed his disdain for this career-defining hit. For the rest of us, especially baby boomers who were hearing this 1967 track for the first time while they were still in school, this carefree song is reminiscent of our younger years.

“Then He Kissed Me” by The Crystals

The Crystals released “Then He Kissed Me” in 1963. The Top 10 single was part of Phil Spector’s prolific early 1960s period that saw other girl groups, like The Ronettes, rise to the top of the pop charts with hit songs like “Be My Baby” and “Baby, I Love You”. A lovestruck song about a relationship that goes from the dance floor to marriage, this 1963 track had young baby boomers dreaming about their special wedding day.

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