4 Folk Rock Singles That Have (Wrongfully) Been Swept Under the Rug

One of the most challenging genres to define robustly is folk rock. This is primarily because it co-aligns with rock ‘n’ roll in nearly every way, shape, and form. However, sonically speaking, it differs, but only by a couple of degrees. Nevertheless, folk rock was a staple genre in the 60s and 70s, and it was popularized by The Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, CSNY, The Grateful Dead, and several others.

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Given its popularity in both those decades, a surplus of folk rock singles was released. So many, as a matter of fact, that it is incredibly difficult to place your thumb on all of them. Though that is what we are here for, and here are four folk rock singles that have (wrongfully) been swept under the rug.

“When I Paint My Masterpiece” by The Band

By no means has The Band been swept under the rug, but a few of their songs have, including “When I Paint My Masterpiece”. When one thinks of The Band’s catalog, they seemingly think of “The Weight”, “Arcadian Driftwood”, “Atlantic City”, and “Ophelia”.

If you are looking to get deeper into The Band’s array of music, then start with this single. Originally written and recorded by Bob Dylan, The Band covered this single in 1971. It’s epic, soulful, and rivals Dylan’s rendition in terms of memorability.

“I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song” by Jim Croce

Jim Croce is one of the most underrated singer/songwriters of the 20th century. That being said, a lot of his work is completely underappreciated as well. However, the singles that aren’t include “I Got A Name”, “Time In A Bottle”, and “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”.

Arguably, the most underrated song in Croce’s catalog is his soothing folk rock romance piece, “I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song”. Frankly, there isn’t much else to say about this song other than that it’s perfect. And that is no understatement.

“Long Time Gone” by Crosby, Stills & Nash

If you’re looking to listen to a song of CSN in their prime that isn’t “Our House” or “Helplessly Hoping”, then check out “Long Time Gone”. Written by David Crosby just hours after the assassination of JFK, this folk rock track captures the social turmoil of the decade in crystal clear imagery and reverberating sounds.

As stated previously, folk rock is a hard genre to concisely define. This single is a testament to that point of view, as “Long Time Gone” is as if early Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix had a musical love child.

“Deep Elem Blues” by The Grateful Dead

Now, if you are a devout Deadhead, you’re probably going to disagree with this take, as The Grateful Dead don’t fit into a specific genre. Rather, they are just the Grateful Dead. We are going to push back against that notion because their track “Deep Elem Blues” is a quintessential acoustic folk rock piece.

The folk rock song is bare bones, simple, and features all the elements of a modernized blues track. Also, given that it’s The Dead, it has the jam band flavor that is unique to them. This is not only an obscure track in folk rock, but also an obscure track in the Dead’s enormous catalog.

Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns