4 of the All-Time Best Vocal Performances of 1968 That Still Give Me Chills

The late 1960s saw mainstream music reach a notable apex in quality of arrangements, styles, and talent, and the vocal performances from 1968 are certainly no exception.

“Chain Of Fools” by Aretha Franklin

We’ll begin this list of iconic vocal performances of 1968 with an entry that deserves an asterisk, as Aretha Franklin originally released “Chain Of Fools” as a single in 1967. However, the song appeared on her album Lady Soul the following year, so we’d argue it’s still deserving of a spot on this list. Given the sheer power behind Franklin’s performance, we’d argue it deserves a spot in both years, honestly.

Franklin was at her vocal best on Lady Of Soul, combining elements of gospel and rhythm & blues into a distinct timbre capable of matching the intensity of her backing band. “Chain Of Fools” was an especially riveting cut, highlighting her vocal range and interpretive skills.

“Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash

We often associate stunning vocal performances with more swaggering musical genres like rock ‘n’ roll and soul, but that’s not to say country music is entirely lacking in this department—one of the finest examples being Johnny Cash’s 1968 performance of “Folsom Prison Blues” from his live album, At Folsom Prison. The most impressive part about this vocal performance isn’t necessarily the range or dexterity. This song’s power lies in its message.

Cash was an Everyman country musician, but even a universally well-received artist like himself must have known the implications of a musician, having never served hard time, performing songs about it to actual prisoners. Ultimately, Cash won this crowd—and others at different prisons—over with his way of speaking to them, not at them.

“Helter Skelter” by The Beatles

The Beatles were undoubtedly stretching their creative muscles with their 1968 eponymous album dubbed the “White Album” after its all-white cover, and the vocal performances reflect this experimental nature. As a unit, one could argue this album is one of the less cohesive. Though with the upcoming split, it’s easy to see the early stages of the musicians breaking off into solo endeavors here.

Paul McCartney’s vocal performance on “Helter Skelter” was an absolute stand-out moment, hiding as the penultimate track of the second vinyl’s A-side. The Fab Four initially wrote the track specifically to out-loud The Who, who claimed to be the loudest rock band in the world at that time.

“Summertime” by Janis Joplin

The original version of “Summertime” by George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward is an aria from the mid-1930s popular opera Porgy And Bess. The operatic number, as Gershwin and Heyward first wrote it, is more lullaby than jazz standard or rock classic, yet countless artists have been able to take the gentle, moody aria and turn it into something completely new. Janis Joplin demonstrated perhaps one of the best examples of this in her 1968 vocal performance of the song. 

Joplin’s rendition of “Summertime” appeared as the second-to-last track on the A-side of Cheap Thrills, the sophomore release of Big Brother And The Holding Company, with whom Joplin performed from 1966 to 1968. The blues-tinted rock track shows Joplin wielding her voice as both weapon and tool, floating from raspy yearning to vocal tones that sound more like a violin bow getting scratched across the strings.

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