The rock music in the early 1960s will always sound timeless. Among the many great songs from that time period are these four rock songs. All out in 1962, I still can’t help but smile when I hear them today.
“Love Came To Me” by Dion
A Top 10 single for Dion, “Love Came To Me’ is the title track of a compilation album Dion released one year later, in 1963. The sweet song was written by Dion (whose full name is Dion DiMucci) and John Falbo.
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“Love Came To Me” says in part, “When I, I opened my eyes / I realized / Love came to me / Only this time for real.”
The year 1962 was a good one for Dion. He had several other hits that year, including “Lovers Who Wander”, “Little Diane”, and “Ruby Baby”.
“Good Luck Charm” by Elvis Presley
“Good Luck Charm” is part of Elvis Presley’s Elvis’ Golden Records Volume 3 compilation record. Written by Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold, “Good Luck Charm” is Presley’s final No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for seven years. In 1969, he returned to the top spot with “Suspicious Minds”, his last chart-topping single.
The romantic song says, “Don’t want a four-leaf clover / Don’t want an old horseshoe / Want your kiss ’cause I just can’t miss / With a good luck charm like you.”
“Teen Age Idol” by Ricky Nelson
Hearing “Teen Age Idol” by Ricky Nelson evokes a pretty strong feeling of nostalgia, even though the song is actually quite sad. Written by Jack Lewis, “Teen Age Idol” is about the loneliness of being famous. It’s a feeling Nelson was quite familiar with, since his successful music career began while he was still a teenager.
“Teen Age Idol” was not included on an album when Nelson released it. The song begins with, “Some people call me a teenage idol / Some people say they envy me / I guess they got no way of knowing / How lonesome I can be.”
This song has been covered by multiple other artists, including Jo Ann Campbell and The Vandals.
“Little Town Flirt” by Del Shannon
“Little Town Flirt” is the title track of Del Shannon’s third studio album. The song was written by Shannon, along with Maron McKenzie.
A cautionary tale about a woman who flirts with a lot of different men, “Little Town Flirt” says, “Yeah, I know she’s gonna treat you wrong / So your heart just better be strong / ‘Cause you can get hurt, hurt / Yeah, you can get hurt / Foolin’ around with that little town flirt.”
After “Little Town Flirt”, Del Shannon only had one more Top 20 single, with “Keep Searchin’ (We’ll Follow the Sun)”. That song was released in 1964.
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