4 Songs From 1969 That Give Me Goosebumps Every Time

One of the most delightful effects of good music is the way it can raise goosebumps on your neck and arms, rustle butterflies in your stomach, and make your heart feel like it might explode right out of your chest. And in my humble opinion, I have yet to find better masters of this sonic alchemy than these four songs from 1969.

“Golden Slumbers” / “Carry That Weight” by The Beatles 

I’ll start the list with a technical two-fer: “Golden Slumbers” into “Carry That Weight” by The Beatles. Both songs are part of the B-side medley of Abbey Road, which also includes short cuts like “Mean Mr. Mustard” (another personal favorite, though less goosebump-inducing) and “Polythene Pam”. As for “Golden” and “Carry”, these two songs feel like emotional pick-me-ups that guarantee goosebumps.

“Dazed And Confused” by Led Zeppelin

Even thinking about this song to include it on the list sent goosebumps down my arms. Indeed, Led Zeppelin came out swinging with their 1969 debut, which included a stunning and sultry rendition of “Dazed And Confused”. The way Robert Plant wails “lots of people talking, few of them know / soul of a woman was created below,” followed immediately by the rest of the band, is simply too good.

“The Fiddle And The Drum” by Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell’s “The Fiddle And The Drum” is a captivating and poignant message. And unfortunately, it’s a message that rings just as true today as it did when Mitchell first released this goosebump-inducing song on her 1969 album Clouds. She sums up so much of American history in only a few cutting lines: “Oh, my friend, how did you come to trade the fiddle for the drum?”

“Helplessly Hoping” by Crosby, Stills & Nash

If I had to pick one song that highlights the way Crosby, Stills & Nash’s voices melt together like butter, it would probably be “Helplessly Hoping”. There’s something so devastatingly bittersweet about the melody and the lyrics, both being buoyed by the sweet harmonies of David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash that inevitably make goosebumps spring up on my arms when I listen.

Photo by Mark Hayward Archive/Redferns