4 Songs From 1969 That Instantly Turn Me Into a Backup Singer

The lead singer gets plenty of automatic cool points because they’re the ones with the microphone (perhaps too many, and that’s coming from someone who is a lead singer). But the unsung heroes of many bands of the 1960s were the backup singers, the musicians who would add texture and color to the hit tracks of the time. These songs from 1969 are certainly no exception, featuring such incredible supporting vocals that I instantly turn into a backup singer when I listen.

“Spirit In The Sky” by Norman Greenbaum

“Spirit In The Sky” has always been a favorite late-1960s track of mine, and much of that has to do with the vocals. Sure, Norman Greenbaum’s guitar tone is the definition of nasty. It’s hard not to fall in love with that on its own. Still, the tinny support of the backup vocalists echoing “spirit in the skyyy” and “when I dieeee” elevates the song to a whole other rapturous level.

“Time Of The Season” by The Zombies

The Zombies’ “Time Of The Season” has some of the best backup vocals to sing along to because there’s a lot of non-singing noises. “Chick-ahhhh,” et cetera. There’s also the obvious call-and-response section of the “what’s your name, who’s your daddy?” section that feels so sultry and mysterious to sing. It’s no wonder that this 1969 release became one of the band’s most popular hits, despite coming out after the band had already broken up.

“Lay Lady Lay” by Bob Dylan

While it’s common practice to make people wait for backup vocalists to build layers and increase drama, Bob Dylan comes straight out with it in “Lay Lady Lay”. From the downbeat, his backup singers are holding down a harmony section as Dylan “la, la, la”s away. For a singer-songwriter infamous for not having a great singing voice, these backup singers seem to encourage a better performance out of him. And in turn, a better performance from all of us singing in the car.

“Everyday People” by Sly And The Family Stone

Finally, I’m closing out this list of 1969 songs that instantly turn me into a backup singer with a track I have to approach with caution. The second I hear the actual recording of “Everyday People”, I will sing the sing-songy melody of the post-chorus for at least five business days straight. “There is a blue one who can’t accept the green one for living with a fat one, trying to be a skinny one / Different strokes for different folks, and so on and so on and scooby-dooby-doo.”  

Photo by Steve Morley/Redferns