These super-cool and mega-famous songs from the 1960s were quite influential in rock, pop, and psychedelia. And if you were a young kid growing up in the 60s, at least one of these songs probably had a hand in what your music taste looks like today. Let’s take a look, shall we?
“Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)
Few songs have become as closely associated with their respective eras as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s famous roots rock protest song, “Fortunate Son”. Released in 1969, this clear and loud criticism of the Vietnam War isn’t just brave in its defiance, but it’s also a genuinely amazing song on a musical level. John Fogerty really is one of the best songwriters of his generation.
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“All Along The Watchtower” by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)
Well, I couldn’t leave Jimi Hendrix off this list. And while “All Along The Watchtower” is really a Bob Dylan tune that Hendrix covered, he absolutely transformed the song into a completely different work. If you love psychedelic rock, this cover song might have just pushed you in that direction.
“California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & The Papas (1965)
Sunshine pop and psychedelic pop were all the rage in the mid-to-late 1960s. And few songs have stood the test of time quite like the immortal acid pop hit, “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & The Papas. Released in 1965, this glittering psychedelic hit predated the Summer of Love. And it probably (partially, at least) influenced the boom of psychedelic music just a couple of years later. It’s a California classic, a counterculture staple, and one of the finest pop songs to hit the airwaves in the 1960s.
“Tomorrow Never Knows” by The Beatles (1966)
Just about any Beatles song out there could have made it to this list, from “A Day In The Life” to “Hey Jude” to “Something” to “Strawberry Fields Forever”. I went with “Tomorrow Never Knows” because that song influenced me, specifically, as a kid. It was the first psychedelic song I had ever listened to, and I was blown away from the very start of this standout track from Revolver. Personally, I love the first take even more.
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