4 Songs That Defined the 1960s Folk Rock Movement

Bob Dylan didn’t much care for the term, or at least he didn’t want his music to be associated with it. But folk rock undeniably made a massive impact on the music scene in the mid-60s, with sensitive lyrics and rock instrumentation coming together seamlessly.

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Many acts dove into the folk-rock scene at that time. But these four songs stand out as perhaps the most definitive statements of this genre’s heyday.

“Mr. Tambourine Man” by The Byrds

As mentioned above, Dylan didn’t see himself as a folk rocker. The alchemy he was creating with his electric experiments in the mid-60s was far more indebted to country and the blues. But it didn’t stop The Byrds from utilizing many of his songs to perpetrate their very own hybrid. “Mr. Tambourine” kicked it all off. Just a few days after Dylan recorded his own version of the song for his Bringing It All Back Home album, the Byrds got a hold of a copy and chose it for their debut single. It introduced the world to both the band’s brilliant vocal harmonies and Roger McGuinn’s chiming lead guitar. The Byrds’ version of “Mr. Tambourine” vaulted to the top of the pop charts in 1965.

“The Sounds Of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel thought their time together as an act had come and gone when their 1964 debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., failed to attract much of an audience. They went their separate ways, with Simon relocating to England to release a solo album (which also failed to make a dent). In the meantime, an acoustic version of “The Sound Of Silence” started to earn a bit of airplay in early 1965. Tom Wilson, who had produced the track, took the initiative to remix the song with electric instruments, clearly influenced by The Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man”. Lo and behold, this take on “The Sounds of Silence” went to No. 1 and reunited Simon & Garfunkel in the process.

“California Dreamin’ by The Mamas & The Papas

Here’s another example of a song coming back to life thanks to the folk-rock movement. John and Michelle Phillips wrote the song in 1963, when it was recorded by Barry McGuire. The couple even sang backing vocals on the track. Two years later, as members of The Mamas & The Papas, the pair decided to do their own version of the song. They swapped Denny Doherty’s lead vocal in place of McGuire’s but otherwise used the same crystalline backing track played by Wrecking Crew session musicians. One final grace note was a flute solo that went howling through the instrumental section like a January wind. This version of “California Dreamin’” hit the Top 5 in America in 1966.

“Eve Of Destruction” by Barry McGuire

Don’t feel too bad for Barry McGuire, the guy who recorded the far less well-known version of “California Dreamin’”. He’d record a folk-rock gem of his very own in 1965. P.F. Sloan, one of the top West Coast songwriters-for-hire in the mid-60s, penned “Eve Of Destruction”. It catalogued all the societal ills of the time and wondered how long until the whole globe went down in flames. After The Byrds turned the song down, McGuire stepped in to do it. Legend has it that his growling vocal was supposed to only be a guide, as he was only seeing the lyrics for the first time as he sang them. Nonetheless, it stuck, perhaps because it had a Dylanesque quality to it. “Eve Of Destruction”, like a doom scroll set to music, hit No. 1 in 1965.

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