4 Songs That Put a Definitive Punctuation Mark at the End of the 1960s

Nobody sets out to write a song that attempts to sum up an entire decade. If someone were foolhardy enough to try, they’d likely be headed for failure. Nonetheless, some top songwriters might be able to pull off such a feat without such intent. At the end of the 1960s, several songs subtly encapsulated the feelings surrounding the decade’s end. These four songs of the 1960s did all that effortlessly.

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“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones were smack-dab in the middle of one of the most incredible four-album streaks in history when they dropped Let It Bleed at the end of 1969. Known for their bruising rockers at this time, the band took the time to deliver a soulful ballad to close out the album. The title alone of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” suggests disappointment. But the following lines (“But if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need”) offer up consolation. Considering the way that the hopes of many folks in the 60s for a more peaceful world had fallen by the wayside, consolation was a message that certainly resonated. Delivered by a kids’ choir, as this song offered, it really hit home.

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel entered into the making of the Bridge Over Troubled Water album with their friendship in good standing and their musical partnership going strong. But Garfunkel went off to make a movie. Simon, frustrated at how this interrupted the album-making process, started to wonder if life as a solo act would be easier. Perhaps that’s why several songs on the record seem like direct messages to Garfunkel. You can hear “Bridge Over Troubled Water” as Paul’s permission slip to Art to go on his way. But the rest of the world heard it as a moving testament to how a friend can get you through the toughest times. And that’s something that many in the world needed to hear circa 1970.

“Let It Be” by The Beatles

Few songs (and band breakups) closed the 1960s out quite like this one. The Beatles’ end was an acrimonious one, too. But they refused to let those difficulties work their way into the spirit of the music they released as closing statements. The song “Let It Be” was released to the world in 1970 hot on the heels of the news that the band who created it, the most beloved band in the world, was breaking up. Coming during the hangover that accompanied the end of the 60s, it was pretty heavy news for folks to process. Paul McCartney didn’t write the song specifically to address those hurting from the breakup. But those three simple words, repeated again and again amidst the gospel swell of the music, acted as a balm for the masses anyway.

“What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye

Coming into the start of the new decade, Marvin Gaye would have been low on the list of artists who might address what was happening in the world. Not that he wasn’t capable as a writer and performer. But Motown artists rarely stepped into the sociopolitical arena with their music. Gaye, taking charge of his career, did it in spite of the label’s objections. Of all the songs on this list, it’s the one that dares to address the problems left behind at the start of the new decade that the old decade didn’t solve. The anguish in Gaye’s voice and the clarity of his message likely opened eyes, ears, and hearts. Gaye refused to sugarcoat the truth, realizing that his audience might need to hear that more than any bromides.

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