Baby boomers got treated to some amazing early examples of hard rock as a genre in 1965. The following four songs, in particular, show just what kind of hard-rockin’ tunes bands were bringing to the table that year.
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones
Who could forget this iconic Rolling Stones hit from 1965? That fuzzy guitar riff just can’t be beat, and the overall aggressive delivery of this legendary tune was a preview of what hard rock would sound like soon after.
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“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones was a No. 1 hit across the board globally. It topped charts in the US, UK, and much of Europe.
“Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” by The Who
The Who, throughout their career, touched on multiple elements and subgenres of rock. “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” is perhaps one of the earliest examples of them diving into hard rock, though there’s an undeniable power pop sound to this track.
“Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” by The Who marks the only time both Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend wrote a song together. It’s also one of the earliest instances of a rock song boasting guitar feedback in a recorded tune.
“Heart Full Of Soul” by The Yardbirds
Jeff Beck’s fuzz-toned guitar almost sounds like a sitar in “Heart Full Of Soul”. That’s not entirely surprising, considering 1965 was a transitional period into the global interest in psychedelia and Indian classical music. But there’s a heavy, distinctive sound to this track that is undeniably hard rock.
“Heart Full Of Soul” by The Yardbirds peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 2 in the UK.
“Get Off Of My Cloud” by The Rolling Stones from ‘December’s Children (And Everybody’s)’
The Rolling Stones make it to our list of hard rock songs from 1965 that baby boomers loved, namely because they were one of the few bands that year that scored hits with their hard rock stylings. “Get Off My Cloud” is both bluesy and hard-rocking, and it’s one of the band’s more retrospectively underrated hits.
“Get Off Of My Cloud” by The Rolling Stones peaked at No. 1 in both the US and UK.
Photo by The Visualeyes Archive/Redferns
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Bassist Timothy B. Schmit (left) and singer/guitarist Glenn Frey (1948 – 2016) performing with American rock group, The Eagles, USA, November 1979. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
