Diamonds might be forever, but we’d argue that classic rock has even more impressive staying power. In celebration of their 60th anniversary (or Diamond Jubilee), we revisit six of the most iconic rock songs from 1966 that are turning six decades old this year.
“Paint It, Black” by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones released “Paint It, Black” as a single from Aftermath in the spring of 1966. Featuring Brian Jones on sitar and Charlie Watts on castanets, the classic rock song took on a sort of otherworldly, antiquated feel—almost as if it were coming from a fantasy world and not mid-60s England.
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“Hey Joe” by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience released “Hey Joe” to critical acclaim in the winter of 1966. The iconic rock track became one of Hendrix’s best-known, peaking at No. 6 in the United Kingdom, where his star was quickly rising and capturing the attention of fellow rock ‘n’ rollers across the pond.
“I’m Only Sleeping” by The Beatles
The Beatles released Revolver in 1966, signaling their shift toward psychedelia with experimental studio techniques and abstract imagery. “I’m Only Sleeping” might sound like an ode to laziness based on lyrics alone. But the innovative recording techniques they used—most notably, reversed guitar—were anything but unambitious.
“I Feel Free” by Cream
“I Feel Free” was Cream’s second single in the U.K. and their first introduction to their American audience. Although it wouldn’t break into the Billboard Hot 100 in the latter country, the song has become one of the band’s most ubiquitous in the decades that followed. The 1966 single preceded “White Room” by two years.
“Wild Thing” by The Troggs
The Troggs’ 1966 rock single “Wild Thing” is one of those tracks that have become so synonymous with classic rock that it’s reached standard status. “Wild Thing” topped the charts for two weeks in the U.S. and broke into the Top 5 worldwide.
“Boris The Spider” by The Who
We’ll wrap this list of iconic rock songs from 1966 celebrating their Diamond Jubilee this year with the goofiest of the bunch: “Boris The Spider” by The Who. One listen will tell you that the band didn’t write this one to be the next generational anthem. Still, it’s loud, weird, and fun, and those are good enough reasons to make this list.
Photo by Ivan Keeman/Redferns
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QUEENS, NY – August 20: MANDATORY CREDIT Bill Tompkins/Getty Images Joan Jett perfoming at Shea Stadium on August 20, 1983 in Queens. (Photo by Bill Tompkins/Getty Images) -
English rock band The Kinks at London Airport (later Heathrow), UK, 12th January 1965. They are flying to Marseille in France for two concert dates in the city. From left to right, Ray Davies, Dave Davies, Pete Quaife and Mick Avory. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) -
American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman plays her Fender acoustic guitar at a recording studio in Los Angeles, California, circa 1988. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images) -
Posed portrait of Bill Withers, 1972. (Photo by Gilles Petard/Redferns) -
American rock group The Cyrkle (American drummer Marty Fried, American singer and guitarist Don Dannemann, American singer and guitarist Tom Dawes (1944-2007), and American keyboard player Michael Losekamp), pose with Dawes having an unspecified Okeh Records seven-inch record over his mouth, location unspecified, circa 1965. (Photo by Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Canadian musician Neil Young of Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young performs on stage at Wembley Stadium, London on September 14th 1974. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images) -
American singer-songwriter Janis Joplin (1943-1970) performing live at the Generation Club in the Greenwich Village neighbourhood of New York City, New York, April 1968. Upon its closure, the Generation was bought by Jimi Hendrix and converted into Electric Lady Studios. (Photo by Tucker Ranson/Archive Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
