3 Early Psychedelic Rock Songs That Solidified the Subgenre as a Major Rock and Roll Force

In the 1960s, arguably the most popular subgenre of rock and roll was psychedelic rock. By the late 1960s, the rock market was flooded with a surplus of psychedelic rock bands such as The Doors, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Cream, and several others. Frankly, most of the notable late-60s rock was psychedelic rock.

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The late 1960s were by no means the start of the psychedelic wave. Rather, that start came just a few years prior in the mid-60s. With that in mind, here are three early psychedelic rock songs that solidified the subgenre as a major rock and roll force.

“Tomorrow Never Knows” by The Beatles

The Beatles certainly receive a lot of credit when it comes to the development and popularization of psychedelic rock and roll, but they wholeheartedly deserve it. On Revolver, there are a couple of songs that introduced the psychedelic sound of the late 1960s, but the one that did it the strongest was “Tomorrow Never Knows”.

The Beatles never released “Tomorrow Never Knows” as a standalone single, so it never charted on the Hot 100. However, the psychedelic-inspired album, Revolver, went on to peak at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Thus, it showed fellow musicians that a new sound had entered the scene, and the fans wanted more of it.

“Eight Miles High” by The Byrds

The Byrds released “Eight Mile High” in March of 1966, which was just a couple of months before The Beatles’ Revolver. We say that because many consider the release of this single as the unofficial beginning of the psychedelic rock movement.

Following its March release, the new-wave single went on to peak at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Like Revolver, the single proved that there was a niche desire for this kind of music, and that niche desire later became the premier genre of 1960s rock and roll.

“Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys‘ “Good Vibrations” is often categorized as either psychedelic rock or psychedelic pop, but all in all, psychedelic is the key and crucial word. Despite its categorization, this Beach Boys single showed the world that there was a limit to be pushed, and for them it paid off, as this song became a massive hit, and one of their greatest of all time.

Released in October of 1966, “Good Vibrations” landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. When it comes to musical experimentation, this is certainly one of the most influential songs of all time. Again, this might not be “pure” psychedelic rock, but regardless, it got musicians thinking and creating.

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