3 Legendary Rock Songs That Created Whole New Subgenres

Rock songs have been coming and going since the 1950s, and even decade births a whole new host of rock subgenres. When it comes to the following three rock songs, they either created whole new subgenres or helped popularize those subgenres in a major way. Let’s take a look, shall we?

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“Tomorrow Never Knows” by The Beatles (1966)

Anyone who was alive in the 1960s knows that 1966, and to a greater extent, 1967, marked the birth of the psychedelia boom. Both culturally and musically, that was the era for psychedelic everything. And while smaller, lesser-known bands were dishing out psychedelic rock tunes in 1966 before The Beatles dropped Revolver, the song “Tomorrow Never Knows” really marked the point in which psych-rock entered the mainstream. They didn’t “create” the subgenre, but they sure did have a hand in making it big. The Summer of Love would soon follow, and the rest is history.

“Blitzkrieg Bop” by The Ramones (1976)

Punk rock was already in full swing when The Ramones hit the scene in the mid-to-late 1970s. But what wasn’t quite in full swing yet was the concept of a pop punk, a subgenre that blends elements of pop with the harsh alternative sound of punk rock. The subgenre would take off in a major way decades later in the 2000s. But I can’t help but think it started, at least in a way, with this hit from America’s bespoke punk rock outfit. Numerous pop punk songs would soon follow in the late 1970s through the 2000s, and the genre is still very much around today.

“Spinning Wheel” by Blood, Sweat & Tears (1969)

Jazz had been around for decades before jazz rock (also known as jazz fusion) became a thing in the late 1960s. Some musicians likely produced a few jazz rock tunes before Blood, Sweat & Tears showed up. That being said, “Spinning Wheel” was one of the first jazz rock songs of the era to really bring the subgenre to new heights. Those jazzy horns, those complex rhythms. There’s a lot to love about this particular 1969 hit from Blood, Sweat & Tears. And they likely opened some big doors for bands like Steely Dan and Chicago in the 1970s.

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