These 3 Hit Songs From 1969 Still Rock Our World Today

Some of the best classic rock songs of all time came out in the 1960s, including these three tunes. All out in 1969, they are so good, they still rock our world today, even after so many years have passed.

Videos by American Songwriter

“Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond

It’s likely that almost everyone can sing “Sweet Caroline” by heart. Out by Neil Diamond on his Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show record, Diamond wrote the uptempo tune by himself. Diamond was inspired to write the song by seeing a picture of a young Caroline Kennedy.

“Sweet Caroline” says, “Warm, touchin’ warm / Reachin’ out, touchin’ me, touchin’ you / Sweet Caroline / Good times never seemed so good / I’ve been inclined / To believe they never would.”

“Sweet Caroline” is played during the eighth inning of every Boston Red Sox home game at Fenway Park.

“Come Together” by the Beatles

Originally written by John Lennon as a campaign song for California’s gubernatorial candidate Timothy Leary, Paul McCartney later added to the version of “Come Together” that was released by the Beatles. On their iconic Abbey Road album, “Come Together” remains one of the Beatles’ most revered songs of their historic career.

What Lennon later called “gobbledygook”, “Come Together” says, “He bag production, he got walrus gumboot / He got Ono sideboard, he one spinal cracker / He got feet down below his knee / Hold you in his armchair, you can feel his disease / Come together, right now / Over me.”

The lyrics may have been nonsensical, but the song’s appeal is undeniable. Ike Turner also recorded it with his then-wife, Tina Turner. Other artists who covered “Come Together” include Aerosmith, Michael Jackson, and Arctic Monkeys.

“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” by B.J. Thomas

His first No. 1 hit, B.J. Thomas makes “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” the title track of his sixth studio album. The song, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, is also part of the soundtrack for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford.

A song about stubborn optimism, “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” says, “But there’s one thing I know / The blues they send to meet me / Won’t defeat me / It won’t be long ’till happiness steps up to greet me / Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head / But that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turning red / Crying’s not for me / ‘Cause, I’m never gonna stop the rain by complaining.”

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