A lot of pop hits from the 1960s have stood the test of time. And some of those very songs never quite made it as high on the charts as one might think. Let’s take a look at a few pop songs from the 1960s that should have been way bigger charting hits.
Videos by American Songwriter
“God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys (1966)
My bias is showing here. “God Only Knows” is my absolute favorite Beach Boys song. Those harmonies still hit me right in the heart. I’m certainly not the only one who feels that way. This is a lot of people’s favorite Beach Boys song. And yet, after it dropped in 1966, this avant-pop classic only peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A travesty, I say!
“I Am The Walrus” by The Beatles (1967)
A surreal release from The Beatles that remains one of their most memorable psychedelic pop songs, “I Am The Walrus” is a standout track from Magical Mystery Tour. Written by John Lennon, this song is one of many Beatles tunes that were banned by the BBC (for mentioning “knickers”) and experienced resistance on the UK charts because of it. But despite being well-known today on our side of the pond, this song only reached No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, too. What gives?
“California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & The Papas (1965)
One of the first Summer of Love tunes to become a hit ahead of 1967, this classic from The Mamas & The Papas remains the outfit’s signature song. This ultra-memorable song is one of the greatest pop hits of the 1960s. Everything about this sunshine pop tune screams “No. 1 hit.” And yet, “California Dreamin’” peaked at No. 4 instead of No. 1. It didn’t even make it to the Top 20 in the UK. That just doesn’t make sense to me, as this song really does feel like it would be the song of the year across the board.
Fun fact: A cover of this song by German DJ Freischwinner was released in 2015 and hit No. 1 on the Dance Club Songs chart, making it the first version of the song to hit No. 1 on any chart.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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