Top 10 Greatest 60s Songs of All Time

#10: “Eight Miles High” (1966)

The Byrds

What? Roger McGuinn said the song is about an airplane ride! Of course, Gene Clark and David Crosby later admitted to writing under influences other than John Coltrane and Ravi Shankar. Already praised for developing country rock, The Byrds shocked listeners with an elaborate pop jam that combined Indian tones and jazz virtuosity. Despite this alternative style and a U.S. radio ban over drug allusions, “Eight Miles High” soared to No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was a watershed moment in avant-garde rock’s artistic and commercial prospects. Historians even cite it as the forerunner in raga rock and psychedelia. There’s no debating whether “Eight Miles High” took off as a classic, mind-bending innovation.

#9: “Fortunate Son” (1969)

Creedence Clearwater Revival

The horrors of the Vietnam War brought protest music to unprecedented commercial success. But Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” stands out for merely using the war to represent horrors at home. John Fogerty shouts down the U.S. military’s draft system, which young men could legally evade through educational obligations or a hefty fee. It was class warfare at its crudest, serving an institution that revealed hypocrisy in American ideals. CCR took their blues rock into the political landscape over instantly recognizable hooks. This made for a timeless hit whose salience in pop culture belie its thematic depth. Many now see “Fortunate Son” as the definitive anthem, not only for the band, but for the late 1960s.

#8: “God Only Knows” (1966)

The Beach Boys

After building The Beach Boys on some of teens’ favorite tunes in the early ‘60s, Brian Wilson revolutionized avant-garde production for the mainstream. The promotional single “Good Vibrations” particularly influenced the psychedelic tastes of a new crop of kids. But in terms of sheer musical magic, “God Only Knows” highlights the seminal album “Pet Sounds.” A love song evoking the Almighty as an emotional expression was gutsy enough at the time. Never mind the meticulous composition, featuring classical influences and performed by an orchestra. The likes of Bono, Jimmy Webb and Paul McCartney have dubbed “God Only Knows” a masterpiece among pop songs. And God only knows what the industry would be like without the riveting, elevated ballad’s influence.

#7: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965)

The Rolling Stones

Mainstream rock ‘n’ roll was effectively diluted for petty consumption by the 1960s. Then some British blues enthusiasts blew the roof off with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Inspired by genre pioneer Chuck Berry, the song is led by Keith Richards’s biting guitar riff and Mick Jagger belting out the social, political and sexual frustrations of youth. It was very much the blues of the modern age, and it caused a scandal in the UK. But the song’s massive international success turned The Rolling Stones into a sensation practically overnight. Though they have since delivered decades’ worth of classic gems, “Satisfaction” is a particularly rewarding landmark in rock as a rebellious art form.

#6: “Mississippi Goddam”

Nina Simone

Most of the great anthems of the Civil Rights era soulfully lamented tragedy and called for hope. But the High Priestess of Soul’s most notable anthem was punk before there was punk. “Mississippi Goddam” closes the live album “Nina Simone in Concert” with an uptempo vocal jazz tirade against contemporary racial injustices in the American Deep South. The song was considered so obscene and aggressive that even progressive radio stations and venues banned the singer. It would never be recorded in the studio. Still, with its dynamic musicianship and uncompromising sentiments, it remained a live staple for Nina Simone. Whether she had pushed jazz and soul into more technically groundbreaking extremes, “Mississippi Goddam” epitomizes her culturally revolutionary genius.

#5: “Whole Lotta Love” (1969)

Led Zeppelin

Nobody had heard anything like Led Zeppelin’s debut album in 1968– and many didn’t want to hear it. But with the opening track on “Led Zeppelin II,” their especially hardened blues rock achieved its own identity. Okay, “Whole Lotta Love” is an intense lift from the heartbreak ballads of Muddy Waters, distinguished by Jimmy Page’s impossibly catchy guitar riff and an avant-garde bridge. It didn’t just manage to work with critics and audiences. The epic jam helped formalize the mainstream presence of a budding rock offshoot now known as heavy metal. It also set Zeppelin up as one of the key bands going into the 1970s. Certainly, they sent the ‘60s off with a bang that’s still felt today.

#4: “Purple Haze” (1967)

Jimi Hendrix Experience

From the fogs of London came a blues guitar phenom’s debut single in his native United States. The Jimi Experience’s “Purple Haze” wound up waking up the world from its dazzling opening riff. Listeners were shocked by the metal precursor’s heavy tone and apparent illustration of a hallucinogenic trip. Never mind blown away by the dynamic rhythm and Jimi Hendrix’s fiery guitarwork. The single’s acclaim allowed the band’s debut LP “Are You Experienced” to leave an indelible mark on hard rock upon its release a month later. The song itself spent three years as a concert staple before Hendrix’s death in 1970. His brief life graced the world with countless classics, though it doesn’t get much sharper than “Purple Haze.”

#3: “A Change Is Gonna Come” (1964)

Sam Cooke

The King of Soul’s comfortable pop appeal cut across the color barrier going into the 1960s. Then he confronted an uncomfortable topic with great passion. In “A Change Is Gonna Come,” Sam Cooke recounts personal struggles with racism as he swoons for brighter days ahead. It was then rare for a Black musician of his success to be so politically outspoken in art. Cooke’s career actually thrived on this masterpiece, as it became one of the defining anthems of the Civil Rights Movement. The impact this had on contemporary pop culture meant there was no more escaping the injustices of discrimination or its inevitable defeat. Of course, the utter beauty of “A Change Is Gonna Come” hasn’t changed after all these years.

#2: “Like a Rolling Stone” (1965)

Bob Dylan

The development of 1960s counterculture could be heard in Bob Dylan’s brilliant acoustic folk. Followers felt he was rebelling against them when “Like a Rolling Stone” called out emptiness and cynicism in success with an electric backing. After the backlash died down, Dylan and producer Tom Wilson were highly praised for this reconciliation of modern pop with intellectual lyricism. Over time, the groundbreaking song has even been embraced as Dylan’s signature song and a catalyst for the folk rock genre. Certainly, it helped establish rock ‘n’ roll as a powerful medium for social commentary. Beyond the historical significance of “Like a Rolling Stone,” the anthem’s eclectic energy and message resonate as much as ever.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“All Tomorrow’s Parties” (1966), The Velvet Underground and Nico

The Seminal Art Rockers’ Breakout Ballad Encapsulated & Expanded the Warhol Scene

“Dancing in the Street” (1964), Martha and the Vandellas

An Exhilarating Pop Piece to Define the Influential Motown Sounds

“My Generation” (1966), The Who

An Era-Defining Declaration by Early Founders of Punk

“Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (1965), James Brown and The Famous Flames

The Hot Soul Single Solidified the Brand New Style of Funk

“Space Oddity” (1969), David Bowie

An Elaborately Produced Folk Epic for the Space Age & the Future of Electronic Rock

#2: “A Day in the Life” (1967)

The Beatles

The story of The Beatles is the story of music in the 1960s. The pop group’s evolution into pioneering artists culminated with the album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” namely its closing track. “A Day in the Life” is a surreal orchestral suite that seems to just be about reading the newspaper before leaving the house. In fact, it conveys the frenzy of the human condition with radical genre shifts and experimental composition. The explosive, 42-second-long final keyboard chord alone influenced audio engineering for generations. The song as a whole forever changed the way fans heard The Beatles and pop music itself. Of course, “A Day in the Life” is just one masterpiece in the band’s catalogue, to say nothing of the decade.

What songs do you think had the most impact on the 1960s and the generations that followed? Jam with us in the comments.