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Turn up the volume as we dive into the decade that changed music forever! Join us as we count down the tracks that didn't just top charts, but revolutionized rock, soul, and counterculture. From psychedelic innovations to protest anthems, these legendary songs shaped generations of music to follow. Which iconic 60's masterpiece deserves the top spot?
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00:00I went on the way upstairs and had a smoke, and somebody spoke and I went into a dream.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we're counting down our picks for great popular songs whose
00:11creative and cultural significance defined the sound of the 60s. Thus, we're not covering
00:17songs that made a particular impact as a cover.
00:2010. 8 Miles High, The Birds
00:32What? Roger McGinn said the song is about an airplane ride. Of course, Gene Clark and David
00:45Crosby later admitted to riding under influences other than John Coltrane and Robbie
00:50Shankar, already praised for developing country rock. The Birds shocked listeners with an
00:55elaborate pop jam that combined Indian tones and jazz virtuosity.
01:07Despite this alternative style and a U.S. radio ban over drug illusions, 8 Miles High soared to
01:14number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was a watershed moment in avant-garde rock's artistic
01:20and commercial prospects. Historians even cited him as a forerunner in reggae rock and psychedelia.
01:26There's no debating whether 8 Miles High took off as a classic, mind-bending innovation.
01:31Number 9. Fortunate Son, Credence Clearwater Revival
01:42The horrors of the Vietnam War brought protest music to unprecedented commercial success, but Credence
01:57Clearwater Revival's fortunate son stands out for merely using the war to represent the horrors at home.
02:03John Fogerty shouts down the U.S. military's draft system, which young men could legally evade through
02:09educational obligations or a hefty fee. It was class warfare at its crudest, serving an institution that
02:17revealed hypocrisy and American ideals. CCR took their blues rock into the political landscape over
02:31instantly recognizable hooks. This made for a timeless hit whose salience in pop culture belies its
02:37thematic depth. Many now see Fortunate Son as the definitive anthem, not only for the band,
02:43but for the late 1960s.
02:49Number 8. God Only Knows, The Beach Boys
02:56After building the Beach Boys on some of teens' favorite tunes in the early 60s, Brian Wilson
03:10revolutionized avant-garde production for the mainstream. The promotional single Good Vibrations
03:16particularly influenced the psychedelic tastes of a new crop of kids. But in terms of sheer musical
03:22magic, God Only Knows highlights the seminal album Pet Sounds, a love song evoking the Almighty as an
03:30emotional expression was gutsy enough at the time. Never mind the meticulous composition, featuring
03:36classical influences and performed by an orchestra.
03:44The likes of Bono, Jimmy Webb, and Paul McCartney have dubbed God Only Knows a masterpiece among
03:53pop songs. And God Only Knows what the industry would be like without the riveting, elevated
03:59ballad's influence.
04:08Number 7. I Can't Get No Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
04:21mainstream rock and roll was effectively diluted for petty consumption by the 1960s. Then, some British
04:28blues enthusiasts blew the roof off with I Can't Get No Satisfaction, inspired by genre pioneer Chuck
04:35Berry. The song is led by Keith Richards' biting guitar riff and Mick Jagger belting out the social,
04:40political, and sexual frustrations of youth. It was very much the blues of the modern age, and it
04:54caused a scandal in the UK. But the song's massive international success turned the Rolling Stones
05:00into a sensation practically overnight. Though they have since delivered decades worth of classic gems,
05:07satisfaction is a particularly rewarding landmark in rock as a rebellious art form.
05:21Number 6. Mississippi Goddamn, Nina Simone
05:31Most of the great anthems of the civil rights era soulfully lamented tragedy and called for hope.
05:37But the high priestess of soul's most notable anthem was punk before there was punk.
05:43Mississippi Goddamn closes the live album Nina Simone in concert with an up-tempo vocal jazz
05:49tirade against contemporary racial injustices in the American Deep South.
05:54My skin is brown, my manner is top.
06:00The song was considered so obscene and aggressive that even progressive radio stations and venues
06:07banned the singer. It would never be recorded in the studio. Still, with its dynamic musicianship and
06:14uncompromising sentiments, it remained a live staple for Nina Simone. Whether she had pushed jazz and soul
06:20into more technically groundbreaking extremes, Mississippi Goddamn epitomizes her culturally revolutionary genius.
06:27Too slow, desegregation. Too slow, mass participation.
06:33Number 5. Whole Lotta Love, Led Zeppelin
06:38Nobody had heard anything like Led Zeppelin's debut album in 1968, and many didn't want to hear it.
06:53But with the opening track of Led Zeppelin II, their especially hardened blues rock achieved its own
06:59identity. Okay, Whole Lotta Love is an intense lift from the heartbreak ballads of Muddy Waters,
07:05distinguished by Jimmy Page's impossibly catchy guitar riff and an avant-garde bridge.
07:18It didn't just manage to work with critics and audiences. The epic jam helped formalize the
07:23mainstream presence of a budding rock offshoot now known as heavy metal. It also set Led Zeppelin
07:29up as one of the key bands going into the 1970s. Certainly, they set the 60s off with a bang that's
07:36still felt today.
07:44Number 4. Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix Experience
07:48From the fogs of London came a blues guitar phenom's debut single in his native United States.
08:02The Jimi experience's Purple Haze wound up waking up the world from its dazzling opening riff.
08:08Listeners were shocked by the metal precursor's heavy tone and apparent illustration of a hallucinogenic
08:14trip. Never mind blown away by the dynamic rhythm and Jimi Hendrix's fiery guitar work.
08:27The single's acclaim allowed the band's debut LP, Are You Experienced, to leave an indelible mark on
08:33hard rock upon its release a month later. The song itself spent three years as a concert staple before
08:39Hendrix's death in 1970. His brief life braced the world with countless classics. Though,
08:46it doesn't get much sharper than Purple Haze.
08:48it doesn't get much sharper than you, it doesn't get much sharper than you, it doesn't get much sharper than you.
08:57Number 3. A Change Is Gonna Come
09:00Sam Cooke
09:08The King of Soul's comfortable pop appeal cut across the color barrier going into the 1960s. Then, he
09:15confronted an uncomfortable topic with great passion, and a change is gonna come. Sam Cooke recounts
09:20personal struggles with racism as he swoons for brighter days ahead. It was, then, rare for a
09:26black musician of his success to be so politically outspoken in art.
09:31Somebody keep telling me don't
09:35Sam Cooke's career actually thrived on this masterpiece, as it became one of the defining
09:43anthems of the civil rights movement. The impact this had on contemporary pop culture meant that
09:48there was no more escaping the injustices of discrimination or its inevitable defeat. Of course,
09:55the utter beauty of A Change Is Gonna Come hasn't changed after all these years.
09:59But now I think I'm able to carry on.
10:07Number 2. Like A Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
10:11How does it feel? How does it feel?
10:19The development of 1960s counterculture could be heard in Bob Dylan's brilliant acoustic folk.
10:25Followers felt he was rebelling against them when Like A Rolling Stone called out
10:30emptiness and cynicism in success with an electric backing. After the backlash died down, Dylan and
10:36producer Tom Wilson were highly praised for this reconciliation of modern pop with intellectual
10:42lyricism. Over time, the groundbreaking song has even been embraced as Dylan's signature song and
10:56a catalyst for the folk rock genre. Certainly, it helped establish rock and roll as a powerful medium
11:01for social commentary. Beyond the historical significance of Like A Rolling Stone, the anthem's
11:07eclectic energy and message resonates as much as ever.
11:18Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:22All Tomorrow's Parties – The Velvet Underground and Nika. The seminal art rocker's breakout ballad
11:29encapsulated and expanded the Warhol scene.
11:40Dancing in the streets – Martha and the Vandellas. An exhilarating pop piece to define the
11:46influential Motown sounds. My Generation – The Who – An era-defining declaration by
12:00early founders of punk. Papa's Got a Brand New Bag – James Brown and the Famous Flames.
12:14The Hot Soul single solidified the brand new style of punk.
12:18Space Oddity – David Bowie – An elaborately produced folk epic for the space age and the future of
12:33electronic rock.
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12:561. A Day in the Life – The Beatles
13:09The story of The Beatles is the story of music in the 1960s. The pop group's evolution into
13:14pioneering artists culminated with the album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Namely,
13:20its closing track. A Day in the Life is a surreal orchestral suite that seems to
13:25just be about reading the newspaper before leaving the house.
13:37In fact, it conveys the frenzy of the human condition. With radical genre shifts and experimental
13:43composition, the explosive 42-second long final keyboard chord alone influenced audio engineering
13:50for generations. The song as a whole forever changed the way the fans heard the Beatles and
14:04pop music itself. Of course, A Day in the Life is just one masterpiece in the band's catalog, to say
14:10nothing of the decade. What songs do you think had the most impact on the 1960s and the generations
14:23that follow? Jam with us in the comments.
14:26Take a sad song and make it better.
14:36Take a sad song and make it better.
14:40Take a sad song, tap.
14:41Oops, there they are…
14:46C2021
14:49ev'ry
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