The 100 Greatest Songs of the 60s, from Rock to Motown

What is the greatest song of the 60s?

"Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones, "Respect" by Aretha Franklin, "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys and "Hey Jude" by the Beatles are most often named the greatest songs of the 1960s. Each one changed what a pop song could be.

The 10 greatest songs of the 60s

1. "I Want to Hold Your Hand", The Beatles, 1964: the song that launched the British Invasion in America.
2. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", The Rolling Stones, 1965: the fuzz-guitar riff of the decade.
3. "Like a Rolling Stone", Bob Dylan, 1965: six minutes that rewrote the rules of rock.
4. "Good Vibrations", The Beach Boys, 1966: Brian Wilson's pocket symphony.
5. "Respect", Aretha Franklin, 1967: an Otis Redding song turned into an anthem.
6. "My Girl", The Temptations, 1964: the sweetest Motown love song.
7. "Hey Jude", The Beatles, 1968: their biggest US single, with its famous long coda.
8. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", Otis Redding, 1968: a posthumous number one.
9. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", Marvin Gaye, 1968: Motown's biggest single of the decade.
10. "Stand by Me", Ben E. King, 1961: a timeless soul classic.

1960s rock songs

11. "Paint It Black", The Rolling Stones, 1966: sitar-driven and dark.
12. "Gimme Shelter", The Rolling Stones, 1969: an apocalyptic end-of-decade classic.
13. "Help!", The Beatles, 1965: an upbeat song hiding real anxiety.
14. "Come Together", The Beatles, 1969: a swampy, mysterious groove.
15. "Here Comes the Sun", The Beatles, 1969: George Harrison's most beloved song.
16. "You Really Got Me", The Kinks, 1964: the distorted riff that pointed to hard rock.
17. "Waterloo Sunset", The Kinks, 1967: a gentle portrait of London.
18. "My Generation", The Who, 1965: a stuttering youth anthem.
19. "Light My Fire", The Doors, 1967: organ-driven and a number one.
20. "Purple Haze", The Jimi Hendrix Experience, 1967: guitar playing nobody had heard before.
21. "All Along the Watchtower", The Jimi Hendrix Experience, 1968: the definitive Dylan cover.
22. "Sunshine of Your Love", Cream, 1967: Eric Clapton's monster riff.
23. "Somebody to Love", Jefferson Airplane, 1967: the sound of San Francisco.
24. "White Rabbit", Jefferson Airplane, 1967: a psychedelic bolero.
25. "The House of the Rising Sun", The Animals, 1964: a haunting folk song turned rock number one.
26. "Born to Be Wild", Steppenwolf, 1968: the ultimate biker anthem.
27. "Bad Moon Rising", Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1969: swampy roots rock.
28. "A Whiter Shade of Pale", Procol Harum, 1967: a baroque, organ-led mystery.
29. "For What It's Worth", Buffalo Springfield, 1967: a protest song with a famous chime.
30. "Wild Thing", The Troggs, 1966: three chords and attitude.
31. "Louie Louie", The Kingsmen, 1963: the garage-rock party staple.
32. "Whole Lotta Love", Led Zeppelin, 1969: heavy rock arrives.
33. "Piece of My Heart", Big Brother and the Holding Company, 1968: Janis Joplin at full power.
34. "Crimson and Clover", Tommy James and the Shondells, 1968: a dreamy, tremolo-soaked number one.
35. "The Letter", The Box Tops, 1967: under two minutes and a number one.

1960s pop songs

36. "Can't Help Falling in Love", Elvis Presley, 1961: the wedding standard.
37. "Oh, Pretty Woman", Roy Orbison, 1964: a growl and a famous riff.
38. "Sweet Caroline", Neil Diamond, 1969: the singalong of every stadium.
39. "California Dreamin'", The Mamas and the Papas, 1965: winter longing for the West Coast.
40. "Happy Together", The Turtles, 1967: a joyful number one.
41. "I'm a Believer", The Monkees, 1966: written by Neil Diamond.
42. "Wouldn't It Be Nice", The Beach Boys, 1966: the bright opener of Pet Sounds.
43. "God Only Knows", The Beach Boys, 1966: one of the most beautiful love songs ever written.
44. "Surfin' U.S.A.", The Beach Boys, 1963: surf rock at its sunniest.
45. "Mr. Tambourine Man", The Byrds, 1965: Dylan's song with a jangling twelve-string.
46. "The Sound of Silence", Simon and Garfunkel, 1965: a folk-rock number one.
47. "Mrs. Robinson", Simon and Garfunkel, 1968: from The Graduate.
48. "Downtown", Petula Clark, 1964: a glossy, uplifting number one.
49. "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", Nancy Sinatra, 1966: a swaggering number one.
50. "Strangers in the Night", Frank Sinatra, 1966: a romantic number one.
51. "What a Wonderful World", Louis Armstrong, 1967: the gentle classic for every occasion.
52. "The Twist", Chubby Checker, 1960: the dance craze that swept the world.
53. "The Loco-Motion", Little Eva, 1962: a Goffin and King dance hit.
54. "Sugar, Sugar", The Archies, 1969: bubblegum pop from a cartoon band.
55. "I Got You Babe", Sonny and Cher, 1965: a sweet duet and a number one.
56. "Daydream Believer", The Monkees, 1967: a breezy number one.
57. "Build Me Up Buttercup", The Foundations, 1968: a party singalong.
58. "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", Manfred Mann, 1964: a catchy British Invasion number one.
59. "Brown Eyed Girl", Van Morrison, 1967: still on every playlist.
60. "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In", The 5th Dimension, 1969: from the musical Hair.

Motown and soul songs of the 60s

61. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, 1967: the great Motown duet.
62. "Dancing in the Street", Martha and the Vandellas, 1964: a summer party anthem.
63. "Baby Love", The Supremes, 1964: one of their run of number ones.
64. "Stop! In the Name of Love", The Supremes, 1965: with its famous hand gesture.
65. "You Can't Hurry Love", The Supremes, 1966: a bouncy number one.
66. "The Tracks of My Tears", Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, 1965: heartbreak in disguise.
67. "Reach Out I'll Be There", Four Tops, 1966: a dramatic number one.
68. "Please Mr. Postman", The Marvelettes, 1961: Motown's first number one.
69. "My Guy", Mary Wells, 1964: written by Smokey Robinson.
70. "I Got You (I Feel Good)", James Brown, 1965: pure energy.
71. "Hit the Road Jack", Ray Charles, 1961: a call-and-response classic.
72. "Georgia on My Mind", Ray Charles, 1960: a number one and later Georgia's state song.
73. "A Change Is Gonna Come", Sam Cooke, 1964: the anthem of the civil rights era.
74. "Soul Man", Sam and Dave, 1967: a Stax classic.
75. "In the Midnight Hour", Wilson Pickett, 1965: a Memphis soul groove.
76. "Mustang Sally", Wilson Pickett, 1966: the wedding-band favorite.
77. "Green Onions", Booker T. and the M.G.'s, 1962: the coolest instrumental of the decade.
78. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", Aretha Franklin, 1967: a Goffin, King and Wexler song.
79. "Chain of Fools", Aretha Franklin, 1967: a gritty, Grammy-winning hit.
80. "At Last", Etta James, 1960: one of the most popular first dance songs ever.

Girl groups and love songs of the 60s

81. "Be My Baby", The Ronettes, 1963: the famous drum intro and Phil Spector's wall of sound.
82. "Then He Kissed Me", The Crystals, 1963: a swooning wall-of-sound hit.
83. "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", The Shirelles, 1960: a Goffin and King number one.
84. "Chapel of Love", The Dixie Cups, 1964: the classic wedding song.
85. "Leader of the Pack", The Shangri-Las, 1964: a teen tragedy with motorcycle sounds.
86. "Son of a Preacher Man", Dusty Springfield, 1968: Memphis soul from a British star.
87. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", The Righteous Brothers, 1964: one of the most played songs on American radio.
88. "Unchained Melody", The Righteous Brothers, 1965: later reborn in the film Ghost.
89. "Crying", Roy Orbison, 1961: an operatic heartbreak ballad.
90. "Suspicious Minds", Elvis Presley, 1969: his last number one of the decade.

Country and folk songs of the 60s

91. "Ring of Fire", Johnny Cash, 1963: with its mariachi horns.
92. "Crazy", Patsy Cline, 1961: written by a young Willie Nelson.
93. "King of the Road", Roger Miller, 1965: a laid-back crossover hit.
94. "Stand by Your Man", Tammy Wynette, 1968: one of country's best-selling singles.
95. "Blowin' in the Wind", Peter, Paul and Mary, 1963: the hit version of Dylan's song.
96. "The Times They Are a-Changin'", Bob Dylan, 1964: a protest anthem.
97. "Turn! Turn! Turn!", The Byrds, 1965: Pete Seeger's song from Ecclesiastes.
98. "Leaving on a Jet Plane", Peter, Paul and Mary, 1969: written by John Denver.
99. "Get Together", The Youngbloods, 1967: a hopeful hippie anthem.
100. "People Get Ready", The Impressions, 1965: Curtis Mayfield's gospel-soul masterpiece.

What types of music were popular in the 1960s?

The 1960s were one of the most varied decades in music history. Early in the decade, girl groups, surf rock, the twist and teen idols ruled the charts. In 1964, the Beatles led the British Invasion, followed by the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Who and the Animals. At the same time Motown in Detroit and Stax in Memphis made soul music the sound of young America, while Bob Dylan and the folk revival brought protest and poetry into pop. By the late 60s, psychedelic rock from San Francisco and London, the blues-based hard rock of Cream, Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, and the country of Nashville and Bakersfield all shared the airwaves.

The moments that defined 60s music

• February 9, 1964: the Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show in front of about 73 million viewers.
• 1965: Bob Dylan goes electric at the Newport Folk Festival.
• 1966: the Beach Boys release Pet Sounds, and the Beatles retire from touring.
• 1967: the Summer of Love, the Monterey Pop Festival and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
• 1968: Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" becomes a posthumous number one.
• August 1969: the Woodstock festival draws hundreds of thousands to upstate New York.

60s songs for a party

For a 60s party, start with "The Twist", "Dancing in the Street", "Louie Louie" and "Twist and Shout", then move to "Build Me Up Buttercup", "Mustang Sally", "Sweet Caroline" and "I Got You (I Feel Good)". For more upbeat classics, see our Motown songs and happy songs.

60s songs for a wedding

"At Last", "Can't Help Falling in Love", "Unchained Melody", "God Only Knows" and "My Girl" are timeless first dances, "Chapel of Love" is perfect for the recessional, and "What a Wonderful World" works for a parent dance. For more, see our old love songs and first dance songs.

Songs of the 60s for a 70th or 80th birthday

For anyone born in the 1940s or early 1950s, these are the songs of their youth. For a 70th or 80th birthday party or a slideshow, build a playlist from the year they turned 16 or 21: the Beatles, the Supremes, the Beach Boys and Elvis will have everyone singing. For more ideas, see our birthday songs and songs for grandpa.

Protest songs of the 1960s

The civil rights movement and the Vietnam War inspired some of the most important songs of the decade. "A Change Is Gonna Come", "People Get Ready", "Blowin' in the Wind", "The Times They Are a-Changin'", "For What It's Worth" and "Fortunate Son" are still sung at marches today. For more, see our civil rights and Black history songs.

More from the decade's greatest artists

For deeper dives, see our Bob Dylan songs, Simon and Garfunkel songs, CCR songs, Doors songs and James Brown songs, and for the next decade, our 70s disco songs and 80s songs.

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