60's songs
Songs from the 60's saw the evolution of rock and it's many variants including pop rock, folk rock, blues rock, beat and psychedelic rock to name a few. There was also the onset of the British Invasion with the ever popular Beatles and Rolling Stones. Country music, folk, R&B and soul were becoming more popular along with the cool fusion of samba and cool jazz.
🔹Billboard Year-End Hot 10 Songs of the 60s
🔹Suitable for beginners:
| Song | Artist | Date |
|---|---|---|
| A Time For Us | Andy Williams 🟢 | 1969 |
| Anniversary Song | Andy Williams 🟢 | 1964 |
| Are You Lonesome Tonight | Elvis Presley 🟢 | 1960 |
| As Tears Go By | The Rolling Stones 🟢 | 1965 |
| Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In | The 5th Dimension | 1969 |
| Ballad of the Green Berets, The | SSgt Barry Sadler 🟢 | 1966 |
| Blowin' In The Wind | Bob Dylan 🟢 | 1963 |
| Blue Velvet | Bobby Vinton | 1963 |
| Brown Eyed Girl | Van Morrison 🟢 | 1967 |
| Build Me Up Buttercup | The Foundations | 1969 |
| Can't Help Falling In Love With You | Elvis Presley | 1961 |
| California Dreamin' | Sia (Cover - 2015) 🟢 | 1965 |
| Can't Get Used to Losing You | Andy Williams | 1963 |
| Can't Take My Eyes Off You | Frankie Valli | 1967 |
| Can't You Hear My Heartbeat | Herman's Hermits 🟢 | 1965 |
| Cathy's Clown | The Everly Brothers 🟢 | 1960 |
| Chapel Of Love | The Dixie Cups 🟢 | 1964 |
| Cherish | The Association | 1966 |
| Crimson and Clover | Tommy James and the Shondells | 1969 |
| Crying | Roy Orbison | 1961 |
| Crying in the Chapel | Elvis Presley | 1965 |
| Dance On | Kathy Kirby 🟢 | 1963 |
| Daydream Believer | The Monkees 🟢 | 1967 |
| Da Doo Ron Ron | The Crystals 🟢 | 1963 |
| Dizzy | Tommy Roe 🟢 | 1969 |
| Dock of the Bay, The | Otis Redding 🟢 | 1968 |
| Down On The Corner | Creedence Clearwater Revival 🟢 | 1969 |
| Downtown | Petula Clark | 1965 |
| Dream A Little Dream of Me | Mamas & The Papas | 1968 |
| Dream Baby | Roy Orbison 🟢 | 1962 |
| End of the World, The | Skeeter Davis | 1963 |
| Everybody Loves Somebody | Dean Martin | 1964 |
| Everyday People | Sly and the Family Stone 🟢 | 1969 |
| Ferry Cross The Mersey | Gerry & the Pacemakers | 1964 |
| First Cut Is The Deepest, The | Sheryl Crow (Cover - 2003) 🟢 | 1967 |
| Five Hundred Miles (500 miles) | Timberlake, Mulligan, Sandswas (Cover-2013) 🟢 | 1961 |
| Girl From Ipanema | Frank Sinatra | 1962 |
| Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The | Hugo Montenegro (Instr) | 1968 |
| Green Green Grass Of Home | Elvis Presley |
1965 |
| Groovin' | The Young Rascals | 1967 |
| Handy Man | Jimmy Jones 🟢 | 1960 |
| Happy Together | The Turtles 🟢 | 1967 |
| He'll Have to Go | Jim Reeves 🟢 | 1960 |
| Hello, Dolly! | Louis Armstrong | 1964 |
| Help! | The Beatles | 1965 |
| He's So Fine | The Chiffons 🟢 | 1963 |
| Hey Jude | The Beatles | 1968 |
| Hey Paula | Paul & Paula 🟢 | 1963 |
| Homeward Bound | Simon & Garfunkel 🟢 | 1966 |
| Honey | Bobby Goldsboro 🟢 | 1968 |
| Honky Tonk Women | The Rolling Stones 🟢 | 1969 |
| Hot Fun In the Summertime | Sly and the Family Stone | 1969 |
| House Of The Rising Sun | The Animals 🟢 | 1964 |
| I Can't Get Next to You | The Temptations | 1969 |
| I Can't Get No Satisfaction | The Rolling Stones | 1965 |
| I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) | Four Tops 🟢 | 1965 |
| I Can't Stop Loving You | Ray Charles | 1962 |
| I Fall to Pieces | Patsy Cline | 1961 |
| I Get Around | The Beach Boys | 1964 |
| I Only Want To Be With You | Dusty Springfield 🟢 | 1963 |
| I Shall Be Released | Maroon 5 (Dylan Cover - 2012) 🟢 | 1967 |
| I Want to Hold Your Hand | The Beatles 🟢 | 1964 |
| I'll Never Fall in Love Again | Tom Jones | 1969 |
| I'm A Believer | The Monkees 🟢 | 1967 |
| I'm Sorry | Brenda Lee | 1960 |
| It's Now or Never | Elvis Presley | 1960 |
| Johnny Angel | Shelley Fabares | 1962 |
| Kicks | Paul Revere & the Raiders 🟢 | 1966 |
| Last Train to Clarksville | The Monkees 🟢 | 1966 |
| Last Kiss | J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers 🟢 | 1964 |
| Let Me In | The Sensations | 1962 |
| Letter, The | The Box Tops 🟢 | 1967 |
| Light My Fire | The Doors | 1967 |
| Loco-Motion, The | Little Eva 🟢 | 1962 |
| Love is Blue | Paul Mauriat (Instr) | 1968 |
| Mashed Potato Time | Dee Dee Sharp 🟢 | 1962 |
| Massachusetts | Bee Gees 🟢 | 1967 |
| Michael (row your boat ashore) | The Highwaymen 🟢 | 1961 |
| Midnight Special | Creedence Clearwater Revival 🟢 | 1969 |
| Moon River | Andy Williams | 1962 |
| More | Andy Williams | 1963 |
| Mrs. Robinson | Simon & Garfunkel 🟢 | 1968 |
| My Boyfriend's Back | The Angels 🟢 | 1963 |
| My Girl | The Temptations 🟢 | 1965 |
| My Guy | Mary Wells | 1964 |
| My True Story | The Jive Five 🟢 | 1961 |
| My Way | Frank Sinatra 🟢 | 1969 |
| Never On Sunday | Petula Clark (Cover - 1965) 🟢 | 1960 |
| Nights In White Satin | Moody Blues 🟢 | 1967 |
| Ninety Six Tears (96 Tears) | ? and the Mysterians 🟢 | 1966 |
| Ode to Billie Joe. | Bobbie Gentry 🟢 | 1967 |
| Over The Rainbow | Ella Fitzgerald | 1961 |
| People Got to Be Free | The Rascals | 1968 |
| Pony Time | Chubby Checker | 1961 |
| Pretty Woman | Roy Orbison 🟢 | 1964 |
| Proud Mary | Creedence Clearwater Revival 🟢 | 1969 |
| Puff The Magic Dragon | The Irish Rovers (Cover - 1976) | 1963 |
| Raindrops | Dee Clark 🟢 | 1961 |
| Reach Out I'll Be There | Four Tops | 1966 |
| Ring Of Fire | Johnny Cash 🟢 | 1963 |
| Rhythm of the Rain | The Cascades 🟢 | 1963 |
| Roses Are Red (My Love) | Bobby Vinton 🟢 | 1962 |
| Runaway | Del Shannon | 1961 |
| Running Bear | Johnny Preston 🟢 | 1960 |
| She Loves You | The Beatles 🟢 | 1964 |
| Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss) | Cher (Cover - 1990) 🟢 | 1963 |
| Soldier Boy | The Shirelles 🟢 | 1962 |
| Somethin' Stupid | Frank & Nancy Sinatra 🟢 | 1967 |
| Sound Of Silence, The | Simon & Garfunkel 🟢 | 1964 |
| Space Oddity | David Bowie | 1969 |
| Stranger on the Shore (Instr) | Acker Bilk | 1962 |
| Strangers in the Night | Frank Sinatra | 1966 |
| Stripper, The (Instr) | David Rose | 1962 |
| Stuck On You | Elvis Presley 🟢 | 1960 |
| Sugar, Sugar | The Archies 🟢 | 1969 |
| Sukiyaki | Kyu Sakamoto 🟢 | 1963 |
| Sunshine of Your Love | Cream | 1968 |
| Surfin' U.S.A. | The Beach Boys 🟢 | 1963 |
| Teen Angel | Mark Dinning 🟢 | 1960 |
| Theme From A Summer Place | Percy Faith | 1960 |
| There's a Kind of Hush | Dami Im (Cover - 2016) | 1967 |
| Tossin' and Turnin' | Bobby Lewis 🟢 | 1961 |
| Twist, The | Chubby Checker 🟢 | 1960/1962 |
| These Boots Are Made for Walkin' | Nancy Sinatra 🟢 | 1966 |
| This Guy's in Love with You | Herb Alpert | 1968 |
| To Sir With Love | Lulu 🟢 | 1967 |
| Unicorn Song, The | The Irish Rovers (Cover - 1968)🟢 | 1962 |
| Universal Soldier | Donovan (Cover - 1965) | 1964 |
| Venus | Shocking Blue | 1969 |
| We'll Sing in the Sunshine | Gale Garnett 🟢 | 1964 |
| What A Wonderful World | Louis Armstrong (Cover - 1998) | 1967 |
| What Becomes of the Brokenhearted | Jimmy Ruffin | 1966 |
| Where Did Our Love Go | The Supremes 🟢 | 1964 |
| Where No One Stands Alone | Elvis Presley (Lisa Marie Cover-2018) | 1967 |
| Whiter Shade Of Pale | Procol Harum 🟢 | 1967 |
| Windy | The Association 🟢 | 1967 |
| Wooden Heart | Joe Dowell 🟢 | 1961 |
| Wooly Bully | Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs 🟢 | 1965 |
| You Were on My Mind | We Five | 1965 |
| You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' | The Righteous Brothers 🟢 | 1965 |
Billboard Year-End Hot 10 Songs of the 60s
The Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), online streaming, and radio play in the U.SQuick Links:
1960
| No | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theme From A Summer Place | Percy Faith |
| 2 | He'll Have to Go | Jim Reeves |
| 3 | Cathy's Clown | The Everly Brothers |
| 4 | Running Bear | Johnny Preston |
| 5 | Teen Angel | Mark Dinning |
| 6 | I'm Sorry | Brenda Lee |
| 7 | It's Now or Never | Elvis Presley |
| 8 | Handy Man | Jimmy Jones |
| 9 | Stuck on You | Elvis Presley |
| 10 | The Twist | Chubby Checker |
1961
| No | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tossin' and Turnin' | Bobby Lewis |
| 2 | I Fall to Pieces | Patsy Cline |
| 3 | Michael (row your boat ashore) | The Highwaymen |
| 4 | Crying | Roy Orbison |
| 5 | Runaway | Del Shannon |
| 6 | My True Story | The Jive Five |
| 7 | Pony Time | Chubby Checker |
| 8 | Wheels (Instrumental) | The String-A-Longs |
| 9 | Raindrops | Dee Clark |
| 10 | Wooden Heart | Joe Dowell |
1962
| No | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stranger on the Shore (Instr) | Acker Bilk |
| 2 | I Can't Stop Loving You | Ray Charles |
| 3 | Mashed Potato Time | Dee Dee Sharp |
| 4 | Roses Are Red (My Love) | Bobby Vinton |
| 5 | The Stripper (Instrumental) | David Rose |
| 6 | Johnny Angel | Shelley Fabares |
| 7 | The Loco-Motion | Little Eva |
| 8 | Let Me In | The Sensations |
| 9 | The Twist | Chubby Checker |
| 10 | Soldier Boy | The Shirelles |
1963
| No | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surfin' U.S.A. | The Beach Boys |
| 2 | The End of the World | Skeeter Davis |
| 3 | Rhythm of the Rain | The Cascades |
| 4 | He's So Fine | The Chiffons |
| 5 | Blue Velvet | Bobby Vinton |
| 6 | Hey Paula | Paul & Paula |
| 7 | Fingertips (Instrumental) | Little Stevie Wonder |
| 8 | Can't Get Used to Losing You | Andy Williams |
| 9 | My Boyfriend's Back | The Angels |
| 10 | Sukiyaki | Kyu Sakamoto |
1964
| No | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Want to Hold Your Hand | The Beatles |
| 2 | She Loves You | The Beatles |
| 3 | Hello, Dolly! | Louis Armstrong |
| 4 | Oh, Pretty Woman | Roy Orbison |
| 5 | I Get Around | The Beach Boys |
| 6 | Everybody Loves Somebody | Dean Martin |
| 7 | My Guy | Mary Wells |
| 8 | We'll Sing in the Sunshine | Gale Garnett |
| 9 | Last Kiss | J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers |
| 10 | Where Did Our Love Go | The Supremes |
1965
| No | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wooly Bully | Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs |
| 2 | I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) | Four Tops |
| 3 | I Can't Get No Satisfaction | The Rolling Stones |
| 4 | You Were on My Mind | We Five |
| 5 | You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' | The Righteous Brothers |
| 6 | Downtown | Petula Clark |
| 7 | Help! | The Beatles |
| 8 | Can't You Hear My Heartbeat | Herman's Hermits |
| 9 | Crying in the Chapel | Elvis Presley |
| 10 | My Girl | The Temptations 🟢 |
1966
| No | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Dreamin' | The Mamas & the Papas |
| 2 | 96 Tears | ? and the Mysterians |
| 3 | What Becomes of the Brokenhearted | Jimmy Ruffin |
| 4 | Last Train to Clarksville | The Monkees |
| 5 | Reach Out I'll Be There | Four Tops |
| 6 | These Boots Are Made for Walkin' | Nancy Sinatra |
| 7 | Cherish | The Association |
| 8 | Strangers in the Night | Frank Sinatra |
| 9 | Kicks | Paul Revere & the Raiders |
| 10 | The Ballad of the Green Berets | SSgt Barry Sadler |
1967
| No | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | To Sir With Love | Lulu |
| 2 | The Letter | The Box Tops |
| 3 | Ode to Billie Joe | Bobbie Gentry |
| 4 | Windy | The Association |
| 5 | I'm A Believer | The Monkees |
| 6 | Light My Fire | The Doors |
| 7 | Somethin' Stupid | Frank & Nancy Sinatra |
| 8 | Happy Together | The Turtles |
| 9 | Groovin' | The Young Rascals |
| 10 | Can't Take My Eyes Off You | Frankie Valli |
1968
| No | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hey Jude | The Beatles |
| 2 | Love is Blue | Paul Mauriat (Instr) |
| 3 | Honey | Bobby Goldsboro |
| 4 | (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay | Otis Redding |
| 5 | People Got to Be Free | The Rascals |
| 6 | Sunshine of Your Love | Cream |
| 7 | This Guy's in Love with You | Herb Alpert |
| 8 | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly | Hugo Montenegro (Instr) |
| 9 | Mrs. Robinson | Simon & Garfunkel |
| 10 | Tighten Up | Archie Bell & the Drells |
1969
| No | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sugar, Sugar | The Archies |
| 2 | Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In | The 5th Dimension |
| 3 | I Can't Get Next to You | The Temptations |
| 4 | Honky Tonk Women | The Rolling Stones |
| 5 | Everyday People | Sly and the Family Stone |
| 6 | Dizzy | Tommy Roe |
| 7 | Hot Fun In the Summertime | Sly and the Family Stone |
| 8 | I'll Never Fall in Love Again | Tom Jones |
| 9 | Build Me Up Buttercup | The Foundations |
| 10 | Crimson and Clover | Tommy James and the Shondells |
Musical Journey of the 1960s
The 1960s were a transformative time for music, witnessing the birth and evolution of various genres that continue to influence modern music. Here are some interesting facts about '60s music:
The British Invasion: Bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Kinks gained international popularity, leading what was famously known as the British Invasion in the US music scene.
Psychedelic Rock: The late '60s saw the rise of psychedelic rock, characterized by bands experimenting with new sounds, trippy lyrics, and often drug-influenced music. Groups like Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, and Pink Floyd were pioneers in this genre.
Woodstock Festival: The Woodstock Festival took place in 1969, showcasing some of the biggest acts of the era, including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, and many others. It became a symbol of the counterculture movement of the '60s.
Motown Sound: The Motown record label in Detroit produced hit after hit in the 1960s, popularizing a distinct soulful sound. Artists such as The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, and Stevie Wonder were part of this influential movement.
Bob Dylan's Influence: Bob Dylan emerged as a significant figure in folk music, penning socially conscious songs that became anthems for the civil rights movement and inspired countless artists.
The Monterey Pop Festival: Held in 1967, this festival featured memorable performances by artists like Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Otis Redding and is considered a precursor to later music festivals like Woodstock.
The Beach Boys and the Surf Sound: The Beach Boys popularized the surf music genre, celebrating the California lifestyle with their harmonies and catchy tunes.
Technology Advancements: The '60s saw technological advancements in music production, such as the introduction of the 4-track tape recorder, which expanded creative possibilities in recording studios.
Social and Political Influence: Music became a platform for social and political commentary during this era, with songs like "Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan and "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke addressing issues of civil rights and societal change.
Albums as Art: Artists started to view albums as cohesive bodies of work rather than just collections of singles. Albums like The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" showcased this shift in approach.
The 1960s were a dynamic period in music history that not only shaped the industry but also reflected the cultural and social changes happening around the world.
Help Pages
Song charts - help with reading the song charts on this site for anyone that finds them a little confusing
Guitar chords - popular chords for all levels of experience including charts for left handed players.
Chord, note and key transposition - transposing chords in a song - useful examples and charts
Please Note: All the song charts on this site represent our interpretation of each song, in a format aimed at teaching guitarists and musicians in general. No attempt has been made to copy or reproduce the artist's or publisher's sheet music for the song, if it does exist. It is to be used for Informational and Educational Purposes Only. For a comprehensive representation of the songs, we recommend you buy the sheet music. If you like playing these songs, we encourage you to support the artists and buy their music.
