Disclaimer: For some really weird reason every music post I make gets a bunch of hate comments. If you don’t enjoy sixties and seventies music please feel free to move on with your life and visit the thousands of other blogs out there instead of wasting your time leaving mean comments. Because I genuinely don’t care whether or not you agree with me. This is my blog and I will write about exactly what I want to. Thanks and have a great day!
The Sixties And Seventies
“Sixties And Seventies Music I Love” is a post I have been wanting to make for such a long time now- for literally over six months lol! As some of you may know I took a course on the sixties last year/semester at university and I learnt so much amazing stuff in it. One of the things that really stood out to me was the counterculture and the music that was such a huge part of this counterculture.
I love music so much and I’m always willing to give something new a listen especially when it will get me a good grade. Since I have not really made a post about music in a while I thought I would share this one and talk about 6 of my favourite songs from the sixties and seventies.
Also, I know the class was technically supposed to be about the 60’s but we learnt a lot about the 1970’s as most of the 70’s were an extension of the 60’s counterculture and that’s why I decided to add music from both the sixties and the seventies on the list. A lot of what was created in the 70’s stemmed from what began in the 60’s.
It was so difficult to pick just six because to be honest there are so many songs that I still listen to almost daily that I haven’t mentioned on this list. Maybe I’ll write a part two some time. I picked these songs in particular because they really stood out to me. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
6. Jefferson Airplane- White Rabbit (1967)
This was the first song I learnt about from the sixties- ironically it was in a different American history class that I had taken in the same semester and we had started discussing 60’s music earlier in that class. I don’t know why I am so fascinated by this song or the look on the lead singers face but I just am. I think this song holds a special place in my heart because it was the first song from the sixties that I heard that I really got into.
5. The Beatles- Here Comes The Sun (1969)
I absolutely love this song and it’s probably one of my favourite songs by The Beatles. A little history behind it:
“Here Comes the Sun” was written at the time when Apple was getting like school, where we had to go and be businessmen: ‘Sign this’ and ‘Sign that’. Anyway, it seems as if winter in England goes on forever; by the time spring comes you really deserve it. So one day I decided I was going to slag off Apple and I went over to Eric Clapton’s house. The relief of not having to go and see all those dopey accountants was wonderful, and I walked around the garden with one of Eric’s acoustic guitars and wrote “Here Comes the Sun.”
—George Harrison. Source: https://genius.com/The-beatles-here-comes-the-sun-lyrics
I can truly feel what he means in the song. It’s just so relaxing and calming- like an escape from all your worries and stress. Also Canadian winters aren’t the best so I also totally understand the way he feels about spring although I quite like winter so I can’t complain too much- it just gets a bit too long sometimes.
4. Joan Baez- House Of The Rising Sun (1960)
Joan Baez is a musician I did not know much about until I took a course on American history taught by the same professor who taught me about the sixties. As soon as I heard her voice I was absolutely blown away. She is so talented and can express so much emotion through her music that it really touches your heart.
The reason I picked this song in particular was because the most well known version of this song is by The Animals which I also like but this one just hits different and I definitely love this version.
3. Jimi Hendrix- Purple Haze (1970)
I definitely could not leave Jimi Hendrix out of this list. He was such a brilliant musician. I first heard this song as a teenager and I absolutely loved it. However, after taking the class and learning more about him, his music and the background behind this song I love it even more.
A little history behind the song:
“I dream a lot and I put a lot of my dreams down as songs. I wrote one called ‘First Around the Corner’ and another called ‘The Purple Haze’, which was all about a dream I had that I was walking under the sea.”
-Jimi Hendrix. Source: https://genius.com/The-jimi-hendrix-experience-purple-haze-lyrics
2. Janis Joplin- Me & Bobby McGee (1971)
Janis Joplin is probably one of my top 5 favourite musicians from the sixties. I love her voice, her music, her look and just everything about her. I actually learnt about her in quite a bit of detail in my sixties class and I found her back story really sad but also quite relatable.
We also read one of the letters she sent to her mum. She kept in touch with her family until she passed away. She was talking about meeting Paul McCartney and fan girling over George Harrison. It really reminded me that these people aren’t just the musicians we think they are but people too. I don’t know how to explain it but a lot of times we don’t think of famous people as “people.” But at the end of the day they’re really just people like us.
The reason I picked this song in particular was because it was the first Janis Joplin song I heard- I was a teenager back then. I had just read On The Road by Jack Kerouac and I was getting into the 60’s counterculture. I thought it was really fascinating but also very inspiring. This is a bit off topic but that book really inspired me to get out of my comfort zone and every time I get anxious about trying something new I think of On The Road. For me, this song will always remind me of that book.
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Phil Ochs- I’m Going To Say It Now (1966)
As a university student this song really hit home and spoke to me. I think most students will be able to relate with this song. The frustrations of being a student, being forced to conform, only being taught certain things etc are still very much present in the education system.
I know that things are getting better and I am so happy about that but I don’t think we’re quite there just yet especially when it comes to education in schools- from my experience universities are much more diverse about what they teach compared to high school.
This song is probably one of my favourite songs of all time and it is definitely my favourite song from the sixties just because it’s so incredibly relatable even for a student in 2020- at least it is for me. I absolutely love Phil Ochs in general too and I love his other songs as well.
Conclusion
I know this was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to counterculture music. Or music from the sixties and seventies. There are so many songs I wish I could have added but I didn’t want the post to get too long. I hope you enjoyed these song and this post.
Thoughts
What kind of music do you like? Are you a fan of music from the 60’s and 70’s? Were you part of the 60’s and 70’s counterculture? If you were what were your experiences in the 60’s and 70’s like? As always let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. And today I have a favour to ask- if you are a fan of this kind of music leave me some recommendations in the comments below! Thanks I really appreciate it!
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