There are so many romantic songs from the 1960s, but I’ve tried to list a few of the best here. I wasn’t alive when all of the songs on this list first came out, but I’m a true oldies fan, and they’re just about all my husband and I listen to on the radio. These songs are more meaningful to me than any modern music. They all live on today because they are true romantic classics, and people are still falling in love to them today.
1961 Elvis Presley: “Can’t Help Falling in Love
Elvis is an artist with a long list of popular and beautiful love songs, many of which probably made many girls into women. He wrote so many of the romantic songs from the 1960’s, so it’s hard to only choose one. I’m sure any girl growing up in the 60s listening to this song was imagining this boy with such a big voice falling in love with her. Though the song is all about Elvis’ soothing voice, with the line “Like a river flows surely to the sea, darling so it goes, some things are meant to be”, a guy can’t wrong playing this for his best girl.
1961 Etta James: “At Last”
(The only woman on the list; sorry, ladies!) With her big, bluesy voice, Etta James made this song a favorite of the ladies out there. Every girl who finally gets her Prince Charming can appreciate this song, which is backed by wonderful orchestra music. The first line is definitely the best, and you can really hear in Etta’s voice that she has finally found her true love “At last”.
1961 Ben E. King: “Stand By Me ”
This is another song still going strong today, and is one of the most performed songs of all time. (Sadly, I’ve heard it used in commercials quite often). King didn’t intend on recording it himself, and had written it for The Drifters. They passed on it, however, and it has since become legendary with King’s vocals. Just hearing the song makes you feel like you’ve got somebody backing you up. It’s a song that lets your lover know that you’ll be there for them, even if “the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall, and the mountains should crumble to the sea.”
1963 Roy Orbison: “In Dreams
Orbison’s voice is amazing. Smooth and soft, it’s often compared to that of Elvis. His songs are mostly about unrequited love, and though this song is about him dreaming of a woman he doesn’t have, the words are still truly romantic. I like to think of Orbison’s songs as the “hopeless romantic” songs from the 1960’s. The best line of this song is definitely the first: “A candy-colored clown they call the sandman tiptoes to my room every night.” (I’ve got to put this song on here, because it’s one of my husband’s favorites!)
1964 Temptations “My Girl”
What woman doesn’t want to be called somebody’s girl? The lyrics in this upbeat song are all about how great a woman can make a man feel. Add the amazing vocals of The Temptations (who sound as if they are truly on top of the world), and the fact that Smokey Robinson originally wrote the song about his wife, and you’ve got a true classic: a soulful, but yet upbeat love song that anybody would still sing along to today. My favorite line: “I’ve got a sweeter song that the birds in the trees.”
1966 Percy Sledge: “When a Man Loves a Woman”
This song is another that we hear all the time, but it never loses its power. It’s a true testament to the lengths a man will go to when he’s truly in love. Sledge’s vocals are amazing, and you can tell he’s felt was he’s singing. The best line? Lovin’ eyes can never see.” Amen to that.
1967 Frankie Valli: “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You
This light-hearted, slightly show tune-ish love song (recently used in a Super Bowl ad [sigh]), is a romantic favorite, and proves that not all love songs have to be slow to be romantic. Valli’s voice is memorable, as are the lyrics. Nothing beats the quiet buildup to his explosive “I love you baby!”
1967 The Association: “Never My Love”
The first, soft baseline of this song almost always gives me chills, and this song is softly and slowly sung, as if whispering to a lover. It’s definitely a song for those who plan on being together for the long run. My favorite line is “You wonder if this heart of mine will lose its desire for you.” The answer? “Never my love.”
1968 The Beatles: “Something”
The Beatles have written some wonderful love songs, and are another group of artists who wrote some of the best romantic songs from the 1960’s. This, however, is definitely one of their best. Any woman would love to have this song dedicated to her, and it does have a truth to it that many other love songs don’t: “You’re asking me will my love grow; I don’t know.” Harrison wrote the song about his wife, Pattie Boyd, who would also be the inspiration for Eric Clapton’s “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight.
1968 The Righteous Brothers: “Unchained Melody”
This is probably the song that the most couples out there call their own. It has the staying power, and its use in the 1990 film “Ghost” started a whole new generation of lovemaking to it’s sweet, but powerful, sound. It wouldn’t be the same song without the heart and soul of The Righteous Brothers poured into it, and the song really has few lines, but the line “I need your love”, while simplistic, is extremely powerful when Bobby Hatfield belts it out.
These are but a few of the great romantic songs from the 60’s; an era that was much more romantic than today. Though this era is over, these songs will surely continue to inspire romance for centuries, or until “mountains shall crumble to the sea.
