Community Playlist - 60s Edition

A community playlist? That'll be the day.

I'm mixing things up a bit today, talking about music that isn't recent or, necessarily, decent. I'm talking about music from the 60s. And I need your input…I have an idea!

Why 60s?

Skip this bit if you can’t be bothered with the context. We’re all busy and I understand.

I have seen quite a bit of 60s music pop up in playlists all over Substack and it inspired me to start my own 60s one. This later became a 60s playlist with a touch of 50s because I wanted Billie Holiday and a few others to feature. Sue me.

There’s a Welsh Valley Men’s Choir just behind those trees.

Anyway, I've just come back from my holiday in the South of Wales and the simplicity of most songs from the 60s perfectly complimented the straightforward way of life there. The air was fresh and awakening, the people unpretentious; no need for complex technology or busy social lives when the views and the birdsong are entertainment enough. Sticking on a bit of Little Richard or The Supremes was all I needed when we were back at our accommodation cutting a few veggies for dinner. But as nostalgic as it was (as it reminded me of the music my dad loved to play) and as pleasurable as it was (singing along to Fats Domino is always a thrill on Blueberry Hill) I couldn't help but realise a few things I hadn't recognised before.

This is what I noticed:

• Almost all songs from the 50s and 60s involve 4 chords or fewer. There was some complexity with specific riffs but otherwise the structure was rather predictable. This was rather comforting at first and then, after an hour or so, not so much. The diversity came from the instruments. Accordions, saxophones and a shit load of tambourines.

• So many songs about dancing, a young woman, or both: “Good golly Miss Molly, sure like to ball. When you're rockin’ and a-rollin’, can't hear your mumma call.” Did everyone in the 60s spend their evenings jiving, twisting, be-bopping, and shake, rattle and rolling? How did anything get done?

Twist first, buffet later.

• There are a fair few creepy lyrics disguised by some cracking music. Break down a few songs and you wonder how the shit some got through. For instance: Gary Puckett and the Union Girl wrote “Young girl, get out of my mind. My love for you is way out of line. Better run girl. You're much too young girl.” Why should she run? Because if she doesn't, you'll simply have to bang her? Control yourself, you scumbag. Gary also wrote a song called This Girl is a Woman Now, doubling down on his obsession with waiting for girls to be legally attainable. This reminds me of Neil Diamond’s Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon: “Girl, you'll be a woman soon. Please come take my hand,” which he wrote in 1967 at the age of 26. The Big Bopper wrote “Oh, you sweet thing. Do I what? Will I what? Oh baby you know what I like.” And so on. I'm getting a bit depressed going through some of these songs now… the amount of lyrics that say the word “baby” is just a bit weird. I'll stop short of a feminist rant and leave it there.

That's not to say that the 60s is full of misogynistic, reductionist, shallow stuff. As I said right at the top, I still love some, nay, most of the music. But the playlist I have been curating over the week features no such sexism and, in contrast to a lot of the popular stuff that appears in 60s compilations, there are in fact plenty of political songs. In fact, maybe, the ones that have stood the test of time are the most political? I have still included some of those typically 60s, rockabilly, formulaic songs as, let's be honest, some are perfect.

It's also worth pointing out how a lot of the 60s appropriated Black music from the 50s and beyond so there is also plenty of Black trailblazers in here too. In the 30s and 40s, Sister Rosetta Thorpe, was among the first gospel musicians to appeal to rhythm and blues and rock and roll audiences, later being referred to as "the Godmother of rock and roll". She influenced early rock-and-roll musicians including Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, and Elvis Presley. We owe an immeasurable amount to black artists and musicians, not only for their creations and interpretations of profoundly important genres, but their demonstration of how music can be used to harness love, rebellion, pain and happiness.

It's also worth stressing (I'll shut up in a minute and stop stressing things) that misogynistic music still abounds. I could have chosen any decade in the last 80 years and found examples of men using their artistic licence to poetically explain how they might have lots of problems but their bitch isn't one of them, for instance. What I guess I'm saying is that the 60s wasn't the exception I thought it was. I wanted to indulge in a bit of cultural dissonance and pretend everything was fine and dandy back in the day but I guess it's time to wake up and smell the sexist flowers. 

I think, after skimming away the songs that could offend my woke ears, or removing songs about blue suede shoes, what I'm left with are some fucking amazing songs. Say all you like about 60s music but, shit, there is some proper talent. 

This is where you come in

Below, you will find my playlist of 60 songs. I have spent a long time on it but I know you can improve it. Have a look and a listen and

1. Choose one song to add

2. Choose one song to keep

3. Choose one song to remove

Let me know in the comment section what you decide. I won’t be offended! What I’ll do in a week’s time is share the updated playlist, as tweaked by you. The more people that have their say, the better I have a fancy plan of doing this every month with different topics. Between us music nerds, I’m sure we can make some friggin’ awesome playlists curated by music lovers for music lovers.

Thank you and…in the words of Eddie Cochran: C’Mon Everybody!