4 Feel-Good Songs From 1968 That Every Baby Boomer Can Still Sing by Heart
The article highlights four upbeat songs associated with 1968, arguing that their memorable hooks and energising sound have kept them familiar to Baby Boomers. The songs also reflect themes and styles of the period, including freedom, free love and the emerging psychedelic soul movement.
The Rascals’ “People Got To Be Free” topped the charts for more than a month in summer 1968 and became the group’s biggest commercial success. The 5th Dimension’s “Stoned Soul Picnic”, first written by Laura Nyro, reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100; The Doors’ “Hello, I Love You” captured a carefree attitude, while Sly and the Family Stone’s “Dance To The Music” peaked at No. 8 after its 1967 single release and gained prominence in 1968.
In short
- Four enduring feel-good songs are linked to 1968.
- “People Got To Be Free” was The Rascals’ biggest hit.
- The picks span pop, rock and psychedelic soul.
Explained simply
In 1968, pop and soul music reflected a period of social change and experimentation. Songs about freedom and love sat alongside new sounds that blended soul, rock and psychedelic influences.
The Rascals, the 5th Dimension, the Doors and Sly and the Family Stone each brought a distinct style to the charts. Laura Nyro wrote “Stoned Soul Picnic”, later recorded by the 5th Dimension, while “Dance to the Music” had first been released in 1967.
The songs’ lasting familiarity comes in part from their strong, easy-to-remember melodies and their connection to the music of the late 1960s. For Baby Boomers, they can evoke a period whose popular culture was changing quickly.
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