An American Songwriter feature highlights four rock songs from the 1960s that, in the writer's view, capture a spirit of peace or at least prompt reflection on it. The piece frames the decade as a period when artists and songwriters had a great deal to say about politics, and presents these tracks as examples of that outlook.

The four selections are John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Give Peace a Chance", written during one of their "bed-in" protests; The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love", largely written by Lennon; Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind", which poses questions about freedom and endurance; and The Beatles' "Come Together". The article notes that "Come Together" was not originally a protest song but was based on a campaign slogan for activist Timothy Leary, who was running for governor of California against Ronald Reagan, yet its chorus has come to sound peace-like. Quotes from Lennon and Paul McCartney are included, with McCartney admitting he never fully understood the message of "All You Need Is Love".