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Best 1960s Rock Songs

The best rock songs of the 1960s (60s), ranked — each one links to the album it came from, on vinyl, CD or Amazon Music.

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  1. 1
    BD

    Blowin' in the Wind

    Bob Dylan · from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)

    The question that gave a generation its language.

  2. 2
    BD

    Like a Rolling Stone

    Bob Dylan · from Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

    The six-minute single that broke every rule and made Dylan permanent.

  3. 3
    WH

    My Generation

    The Who · from My Generation (1965)

    The stuttering anthem of mod youth.

  4. 4
    BY

    Mr. Tambourine Man

    The Byrds · from Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)

    Twelve-string jangle that launched folk-rock overnight.

  5. 5
    BB

    God Only Knows

    The Beach Boys · from Pet Sounds (1966)

    Paul McCartney's favourite song and the high point of 60s pop production.

  6. 6
    RS

    Paint It Black

    The Rolling Stones · from Aftermath (1966)

    Sitar and menace — Brian Jones's finest moment.

  7. 7
    BE

    Tomorrow Never Knows

    The Beatles · from Revolver (1966)

    Tape loops and Tibetan philosophy — rock's most radical experiment.

  8. 8
    BE

    A Day in the Life

    The Beatles · from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

    The orchestral crescendo and Lennon's most unsettling domestic narrative.

  9. 9
    VU

    I'll Be Your Mirror

    The Velvet Underground · from The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

    Nico's tender counterpoint to the album's darkness.

  10. 10
    DO

    Light My Fire

    The Doors · from The Doors (1967)

    The organ-driven breakthrough that made them stars.

  11. 11
    KI

    Waterloo Sunset

    The Kinks · from Something Else by the Kinks (1967)

    Ray Davies looking out over London and writing pop's most tender observation.

  12. 12
    JH

    All Along the Watchtower

    The Jimi Hendrix Experience · from Electric Ladyland (1968)

    Dylan's song made definitively Hendrix's.

Tap the artwork or "Listen" to find the track on Amazon Music; "Watch" opens a YouTube search; the song title opens its album page. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases and sign-ups.