A few months back, I realized two things: 1. My sons get along a lot better when we listened to music on the way to school; 2. They have not had wide exposure to music. So we started doing theme weeks where would listen to an artist, genre, or decade in the car on the way to and from school. Each Monday for the next few weeks, I am going to whittle down one of those playlists of 40-60 songs into a 12-14 song playlist. This is Monday Mixtape.
The 60s
The 60s playlist was the first decade that we did in our car-based music education series and it is our youngest son’s absolute favorite. There have been times when I’ve had to go run an errand and asked Liam if he wanted to go with me. If he waffled, all I had to say was, “You can listen to the 60s playlist” and he was in. As such, his favorite song will be on this list. These are in order by the year they were released.
1. “Runaround Sue” by Dion (1961)
On one hand, I feel bad for kicking off this list with this song since it follows the tired trope of the girl who dates a bunch of the other guys. If a guy went around dating a bunch of girls, he would get a song celebrating his magic with the ladies. But the music just moves; doowop evolved into something actually cool. When I was growing up, our family would typically listen to either Christian music or the Oldies station and even as a 6 year old I would have told you that “Runaround Sue” was a jam.
2. “My Girl” by The Temptations (1964)
It’s the first song EA and I danced to at our wedding. It’s my ringtone for her (even though like a good millennial, my ringtone has been on silent for about 12 years). It is simply a pop masterpiece. When those strings take off right before the key change and the last verse? It’s magical. Plus “When it’s cold outside / I’ve got the month of May”? That is the month of my wife’s birth.
3. “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” by Stevie Wonder (1965)
This song is on the list purely for the reason that the jubilant horns in this song are how joy sounds in my head. It’s really hard to feel down when those things hit.
4. “Help!” by The Beatles (1965)
I was determined to only do one Beatles song for this list. The Beatles were actually our very first theme week in the car, so we might get around to them again. Why “Help!”? It’s got the ebullient energy of “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You” merged with the headier theme of reaching the end of your rope. It’s a great midway point between what they started out as and where they would go.
5. “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” by Nancy Sinatra (1965)
Before this venture, I had not really sat down to listen to this song besides its chorus and always kind of wrote it off. And now I will tell you that “You keep lyin’ when you oughta be truthin’” and “You keep samin’ when you oughta be a’changin’” are two of the greatest lines in the American songbook. Because sometimes you got to make up words for the nonsense that people pull.
6. “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan (1965)
I know, I know. “Like a Rolling Stone” is always on these lists but this is a buzzsaw of a song. If I were ever to make a biblical movie set in modern times, the prophet character would definitely be partly inspired by Bob Dylan.
7. “Last Train to Clarksville” by The Monkees (1966)
Just an awesome pop-rock song. And maybe a secret commentary on war? Clarksville, TN was near Fort Campbell in Kentucky and during this time, the base was sending soldiers to Vietnam. Which makes the line “And I don’t know if I’m ever coming home” make a lot more sense and gives the song some sneaky depth.
8. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (1966)
You know this song. I know this song. The team from Remember the Titans knows this song. We have all sung along to it on many occasions. And there ain’t no mountain high enough that will keep us from doing it again.
9. “Happy Together” by The Turtles (1967)
“This is the greatest song in the history of the world.” - Liam Cox, 9 year old and Scholar of 20th Century Pop Music
10. “Respect” by Aretha Franklin (1967)
I did not know until very recently that Aretha Franklin’s version is a cover. The original was recorded by Otis Redding in 1965. And Otis Redding is great (he’ll show up on this list in a bit), but Aretha just absolutely blows the doors off with her version. It is so associated with her that Redding even jokingly admitted that she stole the song from him.
11. “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher” by Jackie Wilson (1967)
Fact 1: This song gets stuck in my head all the time and has for years. Fact 2: Because of Ghostbusters II, I probably intrinsically believe that this song can bring happiness and peace to all of humanity. And can also make the Statue of Liberty come to life so that a 16th Century evil magician cannot be reborn.
12. “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding (1968)
This song is all about vibes. Everything calms down when I hear it and it makes me really want to just find a dock of my own to waste some time.
13. “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5 (1969)
In reality, this song shouldn’t work. Michael Jackson is 11 years old. 11 year olds don’t know about real relational heartbreak. Most of their relationships have a shorter lifespan than a gallon of milk. But, good Lord, he sells the crap out of this song and everything else—the four other Jacksons, the instruments, the production—miraculously coheres around that powerhouse performance. This might be my favorite song on the list?
14. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones (1969)
It’s federal law that I have to include the Stones if I included the Beatles. So I’ll at least go the less obvious route and plug in their epic album closer that contains some pretty good life advice. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” does rock, though.