Piano, lead vocals, backup vocals, guitar, tambourine, bass, backup vocals 2. Rock ‘N’ Roll 3. I don’t think this song is a reflection of anything going on in America other than the fact that The Battles are incredibly popular worldwide. 4. Yes, I really like the song. As recall, I think it was Paul who wrote the lyrics to the song. It was written to comfort John Lemon’s son about the divorce of his parents, so the meaning is pretty neat. I really like how it starts out very calm and has a ‘crooner’ style, but then starts to become more rocking’ as the song progresses.
Eventually the backup vocals become very intense and awesome. What other band besides The Battles could make a song where the majority of it is ‘an an an an an an Ana, an an an Anna, Hey Jude’ and have it be so great? Although not my absolute favorite song by The Battles, it definitely has a rightful place at the number one song of the decade. Theme from “A Summer Place” – Percy Faith 1 . American Popular Song/ Crooner Style 2. Strings, Snare, horns section, piano (full orchestra) 3. I don’t think this song reflects anything in particular going on in America at the time. No, I’m not a huge fan of the song. There was so much amazing music being created at the time and this seems to be a step back in time as far as musical progression is concerned. However, for a full-orchestra soundtrack song, it’s nice. It has a pretty melody and is very soothing. Less just not something would choose to listen to given the choice. Tossing’ and Turning’ – Bobby Lewis 1. Lead vocals, backup vocals, bass guitar, drums, guitar, sax 2. Rock ‘n’ Roll, Rhythm and Blues 3. No, this isn’t about anything going on in America at the time.
This is a song about how a guy can’t stop thinking about what he did with his girl so he was tossing and turning all night’. 4. I don’t really like the song, but I’m not exactly sure why. I think it’s because the backup vocals are really overbearing and super annoying. Also, the instruments in the song are really basic. The bass line is super repetitive, as most bass lines are, but it’s really simple and bothers me. I think the vocals are good and the song could be really awesome if the instrumentation was different, or if they fired the backup singers.
It just seems like a really cookie-cutter song. Want to Hold Your Hand – The Battles 1. Guitar, lead vocals, backup vocals, drums, clapping, bass 2. Rock ‘n’ roll . This isn’t about anything going on in America other than the Battles being insanely popular. 4. Yes, I love the song. Although I like their later music more because it becomes more intricate and developed from their basic pop style, their earlier pop songs were entirely unheard of at the time and their instrumentals are absolutely jamming. The guitar is simple yet super rocking throughout the song.
The drum patterns are incredibly upbeat and fun. The song captivates the emotions of young love and the innocence and excitement that something so simple as holding a hand can be. I’m a Believer – The Monkeys 1. Attar, vocals, backup vocals, bass, drums, tambourine 2. Rock ‘n’ roll 3. This doesn’t reflect anything going on in America other than the fact that the Battles were so popular that knockoffs were created and were still pretty great. 4. Yes, I grew up listening to the Monkeys. The second album I ever owned was their ‘Greatest Hits’ album.
The electric guitar riff at the very beginning is super great and the version recorded by Smash Mouth got rid of it, which is why the Smash Mouth cover sucks. The song is just an upbeat, feel-good song. There’s not a whole lot to analyze with the lyrics. The Monkeys were definitely the best knockoff to come out of Battlement. Heard It Through the Grapevine – Marvin Gay 1. Piano, tambourine, guitar, bass, vocals, backup vocals, drums 2. Rhythm and Blues/Soul 3. No, this is about a man finding out about his lovers thing going on with another. 4. Don’t really like this song.
I have to appreciate it because it’s such a famous classic but again, it’s not something that I would choose to listen to. It just sounds old. The instruments are basic, and very repetitive. They sound over- synthesized. I do think that Marvin Gay was incredibly talented at singing, but overall I didn’t think this song was too great. I’m probably the only one out there that doesn’t really like Marvin Gay. Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In – The 5th Dimension 1. Lead vocals, backup vocals, guitar, bass, drums, tambourine, horns, some weird synthesizer thing. 2. American Popular Song 3.
I’m really not sure what this song is about, so I’m going to be naive and say it has nothing to do with what’s going on in America. 4. This song is really weird, but I kind of like it. Its super busy, and you sort of get exhausted listening to it because there is so much going on with harmonistic and instrumentation. There’s some weird synch-y stuff going on, and a ton of vocals. I’m not sure really what else to say besides at least the song isn’t boring! Have no idea what the lyrics mean. Are You Lonesome To-night? – Elvis Presley 1. Lead vocals, backup vocals, guitar, bass 2.
American Popular Song/Crooner Style 3. This seems to be just another love song by Elvis, so no, it doesn’t reflect anything going on in America. 4. I like it, but not as much as I like other songs by Elvis. It’s a nice peaceful song, and Elvis’ crooning voice is beautiful. I like how the guitar is very soft. The backup vocals are very pretty, they remind me of Christmas caroler’s. I mean that in a good way. I don’t really like when Elvis stops singing and starts talking. His singing voice is much more enticing than him reading his poetry rap letter thing. Eke Elvis’ other songs more because they are so fast paced and rocking but this song is a nice change of pace too. In the Year 2525 – Eager and Evans 1 . Drums, guitar, vocals, backup vocals, guitar, bass, synthesized instruments 2. Rock ‘n’ Roll 3. This song predicts where America and general society is headed with technology and advancements in the future. 4. I don’t really like it, it’s a really weird song. The lyrics are creepy and talk of prophecies and predictions of the true. The music is very driving and the background seems almost as if a horse or some four legged animal is running with the drum pattern.
It seems to have some southwestern influences. Don’t really like the song in general but the background music is kind of cool. It’s Now or Never – Elvis Presley 1. Backup vocals, guitar, vocals, drums, bass, xylophone or marimba 2. American popular song / crooner 3. I think this has nothing to do with what’s going on in America other than a craze with Elvis. 4. Like the song. It seems to have a marimba or something that plays in the background along with slaves which is very unique and gives he song a foreign, Latin feel. As always, Elvis’ deep vocals are beautiful.
The background vocals are nice and not overbearing, making the song easy to listen to. Elvis doesn’t really sing about anything other than love, but then again, he really hasn’t ever sang about anything other than love. Can’t Stop Loving You – Ray Charles 1. Backup vocals, lead vocals, string section, bass, guitar, drums, piano 2. Rhythm and Blues/Soul 3. This isn’t reflecting anything going on in America. 4. This is a classic song, so I like it for that, but other than that I don’t enjoy it. Again, another song that I wouldn’t choose to listen to unless I was familiar with it.
I love Ray Charles’ voice and could listen to just him singing all day but don’t particularly enjoy the backup vocals or the instrumentation. Do love the piano and it’s jazzy tones as well as the simple bass line. Love is Blue – Paul Imprimatur 1. String section, guitar, bass, drums, horn section, harp 2. Other- Instrumental soundtrack 3. I don’t think this is reflecting anything going on in America at the time. 4. Really actually enjoy this song. It’s upbeat and very unique. I love the string section and I really like the horns accenting the main melody. I think that the harp is especially beautiful.
I like how it feels kind of mystical. I’m not sure what else there is to say about this other than it’s very unique and cool. Big Bad John – Jimmy Dean 1. Backup vocals, vocals, percussion 2. Country Western 3. This just tells a story but isn’t about anything American in particular 4. I don’t really like this song. The story the song is telling isn’t really that interesting. I think it’s a cool concept that the song is basically capable but other than that it’s like the lead singer is trying to be a country western poetry rapper and I really onto think it’s working that well for him.
People Got to Be Free – The Rascals 1. Guitar, drums, vocals, bass, horn section 2. Rock ‘n’ Roll 3. Yes, this song was written about the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jar. And JEFF. 4. Yeah, I really enjoy this song. It’s very empowering and drives a powerful message about the importance of being peaceful and interacting kindly with one another. The instruments are pretty basic as far as rock ‘n’ roll goes, but that really works for the song especially because elements of horns are used to complicate it. I really like the vocal harmonistic going on and the tones used.
It’s an upbeat plea for peace and freedom. The Ballad of the Green Berets – SST. Barry Sadler 1. Snare drum, vocals, guitar, bass 2. Other – patriotic 3. This song is about war and soldiers 4. This song isn’t really a song I would listen to but it’s a nice patriotic ballad. The lyrics talk about soldiers and war which is really cool but not something that I would probably jam to on a regular basis. The snare drumming is pretty cool, and it’s a nice march tune. It’s cool that it pays respect to how brave and noble most soldiers are.
I feel as though this decade of music was more diverse than the previous aced we had listened to because it was very transitional because of the British invasion. I think that ‘Hey Jude’, ‘l Want to Hold Your Hand’, ‘I’m a Believer’, and ‘People Got To Be Free’ were definitely looking forward to the future of rock music because all of those songs had definite rock elements in their songs. These bands were all part of one of the first generations of youth who could afford to go to a music store and buy a guitar because they were becoming more popular and mass produced.
This resulted in definite changes in types of music and progressions of rock and roll. This fact also contributed that there could be little guitars in one ensemble, which became common, and changed the game of music because of how two guitars sounded together. Lots of other songs on this list sound dated and old, such as ‘Heard It Through the Grapevine’ and ‘l Can’t Stop Loving You’ because rhythm and blues had been around for some time by the time that those songs were released, so everyone was used to the styles of music.
That doesn’t mean that these artists weren’t incredibly talented, it just means that Americans felt like they had heard it before. Other songs were more ‘big band’ or orchestra songs, used for soundtracks and such. Others filled the cookie-cutter recipe for popular music by having crooning vocals and backup singers as well as soft instrumentals and watered down versions of rhythm and blues or country western elements. Most of these songs shared common forms of instrumentation. Almost all of them had guitar, drums, lead and backup vocals, and bass.
Most of them shared typical song form of ABA. What separates songs into different genres is the style of the music and how the instruments are played. For example, rock ‘n’ roll music has a distinct, very ‘rocking electric guitar feel, whereas American popular song as crooning vocals and typical softer guitar melodies. Rhythm and blues has a very distinct jazzy and swing feel. Country western is sung with a southern, country drawl. These are just a few elements of music that separate the genres.
I think that the record labels of the center and periphery are the same as they were in the ‘ass, but what is popular and in the center of music is definitely changed. Everyone was obsessed with the Battles, so they were taking over the center and thus caused an influx of replica bands with similar rock styles. I think that the songs by The Monkeys and The Battles as well as The Rascals oldest have been as popular without Elvis coming before them. Without Elvis making rock ‘n’ roll more familiar, people would have thought that more plain ‘rock’ was really weird or too edgy.
Other than that, I think that the music is pretty average because people were used to rhythm and blues and country western, as well as instrumental versions of songs. As said previously, the guitar tones in these songs are much more different than those of the ass’s because of their electric feel. The subject matter is different in ‘People Got To Be Free’ because of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jar. ND JEFF. ‘Age of Aquarius’ is more futuristic than the songs of the previous decade.
None of the songs on this chart list were novelty songs. ‘In The Year 2525’ is more prophetic than songs of the previous generation. I’m not really surprised that these songs were on the top 25 besides the fact that some of them seem dated or should have been more popular in the 5(Yes, but people are nostalgic and like the same types of music for long periods of time. I like this decade more because I am a pretty big Battles fan, and I also grew up listening to The Monkeys so it was nice to hear some familiar tunes.
