3 Classic Rock Choruses from the 1960s You Can’t Help But Sing Along to

Classic rock was forged in the 1960s. From the proverbial primordial ooze of the previous decades, rock music grew big and bold, spreading far and wide. And ever since, many of the best songs of that era have subsisted and stood the test of time. Indeed, there are many giants from the music world at that time who still occupy space on the radio waves today.

Here below, we wanted to explore three songs from the 1960s that boast such bold and beautiful choruses that music listeners can’t help but open their mouths and sing along to once the songs begin to hit that crescendoing moment. Yes, these are three classic rock choruses from the 1960s you can’t help but sing along to.

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“Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)

A song that asks the questions but then says there are no real answers, this tune by the Bard is as philosophical as it is entertaining, as interesting as it is a work of pop culture. In a way, the whole song is one big chorus, using the idea of repeated language and refrains the whole way through. So while the main chorus is: The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind, listeners find themselves repeating so much of the song at once. How many … How many …. But it’s the bit about the wind that is sung the most, as if in so doing we’re all reminding ourselves of the great mystery that is life itself.

“Hey Jude” by The Beatles (1968)

Famously, this Beatles song was penned by Paul McCartney for John Lennon’s son Julian. He switched Jules to Jude because it sounded a bit better sung. Released as a standalone single in 1968, this piano-driven tune has subsisted as one of the band’s best and most popular songs, which is truly saying something. In the United States, the track hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for nine weeks—it was that singalong-able. And on the track, McCartney does a neat trick for the song’s refrain. He opens it each time with the same address to “Jude,” but he switches the lyrics around a bit before ending with the word “better.” Either way, listeners know by now the words and sing in unison,

Hey Jude, don’t make it bad.

Take a sad song and make it better.

Remember to let her under your skin,

Then you’ll begin to make it

Better better better better better better, oh!

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones from Let It Bleed (1969)

An important message wrapped up in a rollicking rock song, this track was bolstered by a gospel choir in the recording but no matter how lush it came out, the idea is the same. Life isn’t always fair, you can’t get something just because you want it. However, if you look and listen closely, what you need is right under your nose more often than not. Though released some 55 years ago, that important thought remains the same today and is well worth absorbing. On the track, Jagger sings,

You can’t always get what you want

You can’t always get what you want

You can’t always get what you want

But if you try sometimes, well, you might find

You get what you need

Ah, yeah

Oh

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