Psychedelic Rock Songs of the 1960s

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s. This list rounds up some of the best psychedelic rock songs of the 1960s.

The Beatles – “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”

The Beatles were one of the most influential bands of the 1960s and their music still holds up today. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is a great example of their psychedelic sound. The song was inspired by a drawing that John Lennon’s son, Julian, had made of a classmate named Lucy. The drawing showed her with diamonds in the sky and the song is full of references to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

The Doors – “Light My Fire”

“Light My Fire” is a song by the American rock band the Doors, which was recorded in 1967 and released as the first single from their self-titled debut album that year. It was one of the band’s most successful songs, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States and number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The song became a standard for live performances, appearing on most of their live albums.

The Doors were adamant about keeping the Stereo mix for “Light My Fire” pure, shunning mono and quadraphonic mixes. The stereo mix features panning to highlight different instruments at various points in the song; mono copies were created by simply summing all channels together. Morrison can be heard counting off at the beginning of each take during recording sessions; this count can be faintly heard before the final version begins.

Jimi Hendrix – “Purple Haze”

“Purple Haze” is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and released as the second single by the Jimi Hendrix Experience on March 17, 1967. As one of Hendrix’s best-known and most influential songs, it has been described as occupying “a framework of blues progression” and representing one of the earliest examples of his guitar sound. The song features his inventive use of feedback and was an important part of his development as a rock guitarist.

The Rolling Stones – “Paint It, Black”

“Paint It, Black” is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released as the lead single from their 1966 album Aftermath. It reached number one in both the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart in May 1966 and became the band’s sixth single in a row to reach the top ten of the Hot 100. The song’s lyrics refer to mourning and despondency, although its meaning is often interpreted as antimilitarist or anti-war. The single was initially released in mono with “Long, Long While” as its B-side. An alternative version with different instrumentation, entitled “Theiy Really Go Wild Jivin’ Wild!”, was later included on some compilations and on reissues of Aftermath on vinyl.

The Who – “I Can See for Miles”

“I Can See for Miles” is a song by the English rock band The Who, written by Pete Townshend. It was released as a single in October 1967, reaching the top ten in several countries, and peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. In Britain, it was The Who’s fourth consecutive single to peak at number two on the UK Singles Chart.

The song was included on The Who Sell Out (1967), an album largely constructed as a pastiche of a pirate radio station. Like much of Townshend’s work from this period, “I Can See for Miles” reflects his interest in the expanding possibilities of studio technology. It features extensive use of double-tracking and other studio effects to create an atmospheric soundscape.

The song’s instrumentation includes a clavioline, an early electronic keyboard instrument. The clavioline adds a unusual, otherworldly quality to the track that helps to create its psychedelic sound.

In terms of its structure, “I Can See for Miles” is unusual for a pop song of its era. It is more than six minutes long and features multiple sections with distinct moods and textures. The song builds from a sparse, atmospheric opening into a full-blown rock chorus with thick layers of sound. This chorus is followed by a section that features Townshend’s trademark power chord riffing over a bed of keyboards and feedback noise.

The final section of the song is another change in mood, this time featuring a more reflective and introspective vocal from Roger Daltrey. This final section provides some relief after the intensity of the preceding minutes and brings the song to a quietly powerful close.

“I Can See for Miles” is one of The Who’s most successful singles and remains one of their best-known songs. It has been praised by many critics as one of Townshend’s finest compositions and one of the finest examples of psychedelic rock.