The Greatest 60's Summer Songs Ever!

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Everyone has their favorite musical time periods and mine is the 60's. So many different types of songs were recorded during that decade; you had protest, love, Folk, British Invasion, Motown, protest, surfing and Psychedelic. What a diverse selection of tunes to choose from! This select list only includes 60's songs that were released during the summer months. Now, it's time to dig into the music vault and come up with the first edition of my "Favorite Five!" With the 4th of July this weekend I thought song titles that have a celebratory "tone" to them should be in order. So, here's my "High Five" complete with comments... 1. "Wild Thing"- The style of music exemplified in this song became known as "Caveman Rock." And the group's name The Troggs seemed to fit the tune too. Fun fact: This was written by the actor Jon Voigt's brother, Chip Taylor, who made a boatload of money from royalties off of it. 2. "It's Now Or Never"- Sung by "The King" with help from the gospel singers the "Jordanaires." Fun fact: This tune was Elvis's favorite among the songs he recorded. This was confirmed by Priscilla Presley herself. 3. "Born To Be Wild"- The band "Steppenwolf" used the phrase "Heavy Metal (thunder) in this popular song becoming the first group to use this term which later became a description for "Hard Rock" music. A song about being wild struck a "chord" with the listening audience as this "chestnut" went to #2 in America. After all, who doesn't want to hit the open road riding free and happy! The band followed this hit with another on their second album called "Magic Carpet Ride." Fun fact: This tune was used in the "1969 movie Easy Rider," a counterculture classic starring Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda as bikers. 4. "Let's Live For Today"- With the chorus "Sha-la-la" this "Grass Roots" song typified the hippie spirit of seeking love, not money, and simply letting life unfold. Released in 1967, this tune also found an audience with young men serving in Vietnam, who could relate to the song's powerful message of love, wondering when they would see their wives or girlfriends again. Fun fact: Creed Bratton, who played the character named" Creed" on the TV series "The Office," played guitar on this song and sang backup. He was a member of The Grass Roots during their classic period of 1967-1969. 5. "A Hard Days Night"- This was the title song from The Beatles first movie and was a #1 hit for the Fab Four in 1964. The title was taken from an expression Ringo used to say. Ringo would express how hard the band worked every day and realized when he looked around it was not only day but night. Thus, the tune "A Hard Days Night" was born! After celebrating July 4th and listening to this tune one might say it was a "hard weekend" of celebration instead. Fun Fact: Phil Collins drummer from the future band Genesis was one of the school kids brought in as an extra for a scene in the movie where The Beatles perform. He didn't make the cut! One thing I can say about these tunes is there "All Right." I bet the band "Free" would say the same. So, what do you think? Would you put any of them on your summer playlist? *Enjoy this video of Elvis singing his #1 hit "It's Now Or Never." Thanks for reading and responding to my music post. Until my next summer song listing... Source- Wikipedia & songfacts.com