3 Rock Songs From the 1960s That Sound Like the Bands Were Having Way Too Much Fun

These three rock songs from the 1960s make it seem like the band had way too much fun while recording them. As a result, listeners feel similarly energized.

[RELATED: 3 Classic Rock Songs From the 1960s We Hear All the Time in Shopping Malls and Grocery Stores]

“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” — The Rolling Stones

“But it’s all right now / In fact, it’s a gas /But it’s all right / I’m Jumpin’ Jack Flash, it’s a gas, gas, gas,” the lyrics to The Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” read. This song marked a return to their bluesy roots after a period of psychedelic exploration. Deeply in their element, the band sounds like they had as much fun recording this track as we do listening to it.

“I was drowned, I was washed up ‘n left for dead / I fell down to my feet, and I saw they bled / I frowned at the crumbs of a crust of bread / I was crowned with a spike right through my head,” the lyrics continue in the song. This song brings back rock’s roots, leaning into what first gripped listeners about this energetic genre.

“Wild Thing” – The Troggs

The Troggs helped make “Wild Thing” a 1960s staple, leaning into the song’s exuberant lyrics. “Wild thing, I think I love you / But I wanna know for sure / So come on and hold me tight / I love you,” the lyrics read. Though they weren’t the first band to record it, they claimed it by making listeners believe the lyrics of this lush track.

You don’t need to be a deep 1960s rock fan to know this song. It has made its way into almost every corner of music. The energy the band provides here is universal. Whether you’re a pop fan, a rap stalwart, or anything in between, you can’t turn your nose up at a good time; that’s what this song provides.

“Louie Louie” – The Kingsmen

The Kingsmen’s cover of “Louie Louie” is an unintelligible blues-rock storm that we can’t help but smile at when we hear it. The band seems to have thrown audience expectations out the window when they recorded this track, fully leaning into their own creative ambition. It feels like a song for them, not for any industry powers.

“A fine little girl, she waits for me / Me catch a ship across the sea / Me sailed that ship all alone / Me never think I’ll make it home,” the lyrics read, though sometimes it’s hard to tell through the swaggering, near-drunk vocal delivery. But that only adds to the experience.

(Photo by Michael Ward/Getty Images)

The post 3 Rock Songs From the 1960s That Sound Like the Bands Were Having Way Too Much Fun appeared first on American Songwriter.