If you’re a baby boomer, you probably remember quite a few pop-rock gems that took over the airwaves in 1969. It was a good year for music, after all. Let’s dive into just a few major pop-rock hits from that very year that you probably still know by heart today.
“Laughing” by The Guess Who from ‘Canned Wheat’
This classic pop-rock banger from The Guess Who was one of the finest released in 1969. If you’re Canadian, you definitely remember this song. “Laughing” topped the charts in the Great White North and also made it to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings were on a roll with this song, as it was their second Top 10 song with The Guess Who.
“The Ballad Of John And Yoko” by The Beatles
The Beatles dominated pop-rock for a big chunk of the 1960s. And “The Ballad Of John And Yoko” was one of many send-off songs that came about before the band came to an end in 1970. This non-album single chronicles the real-life celebrity pair’s wedding and the events leading to it. And “The Ballad Of John And Yoko” would be the iconic band’s final No. 1 single in the UK for over 54 years. That is, until “Now And Then” was released in 2023.
“Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley
This song was a hit for Elvis Presley, but it was originally released by singer-songwriter Mark James (who famously co-wrote the country classic “Always On My Mind”) the year prior. Presley turned it into a Grammy Hall of Fame classic in 1969, reaching No. 1 across the board in the US, Canada, and a number of other countries.
“Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” by Steam from ‘Steam’
Baby boomer fans of this 1969 pop-rock hit simply cannot stay quiet when that catchy chorus kicks in. “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” by Steam was a smash hit at the tail end of the year. It reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 and No. 9 on the UK Singles chart. The song was so good that it got a handful of successful covers from the likes of Bananarama in 1983 and The Nylons in 1987.
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Author: Em Casalena