The women who inspired the greatest 1960s love songs
Every great rock song that has come out since the 1960s usually has some love attached to it. While the genre’s origins started with songs about going to sock-hops and partying all night long, the British invasion helped usher in songs that had more to do with puppy love than the next wild sound on the radio. Outside of every female fan who thought these songs were written for them, there was always a person of interest in every romantic ode, from The Beatles to The Rolling Stones.
Whenever you’re writing with a specific person in mind, it’s usually coming from a place of pure euphoria. When listening to many of these songs, you can practically hear the artists’ hearts leaping out of their chests as they try desperately to express how they feel better in song than they could with words.
Even though the first half of the decade brought new and exciting sounds to the world of pop-rock, the psychedelic scene cast a shade of light on love songs. While many would write songs having to do with the wonders of psychedelic drugs, the biggest hits of the day came from when artists made specific odes to their lovers, creating cosmic images that wouldn’t be forgotten once they finished playing.
From the declarations of love to the troubled relationships at the centre of some of these songs, every song has an element of infatuation to it, starting from the various first chords. Love can make people do crazy things, and given how much of a spell these artists were put under, their muses helped them pen classics that would be celebrated throughout history.
The women behind 1960s rock songs:
‘Ruby Tuesday’ – The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones aren’t usually the first people to think of when it comes to love songs. Although they may have been able to create incredible music whenever they walked into the studio, their bad attitude usually resulted in songs that had a bit of a rough edge to them, which wasn’t always the most respectful towards women. Although Keith Richards could create a sinister riff whenever he wanted to, his relationship with Linda Keith led to one of their sweetest love songs.
Starting at the very beginning of psychedelia, the Stones’ voyage into baroque pop resulted in ‘Ruby Tuesday’, trading in the band’s signature distorted guitar tones for acoustics and tasteful piano parts. While Mick Jagger takes the vocal, the lyrics were penned by Richards, being enamoured with his lover and her ability to change with every new day. Although the song was written at the tail end of the couple’s relationship, this is about as amicable a split as one could hope for from The Stones.
‘Caroline No’ – The Beach Boys
Every piece of The Beach Boys seemed to be pushing towards creating an album like Pet Sounds. Outside of writing the kind of surf songs that played across every single station, Brian Wilson wanted to make songs that catered to the intellectual side of the brain, eventually working with The Wrecking Crew to create his masterpiece. While ‘Caroline No’ was always going to be one of the standouts on the album, Wilson found his muse by reminiscing on his old flame, Carol Amen.
Knowing her from his days back in high school, ‘Caroline No’ was originally thought to be called ‘Carol, I Know’ as Wilson poured his heart out about the end of their relationship. Even though they may have gone their separate ways, the ache in Wilson’s voice is enough to tell you that he wasn’t ready to give up on his flame just yet. If Pet Sounds encapsulated the sound of Wilson wanting to break free from the conventional sounds of rock, ‘Caroline No’ balanced his desire to return to a sense of child-like innocence.
‘The Wind Cries Mary – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
There’s a good chance that anything Jimi Hendrix played could have been outstanding regardless of what he was singing about. Although he may have been able to paint vivid pictures whenever he strapped on his guitar, his lyrics usually came from surrealist images that he heard in his dreams, like the cosmic sounds of ‘Purple Haze’. Although Hendrix could ignite a guitar whenever he wanted to, his sensitive side came out in full force on the song ‘The Wind Cries Mary’.
Named after his girlfriend, Kathy Mary Etchingham, the song is an amalgamation of everything that made Hendrix an original, using the sounds of soul and R&B blended together with the smooth sounds of rock. Even though the song originated from an argument, Hendrix paints his muse as a colourful woman only to be heard on the wind, including many cosmic passages like traffic lights turning blue and the wisdom of the wind. The 1960s had many typical love songs, but Hendrix was singing about the kind of feelings that logical words can’t express.
‘Something’ – The Beatles
The Beatles practically earned their trade from making love songs. Ever since their first album, Please Please Me, the Fab Four had an innate ability to sing about their undying devotion to whatever girl they happened to be influenced by at the time. While John Lennon and Paul McCartney grew from puppy love songs to complex tales of devotion, George Harrison actually came through with the most gripping song about love.
Inspired by his wife, Pattie Boyd, Harrison wrote ‘Something’ about just how much he is taken by her beauty. Rather than talking about how much he loves her, Harrison describes his love as a spiritual deity, saying that he only needs to think of her to feel satisfied. While the marriage wouldn’t last, the song has remained a staple of weddings throughout history, showing both Lennon and McCartney had to properly write about love.
