How many of these songs can you name based on just the lyrics?
Most of the time, the part of a song’s lyrics that you remember best are the same ones that appear in the song title. So if someone tries to stump you by asking, “What song has the words ‘Stairway to Heaven’ in the lyrics?” you’re likely to get the answer right.
There are also plenty of songs with memorable verses and other stanzas that don’t mention the title. In our never-ending quest to sharpen readers’ minds, we have chosen such memorable couplets and leave it to you to correctly identify the songs they come from. See if you’re up to the challenge and name these 15 memorable songs from the 1960s by a snippet of the lyrics.
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Song No. 1
Hint: Lately things just don’t seem the same.
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Answer: ‘Purple Haze’ by Jimi Hendrix (1967)
This revolutionary piece of music by Jimi Hendrix changed everything for guitar players. Most had been happy to treat the guitar like a rhythm instrument to strum away on, but this young man from Seattle came along and raised the game for everybody.
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Song No. 2
Hint: Tell it to me slowly
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Answer: ‘Time of the Season’ by The Zombies (1968)
The chorus may be the most memorable bit, but all of the lyrics are stellar. Songwriter Rod Argent penned a lot of memorable music for this group, and it’s all worth seeking out, since you rarely hear it on the radio.
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Song No. 3
Hint: I was feeling kind of seasick, the crowd called out for more.
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Answer: ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ by Procol Harum (1967)
The crowd called out for decades more Procol Harum after this, their first hit. The lineup changed constantly but singer Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid were its mainstays, and they had a good run together as co-songwriters.
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Song No. 4
Hint: it doesn’t matter what you wear just as long as you are there.
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Answer: ‘Dancing in the Street’ by Martha and the Vandellas (1964)
Co-written by Marvin Gaye, this Martha and the Vandellas classic has been covered by artists ranging from the Kinks to Van Halen. It was also covered in 1985 by David Bowie and Mick Jagger, but that was deeply embarrassing so we’re going to pretend it never happened.
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Song No. 5
Hint: it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter.
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Answer: ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by The Beatles (1969)
George Harrison’s song could have been extremely trite in the hands of a lesser lyricist, but “the quiet Beatle” did a bang-up job of it. This song never loses its magic no matter how many times you hear it, and we’ve all heard it a lot.
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Song No. 6
Hint: You can’t come back and think you are still mine.
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Answer: ‘Out of Time’ by The Rolling Stones (1966)
Originally written by Jagger-Richards for singer Chris Farlowe, the Stones recorded their own version too, and debate has raged for decades as to which version is better. Either way, it’s a great kiss-off song for when you want to tell someone that they’ve burned a bridge with you.
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Song No. 7
Hint: I hope that you die, and your death will come soon
Answer: ‘Masters of War’ by Bob Dylan (1963)
Bob Dylan may be affiliated with the peace-and-love folk movement, but he could craft a really barbed lyric when he wanted to. This one is just such a lyric, and it’s parenthetically amusing to note that the album it can found on refers to Mr. Dylan as “freewheelin’.”
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Song No. 8
Hint: If you love him be proud of him because after all, he’s just a man.
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Answer: ‘Stand By Your Man’ by Tammy Wynette (1968)
The song that made Tammy Wynette a star also features prominently in one of the best scenes in “The Blues Brothers.” However, we hasten to add that your man does any of the stuff Tammy says he does, pack your bags immediately. It’s not going to improve.
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Song No. 9
Hint: Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart.
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Answer: ‘Venus in Furs’ by the Velvet Underground (1967)
Lou Reed and co. were second to none in singing about America’s soft white underbelly. This song about sadomasochism was released decades before polite society could handle it, and even today some people are still squeamish on the subject.
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Song No. 10
Hint: Love will never do what you want it to, why can’t this crazy love be mine?
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Answer: ‘It’s Not Unusual’ by Tom Jones (1965)
This man could sing the phone book and it would be glorious, but Les Reed and Gordon Mills wrote him some great lyrics. Our only problem is that we can’t imagine Tom Jones wanting for a date, what with all the hotel room keys and unmentionables that female audiences used to throw at him when he was onstage.
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Song No. 11
Hint: You want me to act like we’ve never kissed.
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Answer: ‘I Fall to Pieces’ by Patsy Cline (1961)
Ugh, we’ve all been there, and it stinks. We would probably be able to identify with these lyrics even if they came from the mouth of William Hung, but coming from an exquisite practitioner like Patsy Cline, the line is completely devastating.
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Song No. 12
Hint: Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear.
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Answer: ‘Okie from Muskogee’ by Merle Haggard (1969)
This song will forever be misunderstood, but not because the lyrics are anything less than phenomenal. Just as “Stand By Your Man’ became the song Tammy Wynette got asked about in every interview, “Okie from Muskogee” followed Merle Haggard around wherever he went.
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Song No. 13
Hint: You hurt and abuse, telling all of your lies.
‘Dazed and Confused’ by Led Zeppelin (1969)
Led Zeppelin considered themselves a blues band, among other things, so this song of a man done wrong by his woman is thematically appropriate. But while we’re sorry for your emotional pain and suffering, Led Zeppelin, we feel a lot less sorry for you when we Google “Led Zeppelin mud shark.”
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Song No. 14
Hint: it hurts to set you free, but you’ll never follow me.
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Answer: ‘The End’ by the Doors (1967)
The Lizard King was great at warbling stoned existential nonsense, such as in this 11-minute meditation on a single note. It’s been parodied on “The Simpsons,” which means it will likely be remembered until the end of time.
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Song No. 15
Hint: He plays by intuition, the digit counters fall.
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Answer: ‘Pinball Wizard’ by the Who (1969)
In 1969, the Who released their rock opera, “Tommy,” about a “deaf, dumb, and blind kid” who’s also able to play pinball. A bunch of nutty stuff happens after that, which takes up a full 75 minutes and 24 songs to get through, but most of it is pretty good, provided you skip “Underture.”
