Each decade has its own catalog of memorable love songs and the 1960s was no exception. Just as it would be an exercise in futility to choose THE best love song from that decade, limiting the selection to just five would feel incomplete. So instead of a fifth song to add to “Things We Said Today,” “A Summer Song,” “The Look Of Love,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” here are ten songs to add to your playlist.
- Frank Sinatra called it the greatest love song in 50 or 100 years. The crooner knew a lot about love songs but he mistakenly credited the song to the wrong Beatles. George Harrison wrote “Something” which was released by the Fab Four in September of 1969. The opening line may be from the James Taylor song “Something In The Way She Moves,” but the depth and passion are all Harrison’s. “Something” is considered one of the greatest love songs ever written and is 110th on Rolling Stone’s 2021 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
- 2. “My Guy” by Mary Wells from 1964 tells the story of a girl who is so in love with her boyfriend she tells anyone and everyone that “nothing you can do can make me be untrue to my guy.” He is just an ordinary fellow but in her eyes he is everything. “I gave my guy my word of honor, to be faithful … and I’m gonna.” Written by Smokey Robinson, this was Mary’s biggest hit. Later in life she developed cancer of the larynx. She had no insurance but Diana Ross, members of The Temptations, and Mary Reeves, as well as other admirers in the music industry (e.g., Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin) provided financial assistance to cover her medical bills.
- 3. “My Girl” by The Temptations is also from 1964 and also written by Smokey Robinson. It is often called a response to Mary Wells’ “My Guy,” and it certainly fits. With lyrics like “I’ve got so much honey the bees envy me” and “I’ve got all the riches one man can claim” it certainly fits the criteria for a sweet love song. Smokey dedicated the song to his wife, Claudette, who was part of the Miracles at the time.
- 4. “This Magic Moment” was released by the Drifters in 1960. It tells the story of two people sharing an ordinary outing until they decide to kiss. “And then it happened,” something so extraordinary it took them by surprise. “Sweeter than wine” and “softer than a summer night” everything you could want you have when you hold each other tight. Jay And The Americans covered “This Magic Moment” in 1968.
- 5. Merry Clayton would sing about how “It’s In His Kiss” in 1963 apparently picking up on the Drifters discovery. You can’t find love in his face (it’s just his charms) or in his warm embrace (that’s just his arms). If you want to know, it’s in his kiss. A better known version of the song was released by Betty Everett later the same year. Cher would cover “It’s In His Kiss” – also known as “The Shoop Shoop Song” – in 1990.
- 6. “If I Fell” by the Beatles explores the uncertainty of falling in love again after learning the painful lesson that “love is more than just holding hands.” It is a lesson most of us learn in our teenage years. The downside of falling again is being sad if the new love is in vain. The upside is that the ex “will cry when she learns we are two.”
- 7. Jackie Wilson had earned the moniker Mr. Excitement for his dynamic performances and impassioned singing. The latter is on full display in 1967’s “(Your Love Keeps On Lifting Me” Higher And Higher.” Where disappointment once seemed to be everywhere the sky is now the limit. The song is an energetic celebration of the happiness love can bring.
- 8. “When A Man Loves A Woman” by Percy Sledge tells us love is blind. A man will turn his back on his best friend if the friend puts his woman down. If she is bad he can’t see it. He will try to change the world for her and he can’t see her faults. He gives her everything he has and pleads that she not treat him badly. Is she playing him for a fool? If so, he would be the last to know.
- 9. “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by the Shirelles is a question many a young woman wants to know the answer to when she is about to experience a night of passion with her partner. Is it really love? Will his feeling for her change when the morning comes? It addresses a very provocative subject matter for America in 1960. The song is one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
- 10. In 1968, in the midst of a burgeoning women’s movement, Tammy Wynette urged the female population to “Stand By Your Man.” She urged women to be supportive of their husbands no matter how they screwed up or did things beyond understanding. That support may fly in the face of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique and the N.O.W. movement but Tammy offered up a reason for standing by one’s man. After all, he’s just a man.
