If Mick Jagger’s hair had been shorter, the whole face of the earth would have changed.
When we mentioned to the poet Marcus Bales we were putting this list together, he immediately assumed a pejorative intent; yes, “hippie” has come to mean a term of censor, even in music—but we assured him our research was sincere.
Categories are safe, even when they dissolve into others. We know what “hippie songs” are, even as they expand like a stain. And what is amazing is how great and various and popular this list of hippie songs is. In a thousand years from now, when we look back at this era, all of our popular music will be seen for what it really is: hippie music.
The 1960s, as one would expect, features prominently, a time which, artistically, happily resembled the great Romantic era in poetry: sensual, but not overly so, intellectual, but not overly so, and perhaps because indulgence was miraculously tempered by a certain unstated restraint, popular. It sounds crazy to say the 1960s featured conservatism and restraint, but it did. Now that we’ve traveled through post-modernism, we know how conservative the lyric is, and the 60s were lyric. Tradition had yet to be toppled.
Only a few really like chaos, and when chaos threatens, lyric structure and common sense fight back in all sorts of hidden, wonderful ways. Shelley’s spring is never far behind. Tender, conservative feelings survive in the frenzy, even as rebellion gets the headlines. In an early interview, the Beatles made the astute observation that in England, kids hated what their parents symbolized, but not their parents, whereas in America, it was the other way around. The cliches of the 60s are just that: cliches, and should not be used to bash what was a spectacular confluence of events and sensibilities. There are movements which are self-consciously internationalist: one country fawns over another nation’s art, like the rich American ladies who in 1905 suddenly hankered for Japanese vases and haiku. But in the ’60s, England and America, two great nations, both gave and took, equally, appreciably, in a healthy, natural, intense, rivalry of shouting, stomping, feeling, and sharing.
So how is it that “hippie,” a demeaned, belittled, mocked, obsolete, term, symbolized by long, unwashed hair, drug derangement, and artsy-fartsy, pie-in-the-sky ideals, translates into such significant and wonderful music, as seen in this list of undeniably great songs—greater than any similar list of popular songs one might compile? Who knows? But there must be a lesson here, somewhere. Perhaps it’s this: art responds to popular focus, popular sincerity, popular desire and material accident (length of hair, for instance); art cannot be intellectualized into greatness.
Two more observations before we present the list: John Lennon wrote more good ‘hippie songs’ than anyone, and yet, in person, he was the opposite of a ‘hippie’ in so many ways: a bully as a kid who routinely made fun of ‘spastics,’ John was too sarcastic and mean to care for anything ‘hippie.’ John was recruited into the ‘hippie movement’ almost against his will by various forces, and, proving how complex and powerful the whole ‘hippie’ sensibility is, John’s extremely complex working-class/art school/inner turmoil/ life became a fountain of ‘hippie music.’
There were divisions and fears in the 60s, as well as money to be made, and this surely fueled music being made in the safety of recording studios. The quality of songs on this list does not translate into a ‘hippie’ era that was nice. When George Harrison first met his producer, he told him he didn’t like his tie. George famously had a bad experience when he visited hippies in California. In the words of his sister-in-law:
We were expecting Haight-Ashbury to be special, a creative and artistic place, filled with Beautiful People, but it was horrible – full of ghastly drop-outs, bums and spotty youths, all out of their brains. Everybody looked stoned – even mothers and babies – and they were so close behind us they were treading on the backs of our heels. It got to the point where we couldn’t stop for fear of being trampled. Then somebody said, ‘Let’s go to Hippie Hill,’ and we crossed the grass, our retinue facing us, as if we were on stage. They looked as us expectantly – as if George was some kind of Messiah.
Laugh—along with John—or sneer—along with George—as you will, but all these very different songs are very much ‘hippie,’ (in feel, as well as idea) and, improbably, are many of the loveliest, most significant, and most enjoyable songs ever recorded.
1. Imagine -John Lennon
2. Here Comes the Sun -The Beatles
3. Woodstock -Joni Mitchell
4. Going Up the Country -Canned Heat
5. I’d Love to Change the World -Ten Years After
6. If I Had A Hammer -The Weavers
7. Live For Today -Grass Roots
8. Suzanne -Leonard Cohen
9. Hurdy Gurdy Man -Donovan
10. In a gadda da vida -Iron Butterfly
11. That’s The Way -Led Zeppelin
12. Tiny Dancer -Elton John
13. Heart of Gold -Neil Young
14. All You Need Is Love -The Beatles
15. Mr. Tambourine Man -Bob Dylan
16. Knights in White Satin -Moody Blues
17. At Seventeen -Janis Ian
18. We Are Young -Fun
19. Ohio -Crosby Stills Nash & Young
20. Wild World -Cat Stevens
21. Feelin’ Groovy -Simon and Garfunkle
22. The Wind Cries Mary -Jimi Hendrix
23. This Land Is Your Land -Woody Guthrie
24. Alice’s Restaurant -Arlo Guthrie
25. Eve of Destruction -Barry McGuire
26. Creeque Valley -Mamas & Papas
27. What Have They Done To My Song, Ma -Melanie
28. Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In -The Fifth Dimension
29. White Rabbit -The Jefferson Airplane
30. Walk Right In -The Rooftop Singers
31. I Love The Flower Girl -The Cowsills
32. Crimson and Clover -Tommy James and the Shondells
33. Incense and Peppermints -Strawberry Alarm Clock
34. She’s Not There -The Zombies
35. Eight Miles High -The Byrds
36. Light My Fire -The Doors
37. Why Don’t We Do It In The Road? -The Beatles
38. Mr. Bojangles -Jerry Jeff Walker
39. Do You Believe In Magic? -The Lovin Spoonful
40. Green Tambourine -The Lemon Pipers
41. I’m Free (from Tommy) -The Who
42. San Francisco -Scott McKenzie
43. Spanish Pipedream (Blow Up Your TV) -John Prine
44. Us and Them -Pink Floyd
45. Pleasant Valley Sunday -The Monkees
46. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place -The Animals
47. For What It’s Worth -Buffalo Springfield
48. Strawberry Fields Forever -The Beatles
49. The Sound of Silence -Simon & Garfunkle
50. I Gave My Love A Cherry -Doc Watson
51. Georgy Girl -The Seekers
52. Space Oddity -David Bowie
53. 99 Red Balloons -Nena
54. Norwegian Wood -The Beatles
55. When The Music’s Over -The Doors
56. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 -Bob Dylan
57. Instant Karma -John Lennon
58. Hey Jude -The Beatles
59. Truckin’ -The Grateful Dead
60. Me and Bobbi McGee -Janis Joplin
61. Hotel California -The Eagles
62. Sympathy for the Devil -The Rolling Stones
63. Almost Cut My Hair -Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
64. I Feel Just Like A Child -Devendra Banhart
65. Fortunate Son -Creedence Clearwater Revival
66. You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told) -White Stripes
67. American Pie -Don McLean
68. Good Vibrations -The Beach Boys
69. What The World Needs Now Is Love -Jackie DeShannon
70. People Are Strange -The Doors
71. Melissa -The Allman Brothers Band
72. The Times They Are A Changin’ -Bob Dylan
73. Buffalo Gals -John Hodges
74. Wonderful World -Louis Armstrong
75. Lola -The Kinks
76. Universal Soldier -Buffy St. Marie
77. Freaker’s Ball -Dr. Hook
78. I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night) -The Electric Prunes
79. Melody Fair -The Bee Gees
80. Old Man -Love
81. Brand New Key -Melanie
82. Stoney End -Laura Nyro
83. Vincent -Don McLean
84. Tom’s Diner -Suzanne Vega
85. We’re Only in It for the Money -Frank Zappa
86. Eleanor Rigby -The Beatles
87. Hey Ya! -Outkast
88. Born To Be Wild -Steppenwolf
89. Rocky Mountain High -John Denver
90. Young Folks -Peter Bjorn and John
91. Smells Like Teen Spirit -Nirvana
92. If There Is Something -Roxy Music
93. Lucky Man -Emerson Lake & Palmer
94. In the Summertime -Mungo Jerry
95. Piggies -The Beatles
96. Sunshine of Your Love -Cream
97. Hesitation Blues -The Holy Modal Rounders
98. Mother Nature’s Son -The Beatles
99. A Horse With No Name -America
100. 21st Century Schizoid Man -King Crimson
