Category Archives: 1960s songs

The top 500 best music and songs from the 1960s. Song meanings, lyrics and interpretations from your favorite artists. The Beatles, Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, Dylan. See who rates the highest!

#113 Don’t Worry Baby- The Beach Boys

She told me “Baby, when you race today/
Just take along my love with you.

During the beginning of their career, The Beach Boys sang about surfing and driving. Both of those topics are uninteresting topics for songs IMO. Unfortunately, this has lessened their reputation among many. They did write one great “car song”: “Don’t Worry Baby”.

The Beach Boys tell an interesting story about a girlfriend nagging(?) her boyfriend not to race or she will break up with him. The way Brian Wilson words her ultimatum is fantastic (see above).

Don't Worry Baby Meaning
Beach Boys

“Don’t Worry Baby” is mostly about the love between the couple, and their dynamic–the car is just the background. The narrator’s stance is that his girl should not worry because their love is so strong. Wilson always had a great beat on capturing teenage emotions.

And listen to those harmonies. I will probably mention this on every song of the Beach Boys, but they are mesmerizing. Also, Wilson’s falsetto is beautiful.  Wilson’s attention to detail creates a true wall of sound. The vocals combined with the instruments almost creates a sensation overload.

Don’t Worry Baby Lyrics

Well it’s been building up inside of me
For oh I don’t know how long.
I don’t know why
But I keep thinking
Something’s bound to go wrong.

But she looks in my eyes
And makes me realize
And she says “don’t worry, baby”.
Don’t worry, baby,
Don’t worry, baby,
Everything will turn out alright.

Don’t worry, baby,
Don’t worry, baby,
Don’t worry, baby.

I guess I should’ve kept my mouth shut
When I started to brag about my car.
But I can’t back down now because
I pushed the other guys too far

She makes me come alive,
And makes me wanna drive
When she says “don’t worry, baby”.
Don’t worry, baby,
Don’t worry, baby,
Everything will turn out alright.

Don’t worry, baby,
Don’t worry, baby,
Don’t worry, baby.

She told me “Baby, when you race today
Just take along my love with you.
And if you knew how much I loved you
Baby, nothing could go wrong with you”.

Oh what she does to me,
When she makes love to me.
And she says “don’t worry, baby”.
Don’t worry, baby,
Don’t worry, baby,
Everything will turn out alright.
Don’t worry, baby,
Don’t worry, baby,
Don’t worry, baby.

#112 You Really Got Me- The Kinks

Oh girl, you really got me now/
You got me so I can’t sleep at night.

The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” came out in 1964. At the time, the only genre of music that was producing great lyrics was folk and blues. These lyrics slightly advanced the basic rock themes of The Beatles and The Stones of that time. The Beatles were still playing “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. When The Kinks talked about a girl that had him so messed up he couldn’t sleep at night, that was quite a bit more risqué. Within the next two years rock lyrics would explode with themes of every variety.

You Really Got Me Meaning
The Kinks

But the real advancement from The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” isn’t in the lyrics it is in the sound. Listen to the guitar. The Kinks are playing power chords with slight distortion coupled with raw vocals. Heavy metal would adopt this technique almost exclusively. I believe this is the first time anything like this had been done. This would also influence punk music. This list isn’t about influence: this is a genuinely great song.

Check out the guitar solo, it has to be top 10 all-time guitar solo. It comes out of nowhere and just sounds like they are trying to jam two solos worth of music into one song…and it works amazingly. All you can think is “what did I just hear”? And play it back and listen again.

You Really Got Me Lyrics

Girl, you really got me goin’
You got me so I don’t know what I’m doin’ now
Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can’t sleep at night

Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I don’t know what I’m doin’ now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can’t sleep at night

You really got me
You really got me
You really got me

See, don’t ever set me free
I always want to be by your side
Girl, you really got me now
You got me so I can’t sleep at night

Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I don’t know what I’m doin’ now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can’t sleep at night

You really got me
You really got me
You really got me
Oh no

See, don’t ever set me free
I always want to be by your side
Girl, you really got me now
You got me so I can’t sleep at night

Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I don’t know what I’m doin’ now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can’t sleep at night

You really got me
You really got me
You really got me
written by Ray Davies

#111 White Room- Cream

I’ll wait in this place where the sun never shines/
Wait in this place where the shadows run from themselves.

Cream’s “White Room” is some convoluted story about an apartment and a hookup at this apartment. The narrator then walks the girl to the train station and wishes she wouldn’t go but we don’t get the feeling he is devastated. We really just don’t know. The song ends with a party (perhaps back at the apartment) and the girl has come back. What happens next?

White Room Meaning
Cream

“White Room” is obviously a very experimental song. The lyrics are a bit out there and the introductory time signature is non-standard. Combine that with Bruce jumping in and out of falsetto, Clapton liberally using his whammy bar and fuzz box and you have a very trippy experience. More interestingly, is that despite all the bizarre individual pieces, it works really well as a rock song.

White Room Lyrics

In the white room with black curtains near the station
Black roof country, no gold pavements, tired starlings
Silver horses ran down moonbeams in your dark eyes
Dawnlight smiles on you leaving, my contentment

I’ll wait in this place where the sun never shines
Wait in this place where the shadows run from themselves

You said no strings could secure you at the station
Platform ticket, restless diesels, goodbye windows
I walked into such a sad time at the station
As I walked out, felt my own need just beginning

I’ll wait in the queue when the trains come back
Lie with you where the shadows run from themselves

At the party she was kindness in the hard crowd
Consolation for the old wound now forgotten
Yellow tigers crouched in jungles in her dark eyes
She’s just dressing, goodbye windows, tired starlings

I’ll sleep in this place with the lonely crowd
Lie in the dark where the shadows run from themselves

written by Jack bruce/ Pete Brown