THE MUSIC PLACES CHALLENGE

Six Sixties Songs that Celebrate Places

Tunes from a generation that defined “trip” differently

Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash

Growing up in the 1960s was like being on a strange, never-ending road trip. You never really knew where you were going or whether you were even going to get there…but the destination wasn’t nearly as important as the trip itself.

Here are six songs from the Sixties with places in their names that say a lot about a generation on the move — in more ways than one.

Penny Lane

Strawberry Fields Forever

The undisputed leaders of the musical convoy of the decade were, of course, The Beatles. “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” were two songs released as a “double A-side” single in 1967. The single preceded the album, Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

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Both songs nostalgically celebrated Liverpool locations from childhood memories of Paul McCartney and John Lennon. McCartney described things he imagined around Penny Lane, a bus terminus at a roundabout where he and Lennon used to hang out. For inspiration, Lennon used a garden in which he played as a child, located at a children’s home named Strawberry Field. Incorporating fanciful imagery, complex composition and sophisticated production techniques, each song was unique in its own way, suggesting The Beatles were embarking on a new musical adventure. I thought both songs were exceptional at the time, and I still think they’re pretty special.

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California Dreamin’

Let’s Go to San Francisco San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) San Franciscan Nights

“California Dreamin’,” written by John and Michelle Phillips, was about missing the Golden State while in New York during a cold, dreary winter. First recorded by Barry McGuire, the version later released by The Mamas & The Papas (John and Michelle, along with Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot) became a major hit in 1966.

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The next three songs all celebrate San Francisco, ground zero of the “flower power” counterculture of the 1960s. The 1967 song, “Let’s Go to San Francisco,” was written by English songwriters John Carter and Ken Lewis, who created a British group called The Flower Pot Men from studio musicians to record the UK hit. While the song had psychedelic leanings, it boasted a sound uncannily like The Beach Boys.

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“San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair),” another song by John Phillips, was recorded by Scott McKenzie and used to promote the Monterey International Pop Music Festival in 1967. The song became the primary theme song of the 1967 “Summer of Love,” during which as many as 100,000 young people descended upon San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district. The song reached #4 in the U.S. and #1 in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Germany.

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“San Franciscan Nights” was written by Eric Burdon and The Animals (a second iteration of the original Animals with different personnel). Also released in 1967, “San Franciscan Nights” was a tribute to the city’s love culture which enthralled Burdon. The group took some heat for characterizing the notoriously chilly weather as balmy, but Burdon reportedly dismissed the criticism, saying he had something other than the climate in mind. Still, the song reached #1 in Canada, #7 in the UK and #9 in the U.S.

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Thanks to Buddy Gott for an inspirational prompt.

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