4 Songs Every 60s Kid Heard While Riding in the Family Car to School Each Morning

If you’re a 60s kid reading this, I bet you can think of a whole host of songs that instantly transport you back to your childhood. Maybe certain songs remind you of listening to your record player in your bedroom. Maybe other songs remind you of gathering around the radio with your pals. Other songs, too, might just bring any 60s kid out there back to the family car on weekday mornings, when the radio would play Top 40 hits on the way to school. These four songs might just bring you back to those kinds of moments. Let’s get a little nostalgic, shall we?

“Surfin’ U.S.A.” by The Beach Boys from ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’ (1963)

“Surfin’ U.S.A.” by The Beach Boys was easily the song of the summer in 1963. It dropped in March, and it was inescapable through summer break. But when fall came around and school was back in session, it remained a radio favorite for months more. This vocal surf rock and roll classic peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“Be My Baby” by The Ronettes from ‘Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes’ (1963)

“Be My Baby” is an absolute classic of an R&B song, and it remains The Ronettes’ most enduring pop hit after all these years. This gorgeous song peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart. And, since we mentioned The Beach Boys earlier, here’s a fun fact: Brian Wilson once said that this song was enormously influential to him, and he wrote “Don’t Worry Baby” from 1964 as a response to “Be My Baby”.

“Mr. Tambourine Man” by The Byrds from ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ (1965)

This is easily The Byrds’ most famous song, and something about “Mr. Tambourine Man” just tickled the brains of listeners and contemporaries alike. This folky Bob Dylan original has been covered by many artists over the years, from Stevie Wonder to The Four Seasons. The Byrds’ version, though, was a No. 1 hit across the US, UK, and Ireland.

“Happy Together” by The Turtles from ‘Happy Together’ (1967)

I still can’t hear this song without getting super into it. It’s such a good (and catchy) psychedelic pop song. Many a 60s kid would agree, as this entry on our list of songs was a hefty hit on the charts in 1967. “Happy Together” by The Turtles peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and reached the Top 20 almost everywhere else.

(Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)