4 Songs From the 1960s That Made You Wish You Were at the Beach

Life by the beach has a certain feeling to it: the way hot wooden boardwalks give way to cool sand, the smell of saltwater in the air, the laidback and easygoing vibe of it all. There is plenty of creative inspiration to be had in places like these, and the 1960s certainly capitalized on that with countless beach songs in the sunshine pop category.

For those not lucky enough to call the beach our permanent home, these four songs from the 1960s create instant nostalgia for spending time seaside. Don’t blame us when you spontaneously plan a vacation later.

“Surfin’ Safari” by The Beach Boys

It would be sacrilege to make a list of 1960s songs about the beach and not include The Beach Boys, who were the mop-topped blueprints of bubblegum pop about going surfing and driving around town. “Surfin’ Safari” is one track that explicitly talks about the process of packing up the car and heading down to the coast, which is extra painful to hear when you’re several hundred miles inland. But painful in, like, an “it’s time to bite the bullet on that weekend trip” kind of way.

“Octopus’s Garden” by The Beatles

The Beatles might have been from a seafaring town, but Liverpool doesn’t have quite the same vibe as the Gulf Coast. In any case, their Mediterranean-inspired track about octopi hanging out with their friends in little gardens under the sea is the quintessential beach day song. It makes you want to stare out over the blue expanse in front of you and imagine all the eight-tentacled gardeners floating around out there. And really, why stop at “Octopus’s Garden”? All of Abbey Road is a great beach listen.

“Hot Fun In The Summertime” by Sly And The Family Stone

Sly And The Family Stone is a groove year-round. But there’s something especially exciting about listening to 1960s songs like “Hot Fun In The Summertime” that conjures images of carefree days on the beach. The lazy swing matches that heavy, sleepy feeling you get while you’re lounging on the sand, the sun beating down on you, with seagulls squawking nearby. Nothing’s too rushed or intense. Everything’s easy, because there’s all the time in the world on beach day.

“Stoned Soul Picnic” by Laura Nyro

While Laura Nyro might not make it explicitly clear what a stoned soul picnic is in her 1968 track, we would have to assume that a beach is a likely location. “Stoned Soul Picnic” was made famous by The 5th Dimension. But there is a charm to Nyro’s original version that makes it a fan favorite decades later. This late 1960s song makes you want to “surrey down” to the beach, the sparkly blue horizon slowly coming into view as you get eye level with the ocean.

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