Every Baby Boomer Alive Remembers These 4 Must-Hear Classic Rock Ballads From 1966

If you’re a baby boomer who loved classic rock ballads back in the day, I bet you still remember hearing at least a few of the following tunes when they first dropped on the radio, way back in 1966. Let’s dive into some soothing, nostalgic jams, shall we?

“God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys from ‘Pet Sounds’

This was immediately the first song I thought of when I sat down to write this list. In my opinion, “God Only Knows” is the most stunning song that The Beach Boys ever released, a glittering baroque rock ballad for the ages. And if you look at the charts back in 1966, a lot of listeners felt the same way.

“God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys was a Top 40 hit in the US, and reached No. 2 on multiple UK charts. The sunshiney song also did well in Canada, too.

“Poor Side Of Town” by Johnny Rivers from ‘Changes’

A little more baroque pop than rock, “Poor Side Of Town” by Johnny Rivers is still worthy of a spot on this list. This romantic pop-rock ballad really has a beautiful quality to it. “Poor Side Of Town” by Johnny Rivers reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Canadian RPM chart in 1966.

“Love Letters” by Elvis Presley from ‘Elvis’ Gold Records Volume 4’

Unsurprisingly, an Elvis Presley ballad makes it to our list. This slow, sweet pop-rock ballad was quite a hit back in 1966. “Love Letters” was originally put together in 1945 for a film soundtrack and later became a hit in 1962 through Ketty Lester’s version of the song. When Elvis Presley got his hands on it, he also turned it into a hit in 1966. That version peaked at No. 19 on the Hot 100 and No. 6 on the UK Singles chart.

“Lady Jane” by The Rolling Stones from ‘Aftermath’

This memorable art rock ballad was surprisingly only released as a B-side for another song, “Mother’s Little Helper”, in July 1966. “Lady Jane” makes it to our list of rock ballads from 1966 that baby boomer fans still remember because it really shone brighter than its B-side placement might suggest. And it didn’t do half bad on the charts. “Lady Jane” by The Rolling Stones peaked at No. 24 on the Hot 100 chart upon its release in 1966.

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