For everything, there is a season.
For love and enlightenment, it was the summer of 1967. Or, at least, that’s what folks were told – and that’s what many believed. Thousands of young men and women, known to the world as hippies or flower children, descended on San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district for months of fun, live music and mind-altering substances. The Summer of Love would be romanticized as nothing short of a cultural revolution.
And that summer, perhaps more so than any other single season before or since, had its own soundtrack. At the forefront was the San Francisco Sound, which evolved from local bands such as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, and went on to forever change the face of rock ‘n’ roll. The colorful style was wildly improvisational and heavily psychedelic.
It wasn’t, however, the only sound being heard that summer. A wealth of different artists, hailing from Los Angeles to London and seemingly everywhere in between, contributed their own thoughts and ideas to the musical mix of the season.
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love, we looked back at the music of the era and created a playlist for readers. It’s a mix of flower-power anthems, San Francisco Sound staples and psychedelic pop singles, most of which were actually released in 1967. But we did include a few earlier tunes, noteworthy for their direct influence on the Summer of Love, as well as some later releases that reflected back on the period.
Now, it’s your turn – so load up the iPod with these tracks and take a stroll (real or imaginary) down Haight Street. And post your choices for signature songs from the Summer of Love at www.mercurynews.com/music.
Summer of Love songs
`The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy),’ Simon and Garfunkel (1966): The duo coaxes listeners to slow down and make the moment last in this classic “stop-and-smell-the-roses” tune.
`You’re Gonna Miss Me,’ the 13th Floor Elevators (1966): Roky Erickson and the Austin-based Elevators produce a pivotal moment in the early development of psychedelic rock.
`Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,’ `A Day in the Life,’ the Beatles (1967): These key tracks from the summer’s definitive album – “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” – helped lead the charge toward experimental rock. By the way, anyone else notice that an abbreviation of the first tune is “LSD”? You don’t think? Nah! Must be just a coincidence.
`Respect,’ Aretha Franklin (1967): The First Lady of Soul delivers her finest moment, one that moves past the music charts and becomes an anthem for equality and, indeed, respect.
`Superbird,’ Country Joe and the Fish (1967): Call it the musical equivalent of free love. Blues, rock and folk all sleep in the same bed on Country Joe’s classic LP “Electric Music for the Mind and Body.” “Superbird,” a cry against President Johnson, is a fine example of popular music’s turn toward the political.
`For What It’s Worth,’ Buffalo Springfield (1967): Stephen Stills, Neil Young and troupe produce a tuneful anthem that sounds just as poignant in 2007.
`Electricity,’ Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band (1967): Beefheart, a bluesman in hippie’s clothing, specialized in blowing fans’ tops in three minutes or less. This is one of the finest examples.
`Sunshine of Your Love,’ Cream (1967): This stunning blues-rock number makes perfectly clear why people were writing “Clapton is God” on subway walls.
`Interstellar Overdrive,’ Pink Floyd (1967): Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and crew take an amazing 10-minute rocket ride into what was then uncharted musical territory.
`I Can See For Miles,’ the Who (1967): A dreamy, hallucinogenic start to an art-rock odyssey that would climax with the band’s legendary “Tommy.”
`Aquarius,’ `Let the Sunshine In,’ original cast recording (1967): Hippies take Broadway by storm with “Hair” (which actually debuted under the name “American Tribal Love-Rock Musical”).
`San Franciscan Nights,’ `Monterey,’ Eric Burdon and the Animals (1967/1968): British band finds new life by reflecting on what’s happening in Northern California. Go figure.
`Groovin’,’ the Young Rascals (1967): Pair this easy flowing tune with the Simon and Garfunkel ditty.
`Incense and Peppermints,’ Strawberry Alarm Clock (1967): Looking for a three-minute flashback? You won’t find a song that reeks (or tastes) more of the late ’60s than “Incense and Peppermints.” Unless, maybe, you listen to . . .
`Mellow Yellow,’ Donovan (1967): Ol’ Donovan never quite lived up to his advance billing as Britain’s answer to Bob Dylan. But he did release this one great single that perfectly fit the mood of the day.
`Good Vibrations,’ the Beach Boys (1966): Brian Wilson’s astounding “pocket symphony” served as a road map for much of the experimental music to come in the Summer of Love. Many would follow – but almost no one would reach the same heights as Wilson found with “Good Vibrations.”
`Somebody to Love,’ Jefferson Airplane (1967): The San Francisco band’s sophomore effort, “Surrealistic Pillow,” ranks only behind “Sgt. Pepper’s” when it comes to classic Summer of Love albums. It contains two true anthems in “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love,” the latter of which stands as vocalist Grace Slick’s finest moment.
`Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,’ Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell (1967): Gaye and Terrell record their first duet for Motown, and it turns out to be a high water mark for soul music in general and the Summer of Love in particular.
`Light My Fire,’ `People are Strange,’ the Doors (1967): Two good reasons why Jim Morrison’s picture is still tacked up in college dorm rooms across the country.
`The Fool,’ Quicksilver Messenger Service (1968): One of the pioneering acts behind the San Francisco Sound didn’t release its self-titled debut until a year after the actual Summer of Love. Still, the epic jam “The Fool” serves as an excellent slide show of the freewheeling musical spirit of the time.
`Purple Haze,’ Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967): Jimi asked one question on his debut record – “Are You Experienced?” – and then proceeded to hit listeners with a musical experience that was unlike anything that had come before.
`San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair),’ Scott McKenzie (1967): Trivia time! Did you know that the guy responsible for this signature hippie cut also co-wrote the Beach Boys’ “Kokomo”? And, yes, we hold that against him.
`A Whiter Shade of Pale,’ Procol Harum (1967): The English psychedelic rock band skips the lights fandango, turns cartwheels across the floor and hits the big time with one of the era’s most enduring tracks. It’s been covered hundreds of times, with varying results. We don’t have to bring up Elliott Yamin’s version, do we?
`Piece of My Heart,’ Big Brother and the Holding Company (1968): The band introduces new lead singer Janis Joplin on its “Cheap Thrills” LP and then, thanks in large part to this song, becomes a footnote in her career.
`Hey Grandma,’ Moby Grape (1967): Listen to Moby Grape’s entire first album, which stands as one of the finest documents of the San Francisco Sound, and then put this groovy lead-off track on the playlist.
`The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion),’ Grateful Dead (1967): Did you really think you’d get through this entire list without finding the Dead on it?
`All You Need is Love,’ the Beatles (1967): The Fab Four close out the year with a song that perfectly summed up a summer that we still are celebrating today.
