The 1960s marked an unquestionable evolution—and revolution—in rock music. The British Invasion made its mark in this decade, with bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, who were inspired by American artists like Little Richard and Chuck Berry. They, along with their American counterparts, the Beach Boys, incorporated catchy melodies and lyrics to redefine pop music. These bands became more experimental later on, joining groups like Jefferson Airplane and Pink Floyd that incorporated psychedelic experiences in their music.
In the second half of this epic decade in rock came poetic lyrics from Jim Morrison of the Doors, boundary-pushing stage performances from guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, and social activism from folk-rock artists like Bob Dylan. These elements culminated in Woodstock in 1969, encapsulating the decade’s fusion of social and music evolution. Nearly half a million people drove to upstate New York to revel in this now-legendary event held at the cusp of another new decade. Concertgoers sat through three days of rain and lightning to see an all-star lineup including, but not limited to, the Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joan Baez, the Grateful Dead, and Sly and the Family Stone, setting a blueprint for festivals dominating the music industry today.
With so many influential tracks from this time period, Stacker looked at the biggest #1 rock songs of the 1960s that topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks or more, then filtered it down to the rock genre, according to MusicBrainz, an open music encyclopedia via the University of Waterloo.
