Guess the '60s Hit Song From Its Opening Line

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Guess the '60s Hit Song From Its Opening Line
Image: Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns/Getty Images

About This Quiz

How well do you remember the songs of the 1960s? Take this quiz to find out.

"Ground control to Major Tom..." Admit it; you didn't read those song lyrics, you sang them. Now the iconic David Bowie song is going to be stuck in your head all day. That's ok; we've got 29 other songs on this quiz to get stuck in there too.

Even if you weren't a child of the 1960s, you are probably at least familiar with the music of the era. From the sounds of Motown to the classic rock and roll of Elvis Presley and the Beatles, the '60s gave us music that will remain iconic in the minds and hearts of music lovers for generations to come. 

So, if you know who sang "I read the news today, oh boy...," "There's a light, a certain kind of light...," and "The preacher talked to me, and he smiled...," you'll probably do well on this quiz. If you knew that these are all Bee Gees songs, we invite you to test your knowledge by seeing how many more you can correctly guess.

Do you think you can name all the songs of the '60s? Let's get started.


      


    





"Breakin' rocks in the hot sun…"
"Friday on My Mind"
"Bad Moon Rising"
"I Fought the Law"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Orginally sung by Bobby Fuller, The Clash did their own version partly as a lamentation on the perils of rebellion.

"Once upon a time you dressed so fine…"
"Like a Rolling Stone"
"Paint it Black"
"Suspicious Minds"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Dylan's 1965 masterpiece, "Like a Rolling Stone," reaffirmed his songwriting genius and became a smash hit.

"When the night has come…"
"I'm A Believer"
"Stand By Me"
"Reach Out I'll Be There"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Stand By Me," by Ben E. King, was a hit in 1961 and also in 1986 thanks to the film of the same name.

Advertisement

"Beat is gettin' stronger, music gettin' longer too…"
"Dance to the Music"
"Music Lover"
"I Want to Take You Higher"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sly and The Family Stone released "I Want to Take You Higher" as a B-side in 1969.

"There must be some kind of way outta here…"
"All Along the Watchtower"
"See Emily Play"
"L.A. Woman"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Dylan wrote "All Along the Watchtower," but it was also recorded to great success by Jimi Hendrix.

"I am he as you are he as you are me…"
"I'm Waiting For The Man"
"Wish You Were Here"
"I Am the Walrus"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Beatles' "I Am The Walrus" was part of the "Magical Mystery Tour" television special.

Advertisement

"Now that you've found your paradise…"
"I'm a Believer"
"Shangri La"
"Paradise By the Dashboard Light"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This 1969 hit from The Kinks is part biting social commentary and part motivational speech.

"I read the news today, oh boy…"
"Sympathy For The Devil"
";I Heard It Through The Grapevine"
"A Day In The Life"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"A Day In The Life" was the final track on the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club."

"Well, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe…"
"Baby"
"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"
"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Dylan released the cynical "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" on his 1963 album "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan."

Advertisement

"I saw her today at the reception…"
"You Can't Always Get What You Want"
"The Tracks of My Tears"
"Walk Away Renee"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mick Jagger and Co. were right, you can't always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need.

"I don't know just where I'm going, but I'm gonna try for the kingdom if I can…"
"Layla"
"Heroin"
"Cocaine"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Heroin" is one of The Velvet Underground's best known songs, featuring some of Lou Reed's most powerful songwriting.

"Be on my side, I'll be on your side, baby…"
"Send Me a Postcard"
"Money"
"Down By The River"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Neil Young & Crazy Horse sang the dark line "Down by the river, I shot my baby," in this brooding 1969 song.

Advertisement

"Couldn't sleep at all last night…"
"Tossin' and Turnin'"
"I'm Still in Love With You"
"She's Got You"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bobby Lewis sang "Tossin' and Turnin'," which went to No. 1 in 1961.

"Oh, a storm is threatening, my very life today…"
"For What It's Worth"
"Gimme Shelter"
"Ramble On"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Gimme Shelter" appeared on The Rolling Stones album "Let It Bleed" and instantly became one of the band's iconic songs.

"Ground control to Major Tom…"
"Space Oddity"
"A Whiter Shade of Pale"
"God Only Knows"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

David Bowie's "Space Oddity" was an oddly apt song from an oddly imaginative artist.

Advertisement

"Sometimes it's hard to be a woman…"
"Stand by Your Man"
"Sister Ray"
"Big Louise"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tammy Wynette's 1968 hit, "Stand By Your Man" made her a bona fide celebrity.

"Johnny's in the basement, mixing up the medicine…"
"I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)"
"Runaway"
"Subterranean Homesick Blues"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Subterranean Homesick Blues" was actually Bob Dylan's first top 40 hit in the United States.

"All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey…"
"River Deep Mountain High"
"Georgia On My Mind"
"California Dreamin'"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"California Dreamin'" was released by The Mamas & The Papas in 1965.

Advertisement

"Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day…"
"Time"
"Money"
"Mother"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Fritter and waste the hours in an off-hand way…" mourns the second line of "Time" by Pink Floyd.

"There's a light, a certain kind of light…"
"Runaway"
"White Room"
"To Love Somebody"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Barry and Robin Gibb actually wrote "To Love Somebody" for Otis Redding, but his untimely death meant the Bee Gees recorded it instead.

"You need cooling, baby, I'm not fooling…"
"The Witch"
"My Generation"
"Whole Lotta Love"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Released in 1969, "Whole Lotta Love" was one of Led Zeppelin's loudest and freakiest songs.

Advertisement

"Well it's been building up inside of me…"
"Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay"
"Don't Worry Baby"
"She Loves You"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Brian Wilson shared writing credits on "Don't Worry Baby," which was recorded by the Beach Boys.

"Pulled into Nazareth, was feelin' about half past dead…"
"You Really Got Me"
"Kick Out The Jams"
"The Weight"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Weight" was written by Robbie Robertson and performed by The Band.

"I hear the train a comin, it's rollin' 'round the bend…"
"Folsom Prison Blues"
"Wouldn't It Be Nice"
"Jackson"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Johnny Cash and his "Folsom Prison Blues" captured the sorrow and fear of a lost life.

Advertisement

"The night we met I knew I needed you so …"
"Be My Baby"
"I Wanna Be Your Dog"
"Think"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Be My Baby" was the first song released by The Ronettes and featured Phil Spectors "Wall of Sound."

"I was born by the river in a little tent…"
"Down By The River"
"A Change Is Gonna Come"
"I Want You Back"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"A Change Is Gonna Come" became a civil rights touchstone; it was released by Sam Cooke in 1964.

"Some folks are made to wave the flag…"
"Fortunate Son"
"Down On The Corner"
"Sacrifice"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" was the stuff that 1960's counterculture was made of.

Advertisement

"Get up in the morning slaving for bread, sir…"
"Time of the Season"
"White Rabbit"
"Israelites"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Desmond Dekker & The Aces released "Israelites" on the 1969 album of the same name.

"When I was a little girl, I had a rag doll…"
"In My Life"
"What A Wonderful World"
"River Deep, Mountain High"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tina Turner sang "River Deep, Mountain High" in 1966; it wasn't a hit in the U.S. at first but eventually became one of Turner's best-known tunes.

"So messed up, I want you here…"
"I Wanna Be Your Dog"
"God Only Knows"
"The Weight"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog" has been covered countless times and featured in many Hollywood productions.

Advertisement

You Got:
/30
Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns/Getty Images