60’s Songs
-1962: Cassette tapes were released
70’s Songs
-1970: Breakup of The Beatles
-Death of Jimi Hendrix (American guitarist, songwriter, and singer)
-1971: Birth of Snoop Dogg
-Start of the band Queen
-1972: Start of the Rolling Stones
-1976: Abba releases Dancing Queen
-1977: Death of Elvis Presley
Birth of Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance
Birth of Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park
80’s Songs
-1980: Death of John Lennon
-1981: Death of Bob Marley
-1982: Michael Jackson releases Thriller
-Blondie splits up
- Compact disk is released
-1983: “Weird Al” Yankovic released his first parody
-Start of Guns N’ Roses
-1986: Start of Green Day
-1987: Start of Nirvana
-1988: Birth of Rihanna
90’s Songs
-1991: Start of Oasis
Death of Freddie Mercury (Lead singer of Queen)
-1994: Mariah Carey released All I Want for Christmas is You
-Death of Kurt Cobain (Lead singer of Nirvana)
-1995: Death of Jerry Garcia (a singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the Grateful Dead)
-1996: Guns N’ Roses break up
Pink Floyd breaks up
Early 2000’s
-2001: Michael Jackson releases his last studio album
-2002: Beginning of American Idol
-2003: Death of Johnny Cash
-2006: Taylor Swift releases her first album
-2008: Lady Gaga releases her first album
-Katy Perry releases her first album
-2009: Death of Michael Jackson
Hidden Modern Gems
-2012: Jack Bugg releases his first album
-2016: Death of David Bowie
Personal Favorites
Out of all these songs, it is hard to pick a favorite. However, while writing this article there were a couple that stood out more than others. Ranking first out of the list is No Rain, of course, followed closely by Somewhere Only We Know, Bennie and the Jets, and finally, Karma Chameleon.
-1962: Cassette tapes were released
- Brown Eyed Girl-Van Morrison 1967.
This upbeat song gets stuck in your head for hours. The music is very catchy and has a beach feel to it. The song brings out the beauty in the most common eye color. In 1967, Morrison also created a record company called Bang Records.
- Hey Jude-The Beatles 1968.
Even though almost everyone knows about this song, I couldn’t include the 60’s without including the Beatles. The Beatles were named the 20th century's most influential people. I love Hey Jude, this song perfectly captures the feeling of falling of love. It’s great for any mood.
70’s Songs
-1970: Breakup of The Beatles
-Death of Jimi Hendrix (American guitarist, songwriter, and singer)
-1971: Birth of Snoop Dogg
-Start of the band Queen
-1972: Start of the Rolling Stones
- Bennie and the Jets-Elton John 1973
I love the build of this song. It starts out slow and very on beat. At the end of the song, it starts to build more and gets faster and I absolutely love the feel. This is a song that I’m glad exists. It’s very catchy; the first time I heard it, it was stuck in my head for weeks and still occasionally pops into my head and clings on. Fun fact: Elton John’s original name was Reginald Kenneth Dwight. He renamed himself after Elton Hercules John, a combination of Elton Dean, someone known for his strength, and Long John Baldry.
-1976: Abba releases Dancing Queen
-1977: Death of Elvis Presley
Birth of Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance
Birth of Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park
- Heart of Glass-Blondie 1978.
The band was originally called the Angel and the Snake but was eventually renamed in 1975 after Debbie Harry’s nickname. Heart of Glass is a song that you’ll be singing for months now. I love the background vocals that give the song just what it needs.
80’s Songs
-1980: Death of John Lennon
-1981: Death of Bob Marley
-1982: Michael Jackson releases Thriller
-Blondie splits up
- Compact disk is released
- I Melt With You-Modern English 1982.
-1983: “Weird Al” Yankovic released his first parody
-Start of Guns N’ Roses
- Karma Chameleon-Culture Club 1983.
-1986: Start of Green Day
-1987: Start of Nirvana
-1988: Birth of Rihanna
90’s Songs
-1991: Start of Oasis
Death of Freddie Mercury (Lead singer of Queen)
- No Rain-Blind Melon 1992
-1994: Mariah Carey released All I Want for Christmas is You
-Death of Kurt Cobain (Lead singer of Nirvana)
- Zombies-The Cranberries 1994
-1995: Death of Jerry Garcia (a singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the Grateful Dead)
-1996: Guns N’ Roses break up
Pink Floyd breaks up
Early 2000’s
-2001: Michael Jackson releases his last studio album
-2002: Beginning of American Idol
-2003: Death of Johnny Cash
- I Miss You-Blink 182 2003
- Somewhere Only We Know-Keane 2004
-2006: Taylor Swift releases her first album
-2008: Lady Gaga releases her first album
-Katy Perry releases her first album
-2009: Death of Michael Jackson
Hidden Modern Gems
-2012: Jack Bugg releases his first album
- Like Real People Do-Hozier 2014
-2016: Death of David Bowie
- Sure and Certain-Jimmy Eat World 2016
Personal Favorites
Out of all these songs, it is hard to pick a favorite. However, while writing this article there were a couple that stood out more than others. Ranking first out of the list is No Rain, of course, followed closely by Somewhere Only We Know, Bennie and the Jets, and finally, Karma Chameleon.