Before texting someone that you were outside, there was waiting.
You might have been sitting by the front window watching for headlights, checking the clock every few minutes or hoping your parents wouldn’t embarrass you when your date or friends finally pulled into the driveway.
Then the car arrived, the radio was already playing, and the night officially began.
These 10 songs will bring that feeling right back.
1. “Oh, Pretty Woman” – Roy Orbison
That unmistakable opening guitar sounded incredible coming through an AM radio. It had the confidence and excitement that perfectly matched a night when you had somewhere to be.
2. “You Can’t Hurry Love” – The Supremes
For teenagers trying to figure out romance for the first time, the title probably felt like advice they weren’t particularly interested in following.
3. “I’m a Believer” – The Monkees
Bright, infectious and impossible to sit still through, this was exactly the kind of song that could turn an ordinary ride across town into part of the memory.
4. “California Dreamin'” – The Mamas & the Papas
Those harmonies could make you dream about places far beyond your own neighborhood. When you were young, the world seemed enormous, and songs like this made you want to see all of it.
5. “I Got You Babe” – Sonny & Cher
If you were being picked up by someone special, this one meant even more. Young love rarely felt complicated when this was playing.
6. “Happy Together” – The Turtles
Some songs instantly become attached to a person. For countless people who grew up in the 1960s, this was one of them.
7. “Do You Believe in Magic” – The Lovin’ Spoonful
It captured exactly what music could feel like when you were young. A song could change your mood before you even made it to wherever you were going.
8. “Build Me Up Buttercup” – The Foundations
By the end of the decade, songs like this were everywhere. Even now, it’s nearly impossible to hear the chorus without wanting to sing along.
9. “Brown Eyed Girl” – Van Morrison
A few seconds are enough. Suddenly it’s summertime again, you’re young, and the person sitting beside you feels like the most important person in the world.
10. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” – The Beach Boys
Perhaps no song better captured the impatience of young love. You wanted adulthood, freedom and a future with someone, and you wanted all of it now.
According to Billboard’s historical chart records, these artists helped define popular music during the 1960s. But for the people who lived through the decade, these songs weren’t history yet. They were simply what was playing while life happened.
Do you remember waiting by the window for someone to pull into the driveway?
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