On again with this long-running series where I pick five songs from a year. As always, this list should be taken as “five of my favorite songs from 1969,” as opposed to “my five favorite songs from 1969.”

1969 was apparently a hell of a year. I wasn’t personally around for it, I still have eight years before I showed my pretty little face. But this was the big one – the Summer of Love, Woodstock, all of that jazz.

Now, I don’t know if music from ’69 really leapt out and grabbed me the same way stuff from ’67 did. But that could be more about that year than this one. It was no real problem finding five songs for this year.

Led Zeppelin – Communication Breakdown

First off is one from Zep’s debut. I do very much love the album and this song specifically is a huge selling point. A short blast of heavy metal from them, which is honestly a rare treat as they influenced the genre for sure but didn’t actually play it much. I’ve always loved the power and insanity of this track.

Credence Clearwater Revival – Fortunate Son

I guess one way to achieve musical immortality is to release three freaking albums in one year, which CCR did in 1969. This track was a shot at the elite, who kept their children out of the Vietnam War while the sons of the working class were shipped off to face death. It’s a fantastic song and an enduring protest anthem to this day. While CCR had a number of great songs in their career, which was apparently mostly in 1969, this song stands out to me as their magnum opus.

The Stooges – I Wanna Be Your Dog

What would become punk rock took shape in no small part thanks to this track from Iggy Pop and company. This is a pretty groovy track with piano from John Cale of The Velvet Underground and the simple, distorted three chord guitar structure which would become the anchor of punk. The song isn’t literal, Iggy Pop doesn’t want to be a dog. In part it’s the word God turned backwards because Iggy was bored one day and came up with it. The other part is naughty stuff, I’ll let you dwell on that.

Merle Haggard – Okie From Muskogee

Up next is a song written as a counter to the Vietnam protests. Haggard was in full support of the US troops and composed this ode to American life. Haggard later said his views changed after learning new information about the war but the song was an enduring hit and also a tribute to the small town folks of his home state so the song remained in play through his life.

And, while the song is politically charged and in a way I’m not personally inclined toward, it is a fair assessment of that “simpler” kind of life. I can appreciate that side of things, especially the more “small town” stuff. I also fondly recall Willie Nelson playing this live in tribute just after Merle died in 2016, nothing says irony like Willie playing this song.

The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter

And this year caps off with yet another song about the Vietnam War, though Keith Richards actually started it based on a far more mundane thunderstorm. But the anti-war sentiment rings strong through this excellent song. I’m not a massive Stones fan, I don’t have any of their albums or anything, but their top tracks do stand out and this is certainly one of them.

That does it for this edition and also wraps up the 1960’s. Things really kick off once I get rolling into the ’70’s. See you then.