7 These ’60s Songs Laid the Foundation for Alternative Rock’s Spirit of Experimentation
Bowie’s journey into space
David Bowie’s 1969 single “Space Oddity” drew partial inspiration from Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Its sound combines psychedelic folk and progressive rock, resisting a single genre label.
The song follows fictional astronaut Major Tom on a journey that ends in tragedy. Through his story, Bowie explored isolation and anxiety, themes that would return in alternative rock in later decades.
The Zombies mix their influences
The English band The Zombies broke through with “She’s Not There” in 1965. The song describes an adolescent breakup from the perspective of a boy who has been left by a woman he considers disingenuous.
Electric piano, folk influences, breathy vocals and delicate harmonies give the track a distinctive sound. Its treatment of emotional numbness and loss of control also connects it with ideas found in psychedelic and alternative rock.
Jefferson Airplane reaches wider audiences
Formed in San Francisco in 1965, Jefferson Airplane became a major force in psychedelic rock. The band’s 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow helped bring fringe music and counterculture to a broader audience during the Summer of Love.
“Somebody to Love” appeared on the album, though the song had first been performed by The Great Society. Written by Darby Slick, it was brought to Jefferson Airplane by Grace Slick, who had sung with the earlier group; the band’s version made it more forceful and emotionally charged.
Key points
- Alternative rock’s roots reach back to 1960s psychedelic rock and counterculture.
- Bowie’s “Space Oddity” explored isolation and anxiety through Major Tom’s story.
- The Zombies blended rock with jazz, classical and folk influences on “She’s Not There.”
- Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love” grew from an earlier Great Society version.