Destress from Finals with This 60s-80s Throwback Playlist

Rock, disco, jazz, funk… all the best genres sprung to life in the sixties, seventies and eighties. Something about the simplicity and the originality of the music, at least personally, always evokes a lot of emotion.

A lot of modern pop is ridden with heavy beats and vocal gymnastics, and while I appreciate this as a form of artistry in and of itself, it takes the emphasis away from the artist. The phrase “beauty in simplicity” is very applicable to the musical world. Most of the old-school classics have a basic tempo, with a melody that is pure and untouched, accompanied by few external elements. Take for example Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.” It consists solely of a classical guitar and one man’s voice. Bob Dylan was able to move so many people with just his voice and a harmonica (and of course, inspiring lyrics).

About four years ago, I began to compile this sort of music into this playlist, which I have been adding to ever since with songs I pick up from vinyl records, radio stations, etc. Nowadays, the playlist has about 600 songs across five languages all strictly within the 60s to 80s time frame.

You’ll find a complete mixture of songs from the explosion of country music in the 60s, the birth of rock n roll in the 70s, Italian soul, Portuguese Jazz, the incongruousness of bands like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, to the peculiar classics of the 80s. A lot of the artists you’ll be familiar with, but there are some lesser-known artists that I strongly recommend you check out, like Sandie Shaw, Giorgio Gaber, and Smokey Robinson (to name a few). At the same time, some artists are the author of close to thirty songs on the playlist, so you’re bound to stumble across pieces sung by familiar artists that you never knew existed! Happy listening and good luck on your midterms!

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