Slow jams might not be your groove. Maybe you prefer rock to be more edgy, and also a lot more aggressive. There is nothing wrong with that. It is part of what sets the genre apart from others.
Still, even bands that produced voluminous work can also do the mellow stuff well. Such is the case with several of the bands below. Not every song the bands produced was great, but these five songs were.
One band was even a bit too much for its own age and churned out a winner. Every musical artist below you will know. But maybe you should get to know these songs again.
1960s slow jams that will make you feel better about life
"Never My Love" - The Association
The Association was a bit too overproduced and slick on most of their songs. A bit too saccharine to be worthy of mass consumption. And yet...they were. Maybe they just had a comfortable and un-dangerous sound that parents were fine with so the kids could play their hi-fis somewhat loudly without too much pushback.
Still, "Never My Love" sounds, nearly accidentally, like a song one might listen to on a lazy afternoon when maybe they have had a bit too much of whatever. It's so incredibly slow and barely keeps the pulse. That makes the tune hauntingly perfect. The song has no business being as good as it is.
"Whiter Shade of Pale" - Procol Harum
There is likely no better use of organ in the history of recorded music than this song. It mirrors the lyrics and one just wants to move their head slowly from side to side. We might not ever know why. The song just makes us feel that way.
The lyrics are so odd that they somehow find purchase in deep meaning. The "ceiling flew away"? What? Who cares? We get it.
"Sweet Thing" - Van Morrison
A pure love song, but one also full of hope. It should be impossible to listen to this song and feel sad. That is unless you felt sad before hearing the tune, and that is quite all right. Maybe the track helps you feel better.
Still, the lyrics are not straightforward and more conceptual. A person drives down the street and feels glee, the lovers speak in gardens while it is raining...it's beautiful. And it's, well...sweet. A great song to send to your love on Valentine's Day. Or any rainy day ever.
"Ruby Tuesday" - Rolling Stones
Quite the opposite of the "Sweet Thing" lyrics, this track seems to ache as it flows. That might be too harsh of an interpretation, though. Keith Richards wrote the lyrics about a girlfriend, but she does seem to be going her own way. The sadness is palpable.
It is also melancholy perfection. Mick Jagger has said he had nothing to do with the creation of the song but still loves to sing it. That is likely how many of us feel listening to the track while we ride in cars, singing along to the words.
"Tired of Waiting for You" - The Kinks
This was a slightly different approach for the band when they recorded the song. They were never anti-melody, but they weren't purely pop either. This track is not an overreach to sound poppy, but it certainly was not as heavy on guitar for a band that helped form the bones of punk and metal.
The lyrics are not going to break the mold of fantastic lyrics, but that was never the point. They work perfectly with the sound. That is what every song should do.