5 Love Songs That Take Boomers Straight Back To Their First Serious Relationship

When you're young, there are a lot of memorable "firsts" in your life, and the first serious relationship is often a lengthy, formative experience. For the baby boomers who grew up during the early prime of rock 'n' roll, there are a number of songs that transport them straight back to these memorable times. These first relationships may have been golden and sacred, or they may have been complicated. Regardless, these excellent tunes from the 1960s may offer a time capsule back to a time when young love was blooming.

In this list, we'll feature five songs that young people were likely to be listening to that still have held up as love song classics to this day. The styles range from easy listening to soul to even country music and, of course, classic 1960s rock 'n' roll. Some of these songs dominated airways during their prime, and some have become timeless classics, but each pulls upon the heartstrings of young lovers with youthful sounds, moving lyrics, and the excitement of early love. The likes of Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and more left us with some decade-defining songs, and boomers may just get a familiar taste of their first relationship upon relistening.

For boomers, this classic love song may have been the first truly romantic sonic experience, and the voice of Elvis Presley is nearly divine during this arguably most iconic song of his. "Can't Help Falling in Love" was a smash hit for Presley, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962 amidst a flurry of chart-topping hits for him in the early '60s. It's among the best slow-dancing songs ever written, taken straight out of a nearly saccharine classic romance story and put to audio, perfect for any coming-of-age boomer to latch onto.

"Can't Help Falling in Love" is full of swelling strings and harmonies that enhance this essential experience. Its gentle, easy-listening croons over the timeless lyrics — "Like a river flows / Surely to the sea / Darling, so it goes / Some things are meant to be" — are hard not to love. The song certainly played at formative times for any adolescent of the era experiencing their first love or relationship, whether that was at a prom or a drive-in radio, and the singular power of Elvis makes it a perfect time capsule into that first serious relationship.

One of the masters of the love song across the '60s and '70s, Stevie Wonder did not let up on this late '60s hit, a song that blends his knack for pop and soul perfection. "My Cherie Amour" was a success on the charts as a top five hit, peaking at No. 4 in the summer of '69. At this time, maturing baby boomers heard the song on the radio, and its wistful passions certainly had them staring out their car windows in yearning.

"My Cherie Amour" is an impossibly catchy tune, headlined by some of Wonder's best vocals and lyrics of his early prime. The song is full of rich detail and a gorgeous snugness, as well as prettily simple lines that make the song's story compelling: "Oh, cherie amour, pretty little one that I adore / You're the only girl my heart beats for / How I wish that you were mine." The instruments behind the words, airy and definitively romantic, paint the perfect romance for boomers of the time, who surely could not have resisted its tender sentiments.

Bob Dylan created many remarkable tunes across his years as a songwriter, writing more hits than he scored for himself. But "Lay, Lady, Lay" was perhaps his most romantic and certainly stuck in the minds of youth in relationships in the late 1960s. Compared to the early years of his career, the sonics of this simple, tender tune are nearly opposite of the nasal, sharp sounds Dylan was known for. Instead, they are slow and crooning across its three and a half minutes. It was also one of his most successful singles, peaking at No. 7.

"Lay, Lady, Lay" offered another angle for coming-of-age boomers, as the song itself is almost distantly romantic, best for lovers who were not yet head over heels but still leaning in the positively romantic direction. It's full of a longing to be, an innocent expression of wanting more: "Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed / Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead / I long to see you in the morning light / I long to reach for you in the night." Among Dylan's most traditional love songs, "Lay, Lady, Lay" has lived on as an important love song of the era and certainly soundtracked many boomers' first relationships.

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" was the Beatles' first No. 1 hit in the U.S. and the start of the band's era of dominance in the 1960s. This short rock 'n' roll tune spent an incredible seven weeks at the coveted top spot in 1964. One of John Lennon's favorite proclaimed Beatles songs, the song is bright, fast-paced, and full of the early youth of the group, which certainly bled into the ears of impressionable listeners. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is cute and straightforward, and its inescapability during its reign on the charts and beyond made it a surefire soundtrack to many boomers' first relationships.

The simple wish to hold someone's hand likely matched many budding romances of the time, inscribing this gesture into something worth longing for: "And when I touch you, I feel happy inside / It's such a feeling that, my love / I can't hide / I can't hide / I can't hide." The Beatles left a legacy of plenty of love songs for the youth of the 1960s, but this sweet track best transports boomers back into their first relationships with its early release and youthful message.

The one-of-a-kind, expressive voice of Otis Redding was the perfect musical canvas for a number of strong emotions, and young love was no exception. "I've Been Loving You Too Long" was one of Redding's top hits ever before his tragic death, peaking just outside the Hot 100's Top 20 at No. 21 during the summer of 1965. Across the song's three minutes, his warm croons balance the dramatic and the real, but it's a different take on love than most chart hits of the same time.

"I've Been Loving You Too Long" is certainly less rose-tinted than the other songs on this list — it feels more akin to a first relationship that may just be growing apart after some time. Still, it pleads for the love to survive, with a life-and-death feeling that first relationships can bring out: "I love you, I love you, I love you with all my heart / And I can't stop now / Please, please, please don't make me stop now / Talkin' 'bout heart and soul / That I love you." It's an excellent song altogether, and its mix of complex emotions and mid-'60s croons should take boomers right back to their rookie relationships.