3 Groundbreaking ’60s Rock Songs That Were Never Released as Singles

The 1960s were a crazy time for music. It was a golden age when rock bands were still discovering what they could do. There were daring experiments, weird sounds, and style changes that will never be forgotten. Even though the charts were full of hits, some of the most important songs from that era never even made it to the singles charts. They lived quietly on albums and didn’t get much radio play, yet they nevertheless had a huge impact on rock music.

Here are three of those lesser-known game-changers: rock tunes from the 1960s that weren’t released as hits but changed the course of music history.

The Beatles’ Mind-Bending Leap: “Tomorrow Never Knows”
The final track on Revolver wasn’t meant to be catchy or danceable. It was meant to transform how people think about music. And it did just that.

John Lennon wrote “Tomorrow Never Knows” after becoming deeply interested in psychedelics and Eastern philosophy. The Beatles used the studio as an instrument instead of following a typical song structure. They experimented with tape loops, reverse effects, and layers of sound that were utterly new at the time.

Lennon wanted his voice to sound like a distant, spiritual chant—something strange and otherworldly. Although his original idea of hanging from the ceiling to sing didn’t work out, engineer Geoff Emerick devised a clever solution. He had Lennon sing through a spinning speaker typically used for organs, which created that dreamy, floating sound.

The result was unlike anything listeners had heard before. “Tomorrow Never Knows” didn’t just close the album; it opened up new possibilities for making rock music. It helped elevate mainstream music into works of art and influenced bands like Pink Floyd and Radiohead.

Jimi Hendrix’s Soulful Side: “Little Wing”
Jimi Hendrix was known for setting guitars on fire—both literally and figuratively. But “Little Wing” revealed another side of his genius. Featured on the Axis: Bold as Love album, the song provides a brief, exquisite moment of peace amid Hendrix’s usual storm of fuzz and feedback.

Hendrix drew inspiration from R&B legend Curtis Mayfield and used delicate, emotive guitar work instead of flashy solos. He honed these smooth, soulful techniques while backing acts like The Isley Brothers and Little Richard early in his career. Here, he blended that approach with his own dreamy, psychedelic style.

Though only two minutes long, “Little Wing” is packed with emotion. It’s a quiet, beautiful song that demonstrates Hendrix’s ability to communicate deeply with just a few notes—or even silence. Later, artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan transformed it into a blues-rock epic in the 1980s. Its emotional influence can still be felt in recent classics like Pearl Jam’s “Yellow Ledbetter” and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge.”

The Rolling Stones’ Storm Warning: “Gimme Shelter”
You can tell something big is coming when you hear the opening of “Gimme Shelter.” Keith Richards’ guitar intro sounds like an approaching storm, followed by Mick Jagger’s raw, urgent, and shaken vocals. It feels apocalyptic—and that was the intention.

Many listeners believed the song addressed turbulent times such as wars, protests, and violence. Richards, however, said the tension came from something closer to home. He suspected something was going on between Jagger and his girlfriend at the time. That uneasy emotion came through in his playing, giving the song its eerie, haunting mood.

The real highlight, though, is guest vocalist Merry Clayton. Like a lightning strike, her powerful voice slices through the mix. At one point, her voice literally cracks mid-note, delivering an emotional punch that hits listeners in the gut. It’s a rare, raw moment in music that can’t be rehearsed, and it gives “Gimme Shelter” its heart.

Although it wasn’t released as a single, the song quickly became one of the band’s most iconic tracks. It continues to be used in films, TV shows, and documentaries to evoke the feeling of living on the edge.

Not Just Album Filler

It’s easy to assume that if a song wasn’t a single, it wasn’t important. These tracks prove otherwise. Sometimes the best ideas come from beyond the radio waves. These songs—hidden gems that weren’t singles—helped shape the future of rock music with their experimental studio work, passionate guitar playing, and raw vocals. They weren’t created to top charts; they were made to break new ground. And decades later, they continue to do just that.