3581 - 1965 in Pop: A Soundtrack to a Tumultuous Time (Greg Kelley)
Course Description
Instructor: Greg Kelley
1965 in Pop: A Soundtrack to a Tumultuous Time
Step back into the middle of the swinging ’60s—a year when pop music reflected the energy, tension, and transformation of the era. Together, we’ll listen to and explore the stories behind the songs that defined 1965, tracing their roots and their lasting influence. Two threads run through the year’s hits: the irresistible pull of Latin rhythms and the unmistakable echo of Bob Dylan’s poetic revolution.
We’ll dive into:
- “Downtown” – The gentle sophistication of bossa nova in the mainstream
- “Help Me, Rhonda” – Doo-wop nostalgia meets sunny California pop
- “Help!” – The world’s most famous band goes introspective and Dylan-esque
- “Like a Rolling Stone” – When folk went electric and never looked back
- “Wooly Bully” – A Tex-Mex dance craze with staying power
- “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” – Blues meets fuzz guitar and youthful rebellion
- “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” – The birth of funk, bold and unstoppable
- “Rubber Soul” – When the album became an art form
Come listen, reminisce, and rediscover the year when pop found new meaning and music changed forever.
Bio: Greg Kelley holds the Ph.D. in English from Emory University (‘90). Happily married for 48 years, Greg enjoys his four adult children and three grandchildren. He taught at the high school and, mostly, at the university level for 40 years, most recently at Perimeter College of Georgia State University, a delightful access institution, before retiring December, 2024. He has played in rock bands continuously since 1969.