25 Songs Just for Midlife Boomers

Helene Cohen Bludman takes some of our favorite music and tweaks the titles so they fit us boomers perfectly. Fun and nostalgic, all at the same time! Read more from Helene on her blog, Books is Wonderful.

As a proud member of the baby boomer generation, I confess that I sometimes like to live in the past.

Ah, the 60s. What a time it was.

I can get all mushy reminiscing about the 60s.

Especially the music.

And that is why it made me, my husband and our two friends deliriously happy to attend The British Invasion 50th Anniversary Tour.

The tour commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ arrival here in February 1964. That was just the beginning of the British Invasion, because following the Beatles came more British rock groups — The Dave Clark Five, The Kinks, the Rollings Stones, The Who and many more.

Surrounded by a sea of equally enthusiastic boomers, we sang along with 60s performers Billy J. Kramer, The Searchers, Denny Laine and best of all, Chad & Jeremy, who performed the lovely Summer Song, one of my all-time favorites:

So they didn’t have the voices they had 50 years ago. So what? It didn’t matter. Hearing them sing these familiar tunes was enough to put us in a nostalgic reverie.

Chad & Jeremy. The Temps, Four Tops, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Diana Ross. Dusty Springfield. I still love hearing their songs and singing along. Funny how you can remember lyrics from 50 years ago but not what you had for dinner last night.

Obviously, we’ve aged grown along with these amazing performers. Now in midlife or older, if they were to rewrite these classics today, what might these songs be?

Here are some possibilities.

Counting down the Top 25 list we have ….

25. It’s Not Unusual to Walk Into a Room and Forget Why, Tom Jones

24. Bend Me, Shape Me, Give Me a Tummy Tuck, American Breed

23. Tell Me Why I Can’t Find Jeans that Fit Right, Beatles

22. Lonely Too Long Maybe Time to Go on Match.com, Young Rascals

21. Heatwave No Just a Hot Flash, Martha and the Vandellas

20. Ooh Grandbaby Grandbaby, Miracles

19 I Had Too Much to Eat Last Night and My Stomach is Acting Up, Electric Prunes

18. Twist and Shout in Agony, Beatles

17. White Hospital Room, Cream

16. Reach Out I’ll Be There on Facebook, Four Tops

15. You and Zoloft Are All I Need to Get By, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

14. I Can See For Miles As Long As I Have My Glasses With Me, Cream

13. In the Midnight Hour I’ve Already Been Asleep for Three Hours, Wilson Pickett

12. Let’s Spend The Night Together in our Flannels, Rolling Stones

11. Wouldn’t it Be Nice to Have a Waistline, Beach Boys

10. You Can’t Hurry Love Except with Viagra, Supremes

9. She’s Not There (Now Where Did I Leave Her), Zombies

8. When a Woman Loves a Woman, Percy Sledge

7. Under The Boardwalk and I Can’t Get Up, Drifters

6. Yesterday I Don’t Remember What I Did, Beatles

5. My 60 Year-Old Girl, Temptations

4. Stand By Me or I’ll Get a Chair for You, Ben E. King

3.  Ain’t Too Proud to Beg for Hormone Replacement Therapy, Temptations

2. Bad Moon Rising Which Means I’ll Be Up Again All Night, Creedence Clearwater Revival

1. Walk on By Because I Don’t Remember Where I Parked My Car, Dionne Warwick

Do you have anything to add to our list of songs for midlife boomers?