Almanac Music: Songs for Adults Only – The ‘Adult Contemporary’ Genre
Cover for the album Nancy & Lee by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. 1968. [Wikimedia Commons.]
Songs for Adults Only – The ‘Adult Contemporary’ Genre
Music listening often depends upon one’s mood. Sometimes the desire is not for pop or rock tunes of the mainstream or indie variety, but instead for something more ‘adult’ orientated. That’s where the term ‘Adult Contemporary’ music comes in – or, at least, came in. I view it as music possessing a certain sophistication, often through a combination of musical arrangement, adult themes and a level of worldliness not typically present in the songs on the mainstream charts. In this context, for me the heyday of ‘Adult Contemporary’ music was the sixties and early seventies. After that, the kind of music concerned seemed to become lost amidst various other kinds of genres and lose its status as a distinct entity.
Following, then, are some examples of what I consider to be classic Adult Contemporary songs. They are all classy, high quality pieces of work.
‘It Was a Very Good Year’, written by Ervin Drake, recorded by Frank Sinatra (1965)
This classic, Grammy Award winning version of ‘It Was a Very Good Year’ by Frank Sinatra is a song that has resonated in my own life since I first heard it on the radio as a kid – what an evocative, beautifully performed, life-saturated ‘song of experience’ it is!
‘Summer Wine’, written by Lee Hazlewood, recorded by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood (1966)
Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra had a string of hits together in the nineteen-sixties – this was their first. The song has a sophisticated feel, with clever lyrics, as well as fine vocals by Hazlewood and Sinatra, whose voices complimented each other very well.
‘Superstar’, written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell, recorded by Carpenters (1971)
Do you know the opening lines of this song? Long ago / And oh so far away …’ No? If you listen to music to any great degree, and are of a certain age, you’re almost certain to know the chorus then: Don’t you remember you told me you loved me baby? / You said you’d be coming back again this way again baby …’ For me, this song defines an era – it’s so rich and transporting, almost otherworldly in its magic. And this has everything to do with Karen Carpenter’s emotionally-charged, perfectly judged performance. Please just listen …
‘Midnight at the Oasis’, written by David Nichtern, recorded by Maria Muldaur (1974)
Jazzy, a touch bluesy, lyrically witty (e.g. with its opening Midnight at the oasis / Send your camel to bed …), this song very much fits the Adult Contemporary mode, and is another tune I’ve been aware of since my young years – I recall it was often played on late-night radio, which I listened to a great deal as a youthful insomniac.
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About
Kevin Densley is a graduate of both Deakin University and The University of Melbourne. He has taught writing and literature in numerous Victorian universities and TAFES. He is a poet and writer-in-general. His sixth book-length poetry collection, Isle Full of Noises, was published in early 2026 by Ginninderra Press. He is also the co-author of ten play collections for young people, as well as a multi Green Room Award nominated play, Last Chance Gas, published by Currency Press. Other writing includes screenplays for educational films.
I was born in 1961 and my mum loved adult contemporary, so these songs really bring the era back to me. The Carpenters, Lee Hazlewood (should have been bigger), Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, Burt Bacharach, etc once upon a time were considered cheesy, well, maybe not Sinatra, but their songs have held up amazingly well. I have them all on my Spotify.
‘Summer Wine’ has always been a favourite of mine KD, in fact all their songs appeal strongly. I wasn’t aware Leon Russell co-wrote ‘Superstar’. You learn something every day! Thanks KD!
Hi Tony. Yes, ‘Adult Contemporary’ was very much connected to a distinct era, to my way of thinking. Glad my little selection of songs brought the era back to you. Of course, I think you’re right when you state that the songs concerned ‘have held up amazingly well’.
Cheers, Col! Yep, I agree – ‘Summer Wine’ is certainly a great song. I love both performances in the Sinatra/Hazlewood version and the clever lyrics of the song itself. What an opening couple of lines, in this latter respect: ‘Strawberries, cherries and an angel’s kiss in spring / My summer wine is really made from all these things …’
Re Leon Russell, I only learnt recently that he was the co-writer of ‘Superstar’, though have loved the song for a long time.
Thanks for this idea about which I’ve not thought for ages, KD.
Do you think Roberta Flack’s ‘Killing Me Soft With His Song’ and ‘The First Time Ever I Saw His Face’ make the cut?
Thanks, Mickey, for your response.
And yes, I’d put both Flack songs firmly in the Adult Contemporary genre – really good examples of it, actually.
There remain a range of discussions about what constitutes the genre to this day – and there still exist charts of, broadly speaking, this kind of material (e.g. Billboard). However, I think the high water mark of this type of music was the sixties and early seventies, as I indicate in the intro to my piece – whatever else can be written or said about it.
Fantastic memories Kev. A lot of songs from this genre have been reinvented as trendy by artists such as Nick Cave, Tex Perkins and the late Rowland S Howard. Great songs. Cheers
Thanks for your reply, Ian.
You are so right in what you say. (For instance, in his very early days, Nick Cave even did a version of Nancy Sinatra’s ‘These Boots Are Made For Walking’.)
Well done KD, a very enjoyable collection from a genre that I had forgotten about! Lee Hazlewood had another beautiful song called ‘Some Velvet Morning’. Also Coleen Hewett did a mighty version of Superstar (checkout her live version from Rockwiz on YouTube!).
Peggy Lee probably fits the AO classification and I particularly loved a song she recorded called ‘Is that all there is’
Cheers
Tony f
Thanks, Tony, for your kind words – glad that I re-introduced you to this fine genre.
Hazlewood, yes – what a talent! And Hewett’s version of Superstar is indeed a wonderful one.
I’ll have to give the Peggy Lee song a listen. It certainly rings a bell, but I’ll have to re-acquaint myself with it.
Hi Tony.
Yes, I followed up on the Peggy Lee song – and it’s very much in the ‘Adult Contemporary’ mode, being a song rich in life experience and ‘adult’ themes, as well as having a performance in keeping with one who has seen the highs and lows of life. Actually, in the way it approaches its subject matter (i.e. it being a kind of journey through life), ‘Is That All There Is?’ reminds me a bit of ‘A Very Good Year’.
Also, interestingly, musically speaking ‘Is That All There Is’ has more than a touch of German cabaret about it (e.g. Brecht-Weill). This is not that surprising after one realises the German influences behind the writing of this Leiber-Stoller song. (e.g. Jerry Leiber’s German wife who introduced him to the works of Thomas Mann, and the song’s use of elements of a particular Mann short story, ‘Disillusionment’.)
I thought Marlene Dietrich would do a ripper version of ‘Is That All There Is’, then discovered that it was actually written for her but she turned it down! (We’re talking around middish-1960s here.)
Yes , I could imagine Marlene doing a vonderful version. Great back ground information also! Cheers, Kevin