May 1965 — a month when British pop culture hit full stride. London was swinging, the clubs were packed, and from Mod art to raw R&B, the scene pulsed with invention.
This was the moment when feedback met fashion, when folk met fame, and when a new generation of soundmakers — from The Who to Vashti Bunyan — pushed music into uncharted territory.
So let’s drop the needle and take a trip back to May 1965, one single at a time.
The Who – Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
If one record captured the restlessness of 1965, it was The Who’s explosive second single, Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere.
Beat Instrumental called it “a sort of musical action painting” — a sound as unpredictable as the band’s live shows. With Pete Townshend’s pioneering guitar feedback and Keith Moon’s chaotic drumming, it was the sound of pop breaking the rules in real time.
The release even sparked a brief “Pop Art” craze across Britain. Rave magazine wrote breathlessly about “targets on sweaters, Union Jack jackets, and optical art patterns” — fashion statements as loud as the music itself.
The single soared to No. 10 in the UK, staying 11 weeks in the charts. It didn’t chart in the US, but its impact on British rock was seismic — a rallying cry for the Mod generation.
The B-side, Daddy Rolling Stone, an Otis Blackwell cover, proved The Who could do R&B grit as well as anyone.
The Kinks – Set Me Free / I Need You
By May 1965, The Kinks were finding their footing again after a brief lull. Their new single Set Me Free revealed a more introspective side of Ray Davies, moving away from the snarling riffage of You Really Got Me toward emotional restraint.
NME praised its “raucous guitar introduction” and predicted it would “do better than their last.” The B-side, I Need You, was pure Kinks grit — distorted, pulsing, and every bit the equal of the A-side.
The single climbed to No. 9 in Britain, cracked No. 23 in the US, and went even higher in Canada, peaking at No. 2.
The Kinks were growing up — and their music was growing smarter.
The Clique – We Didn’t Kiss, Didn’t Love, But Now We Do
Here’s one for the true collectors: The Clique’s May 1965 release, an early gem of what we now call freakbeat.
The term didn’t exist back then, but it perfectly fits this wild, off-kilter 45 — full of rhythmic shifts, unexpected chords, and a psychedelic edge that pointed toward 1966’s more experimental sounds.
Its A-side boasted an eccentric title and even stranger song structure, while the B-side pulsed with the kind of Mod R&B energy that made London’s scene electric.
Poorly promoted by Pye Records, it vanished on release — but decades later, both sides resurfaced on freakbeat compilations, revealing how far ahead of their time The Clique really were.
The Hollies – I’m Alive
The Hollies had already made their mark with harmony-rich pop hits, but I’m Alive — their ninth single — was the one that pushed them to the top.
Written by Clint Ballard Jr. (of Game of Love fame), it was tailor-made for the group’s lush harmonies and rhythmic polish. NME raved about its “stimulating rhythm and full enveloping sound.”
Originally offered to The Toggery Five, the song found its perfect home with The Hollies, who took it to No. 1 in the UK, holding that spot for three weeks. It also charted across Europe — though it only scraped to No. 85 in the US.
Still, I’m Alive marked The Hollies’ moment of pure pop perfection.
Vashti Bunyan – Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind
If the other singles of May 1965 shouted, Vashti Bunyan’s whispered. Her debut, Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind, was a delicate, haunting folk song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, with Jimmy Page on acoustic guitar.
Discovered by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham, Vashti seemed destined for stardom — but her shy, introspective nature clashed with the demands of pop celebrity.
Despite strong press and even a US Shindig! TV appearance, she retreated from the spotlight soon after the single’s release.
Years later, her 1970 album Just Another Diamond Day — inspired by her nomadic travels across the countryside — was rediscovered and hailed as a folk masterpiece.
By the 2000s, Vashti Bunyan had become a cult hero to new generations, influencing artists from Joanna Newsom to Devendra Banhart.
Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages – Train Kept A-Rolling
If The Who were art and The Kinks were wit, Screaming Lord Sutch was pure chaos.
His May 1965 single featured blistering guitar work from a young Ritchie Blackmore, with production by the eccentric genius Joe Meek. Both sides — Train Kept A-Rolling and Honey Hush — roared with wild saxes and snarling energy.
Though Sutch never found chart success, he became a cult figure: a horror-loving, long-haired showman who predated Alice Cooper by nearly a decade.
He may not have sold many records, but he pioneered shock rock — and May 1965 was one of his fiercest moments.
Donovan – Colours
Donovan followed up Catch the Wind with another gentle masterpiece: Colours.
Recorded in just three takes, its simplicity was its strength — just voice, guitar, and double bass (courtesy of ex-Shadow Licorice Locking). Beat Instrumental called it “haunting… a song that grows on you fast.”
The record climbed to No. 4 in Britain, staying in the Top 40 for 11 weeks. In America, it stalled at No. 61, but its tender, poetic charm remains timeless — the sound of a young troubadour finding his own voice in a crowded pop landscape.
Sandie Shaw – Long Live Love
If May 1965 belonged to anyone, it might have been Sandie Shaw. Her single Long Live Love — written by Chris Andrews — was a burst of sunny, calypso-infused pop that topped the UK charts.
NME described it as “haunting, mature, and irresistible, with an infectious Latin-flavoured rhythm.”
Its upbeat “baiao” rhythm echoed other mid-’60s hits like Concrete and Clay and It’s Not Unusual, but Sandie made it her own. She even recorded it in multiple languages, and the single went on to hit No. 1 in Britain, No. 1 in New Zealand, and Top 10 across Europe.
In the US, it barely cracked the Top 100 — but at home, it cemented her status as Britain’s barefoot pop queen.
The Sound of May 1965
From Mods in Union Jack jackets to folk poets with acoustic guitars, May 1965 was a kaleidoscope of British creativity. The month’s singles captured everything that made the era special — the boldness, the beauty, and the sense that pop music could be anything it wanted to be.
So next time you spin Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere or I’m Alive, remember — this was the sound of a nation finding its groove and changing music forever.
